Relationship between cognitive ability and emotional problems in the context of poverty: a Nigerian adolescent twin study

Although previous studies have identified negative relationships between cognitive ability and emotional problems (EP), mechanism explaining these relationships remained unclear. This study evaluated two explanatory models using bivariate moderation model-fitting analysis in a twin design. The resilience model suggests that high cognitive ability decreases the risk of EP in adverse settings, and the scarring model suggests that EP symptoms lead to persistent cognitive deficits following onset. The Standard Progressive Matrices Plus (SPM) and EP scale were administered to a sample of 3,202 twins (mean age = 14.62 ± 1.74 years) attending public schools in Nigeria. The results of bivariate moderation model-fitting analyses only supported the resilience model. Moderation effects were not significant in the scarring model when genetic and environmental influences were incorporated. The best-fitting bivariate moderation model assuming the resilience model yielded a genetic correlation of - 0.57 (95% CI =  - 0.40, - 0.84) with no significant environmental correlations. Moreover, the SPM moderated the environmental, not genetic, influences on EP, such that environmental influences were strong when protective factors were absent (low SPM) and weak when these were present (high SPM). These results indicate the need to develop targeted prevention and intervention strategies for EP in adolescents displaying low cognitive ability in deprived settings.

Association of exposure to mixture of chemicals during pregnancy with cognitive abilities and fine motor function of children

Chemical exposures often occur in mixtures and exposures during pregnancy may lead to adverse effects on the fetal brain, potentially reducing lower cognitive abilities and fine motor function of the child. We investigated the association of motheŕs exposure to a mixture of chemicals during pregnancy (i.e., organochlorine compounds, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, phenols, phthalates, organophosphate pesticides) with cognitive abilties and fine motor function in their children. We studied 1097 mother-child pairs from five European cohorts participating in the Human Early Life Exposome study (HELIX). Measurement of 26 biomarkers of exposure to chemicals was performed on urine or blood samples of pregnant women (mean age 31 years). Cognitive abilities and fine motor function were assessed in their children (mean age 8 years) with a battery of computerized tests administered in person (Raveńs Coloured Progressive Matrices, Attention Network Test, N-back Test, Trail Making Test, Finger Tapping Test). We estimated the joint effect of prenatal exposure to chemicals on cognitive abilities and fine motor function using the quantile-based g-computation method, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. A quartile increase in all the chemicals in the overall mixture was associated with worse fine motor function, specifically lower scores in the Finger Tapping Test [-8.5 points, 95 % confidence interval (CI) -13.6 to -3.4; -14.5 points, 95 % CI -22.4 to -6.6, and -18.0 points, 95 % CI -28.6 to -7.4) for the second, third and fourth quartile of the overal mixture, respectively, when compared to the first quartile]. Organochlorine compounds, phthalates, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contributed most to this association. We did not find a relationship with cognitive abilities. We conclude that exposure to chemical mixtures during pregnancy may influence neurodevelopment, impacting fine motor function of the offspring.

Students' Psychological State, Creative Development, and Music Appreciation: The Influence of Different Musical Act Modes (Exemplified by a Video Clip, an Audio Recording, and a Video Concert)

This paper aims to study how different musical act modes influence the student's psychological state, creative development, and music appreciation. In particular, the research focuses on concert videos, video clips, and audio records. Based on the Likert scale, the authors determined that video clips significantly influenced students' learning process since they contributed to the combination of visual and sound effects. Video concerts were less important. Concerts are mainly staged actions with frequent use of pre-recorded music, affecting the accuracy of singing techniques. The authors concluded that the most effective approach is systematical learning using the effect of colors and sounds with a preliminary analysis of musical compositions. The results showed that the most significant number of students significantly improved their knowledge (87%, with an average score of 0.92), and the elements of a musical act (rhythm, color scheme, text, and performance) influenced their development. The practical significance of the paper lies in the use of approaches to learning using colors and sound effects with an emphasis on the development of certain elements. The study prospects involve determining how effectively the elements of a musical act influence the psychological state resulting from comparing music genres.

Effects of acute maternal stress induced by predator cues on spatial learning and memory of offspring in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum

One of the main selection pressures to which animals are exposed in nature is predation, which affects a wide variety of biological traits. When the mother experiences this stressor during pregnancy and/or lactation, behavioral and physiological responses may be triggered in the offspring as well. Thus, in order to broaden and deepen knowledge on the transgenerational effects of predation stress, we evaluated how maternal stress experienced during pregnancy and/or lactation affects the spatial abilities of progeny at the onset of adulthood in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. The results showed that, contrary to what was observed in other rodent species, maternal exposure to predator cues during pregnancy and lactation did not negatively affect the spatial abilities of the offspring, even registering some minor positive effects. Concomitantly, no effects of predatory cues on physiological parameters associated with stress were observed in the progeny. This difference in results between the present study and previous works on maternal stress highlights the importance of considering the species to be evaluated (strain, age and origin-wild or captive-) and the type of stressor used (artificial or natural, intensity of exposure) in the evaluation of the possible transgenerational effects of maternal stress.

Epigenetic age acceleration as a biomarker for impaired cognitive abilities in adulthood following early life adversity and psychiatric disorders

Background

Early life adversity and psychiatric disorders are associated with earlier declines in neurocognitive abilities during adulthood. These declines may be preceded by changes in biological aging, specifically epigenetic age acceleration, providing an opportunity to uncover genome-wide biomarkers that identify individuals most likely to benefit from early screening and prevention.

Methods

Five unique epigenetic age acceleration clocks derived from peripheral blood were examined in relation to latent variables of general and speeded cognitive abilities across two independent cohorts: 1) the Female Growth and Development Study (FGDS; n = 86), a 30-year prospective cohort study of substantiated child sexual abuse and non-abused controls, and 2) the Biological Classification of Mental Disorders study (BeCOME; n = 313), an adult community cohort established based on psychiatric disorders.

Results

A faster pace of biological aging (DunedinPoAm) was associated with lower general cognitive abilities in both cohorts and slower speeded abilities in the BeCOME cohort. Acceleration in the Horvath clock was significantly associated with slower speeded abilities in the BeCOME cohort but not the FGDS. Acceleration in the Hannum clock and the GrimAge clock were not significantly associated with either cognitive ability. Accelerated PhenoAge was associated with slower speeded abilities in the FGDS but not the BeCOME cohort.

Conclusions

The present results suggest that epigenetic age acceleration has the potential to serve as a biomarker for neurocognitive decline in adults with a history of early life adversity or psychiatric disorders. Estimates of epigenetic aging may identify adults at risk of cognitive decline that could benefit from early neurocognitive screening.

Inhibition of NADPH oxidase 2 improves cognitive abilities by modulating aquaporin-4 after traumatic brain injury in mice

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by acquired damage that includes cerebral edema after a mechanical injury and may cause cognitive impairment. We explored the role of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 2 (NADPH oxidase 2; NOX2) and aquaporin-4 (AQP4) in the process of edema and cognitive abilities after TBI in NOX2-/- and AQP4-/- mice by using the Morris water maze test (MWM), step-down test (STD), novel object recognition test (NOR) and western blotting. Knockout of NOX2 in mice decreased the AQP4 and reduce edema in the hippocampus and cortex after TBI in mice. Moreover, inhibiting AQP4 by 2-(nicotinamide)-1,3,4-thiadiazole (TGN-020) or genetic deletion of AQP4 could attenuate neurological deficits without changing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels after TBI in mice. Taken together, we suspected that inhibiting NOX2 could improve cognitive abilities by modulating ROS levels, then affecting AQP4 levels and brain edema after in TBI mice. Our study demonstrated that NOX2 play a key role in decreasing edema in brain and improving cognitive abilities by modulating AQP4 after TBI.

Driving safety: Investigating the cognitive foundations of accident prevention

Driving is a crucial aspect of personal independence, and accurate assessment of driving skills is vital for ensuring road safety. This study aimed to identify reliable cognitive predictors of safe driving through a driving simulator experiment. We assessed the driving performance of 66 university students in two distinct simulated driving conditions and evaluated their cognitive skills in decision-making, attention, memory, reasoning, perception, and coordination. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the most reliable cognitive predictor of driving outcome. Results revealed that under favorable driving conditions characterized by good weather and limited interactions with other road users, none of the variables tested in the study were able to predict driving performance. However, in a more challenging scenario with adverse weather conditions and heavier traffic, cognitive assessment scores demonstrated significant predictive power for the rate of traffic infractions committed. Specifically, cognitive skills related to memory and coordination were found to be most predictive. This study underscores the significance of cognitive ability, particularly memory, in ensuring safe driving performance. Incorporating cognitive evaluations in driver licensing and education/training programs can enhance the evaluation of drivers' competence and promote safer driving practices.

Investigating the different domains of environmental knowledge acquired from virtual navigation and their relationship to cognitive factors and wayfinding inclinations

When learning an environment from virtual navigation people gain knowledge about landmarks, their locations, and the paths that connect them. The present study newly aimed to investigate all these domains of knowledge and how cognitive factors such as visuospatial abilities and wayfinding inclinations might support virtual passive navigation. A total of 270 participants (145 women) were tested online. They: (i) completed visuospatial tasks and answered questionnaires on their wayfinding inclinations; and (ii) learnt a virtual path. The environmental knowledge they gained was assessed on their free recall of landmarks, their egocentric and allocentric pointing accuracy (location knowledge), and their performance in route direction and landmark location tasks (path knowledge). Visuospatial abilities and wayfinding inclinations emerged as two separate factors, and environmental knowledge as a single factor. The SEM model showed that both visuospatial abilities and wayfinding inclinations support the environmental knowledge factor, with similar pattern of relationships in men and women. Overall, factors related to the individual are relevant to the environmental knowledge gained from an online virtual passive navigation.

Measuring Cognitive Abilities in the Wild: Validating a Population-Scale Game-Based Cognitive Assessment

Rapid individual cognitive phenotyping holds the potential to revolutionize domains as wide-ranging as personalized learning, employment practices, and precision psychiatry. Going beyond limitations imposed by traditional lab-based experiments, new efforts have been underway toward greater ecological validity and participant diversity to capture the full range of individual differences in cognitive abilities and behaviors across the general population. Building on this, we developed Skill Lab, a novel game-based tool that simultaneously assesses a broad suite of cognitive abilities while providing an engaging narrative. Skill Lab consists of six mini-games as well as 14 established cognitive ability tasks. Using a popular citizen science platform (N = 10,725), we conducted a comprehensive validation in the wild of a game-based cognitive assessment suite. Based on the game and validation task data, we constructed reliable models to simultaneously predict eight cognitive abilities based on the users' in-game behavior. Follow-up validation tests revealed that the models can discriminate nuances contained within each separate cognitive ability as well as capture a shared main factor of generalized cognitive ability. Our game-based measures are five times faster to complete than the equivalent task-based measures and replicate previous findings on the decline of certain cognitive abilities with age in our large cross-sectional population sample (N = 6369). Taken together, our results demonstrate the feasibility of rapid in-the-wild systematic assessment of cognitive abilities as a promising first step toward population-scale benchmarking and individualized mental health diagnostics.

Using a semi-automated approach to quantify Unidentified Bright Objects in Neurofibromatosis type 1 and linkages to cognitive and academic outcomes

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant neurocutaneous syndrome that affects multiple organ systems resulting in widespread symptoms, including cognitive deficits. In addition to the criteria required for an NF1 diagnosis, approximately 70% of children with NF1 present with Unidentified Bright Objects (UBOs) or Focal Areas of Signal Intensity, which are hyperintense bright spots seen on T2-weighted magnetic resonance images and seen more prominently on FLAIR magnetic resonance images (Sabol et al., 2011). Current findings relating the presence/absence, quantities, sizes, and locations of these bright spots to cognitive abilities are mixed. To contribute to and hopefully disentangle some of these mixed findings, we explored potential relationships between metrics related to UBOs and cognitive abilities in a sample of 28 children and adolescents with NF1 (M=12.52 years; SD=3.18 years; 16 male). We used the Lesion Segmentation Tool (LST) to automatically detect and segment the UBOs. The LST was able to qualitatively and quantitatively reliably detect UBOs in images of children with NF1. Using these automatically detected and segmented lesions, we found that while controlling for age, biological sex, perceptual IQ, study, and scanner, "total UBO volume", defined as the sum of all the voxels representing all of the UBOs for each participant, helped explain differences in word reading, phonological awareness, and visuospatial skills. These findings contribute to the emerging NF1 literature and help parse the specific deficits that children with NF1 have, to then help improve the efficacy of reading interventions for children with NF1.

R1ρ dispersion in white matter correlates with quantitative metrics of cognitive impairment

Much previous neuroimaging research in Alzheimer's disease has focused on the roles of amyloid and tau proteins, but recent studies have implicated microvascular changes in white matter as early indicators of damage related to later dementia. We used MRI to derive novel, non-invasive measurements of R1ρ dispersion using different locking fields to characterize variations of microvascular structure and integrity in brain tissues. We developed a non-invasive 3D R1ρ dispersion imaging technique using different locking fields at 3T. We acquired MR images and cognitive assessments of participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and compared them to age-matched healthy controls in a cross-sectional study. After providing informed consent, 40 adults aged 62 to 82 years (n = 17 MCI) were included in this study. White matter ΔR1ρ-fraction measured by R1ρ dispersion imaging showed a strong correlation with the cognitive status of older adults (βstd = -0.4, p-value < 0.01) independent of age, in contrast to other conventional MRI markers such as T2, R1ρ, and white matter hyperintense lesion volume (WMHs) measured with T2-FLAIR. The correlation of WMHs with cognitive status was no longer significant after adjusting for age and sex in linear regression analysis, and the size of the regression coefficient was substantially decreased (53% lower). This work establishes a new non-invasive method that potentially characterizes impairment of the microvascular structure of white matter in MCI patients compared to healthy controls. The application of this method in longitudinal studies would improve our fundamental understanding of the pathophysiologic changes that accompany abnormal cognitive decline with aging and help identify potential targets for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Prenatal and childhood chlordecone exposure, cognitive abilities and problem behaviors in 7-year-old children: the TIMOUN mother-child cohort in Guadeloupe

BACKGROUND

Chlordecone is a highly persistent organochlorine insecticide that was intensively used in banana fields in the French West Indies, resulting in a widespread contamination. Neurotoxicity of acute exposures in adults is well recognized, and empirical data suggests that prenatal exposure affects visual and fine motor developments during infancy and childhood, with greater susceptibility in boys.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the associations between pre- and postnatal exposures to chlordecone and cognitive and behavioral functions in school-aged children from Guadeloupe.

METHODS

We examined 576 children from the TIMOUN mother-child cohort in Guadeloupe at 7 years of age. Concentrations of chlordecone and other environmental contaminants were measured in cord- and children's blood at age 7 years. Cognitive abilities of children were assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV), and externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors documented with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) completed by the child's mother. We estimated covariate-adjusted associations between cord- and 7-years chlordecone concentrations and child outcomes using structural equations modeling, and tested effect modification by sex.

RESULTS

Geometric means of blood chlordecone concentrations were 0.13 µg/L in cord blood and 0.06 µg/L in children's blood at age 7 years. A twofold increase in cord blood concentrations was associated with 0.05 standard deviation (SD) (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.0, 0.10) higher internalizing problem scores, whereas 7-years chlordecone concentrations were associated with lower Full-Scale IQ scores (FSIQ) and greater externalized behavioral problem scores. A twofold increase in 7-year chlordecone concentrations was associated with a decrease of 0.67 point (95% CI: -1.13, -0.22) on FSIQ and an increase of 0.04 SD (95% CI: 0.0, 0.07) on externalizing problems. These associations with Cognitive abilities were driven by decreases in perceptive reasoning, working memory and verbal comprehension. Associations between 7-year exposure and perceptive reasoning, working memory, and the FSIQ were stronger in boys, whereas cord blood and child blood associations with internalizing problems were stronger in girls.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggests that cognitive abilities and externalizing behavior problems at school age are impaired by childhood, but not in utero, exposure to chlordecone, and that prenatal exposure is related to greater internalizing behavioral problems.

Genetic and Environmental Variation in Continuous Phenotypes in the ABCD Study®

Twin studies yield valuable insights into the sources of variation, covariation and causation in human traits. The ABCD Study® (abcdstudy.org) was designed to take advantage of four universities known for their twin research, neuroimaging, population-based sampling, and expertise in genetic epidemiology so that representative twin studies could be performed. In this paper we use the twin data to: (i) provide initial estimates of heritability for the wide range of phenotypes assessed in the ABCD Study using a consistent direct variance estimation approach, assuring that both data and methodology are sound; and (ii) provide an online resource for researchers that can serve as a reference point for future behavior genetic studies of this publicly available dataset. Data were analyzed from 772 pairs of twins aged 9-10 years at study inception, with zygosity determined using genotypic data, recruited and assessed at four twin hub sites. The online tool provides twin correlations and both standardized and unstandardized estimates of additive genetic, and environmental variation for 14,500 continuously distributed phenotypic features, including: structural and functional neuroimaging, neurocognition, personality, psychopathology, substance use propensity, physical, and environmental trait variables. The estimates were obtained using an unconstrained variance approach, so they can be incorporated directly into meta-analyses without upwardly biasing aggregate estimates. The results indicated broad consistency with prior literature where available and provided novel estimates for phenotypes without prior twin studies or those assessed at different ages. Effects of site, self-identified race/ethnicity, age and sex were statistically controlled. Results from genetic modeling of all 53,172 continuous variables, including 38,672 functional MRI variables, will be accessible via the user-friendly open-access web interface we have established, and will be updated as new data are released from the ABCD Study. This paper provides an overview of the initial results from the twin study embedded within the ABCD Study, an introduction to the primary research domains in the ABCD study and twin methodology, and an evaluation of the initial findings with a focus on data quality and suitability for future behavior genetic studies using the ABCD dataset. The broad introductory material is provided in recognition of the multidisciplinary appeal of the ABCD Study. While this paper focuses on univariate analyses, we emphasize the opportunities for multivariate, developmental and causal analyses, as well as those evaluating heterogeneity by key moderators such as sex, demographic factors and genetic background.

A quantified comparison of cortical atlases on the basis of trait morphometricity

BACKGROUND

Many different brain atlases exist that subdivide the human cortex into dozens or hundreds of regions-of-interest (ROIs). Inconsistency across studies using one or another cortical atlas may contribute to the replication crisis across the neurosciences.

METHODS

Here, we provide a quantitative comparison between seven popular cortical atlases (Yeo, Desikan-Killiany, Destrieux, Jülich-Brain, Gordon, Glasser, Schaefer) and vertex-wise measures (thickness, surface area, and volume), to determine which parcellation retains the most information in the analysis of behavioural traits (incl. age, sex, body mass index, and cognitive ability) in the UK Biobank sample (N∼40,000). We use linear mixed models to compare whole-brain morphometricity; the proportion of trait variance accounted for when using a given atlas.

RESULTS

Commonly-used atlases resulted in a considerable loss of information compared to vertex-wise representations of cortical structure. Morphometricity increased linearly as a function of the log-number of ROIs included in an atlas, indicating atlas-based analyses miss many true associations and yield limited prediction accuracy. Likelihood ratio tests revealed that low-dimensional atlases accounted for unique trait variance rather than variance common between atlases, suggesting that previous studies likely returned atlas-specific findings. Finally, we found that the commonly-used atlases yielded brain-behaviour associations on par with those obtained with random parcellations, where specific region boundaries were randomly generated.

DISCUSSION

Our findings motivate future structural neuroimaging studies to favour vertex-wise cortical representations over coarser atlases, or to consider repeating analyses across multiple atlases, should the use of low-dimensional atlases be necessary. The insights uncovered here imply that cortical atlas choices likely contribute to the lack of reproducibility in ROI-based studies.

Late-career unemployment and cognitive abilities

We study the effect of unemployment on cognitive abilities among individuals aged between 50 and 65 in Europe. To this end, we exploit plant closures and use flexible event-study estimations together with an experimentally elicited measure of fluid intelligence, namely word recall. We find that, within a time period of around eight years after the event of unemployment, cognitive abilities only deteriorate marginally - the effects are insignificant both in statistical and economic terms. We do, however, find significant effects of late-career unemployment on the likelihood to leave the labor force, and short-term effects on mental health problems such as depression and sleep problems.

Effectiveness of Tai Chi on older adults: A systematic review of systematic reviews with re-meta-analysis

This overview study examined and synthesized the effect of Tai Chi (TC) on the physical conditions, psychological conditions, cognitive abilities, and quality of life (QoL) of older adults. This study was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 statement. Using Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Methodology Register, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, English-language systematic reviews (SRs) published within the latest decade (2010-2020) were included. SRs with meta-analysis were selected if TC was the examined intervention and older adults was the targeted population. A total of 16 SRs covering 89 original studies were included. A number of the pooled results of the included SRs were inconclusive. Taking into consideration of the new meta-analyses of this study, TC significantly improved most outcomes, including the mobility, pain level, physical function, psychological distress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, global cognitive function, mental speed and attention, learning ability, verbal fluency, executive function, and QoL of older adults. TC can be an effective intervention for older adults for improving physical and psychological conditions, cognitive abilities, and QoL. Additional high-quality studies with larger samples investigating the effectiveness of TC in older adults are warranted.

Kynurenine and oxidative stress in children having learning disorder with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: possible role and involvement

Background

The etiological and pathophysiological factors of learning disorder (LD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are currently not well understood. These disorders disrupt some cognitive abilities. Identifying biomarkers for these disorders is a cornerstone to their proper management. Kynurenine (KYN) and oxidative stress markers have been reported to influence some cognitive abilities. Therefore, the aim was to measure the level of KYN and some oxidative stress indicators in children with LD with and without ADHD and to investigate their correlations with the abilities of children with LD.

Methods

The study included 154 participants who were divided into 3 groups: one for children who have LD (N = 69); another for children with LD and ADHD (N = 31); and a group for neurotypical (NT) children (N = 54). IQ testing, reading, writing, and other ability performance evaluation was performed for children with LD. Measuring plasma levels of KYN, malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed for all participants.

Results

Some IQ measures and learning skills differed between the first two groups. The biochemical measures differed between children with LD (with and without ADHD) and NT children (p < 0.001). However, the biochemical measures did not show a significant statistical difference between the first two groups. KYN and glutathione peroxidase levels were correlated with one-minute writing and at-risk quotient, respectively (p = 0.03;0.04). KYN and malondialdehyde showed the highest sensitivity and specificity values.

Conclusion

These biochemical measures could be involved or have a role in the abilities’ performance of children with specific learning disorder.

Gender differences in trace element exposures with cognitive abilities of school-aged children: a cohort study in Wujiang city, China

Trace elements persist in the environment, and their early exposure may adversely affect children's intellectual development. To clarify the influence of blood trace element levels in newborns and school-aged children, we used Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children (WISC-CR) to explore intellectual development level of 148 school-aged children based on a population cohort study. Lead (Pb), selenium (Se), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and chromium (Cr) in cord blood and Pb, As, Cu in venous blood were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). Our analysis of the correlation between children's mental development and trace element content found children's cognitive abilities negatively correlate with Pb (PIQ: β=-0.109, P=0.03737) and Cu (PIQ: β=-0.031, P=0.04431; FISQ: β=-0.031, P=0.02137) levels in cord blood. Prenatal low-level As exposure may negatively affect girls' performance intelligence quotient (PIQ) and verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ). There were differences in Se levels in cord blood and venous blood between boys and girls (P=0.010; P=0.073). High Se levels were associated with a lower VIQ in boys and a higher VIQ in girls. Prenatal exposure to Pb, As and Cu may weaken children's cognitive abilities at school age. Se exposure may have opposite effects on cognitive abilities affected by dose and gender.

Associations of maternal urinary arsenic concentrations during pregnancy with childhood cognitive abilities: The HOME study

Arsenic exposure during pregnancy may increase the risk for intellectual deficits in children, but limited data exist from prospective epidemiologic studies, particularly at low arsenic exposure levels. We investigated the association between prenatal maternal urinary arsenic concentrations and childhood cognitive abilities in the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study. We used anion exchange chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection to measure arsenic species content in pregnant women's urine. The summation of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) refers to ∑As. We assessed children's cognitive function (n = 260) longitudinally at 1-, 2-, and 3-years using Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, at 5 years using Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, and at 8 years using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. We observed a modest decrease in mental development index and full-scale intelligence quotient at ages 3 and 5 years with each doubling of ∑As with estimated score (ß) differences and 95% confidence interval (CI) of -1.8 from -4.1 to 0.5 and -2.5 from -5.1 to 0.0, respectively. This trend was stronger and reached statistical significance among children whose mothers had lower iAs methylation capacity and low urinary arsenobetaine concentrations. Our findings suggest that arsenic exposure levels relevant to the general US population may affect children's cognitive abilities.

Quantitative Meta-analyses of Cognitive Abilities in Children With Pediatric-onset Multiple Sclerosis

Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), is the manifestation of multiple sclerosis in individuals before 18 years of age. About a third of children with POMS show some form of lower cognitive performance. The purpose of this study is to examine using quantitative meta-analyses the effect size of altered performance between children with and without POMS on overall intelligence quotient (IQ), information processing speed, and language functions. We searched the literature for studies that reported scores on cognitive tests administered to children with and without POMS. Studies were systematically reviewed using PRISMA guidelines. We analyzed data from 14 studies that examined 1283 children with and without POMS when cognitive categories consisted of five or more studies. Effect sizes, publication bias and potential confounds were considered. Significant cognitive differences are revealed for all categories with the strongest effect observed for overall IQ. A moderate effect is observed for information processing speed, and small effects for verbal fluency and verbal memory. Cognitive abilities present differently in children with POMS and a better understanding of this manifestation will inform intervention and remediation tools that can improve clinical and educational practice for the benefit of children with POMS.

Virtual-Reality Performance-Based Assessment of Cognitive Functions in Adult Patients With Acquired Brain Injury: A Scoping Review

Individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) commonly present with impairments in cognitive abilities. As these competencies seem to be predictive of patients' abilities to reintegrate into the everyday settings, it is crucial to assess them properly. However, previous research has indicated that patients may perform relatively well on standard tests of cognitive functioning, but may nonetheless encounter significant difficulties in organizing and executing everyday tasks. In order to overcome this issue, virtual reality (VR) methods have been introduced in clinical practice with the aim of creating assessments that simulate real-world activities and thus, provide a clearer picture of patients' functioning in everyday settings. This review offers an overview of VR assessment tools described in the scientific literature between 2010 and 2019. Overall, 38 relevant records describing 31 different tools were found. Among these tools, 16 assessed executive functions and prospective memory, while the other 15 assessed visuo-spatial abilities. Although promising results have been reported, our analysis indicated that about half of the tools deliver tasks that differ from everyday activities, thus limiting the generalizability of patients' performance to the real-world. Moreover, a variety of methodological shortfalls related to study Internal and External Validity have been highlighted, which hamper the possibility of drawing definite recommendations on tool choice. These limitations suggest the importance of putting considerable efforts into the improvement or development of VR tools for patients with ABI for both research and clinical purposes, considering the great potential of this form of assessment.

Effect of adenotonsillectomy on the growth, development, and comprehensive cognitive abilities of children with obstructive sleep apnea: a prospective single-arm study

Background

Previous studies did not comprehensively examine the effect of adenotonsillectomy on growth and development, emotional state, quality of life, attention ability, and cognitive dysfunction in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study aimed to explore the improvement effects of adenotonsillectomy on the growth, development, quality of life, and attention ability in children with OSA.

Methods

This prospective single-arm study involved children with OSA admitted at The No. 980 Hospital, Joint Logistics Support Force, PLA, China (02/2017–02/2018). The Myklebust Pupil Rating Scale (PRS), Inventory of Subjective Life Quality (ISLQ), Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire (PSQ), and Continuous Performance Task (CPT) were examined before and at 6 months after adenotonsillectomy.

Results

Forty-nine patients were enrolled. They all completed the 6-month follow-up. The body mass index increased after surgery (from 18.8 ± 4.9 to 19.3 ± 4.3 kg/m², P = 0.008). The total PRS score increased 6 months after surgery (from 73.8 ± 12.7 to 84.6 ± 10.3, P < 0.001). All aspects of the ISLQ, except anxiety experience and physical emotion, were improved at 6 months after adenotonsillectomy (all P < 0.01). The SAS score also decreased from 20.1 ± 10.0 to 12.8 ± 6.6 (P < 0.001). All six dimensions of the PSQ, as assessed by the legal guardians, decreased after adenotonsillectomy (all P < 0.01). The proportions of children with auditory and/or visual sustained attention abnormalities decreased after surgery.

Conclusions

After adenotonsillectomy, the PRS, ISLQ, and PSQ improved, and anxiety and auditory/visual sustained attention abnormalities decreased, suggesting positive impacts on the growth, development, quality of life, and comprehensive cognitive abilities of children with OSA.

The Relation Between Cognitive Abilities and the Distribution of Semantic Features Across Speech and Gesture in 4-year-olds

When young children learn to use language, they start to use their hands in co-verbal gesturing. There are, however, considerable differences between children, and it is not completely understood what these individual differences are due to. We studied how children at 4 years of age employ speech and iconic gestures to convey meaning in different kinds of spatial event descriptions, and how this relates to their cognitive abilities. Focusing on spontaneous illustrations of actions, we applied a semantic feature (SF) analysis to characterize combinations of speech and gesture meaning and related them to the child's visual-spatial abilities or abstract/concrete reasoning abilities (measured using the standardized SON-R 2 1 2 - 7 test). Results show that children with higher cognitive abilities convey significantly more meaning via gesture and less solely via speech. These findings suggest that young children's use of cospeech representational gesturing is positively related to their mental representation and reasoning abilities.

Anti-LINGO-1 antibody ameliorates cognitive impairment, promotes adult hippocampal neurogenesis, and increases the abundance of CB1R-rich CCK-GABAergic interneurons in AD mice

In view of the negative regulatory effect of leucine-rich repeat and immunoglobulin-like domain-containing nogo receptor-interacting protein 1 (LINGO-1) on neurons, an antibody against LINGO-1 (anti-LINGO-1 antibody) was herein administered to 10-month-old APP/PS1 transgenic Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice for 2 months as an experimental intervention. Behavioral, stereology, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses revealed that the anti-LINGO-1 antibody significantly improved the cognitive abilities, promoted adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN), decreased the amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition, enlarged the hippocampal volume, and increased the numbers of total neurons and GABAergic interneurons, including GABAergic and CCK-GABAergic interneurons rich in cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R), in the hippocampus of AD mice. In contrast, this intervention significantly reduced the number of GABAergic interneurons expressing LINGO-1 and CB1R in the hippocampus of AD mice. More importantly, we also found a negative correlation between LINGO-1 and CB1R on GABAergic interneurons in the hippocampus of AD mice, while the anti-LINGO-1 antibody reversed this relationship. These results indicated that LINGO-1 plays an important role in the process of hippocampal neuron loss in AD mice and that antagonizing LINGO-1 can effectively prevent hippocampal neuron loss and promote AHN. The improvement in cognitive abilities may be attributed to the improvement in AHN, and in the numbers of GABAergic interneurons and CCK-GABAergic interneurons rich in CB1Rs in the hippocampus of AD mice induced by the anti-LINGO-1 antibody. Collectively, the double target effect (LINGO-1 and CB1R) initiated by the anti-LINGO-1 antibody may provide an important basis for the study of drugs for the prevention and treatment of AD in the future.

Polygenic Scores for Cognitive Abilities and Their Association with Different Aspects of General Intelligence-A Deep Phenotyping Approach

Intelligence is a highly polygenic trait and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of DNA variants contributing with small effects. Polygenic scores (PGS) can aggregate those effects for trait prediction in independent samples. As large-scale light-phenotyping GWAS operationalized intelligence as performance in rather superficial tests, the question arises which intelligence facets are actually captured. We used deep-phenotyping to investigate the molecular determinants of individual differences in cognitive ability. We, therefore, studied the association between PGS of intelligence (IQ-PGS), cognitive performance (CP-PGS), and educational attainment (EA-PGS) with a wide range of intelligence facets in a sample of 557 healthy adults. IQ-PGS, CP-PGS, and EA-PGS had the highest incremental R²s for general (2.71%; 4.27%; 2.06%), verbal (3.30%; 4.64%; 1.61%), and numerical intelligence (3.06%; 3.24%; 1.26%) and the weakest for non-verbal intelligence (0.89%; 1.47%; 0.70%) and memory (0.80%; 1.06%; 0.67%). These results indicate that PGS derived from light-phenotyping GWAS do not reflect different facets of intelligence equally well, and thus should not be interpreted as genetic indicators of intelligence per se. The findings refine our understanding of how PGS are related to other traits or life outcomes.

Time perception and alcohol use: A systematic review

Attentional, executive, and memory processes play a pivotal role in time perception. As acute or chronic alcohol consumption influences these processes, it should also modify time perception. We systematically reviewed and critically assessed all existing studies on time perception among alcohol drinkers, following the PICOS procedure and PRISMA guidelines. We selected 31 articles, distributed across four populations (i.e., alcohol intoxication, binge/heavy drinking, severe alcohol use disorder [SAUD], and Korsakoff syndrome). Several studies suggested the overestimation or underestimation of time during alcohol intoxication. No direct effect of binge/heavy drinking was observed on time perception, while studies on SAUD reported conflicting results. Participants with Korsakoff syndrome exhibited globally impaired time perception and marked deficits in associated cognitive abilities. This systematic review suggests that alcohol consumption affects time perception only when specific cognitive processes are depleted. However, due to the methodological limitations related to existing studies, no firm conclusion can be drawn. Guidelines and perspectives to advance the field are proposed.

An independent examination of the equivalence of the standard and digital administration formats of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-5th Edition

A new administration format for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V; Wechsler, 2014) was introduced in 2016 on Q-interactive, Pearson's digital platform for test administration and scoring. The current study examined the measurement unit equivalence of the WISC-V standard and digital administration formats using counter-balanced administration of the 10 primary subtests to measure intellectual ability. The results indicated that correlations (r) between standard scores on subtests and composites administered in each format were generally moderate, with mean rs of 0.64 for subtests and 0.71 for composites after correction for attenuation, with the lowest rs for processing speed. Split-plot ANOVAs were conducted to examine within-subjects main effects for administration format and order and their interaction. The results of these analyses revealed significant main effects for format for the Full Scale IQ and Processing Speed composite scores, with small to medium effect sizes (ds > 0.40). These format effects largely stemmed from the non-equivalence of the Coding subtest, which is used to derive both composites. For Coding, the main effect for format was statistically significant, with a large effect size (d = 0.69). Statistically significant administration order by format interaction effects were also observed for a number of composites and subtests, with medium to large effect sizes (ƞ_ps² > 0.20). In each case, higher mean scores were observed when the WISC-V was administered first in digital format. Implications of these results for research and practice are discussed.

A diffusion model analysis of belief bias: Different cognitive mechanisms explain how cognitive abilities and thinking styles contribute to conflict resolution in reasoning

Recent results have challenged the widespread assumption of dual process models of belief bias that sound reasoning relies on slow, careful reflection, whereas biased reasoning is based on fast intuition. Instead, parallel process models of reasoning suggest that rule- and belief-based problem features are processed in parallel and that reasoning problems that elicit a conflict between rule- and belief-based problem features may also elicit more than one Type 1 response. This has important implications for individual-differences research on reasoning, because rule-based responses by certain individuals may reflect that these individuals were either more likely to give a rule-based default response or that they successfully inhibited and overrode a belief-based default response. In two studies, we used the diffusion model to describe decision making in a transitive reasoning task. In Study 1, 41 participants were asked to evaluate conclusions based on their validity. In Study 2, 133 participants evaluated conclusions based on their validity or believability. We tested which diffusion model parameters reflected conflict resolution and related those model parameters to individual differences in cognitive abilities and thinking styles. Individual differences in need for cognition predicted successful conflict resolution under logic instruction, which suggests that a disposition to engage in reflective thinking facilitates the inhibition and override of Type 1 responses. Intelligence, however, was negatively related to successful conflict resolution under belief instruction, which suggests that individuals with high cognitive abilities quickly generated a higher-level logical response that interfered with their ability to evaluate lower-level intrinsic problem features. Taken together, this double dissociation indicates that cognitive abilities and thinking styles affect the processing of conflict information through different mechanisms and at different stages: Greater cognitive abilities facilitate the efficient creation of decoupled problem representations, whereas a greater disposition to engage in critical thinking facilitates the detection and override of Type 1 responses.

Nicotine supplementation enhances simulated game performance of archery athletes

Background

Nicotine is beneficial to mood, arousal and cognition in humans. Due to the importance of cognitive functioning for archery athletes, we investigated the effects of nicotine supplementation on the cognitive abilities, heart rate variability (HRV), and sport performance of professional archers.

Methods

Eleven college archers were recruited and given 2 mg of nicotine supplementation (NIC group) and placebo (PLA group) in a crossover design.

Results

The results showed that at 30 min after the intake of nicotine gum, the “correct rejection” time in the NIC group was significantly lower than that of the PLA group (7.29 ± 0.87 vs. 8.23 ± 0.98 msec, p < 0.05). In addition, the NIC group completed the grooved pegboard test in a shorter time than the PLA group (48.76 ± 3.18 vs. 53.41 ± 4.05 s, p < 0.05), whereas motor reaction times were not different between the two groups. Saliva α-amylase activity was significantly lower after nicotine supplementation (p < 0.01) but increased immediately after the archery test in the NIC group (p < 0.05). In addition, nicotine supplementation significantly decreased HRV and increased the archery score (290.58 ± 10.09 vs. 298.05 ± 8.56, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Nicotine enhances the performance of archery athletes by increasing cognitive function and stimulating the sympathetic adrenergic system.

Cognitive functioning in Deaf children using Cochlear implants

Background

Cognitive abilities like language, memory, reasoning, visualization, and perceptual functioning shape human action and are considered critical to the successful interaction with the environment. Alternatively, hearing loss can disrupt a child’s ability to communicate, and negatively impact cognitive development. Cochlear implants (CI) restore auditory input thereby supporting communication and may enhance cognitive performance. This study compares general cognitive development after cochlear implantation (2017–2019) in two groups of Jordanian children implanted earlier (age:4–6 years, N = 22) and later (7–9 years, N = 16) to the development of randomly selected normal hearing peers (N = 48).

Design

Visualization, reasoning, memory, and attention were assessed using the Leiter-R scale at baseline (before implantation), 8 months and 16 months post implantation for children with hearing loss. Same times of testing (baseline, 8 months and 16 months) were used for normal hearing peers.

Results

Over the 16-month period, the cognitive improvement of 4–6-year-old deaf children was greater than that of their normal hearing peers on the scales of visualization (5.62 vs. 4.40), reasoning (2.53 vs. 2.38) and memory (17.19 vs. 11.67). while the improvement of 7–9-year-old was less major than that of their normal hearing peers on all scales.

Conclusions

These results suggest that CI not only enhances communication skills but may improve cognitive functioning in deaf children. However, the extent of this improvement was dependent on age at intervention; current results demonstrated that the children received CI at young ages had better cognitive improvements.

Interaction between Alcohol Consumption and Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) Genotype with Cognition in Middle-Aged Men

OBJECTIVE

Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with poorer cognitive function in older adults. Although understudied in middle-aged adults, the relationship between alcohol and cognition may also be influenced by genetics such as the apolipoprotein (ApoE) ε4 allele, a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. We examined the relationship between alcohol consumption, ApoE genotype, and cognition in middle-aged adults and hypothesized that light and/or moderate drinkers (≤2 drinks per day) would show better cognitive performance than heavy drinkers or non-drinkers. Additionally, we hypothesized that the association between alcohol use and cognitive function would differ by ApoE genotype (ε4+ vs. ε4-).

METHOD

Participants were 1266 men from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA; M age = 56; range 51-60) who completed a neuropsychological battery assessing seven cognitive abilities: general cognitive ability (GCA), episodic memory, processing speed, executive function, abstract reasoning, verbal fluency, and visuospatial ability. Alcohol consumption was categorized into five groups: never, former, light, moderate, and heavy.

RESULTS

In fully adjusted models, there was no significant main effect of alcohol consumption on cognitive functions. However, there was a significant interaction between alcohol consumption and ApoE ε4 status for GCA and episodic memory, such that the relationship of alcohol consumption and cognition was stronger in ε4 carriers. The ε4+ heavy drinking subgroup had the poorest GCA and episodic memory.

CONCLUSIONS

Presence of the ε4 allele may increase vulnerability to the deleterious effects of heavy alcohol consumption. Beneficial effects of light or moderate alcohol consumption were not observed.

Moderate aerobic training modulates cytokines and cortisol profiles in older adults with cognitive abilities

Excessive expression of cortisol and pro-inflammatory cytokines exerts a negative affect on cognitive functioning and hippocampal structure in older adults. Although the interrelation between cortisol and cytokines was fully elucidated previously, few studies considered how their association with exercise can affect brain structures or play an anti-inflammatory role in preserving cognitive function among older adults. To evaluate both the neuro-protective and anti-inflammatory activities of moderate aerobic exercise in improving cognitive performance among healthy older adults, the serum levels of CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, and cortisol and their correlation with cognitive performance were estimated in all participants. A total of 60 healthy older adults aged 50-85 years were included in this study. The Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA) test, colorimetric testing, and ELISA immunoassays were used to measure cognitive abilities; blood sugar; and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), cortisol, IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP, respectively, in older adults before and after 12-week exercise interventions. Exactly 50% of the participants showed moderate cognitive impairment (MCI) (LOTCA scores: 84.8 ± 8.2), and the remaining 50% of the participants (n = 30) were diagnosed as normal healthy subjects (LOTCA scores: 98.7 ± 8.1). There was a significant association between cognitive decline in LOTCA scores of motor praxis, vasomotor organization, thinking operations, and attention and concentration and higher levels of cortisol, CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6, as well as adiposity markers BMI and WHR, in the MCI group compared to control subjects. However, significant improvements in the same LOTCA score domains in MCI subjects were recorded along with decrements in the levels of cortisol and cytokine CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6, as well as improved adiposity markers, following a 12-week moderate exercise program. Cognitive performance correlated positively with cortisol levels and negatively with physical activity, adiposity markers, and cytokine levels. Also, in participants with normal and abnormal cortisol profiles, there was a positive interrelation between cytokine levels and cortisol. Moderate aerobic exercise for 12 weeks showed beneficial effects on cognitive performance in older adults. Our results suggest that 12 weeks of aerobic exercise improves cognitive disorders in older adults via modulating stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines. This may have been due to significant changes in the levels of cortisol, IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP, and physical activity may thus be used as non-drug strategy for treating cognitive disorders.

The Role of Cognitive Abilities in the Development of Definitions by Children with and Without Developmental Language Disorder

This study (a) examines the role of cognitive abilities, age and vocabulary in the development of definitions and (b) compares the development of definitions (in content and form) in children with and without Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Definitions have been extensively studied in (non-)impaired populations. So far, no studies have tested the impact of cognitive abilities on the development of definitions. To address this gap, ten children with DLD and ten non-impaired peers were tested through a definition task and two cognitive tasks. The results exhibited that the control group produced more accurate definitions, albeit only in content, than the impaired group. Regressions showed that, in the impaired group, the younger the participants the better the scores. For the non-impaired group, age and verbal working memory found to predict the performance on definitions. Thus, we deduce that (a) the development of definitions is driven by different mechanisms in (non-)impaired children and (b) the role of early intervention seems to be important for atypical populations.

The effect of increased family finance and dual-parental absence since infancy on Children's cognitive Abilities

Existing research suggests that parental absence per se does not have a main effect on children's cognitive development. However, this body of research is confounded by decreased family finance resulted from parental absence. Further insights on children's cognitive development can be gained by studying situations where parental absence actually leads to higher family finance. China's rural left-behind children (LBC) are uniquely suited for this purpose because of their extended separation from parents who migrated to work for better family finance. The participants were 74 LBC (M = 9.99 years, SD = 2.66) whose parents both migrated away for work within six months of their births and 74 non-left-behind children (NLBC) (M = 10.03 years, SD = 2.58) of similar backgrounds but whose parents never migrated. We used the 4th Edition of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) to individually collected data on the children's Verbal Comprehension (which includes Similarities, Vocabulary, and Comprehension subtests), Perceptual Reasoning (which includes Block Design, Picture Concepts and Matric Reasoning subtests), Working Memory (which includes Digit Span and Letter-Number Sequencing subtests), and Processing Speed (which includes Coding and Symbol Search subtests). We found that the LBC scored lower than the NLBC on the language Comprehension and Vocabulary subtests of the Verbal Comprehension Index (Cohen's d = 0.41; p = .01). Subsequent General Linear Modeling analyses revealed that for the Comprehension subtest: (1) dual-parental absence significantly and negatively predicted Comprehension scores and (2) monthly family income significantly and positively predicted Comprehension scores for the LBC but not for the NLBC. For Vocabulary subtest, only dual-parental absence was significant. Overall, these results offer a deeper understanding on the effect of dual parental absence and changes in family finance on different domains of children's cognitive development.

Cognitive abilities in Williams syndrome

The current study utilized a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery to investigate cognitive abilities in a sample of 49 WS individuals (25 male) aged 6-39 years. Age effects were also investigated by splitting the sample into child and adult groups. Cognitive heterogeneity was found on the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities, Australian Adaptation (WJ-III COG) (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001), with cognitive abilities ranging from profoundly impaired to superior and individualized profiles of strength and weakness varying considerably. Overall, findings supported previous research showing strengths in auditory processing and phonemic awareness. The weakest performance, on average, was in processing speed, attention, delayed associative learning and executive functioning capabilities. Visual-spatial functioning was not a weakness overall, neither was nonverbal reasoning. Chronological age did not relate significantly to cognitive abilities. Findings highlight the need for individual assessment and management of WS individuals.

The relationship between neuropsychological function and responsiveness to vitamin D supplementation using artificial neural networks

BACKGROUND

Vitamin D has recently attracted interest for its pleiotropic effects. Vitamin D supplements are a potentially important public health intervention, but the response to supplementation varies between individuals.

AIM

We aimed to assess the association between several neuropsychological parameters and the magnitude of response to vitamin D supplementation using an artificial neural network method.

METHODS

Neuropsychological function was assessed in 619 participants using standard questionnaires. The study participants received vitamin D capsules containing 50,000 IU vitamin D per week over 9 weeks. To assess the relationship between responsiveness to vitamin D supplements and the impact on these neuropsychological parameters, the best-performing artificial neural network algorithms were selected from a combination of different transfer functions in hidden and output layers and variable numbers of hidden layers (between two and 50). The performance of the artificial neural network algorithm was assessed by receiver operating characteristic analysis and variables of importance were identified.

RESULTS

The artificial neural network algorithm with sigmoid transfer function in both hidden and output layers could predict responsiveness to vitamin D supplementation effectively. The sensitivity and specificity were between 0.60 and 0.70 and 0.66 and 0.70, respectively. Cognitive abilities (42.5%), basal vitamin D (21.3%), body mass index (9.5%), and daytime sleepiness (8%) are the most widely used variables to predict changes in serum vitamin D levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Cognitive abilities status and baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D are important novel modifiers of the enhancement in circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D after vitamin D supplementation.

Pupillary and behavioral markers of alerting and orienting: An individual difference approach

Measuring task-evoked pupillary (TEP) responses as an index of phasic activity in the locus coeruleus (LC), we examined two competing hypotheses regarding the alerting and orienting mechanisms of attention. According to a dual mechanism account (Fernandez-Duque & Posner, 1997), two separate noradrenergic and cholinergic mechanisms modulate, respectively, the alerting and orienting effects. However, Corbetta and colleagues (2008) proposed that LC phasic activity may also be involved in orienting effect through its functional relationship with the ventral attentional network. We recruited seventy-five healthy Norwegian participants to perform a Posner cueing task. Both behavioral and pupillary responses revealed the alerting effect. Also, both behavioral and pupillary responses indicated that cued attention is affected by age. Behavioral responses also revealed orienting effect However, we found no TEP differences between valid, invalid, and neutral conditions, suggesting that TEP effects were driven by the alerting effect of cue presentation. Moreover, both behavioral and pupillary estimates of alertness and orienting were uncorrelated. Finally, individual differences in general cognitive abilities did not appear to affect the orienting and alerting mechanisms. This pattern of results is consistent with the dual mechanism account of attention. However, the LC involvement in the (re)orienting attention may be driven by state-specific factors.

Neuropsychological function is related to irritable bowel syndrome in women with premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea

BACKGROUND

There is increasing evidence demonstrating the co-occurrence of primary dysmenorrhea (PD), premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in women. This study aimed to investigate whether women who have symptoms of IBS in addition to PD and PMS also report more severe or frequent menstruation-associated symptoms and psychological complications compared to women with PD and PMS alone.

METHODS

The study group included 182 female University students aged 18-25 years. IBS was diagnosed using the Rome III criteria. The severity of PMS and PD was determined using a 10-point visual analog scale and PSST (Premenstrual Syndrome Screening Tool), respectively. Neuropsychological functions including cognitive function, depression score, anxiety score, stress, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, quality of life and personality were assessed using standard questionnaires.

RESULTS

Of the 182 young females, 31 (17.0%) had IBS. Average days of bleeding during the menstrual cycle and mean pain severity on the PSST scale were significantly greater in the group with IBS compared to the non-IBS group (p < 0.01). The non-IBS individuals scored more favorably than the women with IBS with respect to severity of depression, insomnia, daytime sleepiness (p < 0.05). The PSST scores were significantly correlated with scores for depression (r = 0.29; p < 0.001), anxiety (r = 0.28; p < 0.001), stress (r = 0.32; p < 0.001), insomnia (r = 0.34; p < 0.001) and daytime sleepiness (r = 0.31; p < 0.001); while, they were negatively correlated with cognitive abilities (r = - 0.20; p = 0.006) and quality of life (r = - 0.42; p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis showed that the PSST scores were possibly significant factors in determining the scores for depression, anxiety, stress, quality of life, insomnia and daytime sleepiness (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

IBS is related to psychological comorbidities, in particular depression, sleep problems and menstrual-associated disorders. IBS may exacerbate the features of PMS which should be taken into account in the management of PMS.

A new integrated approach for adolescent health and well-being: the AVATAR project

Background

Limited number of studies examined the relationship between factors (lifestyle, social, emotional, cognitive) affecting adolescents’ health and well-being. The aims of this study were to identify the more important variables of the different components affecting adolescents’ health [lifestyle habits (LH); emotional status (ES); social context (SC); and cognitive abilities (CA)], and explore the relationship between the aforementioned components.

Methods

Data were collected between 2017 and 2018 from 756 eligible students, recruited from 5 Italian junior high school, by using KIDSCREEN-52 and cognitive processing using the Stroop Test. School engagement was estimated through questions concerning the scholastic achievement.

Results

Of 756 adolescents, 395 were boys with a mean (SD) age of 12.19 (0.81) years. Compared to International T-value of reference group for KIDSCREEN-52, autonomy, bullying, psychological well-being and mood were lower than the reference groups, while self-perception score was higher. For LH, the most important predictor was autonomy (p < .0001). The most important aspects in the SC were the relationship with the parents (p < .0001), and the adolescent’s relationships with peers (p < .0001). For ES, mood variables had the greatest contribution (p < .0001). The School performance related to Language & Literature (p < .0001) was the most important predictor in the CA latent variable. LH was positively associated with SC (p < .0001), ES (p < .0001), and CA (p < .0001). SC was positively associated with ES (p < .0001) and with CA (p < .0001).

Conclusions

This study suggests the importance of an integrated approach to characterize adolescents’ health and well-being. The approach suggested here may highlight additive synergistic effects of the various components in health and well-being assessment that may not be considered with a late approach and focused only on single factors.

Advantage in Character Recognition Among Chinese Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study examined Chinese character recognition and its cognitive and linguistic correlates in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Forty-seven children with ASD and 51 IQ-matched typically developing (TD) children were tested on Chinese character recognition, rapid automatized naming, inhibitory control, digit span, IQ, vocabulary, phonological awareness, morphological awareness, and listening comprehension. Chinese children with ASD showed strong character recognition skills. Unlike TD children's character recognition, which was correlated with all the measured cognitive and linguistic skills, character recognition of children with ASD was only significantly correlated with rapid automatized naming, inhibitory control, and phonological awareness. Our findings suggest that phonological awareness and rapid automatized naming may serve as important predictors for possible advantage in emergent literacy acquisition in Chinese children with ASD.

Conceptual skills and verbal abilities were better in children aged six to seven years who were from more highly educated families and attended sports clubs

AIM

We explored the cognitive abilities, health behaviour and cardiorespiratory fitness of preschool Estonian children aged 6-7 and any association with parental education, attending sports clubs and gender.

METHODS

Data were obtained from 256 children recruited from 13 randomly chosen kindergartens in Tartu, Estonia. Cognitive abilities were assessed using the modified Boehm Test of Basic Concepts - Third Edition. Objective physical activity (PA) intensity and sedentary levels were measured over seven days by accelerometry. To assess cardiorespiratory fitness, we used the 20-m shuttle run from the PREFIT test battery. Parents reported their educational attainment, together with their child's sports club attendance, sleep duration and screen time.

RESULTS

Children from more highly educated families had significantly better test results for conceptual skills, verbal abilities and cardiorespiratory fitness. PA levels, cardiorespiratory fitness and perception and conceptual skills test results were better in children who attended sports clubs. Higher cardiorespiratory fitness level, shorter screen time and sleep duration were associated with better conceptual skills.

CONCLUSION

Conceptual skills and verbal abilities were better in the children of more highly educated families and if they attended sports clubs. Children's cognitive abilities may benefit from better cardiorespiratory fitness, reduced sedentary activity and less screen time.

Incomplete Gestation has an Impact on Cognitive Abilities in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Extreme prematurity is known as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the association between prematurity and ASD, for children born moderately and late preterm (MLPT) and those born early term (ET), is less established. This retrospective study aimed to characterize the phenotypic characteristics (i.e. behavioral profile and cognitive abilities) of 254 children with ASD, between 3 and 15 years of age, born MLPT (19 children), ET (60 children) and full term (175 children). MLPT and ET births do not modify ASD symptomatology, but modify cognitive development. The results highlight that incomplete gestation, i.e., MLPT or ET, has a negative impact on both verbal and nonverbal cognitive abilities, in children with neurodevelopmental vulnerability.

The intellectual profile of children with autism spectrum disorders may be underestimated: A comparison between two different batteries in an Italian sample

Intelligence measures are typically used in the assessment of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but there is a paucity of research on the implications of such testing. In the present study, we examined children with ASD using two of the most largely adopted instruments, i.e., the WISC-IV, arguably the most utilized scale in the world; and the Leiter-3, a nonverbal scale that also excludes, from the IQ calculation, working memory and processing speed, which are points of weakness in ASD. Results showed that IQ and indices of these two batteries are strongly correlated. However, the WISC-IV IQ might underestimates the potential of children with ASD, particularly in children with a low functioning profile. These hold true for both the full scale IQ and three out of four indices of the WISC-IV, with remarkable implications for both assessment and treatment of these children. Practitioners working with children with ASD should be aware that the battery that they are using might severely affect the estimation of these children's potential.

Cognitive functions and disability progression in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: A longitudinal study

Longitudinal studies have shown inconsistent findings regarding the association between cognition, demographic characteristics, and clinical decline in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Our objective was to further explore these relations, over time, while also considering age and sex. A total of 183 patients with RRMS were assessed at two time points, using a neuropsychological battery and the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). For the first assessment, participants were divided by age (<29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-60) and sex. Next, they were divided according to their participation in one of three interval assessment points: 2-3, 4-5, and 6-8 years. Cognitive function was not correlated with disease duration but was negatively correlated with EDSS score. Men under 29 and women under 39 showed negative correlations between cognitive and clinical impairment. Executive functions, attention, and information processing speed (IPS) showed cognitive decline between the first and second assessments. Furthermore, at the 4-5 year interval IPS predicted EDSS scores, while at the 6-8 year interval it was IPS and visuo-spatial ability. Therefore, relation between clinical status and cognition is not consistent across different age and sex groups. Additionally, cognitive deterioration is only partially evident longitudinally; however, IPS appears to be the most sensitive in predicting one's future clinical condition.

Effect of age on spatial memory performance in real museum vs. computer simulation

BACKGROUND

Healthy older adults frequently complain on difficulty in recalling the locations of objects of everyday use. Cognitive abilities decline with normal aging; inefficiencies of information processing, as well as deterioration of neuronal structures, may impede the performance of complex cognitive skills such as spatial memory. Extraneous, task-irrelevant cognitive load in real environments is usually high and might interfere with spatial memory abilities of older adults. The purpose of this study was to determine (1) the extent to which older adults maintain their cognitive capacity during a spatial memory task as compared to young adults and (2) whether this capacity is affected by performance of the task in a real environment setting where the cognitive demands are similar to a simulation, but the physical demands (navigating via walking versus via a mouse) vary.

METHODS

In the museum, participants physically moved between display stations to locate hidden tokens performing a task in which an ongoing representation of previous searches had to be remembered. A comparable task was implemented via mouse actions on a computer simulation. Seventeen healthy older (60-80 years) and twenty younger (20-45 years) adults performed both tasks in a counterbalanced order.

RESULTS

The younger group was superior to the older group in terms of success rate and completion time for both conditions. All participants performed better during the simulated task. The delta between the total performance score in the two settings of the older group was significantly larger as compared to the younger group, suggesting a differential impact of setting on the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results highlight the importance and feasibility of experimentation in ecologically relevant settings: differences were found in the way the cognitive performance of older and younger adults was affected by setting. Older adults appear to preserve basic cognitive abilities required for successful performance of object-location memory tasks. However, real museum setting appeared to impose higher demands on the older adults.

Identifying periods of susceptibility to the impact of phthalates on children's cognitive abilities

BACKGROUND

Early-life phthalate exposures may adversely affect children's neurodevelopment by disrupting thyroid function, reducing gonadal hormone levels, or altering fatty acid concentrations in the brain. This study aimed to identify periods of heightened susceptibility during gestation, infancy, and childhood to the impact of phthalates on children's cognitive abilities.

METHODS

We used data from 253 mother-child pairs in the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study (Cincinnati, Ohio), a longitudinal pregnancy and birth cohort. We quantified urinary concentrations of 11 phthalate metabolites in samples collected twice during gestation and 6 times during study visits when children were aged 1-8 years using a modified method of on-line solid phase extraction coupled with isotope dilution-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. We assessed children's intelligence (IQ) at ages 5 and 8 years using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-III and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV, respectively. We estimated covariate-adjusted associations between a 1-standard deviation increase in log10-transformed urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations at each visit and children's IQ, adjusting for demographic, perinatal, and child factors; we tested for differences in these associations across visits using multiple informant models.

RESULTS

Associations between some phthalate metabolites and IQ varied by visit (phthalate x visit interaction p-values<0.20). The sum of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate metabolites (ΣDEHP), mono(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate, and monoethyl phthalate at age 3 years, and monobenzyl phthalate at 16 weeks gestation and child ages 3, 5, and 8 years were inversely associated with children's full-scale IQ. For example, each 1-standard deviation increase in ΣDEHP at age 3 was associated with a 1.9-point decrease in full-scale IQ (95% confidence interval: -3.7, -0.2). Mono-n-butyl phthalate and mono-isobutyl phthalate at age 4 years were positively associated with children's full-scale IQ.

CONCLUSION

Urinary concentrations of several phthalate metabolites at age 3 years, compared to other time periods, were more strongly associated with decreased cognitive abilities in these children.

Origin and evolution of human cognition

We investigate which of the higher cognitive abilities or types of intelligence characteristic of humans are found, even in preliminary form, in non-human animals, predominantly primates, or whether qualitatively different ("unique") human abilities exist. This concerns (1) tool use and fabrication, (2) problem solving, (3) gaze following, (4) mirror self-recognition, (5) imitation, (6) metacognition, (7) theory of mind, (8) consciousness, (9) prosociality, and (10) language. We found that none of these abilities can be regarded as unique to humans without precursors in non-human primates. The observed differences in cognitive functions, underlying brain mechanisms and resulting behaviors correlate best with differences in the information processing capacity as an equivalent of general intelligence based on the number of cortical neurons, packing density and axonal conduction velocity plus long-range cortical fascicles. The biggest quantitative change appears to concern the origin of syntactical language, but this was preceded by an increased mental ability to manipulate sequential events within working memory.

Passive smoking is associated with cognitive and emotional impairment in adolescent girls

It is well established that smoking is associated with impaired mental health and sleep problems. However, the possible effects of passive smoking on cognitive and emotional characteristics have not previously been evaluated in adolescents. We investigated the association between passive smoking and cognitive and emotional function, and sleep patterns in 940 adolescent girls. The girls were divided into two groups [305 exposed subjects and 635 non-exposed subjects (the controls)]. The passive smokers had a significantly lower cognitive function and higher depression, aggression, and insomnia scores compared to the control group (P < 0.05). No significant difference was detected with respect to day-time sleepiness and sleep apnea. Logistic regression analyses showed that the passive smokers were more likely than the controls to have cognitive impairments, depressive mood, aggressive behavior, and insomnia. Adolescent passive smokers had significant differences in their cognitive abilities and emotional function.

EEG microstates distinguish between cognitive components of fluid reasoning

Fluid reasoning is considered central to general intelligence. How its psychometric structure relates to brain function remains poorly understood. For instance, what is the dynamic composition of ability-specific processes underlying fluid reasoning? We investigated whether distinct fluid reasoning abilities could be differentiated by electroencephalography (EEG) microstate profiles. EEG microstates specifically capture rapidly altering activity of distributed cortical networks with a high temporal resolution as scalp potential topographies that dynamically vary over time in an organized manner. EEG was recorded simultaneously with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in twenty healthy adult participants during cognitively distinct fluid reasoning tasks: induction, spatial relationships and visualization. Microstate parameters successfully discriminated between fluid reasoning and visuomotor control tasks as well as between the fluid reasoning tasks. Mainly, microstate B coverage was significantly higher during spatial relationships and visualization, compared to induction, while microstate C coverage was significantly decreased during spatial relationships and visualization, compared to induction. Additionally, microstate D coverage was highest during spatial relationships and microstate A coverage was most strongly reduced during the same condition. Consistently, multivariate analysis with a leave-one-out cross-validation procedure accurately classified the fluid reasoning tasks based on the coverage parameter. These EEG data and their correlation with fMRI data suggest that especially the tasks most strongly relying on visuospatial processing modulated visual and default mode network activity. We propose that EEG microstates can provide valuable information about neural activity patterns with a dynamic and complex temporal structure during fluid reasoning, suggesting cognitive ability-specific interplays between multiple brain networks.

Associations of cord blood leptin and adiponectin with children's cognitive abilities

Background Adipocytokines may play a role in fetal programming of neurodevelopment. We aimed to investigate the associations between cord blood adipocytokine concentrations and children's intelligence test scores. Methods We used data from two ongoing pregnancy cohorts in North America: the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC, n = 429) and Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME, n = 183) Studies. Umbilical cord blood adipocytokine concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. We assessed children's Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and its components using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence-III or Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV. We used linear regression and linear mixed models to estimate associations between log₂-transformed adipocytokine concentrations and children's IQ after adjusting for sociodemographic, perinatal, and child factors. Results After adjusting for covariates, cord blood adiponectin was positively associated with children's full-scale IQ scores at age 3 years in the MIREC Study (β = 1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.2, 2.5) and at ages 5 and 8 years in the HOME Study (β = 1.7, CI: -0.1, 3.5). Adiponectin was positively associated with performance IQ in both studies (MIREC: β = 2.0, CI: 0.7, 3.3; HOME: β = 2.2, CI: 0.5, 3.9). Adiponectin was positively associated with working memory composite scores at age 8 in the HOME Study (β = 3.1, CI: 1.0, 5.2). Leptin was not associated with children's IQ in either study. Conclusions Cord blood adiponectin was associated with higher full-scale and performance IQ and working memory composite scores in children. Future studies are needed to explore the mechanisms underlying these associations.