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Xue Z, Ling X, Zhao X, Geng L. Neural Mechanisms of Nonauditory Effects of Noise Exposure on Special Populations. Noise Health 2024; 26:70-81. [PMID: 38904804 DOI: 10.4103/nah.nah_78_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Due to the abnormal structure and function of brain neural networks in special populations, such as children, elderly individuals, and individuals with mental disorders, noise exposure is more likely to have negative psychological and cognitive nonauditory effects on these individuals. There are unique and complex neural mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. For individuals with mental disorders, there are anomalies such as structural atrophy and decreased functional activation in brain regions involved in emotion and cognitive processing, such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Noise exposure can worsen these abnormalities in relevant brain regions, further damaging neural plasticity and disrupting normal connections and the transmission of information between the PFC and other brain areas by causing neurotransmitter imbalances. In the case of children, in a noisy environment, brain regions such as the left inferior frontal gyrus and PFC, which are involved in growth and development, are more susceptible to structural and functional changes, leading to neurodegenerative alterations. Furthermore, noise exposure can interrupt auditory processing neural pathways or impair inhibitory functions, thus hindering children's ability to map sound to meaning in neural processes. For elderly people, age-related shrinkage of brain regions such as the PFC, as well as deficiencies in hormone, neurotransmitter, and nutrient levels, weakens their ability to cope with noise. Currently, it is feasible to propose and apply coping strategies to improve the nonauditory effects of noise exposure on special populations based on the plasticity of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixuan Xue
- School of Chinese Language and Literature, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, China
| | - Xinran Ling
- School of Linguistic Sciences and Arts, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221009, China
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Language Ability, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221009, China
| | - Xinru Zhao
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Shandong Agriculture and Engineering University, Zibo, 255314, China
| | - Libo Geng
- School of Linguistic Sciences and Arts, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221009, China
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Language Ability, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221009, China
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2
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Nazzari S, Cagliero L, Grumi S, Pisoni E, Mallucci G, Bergamaschi R, Maccarini J, Giorda R, Provenzi L. Prenatal exposure to environmental air pollution and psychosocial stress jointly contribute to the epigenetic regulation of the serotonin transporter gene in newborns. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:3503-3511. [PMID: 37542161 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02206-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Antenatal exposures to maternal stress and to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) have been independently associated with developmental outcomes in early infancy and beyond. Knowledge about their joint impact, biological mechanisms of their effects and timing-effects, is still limited. Both PM2.5 and maternal stress exposure during pregnancy might result in altered patterns of DNA methylation in specific stress-related genes, such as the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4 DNAm), that might, in turn, influence infant development across several domains, including bio-behavioral, cognitive and socio-emotional domains. Here, we investigated the independent and interactive influence of variations in antenatal exposures to maternal pandemic-related stress (PRS) and PM2.5 on SLC6A4 DNAm levels in newborns. Mother-infant dyads (N = 307) were enrolled at delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Infants' methylation status was assessed in 13 CpG sites within the SLC6A4 gene's region (chr17:28562750-28562958) in buccal cells at birth and women retrospectively report on PRS. PM2.5 exposure throughout the entire gestation and at each gestational trimester was estimated using a spatiotemporal model based on residential address. Among several potentially confounding socio-demographic and health-related factors, infant's sex was significantly associated with infants' SLC6A4 DNAm levels, thus hierarchical regression models were adjusted for infant's sex. Higher levels of SLC6A4 DNAm at 6 CpG sites were found in newborns born to mothers reporting higher levels of antenatal PRS and greater PM2.5 exposure across gestation, while adjusting for infant's sex. These effects were especially evident when exposure to elevated PM2.5 occurred during the second trimester of pregnancy. Several important brain processes (e.g., synaptogenesis and myelination) occur during mid-pregnancy, potentially making the second trimester a sensitive time window for the effects of stress-related exposures. Understanding the interplay between environmental and individual-level stressors has important implications for the improvement of mother-infant health during and after the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Nazzari
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Lucia Cagliero
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Developmental Psychobiology Lab, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Serena Grumi
- Developmental Psychobiology Lab, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Enrico Pisoni
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
| | - Giulia Mallucci
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, Neurocenter of South of Switzerland, EOC, Lugano, Switzerland
| | | | - Julia Maccarini
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Developmental Psychobiology Lab, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Roberto Giorda
- Molecular Biology Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Livio Provenzi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
- Developmental Psychobiology Lab, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
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3
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Synaptic plasticity and mental health: methods, challenges and opportunities. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:113-120. [PMID: 35810199 PMCID: PMC9700665 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01370-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Activity-dependent synaptic plasticity is a ubiquitous property of the nervous system that allows neurons to communicate and change their connections as a function of past experiences. Through reweighting of synaptic strengths, the nervous system can remodel itself, giving rise to durable memories that create the biological basis for mental function. In healthy individuals, synaptic plasticity undergoes characteristic developmental and aging trajectories. Dysfunctional plasticity, in turn, underlies a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, schizophrenia, addiction, and posttraumatic stress disorder. From a mechanistic standpoint, synaptic plasticity spans the gamut of spatial and temporal scales, from microseconds to the lifespan, from microns to the entire nervous system. With the numbers and strengths of synapses changing on such wide scales, there is an important need to develop measurement techniques with complimentary sensitivities and a growing number of approaches are now being harnessed for this purpose. Through hemodynamic measures, structural and tracer imaging, and noninvasive neuromodulation, it is possible to image structural and functional changes that underlie synaptic plasticity and associated behavioral learning. Here we review the mechanisms of neural plasticity and the historical and future trends in techniques that allow imaging of synaptic changes that accompany psychiatric disorders, highlighting emerging therapeutics and the challenges and opportunities accompanying this burgeoning area of study.
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4
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Petroni V, Subashi E, Premoli M, Memo M, Lemaire V, Pietropaolo S. Long-term behavioral effects of prenatal stress in the Fmr1-knock-out mouse model for fragile X syndrome. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:917183. [PMID: 36385949 PMCID: PMC9647640 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.917183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a major neurodevelopmental disorder and the most common monogenic cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). FXS is caused by a mutation in the X-linked FMR1 gene leading to the absence of the FMRP protein, inducing several behavioral deficits, including motor, emotional, cognitive, and social abnormalities. Beside its clear genetic origins, FXS can be modulated by environmental factors, e.g., stress exposure: indeed the behavioral phenotype of FXS, as well as of ASD patients can be exacerbated by the repeated experience of stressful events, especially early in life. Here we investigated the long-term effects of prenatal exposure to unpredictable chronic stress on the behavioral phenotype of the Fmr1-knock-out (KO) mouse model for FXS and ASD. Mice were tested for FXS- and ASD-relevant behaviors first at adulthood (3 months) and then at aging (18 months), in order to assess the persistence and the potential time-related progression of the stress effects. Stress induced the selective emergence of behavioral deficits in Fmr1-KO mice that were evident in spatial memory only at aging. Stress also exerted several age-specific behavioral effects in mice of both genotypes: at adulthood it enhanced anxiety levels and reduced social interaction, while at aging it enhanced locomotor activity and reduced the complexity of ultrasonic calls. Our findings underline the relevance of gene-environment interactions in mouse models of neurodevelopmental syndromes and highlight the long-term behavioral impact of prenatal stress in laboratory mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Petroni
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Enejda Subashi
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Marika Premoli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Maurizio Memo
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Valerie Lemaire
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Susanna Pietropaolo
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- *Correspondence: Susanna Pietropaolo,
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5
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Naeem N, Zanca RM, Weinstein S, Urquieta A, Sosa A, Yu B, Sullivan RM. The Neurobiology of Infant Attachment-Trauma and Disruption of Parent-Infant Interactions. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:882464. [PMID: 35935109 PMCID: PMC9352889 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.882464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Current clinical literature and supporting animal literature have shown that repeated and profound early-life adversity, especially when experienced within the caregiver-infant dyad, disrupts the trajectory of brain development to induce later-life expression of maladaptive behavior and pathology. What is less well understood is the immediate impact of repeated adversity during early life with the caregiver, especially since attachment to the caregiver occurs regardless of the quality of care the infant received including experiences of trauma. The focus of the present manuscript is to review the current literature on infant trauma within attachment, with an emphasis on animal research to define mechanisms and translate developmental child research. Across species, the effects of repeated trauma with the attachment figure, are subtle in early life, but the presence of acute stress can uncover some pathology, as was highlighted by Bowlby and Ainsworth in the 1950s. Through rodent neurobehavioral literature we discuss the important role of repeated elevations in stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) in infancy, especially if paired with the mother (not when pups are alone) as targeting the amygdala and causal in infant pathology. We also show that following induced alterations, at baseline infants appear stable, although acute stress hormone elevation uncovers pathology in brain circuits important in emotion, social behavior, and fear. We suggest that a comprehensive understanding of the role of stress hormones during infant typical development and elevated CORT disruption of this typical development will provide insight into age-specific identification of trauma effects, as well as a better understanding of early markers of later-life pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimra Naeem
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Emotional Brain Institute, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States,*Correspondence: Nimra Naeem,
| | - Roseanna M. Zanca
- Emotional Brain Institute, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Sylvie Weinstein
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Alejandra Urquieta
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Anna Sosa
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Boyi Yu
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Regina M. Sullivan
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Emotional Brain Institute, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States,Regina M. Sullivan,
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6
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Brooks SJ, Parks SM, Stamoulis C. Widespread Positive Direct and Indirect Effects of Regular Physical Activity on the Developing Functional Connectome in Early Adolescence. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:4840-4852. [PMID: 33987673 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a period of profound but incompletely understood changes in the brain's neural circuitry (the connectome), which is vulnerable to risk factors such as unhealthy weight, but may be protected by positive factors such as regular physical activity. In 5955 children (median age = 120 months; 50.86% females) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort, we investigated direct and indirect (through impact on body mass index [BMI]) effects of physical activity on resting-state networks, the backbone of the functional connectome that ubiquitously affects cognitive function. We estimated significant positive effects of regular physical activity on network connectivity, efficiency, robustness and stability (P ≤ 0.01), and on local topologies of attention, somatomotor, frontoparietal, limbic, and default-mode networks (P < 0.05), which support extensive processes, from memory and executive control to emotional processing. In contrast, we estimated widespread negative BMI effects in the same network properties and brain regions (P < 0.05). Additional mediation analyses suggested that physical activity could also modulate network topologies leading to better control of food intake, appetite and satiety, and ultimately lower BMI. Thus, regular physical activity may have extensive positive effects on the development of the functional connectome, and may be critical for improving the detrimental effects of unhealthy weight on cognitive health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Skylar J Brooks
- Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sean M Parks
- Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Catherine Stamoulis
- Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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7
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Yapijakis C. Regulatory Role of MicroRNAs in Brain Development and Function. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1195:237-247. [PMID: 32468482 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-32633-3_32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules of about 20-22 nucleotides. After their posttranscriptional maturation, miRNAs are loaded into the ribonucleoprotein complex RISC and modulate gene expression by binding to the 3' untranslated region of their target mRNAs through base-pairing, which in turn triggers mRNA degradation or translational inhibition. There is mounting evidence that miRNAs regulate various biological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Several studies have shown that miRNAs play an important role in neurogenesis and brain development.This review discusses recent progress on understanding the implication of precisely regulated miRNA expression in normal brain development and function. In addition, it reports known cases of dysregulation of miRNA expression and function implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders, craniofacial dysmorphic syndromes, neurodegenerative diseases, and psychiatric disorders. Current knowledge regarding the role of miRNAs in the brain in conjunction with the complex interplay between genetic and epigenetic factors are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christos Yapijakis
- 1st Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Haghia Sophia" Hospital, Athens, Greece. .,Department of Molecular Genetics, Cephalogenetics Diagnostic Center, Athens, Greece.
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8
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Nazzari S, Fearon P, Rice F, Ciceri F, Molteni M, Frigerio A. Neuroendocrine and immune markers of maternal stress during pregnancy and infant cognitive development. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 62:1100-1110. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Nazzari
- Scientific Institute IRCCS Eugenio MedeaChild Psychopathology Unit Bosisio Parini Lecco Italy
- Research Department of Clinical Educational and Health Psychology University College London London UK
| | - Pasco Fearon
- Research Department of Clinical Educational and Health Psychology University College London London UK
| | - Frances Rice
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences Cardiff University Cardiff UK
| | - Francesca Ciceri
- Scientific Institute IRCCS Eugenio MedeaChild Psychopathology Unit Bosisio Parini Lecco Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Scientific Institute IRCCS Eugenio MedeaChild Psychopathology Unit Bosisio Parini Lecco Italy
| | - Alessandra Frigerio
- Scientific Institute IRCCS Eugenio MedeaChild Psychopathology Unit Bosisio Parini Lecco Italy
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9
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Vanes LD, Moutoussis M, Ziegler G, Goodyer IM, Fonagy P, Jones PB, Bullmore ET, Dolan RJ. White matter tract myelin maturation and its association with general psychopathology in adolescence and early adulthood. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 41:827-839. [PMID: 31661180 PMCID: PMC7268015 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a time period associated with marked brain maturation that coincides with an enhanced risk for onset of psychiatric disorder. White matter tract myelination, a process that continues to unfold throughout adolescence, is reported to be abnormal in several psychiatric disorders. Here, we ask whether psychiatric vulnerability is linked to aberrant developmental myelination trajectories. We assessed a marker of myelin maturation, using magnetisation transfer (MT) imaging, in 10 major white matter tracts. We then investigated its relationship to the expression of a general psychopathology "p-factor" in a longitudinal analysis of 293 healthy participants between the ages of 14 and 24. We observed significant longitudinal MT increase across the full age spectrum in anterior thalamic radiation, hippocampal cingulum, dorsal cingulum and superior longitudinal fasciculus. MT increase in the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus and uncinate fasciculus was pronounced in younger participants but levelled off during the transition into young adulthood. Crucially, longitudinal MT increase in dorsal cingulum and uncinate fasciculus decelerated as a function of mean p-factor scores over the study period. This suggests that an increased expression of psychopathology is closely linked to lower rates of myelin maturation in selective brain tracts over time. Impaired myelin growth in limbic association fibres may serve as a neural marker for emerging mental illness during the course of adolescence and early adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy D Vanes
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
| | - Michael Moutoussis
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
| | - Gabriel Ziegler
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Ian M Goodyer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge Clinical School, Cambridge, UK
| | - Peter Fonagy
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Peter B Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge Clinical School, Cambridge, UK
| | - Edward T Bullmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge Clinical School, Cambridge, UK
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- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge Clinical School, Cambridge, UK
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
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10
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Petanjek Z, Sedmak D, Džaja D, Hladnik A, Rašin MR, Jovanov-Milosevic N. The Protracted Maturation of Associative Layer IIIC Pyramidal Neurons in the Human Prefrontal Cortex During Childhood: A Major Role in Cognitive Development and Selective Alteration in Autism. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:122. [PMID: 30923504 PMCID: PMC6426783 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The human specific cognitive shift starts around the age of 2 years with the onset of self-awareness, and continues with extraordinary increase in cognitive capacities during early childhood. Diffuse changes in functional connectivity in children aged 2-6 years indicate an increase in the capacity of cortical network. Interestingly, structural network complexity does not increase during this time and, thus, it is likely to be induced by selective maturation of a specific neuronal subclass. Here, we provide an overview of a subclass of cortico-cortical neurons, the associative layer IIIC pyramids of the human prefrontal cortex. Their local axonal collaterals are in control of the prefrontal cortico-cortical output, while their long projections modulate inter-areal processing. In this way, layer IIIC pyramids are the major integrative element of cortical processing, and changes in their connectivity patterns will affect global cortical functioning. Layer IIIC neurons have a unique pattern of dendritic maturation. In contrast to other classes of principal neurons, they undergo an additional phase of extensive dendritic growth during early childhood, and show characteristic molecular changes. Taken together, circuits associated with layer IIIC neurons have the most protracted period of developmental plasticity. This unique feature is advanced but also provides a window of opportunity for pathological events to disrupt normal formation of cognitive circuits involving layer IIIC neurons. In this manuscript, we discuss how disrupted dendritic and axonal maturation of layer IIIC neurons may lead into global cortical disconnectivity, affecting development of complex communication and social abilities. We also propose a model that developmentally dictated incorporation of layer IIIC neurons into maturing cortico-cortical circuits between 2 to 6 years will reveal a previous (perinatal) lesion affecting other classes of principal neurons. This "disclosure" of pre-existing functionally silent lesions of other neuronal classes induced by development of layer IIIC associative neurons, or their direct alteration, could be found in different forms of autism spectrum disorders. Understanding the gene-environment interaction in shaping cognitive microcircuitries may be fundamental for developing rehabilitation and prevention strategies in autism spectrum and other cognitive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zdravko Petanjek
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dora Sedmak
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Domagoj Džaja
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ana Hladnik
- Department of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mladen Roko Rašin
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Nataša Jovanov-Milosevic
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Center of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
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11
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Nazzari S, Fearon P, Rice F, Dottori N, Ciceri F, Molteni M, Frigerio A. Beyond the HPA-axis: Exploring maternal prenatal influences on birth outcomes and stress reactivity. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 101:253-262. [PMID: 30497017 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Revised: 11/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that antenatal maternal stress is associated with altered behavioral and physiological outcomes in the offspring, however, whether this association is causal and the underlying biological mechanisms remain largely unknown. While the most studied mediator of maternal stress influences on the fetus has generally been cortisol, alternative novel markers of stress or inflammation warrant further consideration. The current investigation explored the influence of variations in self-reported symptoms of distress, stress hormones and inflammatory markers on infant birth outcomes and early stress regulation. The sample consisted of 104 pregnant women (mean gestational age = 34.76; SD = 1.12) and their healthy newborns. Maternal self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety were evaluated through the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and levels of serum Interleukine-6 (IL-6), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), salivary cortisol and alpha amylase (sAA) were measured in late pregnancy. Newborns' cortisol and behavioral response to the heel-stick was assessed 48-72 hours after birth. The associations between maternal stress measures and infant birth outcomes and stress reactivity, adjusted for potential confounders, were examined through hierarchical linear regressions and hierarchical linear models. Higher maternal IL-6 levels were associated with smaller head circumference at birth, while diurnal sAA levels were positively associated with birthweight. Maternal diurnal cortisol was related to newborn's stress reactivity: a flatter infant cortisol response to the heel-stick was associated with greater maternal cortisol increases after awakening during pregnancy, while greater infant behavioural reactivity was related to a flatter maternal diurnal cortisol profile. The observational nature of these data does not allow for causal inferences but the current findings illustrate that antenatal factors related to alterations in maternal stress and immune response systems are associated with fetal growth and neonatal stress reactivity. This may have implications for later health and psychological outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Nazzari
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK; Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy.
| | - P Fearon
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - F Rice
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, UK
| | - N Dottori
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - F Ciceri
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - M Molteni
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - A Frigerio
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
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Hartman S, Sayler K, Belsky J. Prenatal stress enhances postnatal plasticity: The role of microbiota. Dev Psychobiol 2018; 61:729-738. [PMID: 30575950 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Separate fields of inquiry indicate (a) that prenatal stress is associated with heightened behavioral and physiological reactivity and (b) that these postnatal phenotypes are themselves associated with increased susceptibility to both positive and negative environmental influences. Collectively, this work supports Pluess and Belsky's (Psychopathology, 2011, 23, 29) claim that prenatal stress fosters, promotes or "programs" postnatal developmental plasticity. Herein, we review animal and human evidence consistent with this hypothesis before advancing the novel idea that infant intestinal microbiota may be one candidate mechanism for instantiating developmental plasticity as a result of prenatal stress. We then review research indicating that prenatal stress predicts differences in infant intestinal microbiota; that infant intestinal microbiota is associated with behavioral and physiological reactivity phenotypes; and, thus, that prenatal stress may influence infant intestinal microbiota in a way that results in heightened physiological and behavioral reactivity and, thereby, postnatal developmental plasticity. Finally, we offer ideas for testing this claim and consider implications for intervention and use of probiotics during early infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Hartman
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Kristina Sayler
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Jay Belsky
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of California, Davis, California
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13
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Abstract
Two sets of evidence reviewed herein, one indicating that prenatal stress is associated with elevated behavioral and physiological dysregulation and the other that such phenotypic functioning is itself associated with heightened susceptibility to positive and negative environmental influences postnatally, raises the intriguing hypothesis first advanced by Pluess and Belsky (2011) that prenatal stress fosters, promotes, or "programs" postnatal developmental plasticity. Here we review further evidence consistent with this proposition, including new experimental research systematically manipulating both prenatal stress and postnatal rearing. Collectively this work would seem to explain why prenatal stress has so consistently been linked to problematic development: stresses encountered prenatally are likely to continue postnatally, thereby adversely affecting the development of children programmed (by prenatal stress) to be especially susceptible to environmental effects. Less investigated are the potential benefits prenatal stress may promote, due to increased plasticity, when the postnatal environment proves to be favorable. Future directions of research pertaining to potential mechanisms instantiating postnatal plasticity and moderators of such prenatal-programming effects are outlined.
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Hartman S, Belsky J. Prenatal stress and enhanced developmental plasticity. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2018; 125:1759-1779. [PMID: 30206701 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-018-1926-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Two separate lines of inquiry indicate (a) that prenatal stress is associated with heightened behavioral and physiological reactivity, and (b) that these postnatal phenotypes are associated with increased susceptibility to both positive and negative developmental experiences and environmental exposures. This research considered together raises the intriguing hypothesis first advanced by Pluess and Belsky (Dev Psychopathol 23:29-38, 2011) that prenatal-stress fosters, promotes or "programs" postnatal developmental plasticity. In this paper, we review further evidence consistent with this proposition, including a novel animal study which experimentally manipulated both prenatal stress and postnatal rearing. Directions for future work focused on mechanisms mediating the plasticity-inducing effects of prenatal stress and the moderators of such effects are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Hartman
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of California, One Shields Avenue, 3321 Hart Hall, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
| | - Jay Belsky
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of California, One Shields Avenue, 3321 Hart Hall, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
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Neurobiology of Infant Sensitive Period for Attachment and Its Reinstatement Through Maternal Social Buffering. MINNESOTA SYMPOSIA ON CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/9781119461746.ch2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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16
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Mumtaz F, Khan MI, Zubair M, Dehpour AR. Neurobiology and consequences of social isolation stress in animal model-A comprehensive review. Biomed Pharmacother 2018; 105:1205-1222. [PMID: 30021357 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.05.086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 200] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Revised: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain is a vital organ, susceptible to alterations under genetic influences and environmental experiences. Social isolation (SI) acts as a stressor which results in alterations in reactivity to stress, social behavior, function of neurochemical and neuroendocrine system, physiological, anatomical and behavioral changes in both animal and humans. During early stages of life, acute or chronic SIS has been proposed to show signs and symptoms of psychiatric and neurological disorders such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy and memory loss. Exposure to social isolation stress induces a variety of endocrinological changes including the activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, culminating in the release of glucocorticoids (GCs), release of catecholamines, activation of the sympatho-adrenomedullary system, release of Oxytocin and vasopressin. In several regions of the central nervous system (CNS), SIS alters the level of neurotransmitter such as dopamine, serotonin, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, nitrergic system and adrenaline as well as leads to alteration in receptor sensitivity of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and opioid system. A change in the function of oxidative and nitrosative stress (O&NS) mediated mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammatory factors, neurotrophins and neurotrophicfactors (NTFs), early growth response transcription factor genes (Egr) and C-Fos expression are also involved as a pathophysiological consequences of SIS which induce neurological and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faiza Mumtaz
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Experimental Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Muhammad Imran Khan
- Department of Pharmacy, Kohat University of Science and Technology, 26000 Kohat, KPK, Pakistan; Drug Detoxification Health Welfare Research Center, Bannu, KPK, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Zubair
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agriculture University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China
| | - Ahmad Reza Dehpour
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Experimental Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Silva VLSD, França GVAD, Munhoz TN, Santos IS, Barros AJD, Barros FC, Matijasevich A. Hospitalization in the first years of life and development of psychiatric disorders at age 6 and 11: a birth cohort study in Brazil. CAD SAUDE PUBLICA 2018; 34:e00064517. [PMID: 29846398 DOI: 10.1590/0102-311x00064517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the medium-term effects that hospitalization in the first 48 months of life has on the development of psychiatric disorders at 6 and 11 years of age among individuals in a birth cohort in a middle-income country. We analyzed data from a 2004 birth cohort (N = 4,231) in the city of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The frequency of hospitalization was investigated at 12, 24 and 48 months of life. When the children were 6 and 11 years old, psychiatric disorders were investigated with the Development and Well-Being Assessment. We used logistic regression to adjust for potential confounders. The overall frequency of hospitalization during the first 48 months of life was 33.1% (95%CI: 31.4; 34.7). Among the hospitalized children 25.6% (95%CI: 24.1; 27.1), 4.7% (95%CI: 4.0; 5.5) and 2.8% (95%CI: 2.3; 3.5) were hospitalized 1, 2 or ≥ 3 times during this period, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, the chance of presenting any psychiatric disorder at 6 and 11 years of age was higher for the children who had been hospitalized during the first 48 months of life than for those who had not, with OR of 1.50 (95%CI: 1.19; 1.88) and 1.63 (95%CI: 1.28; 2.07), respectively. Our results support the hypothesis that hospitalization in the early stages of life has an effect on the subsequent mental health of children. Preventive measures are needed in order to minimize the negative experiences of children who are hospitalized during infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tyago N Munhoz
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Epidemiologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Iná S Santos
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Epidemiologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Aluísio J D Barros
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Epidemiologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Fernando C Barros
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde e Comportamento, Universidade Católica de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
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Kim HG, Moon WJ, Han J, Choi JW. Quantification of myelin in children using multiparametric quantitative MRI: a pilot study. Neuroradiology 2017; 59:1043-1051. [PMID: 28765995 DOI: 10.1007/s00234-017-1889-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of multiparametric quantitative MRI for myelination quantification in children. METHODS We examined 22 children (age 0-14 years) with multiparametric quantitative MRI. The total volume of myelin partial volume (Msum), the percentage of Msum within the whole brain parenchyma (Mbpv), and the percentage of Msum within the intracranial volume (Micv) were obtained. Four developmental models of myelin maturation (the logarithmic, logistic, Gompertz, and modified Gompertz models) were examined to find the most representative model of the three parameters. We acquired myelin partial volume values in different brain regions and assessed the goodness of fit for the models. RESULTS The ranges of Msum, Mbpv, and Micv were 0.8-160.9 ml, 0.2-13%, and 0.0-11.6%, respectively. The Gompertz model was the best fit for the three parameters. For developmental model analysis of myelin partial volume in each brain region, the Gompertz model was the best-fit model for pons (R 2 = 74.6%), middle cerebeller peduncle (R 2 = 76.4%), putamen (R2 = 95.8%), and centrum semiovale (R 2 = 77.7%). The logistic model was the best-fit model for the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum (R 2 = 79.7-93.6%), thalamus (R 2 = 81.7%), and frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital white matter (R 2 = 92.5-96.5%). CONCLUSIONS Multiparametric quantitative MRI depicts the normal developmental pattern of myelination in children. It is a potential tool for research studies on pediatric brain development evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Gi Kim
- Department of Radiology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Ajou University Medical Center, 164 World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 443-380, South Korea
| | - Won-Jin Moon
- Department of Radiology, Konkuk University Hospital, Konkuk University School of Medicine, 4-12, Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 143-914, South Korea
| | - JinJoo Han
- Office of Biostatistics, Department of Humanities and Social Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, 164 World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 443-380, South Korea
| | - Jin Wook Choi
- Department of Radiology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Ajou University Medical Center, 164 World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 443-380, South Korea.
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Sun L, Min L, Zhou H, Li M, Shao F, Wang W. Adolescent social isolation affects schizophrenia-like behavior and astrocyte biomarkers in the PFC of adult rats. Behav Brain Res 2017; 333:258-266. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/09/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Chudley AE. Diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: current practices and future considerations. Biochem Cell Biol 2017; 96:231-236. [PMID: 28746809 DOI: 10.1139/bcb-2017-0106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper discusses the current state of knowledge and practice for diagnosing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The strengths and challenges of different models of diagnosis are compared. Some models require a team approach for evaluation, while other approaches assume that a clinician in his or her office provides a diagnosis based on a review of the patient's medical and social history, behaviour, and physical examination. The author reviews the emergence of new information from recent advances in genetics, imaging, and electrophysiology that has the potential to lead to changes in practice and improved reliability of an FASD diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert E Chudley
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health and Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Heath Sciences, University of Manitoba, and the Children's Hospital, Winnipeg, MB R3A 1R9, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics and Child Health and Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Heath Sciences, University of Manitoba, and the Children's Hospital, Winnipeg, MB R3A 1R9, Canada
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21
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Age-related changes of white matter association tracts in normal children throughout adulthood: a diffusion tensor tractography study. Neuroradiology 2017; 59:715-724. [PMID: 28580531 DOI: 10.1007/s00234-017-1858-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this study is to study the age, gender and lateral asymmetry-related white matter changes of long association tracts throughout late childhood and adolescence into adulthood using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). METHODS DTT was performed in 44 healthy subjects aged 7-45 years. Fractional anisotropy (FA), radial diffusivity (RD), axial diffusivity (AD), Trace, density and volume were calculated for long association tracts, namely the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), uncinate fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and its arcuate fibres. FA and diffusivity indices were correlated as function of age using Pearson correlation test. Comparison between males and females, and comparison between both hemispheres among all participants were also performed. A p value less than .01 was considered significant. RESULTS The majority of the examined tracts (SLF and IFOF of both hemispheres, and the arcuate fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, and ILF of the left hemisphere) followed a common pattern of metric changes with age. This pattern was characterized by significant FA increase accompanied by reduction in RD, Trace without significant AD changes. The right arcuate fasciculus showed similar pattern but without significant FA changes. The right uncinate and right ILF fasciculus demonstrated significant reduction in RD, Trace and AD, with and without significant FA increase, respectively. Left hemispheric dominance regarding the FA and diffusivity indices was demonstrated in uncinate fasciculus with no significant gender-related differences. CONCLUSION Significant microstructural tract-specific maturation processes continue throughout late childhood into adulthood. These processes may represent stages in a cascade of age-related maturation in white matter microstructure.
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Whedon M, Perry NB, Calkins SD, Bell MA. Changes in frontal EEG coherence across infancy predict cognitive abilities at age 3: The mediating role of attentional control. Dev Psychol 2016; 52:1341-52. [PMID: 27441486 PMCID: PMC5003730 DOI: 10.1037/dev0000149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Theoretical perspectives of cognitive development have maintained that functional integration of the prefrontal cortex across infancy underlies the emergence of attentional control and higher cognitive abilities in early childhood. To investigate these proposed relations, we tested whether functional integration of prefrontal regions across the second half of the first year predicted observed cognitive performance in early childhood 1 year prior indirectly through observed attentional control (N = 300). Results indicated that greater change in left-but not right-frontal EEG coherence between 5 and 10 months was positively associated with attentional control, cognitive flexibility, receptive language, and behavioral inhibitory control. Specifically, a larger increase in coherence between left frontal regions was positively associated with accuracy on a visual search task at Age 2, and visual search accuracy was positively associated with receptive vocabulary, performance on a set-shifting task (DCCS), and delay of gratification at Age 3. Finally, the indirect effects from the change in left frontal EEG coherence to 3-year cognitive flexibility, receptive language, and behavioral inhibitory control were significant, suggesting that internally controlled attention is a mechanism through which early neural maturation influences children's cognitive development. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Whedon
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
| | - Nicole B. Perry
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
| | - Susan D. Calkins
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
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Abstract
Many, if not all, questions in biology and psychology today were formulated and considered in depth, though typically in a different language, from the 1700's to the early 1900's. However, because of politics or fashion, some topics fell out of favor or failed to recruit new scientists and hence languished. Despite greatly expanded scholarship in the history of the life sciences in the twentieth century, many such topics have had to be rediscovered in recent years, while much of the wisdom already accrued stays in the older literature and not in active minds. This is particularly true today when scientific advances appear at breakneck speed. It would not be an exaggeration to say that many 'breakthroughs' turn out really to be rediscoveries of forgotten observations. Two areas of particular significance to the interdisciplinary study of behavior are the Norms of Reaction (from Biology) and the concept of Plasticity (from Psychology). These and related fields benefit from the perspective of epigenetics so long as rigorous operational definitions are implemented. It is also important to revive Hogben's admonition that the interaction of hereditary and environment cannot be understood outside of the context of development. Five examples of increasing complexity in phenotypic plasticity in brain and behavior are presented to illustrate this perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Crews
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Seth A Weisberg
- Institute of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Sahotra Sarkar
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Departments of Integrative Biology and Philosophy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Cacioppo JT, Amaral DG, Blanchard JJ, Cameron JL, Carter CS, Crews D, Fiske S, Heatherton T, Johnson MK, Kozak MJ, Levenson RW, Lord C, Miller EK, Ochsner K, Raichle ME, Shea MT, Taylor SE, Young LJ, Quinn KJ. Social Neuroscience: Progress and Implications for Mental Health. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2015; 2:99-123. [PMID: 26151956 DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6916.2007.00032.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Social neuroscience is a new, interdisciplinary field devoted to understanding how biological systems implement social processes and behavior. Social neuroscience capitalizes on biological concepts and methods to inform and refine theories of social behavior, and it uses social and behavioral constructs and data to inform and refine theories of neural organization and function. We focus here on the progress and potential of social neuroscience in the area of mental health. Research in social neuroscience has grown dramatically in recent years. Among the most active areas of research we found are brain-imaging studies in normal children and adults; animal models of social behavior; studies of stroke patients; imaging studies of psychiatric patients; and research on social determinants of peripheral neural, neuroendocrine, and immunological processes. We also found that these areas of research are proceeding along largely independent trajectories. Our goals in this article are to review the development of this field, examine some currently promising approaches, identify obstacles and opportunities for future advances and integration, and consider how this research can inform work on the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders.
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Lazcano Z, Solis O, Bringas ME, Limón D, Diaz A, Espinosa B, García-Peláez I, Flores G, Guevara J. Unilateral injection of Aβ25-35in the hippocampus reduces the number of dendritic spines in hyperglycemic rats. Synapse 2014; 68:585-594. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.21770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/15/2014] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zayda Lazcano
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría; Instituto de Fisiología Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | - Oscar Solis
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría; Instituto de Fisiología Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | - María Elena Bringas
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría; Instituto de Fisiología Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | - Daniel Limón
- Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | - Alfonso Diaz
- Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
- Laboratorio Experimental de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas; Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía; Ciudad de México Distrito Federal México
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Ciudad de México Distrito Federal México
| | - Blanca Espinosa
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias; Ciudad de México Distrito Federal México
| | - Isabel García-Peláez
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Tisular, Facultad de Medicina; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Ciudad de México Distrito Federal México
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría; Instituto de Fisiología Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | - Jorge Guevara
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Ciudad de México Distrito Federal México
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Arcego DM, Krolow R, Lampert C, Noschang C, Ferreira AG, Scherer E, Wyse AT, Dalmaz C. Isolation during the prepubertal period associated with chronic access to palatable diets: Effects on plasma lipid profile and liver oxidative stress. Physiol Behav 2014; 124:23-32. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2012] [Revised: 10/04/2013] [Accepted: 10/22/2013] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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Hanson JL, Hair N, Shen DG, Shi F, Gilmore JH, Wolfe BL, Pollak SD. Family poverty affects the rate of human infant brain growth. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80954. [PMID: 24349025 PMCID: PMC3859472 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 216] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2013] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Living in poverty places children at very high risk for problems across a variety of domains, including schooling, behavioral regulation, and health. Aspects of cognitive functioning, such as information processing, may underlie these kinds of problems. How might poverty affect the brain functions underlying these cognitive processes? Here, we address this question by observing and analyzing repeated measures of brain development of young children between five months and four years of age from economically diverse backgrounds (n = 77). In doing so, we have the opportunity to observe changes in brain growth as children begin to experience the effects of poverty. These children underwent MRI scanning, with subjects completing between 1 and 7 scans longitudinally. Two hundred and three MRI scans were divided into different tissue types using a novel image processing algorithm specifically designed to analyze brain data from young infants. Total gray, white, and cerebral (summation of total gray and white matter) volumes were examined along with volumes of the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. Infants from low-income families had lower volumes of gray matter, tissue critical for processing of information and execution of actions. These differences were found for both the frontal and parietal lobes. No differences were detected in white matter, temporal lobe volumes, or occipital lobe volumes. In addition, differences in brain growth were found to vary with socioeconomic status (SES), with children from lower-income households having slower trajectories of growth during infancy and early childhood. Volumetric differences were associated with the emergence of disruptive behavioral problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie L. Hanson
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Nicole Hair
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Dinggang G. Shen
- Image Display, Enhancement, and Analysis (IDEA) Lab, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Feng Shi
- Image Display, Enhancement, and Analysis (IDEA) Lab, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - John H. Gilmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Barbara L. Wolfe
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Seth D. Pollak
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
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Lee PC, Stewart DE. Does a socio-ecological school model promote resilience in primary schools? THE JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH 2013; 83:795-804. [PMID: 24138350 DOI: 10.1111/josh.12096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2011] [Accepted: 10/14/2012] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This research investigates the extent to which the holistic, multistrategy "health-promoting school" (HPS) model using a resilience intervention can lead to improved resilience among students. METHODS A quasi-experimental design using a study cohort selected from 20 primary schools in Queensland, Australia was employed. Ten intervention schools using HPS protocols, with training support, were compared with 10 control schools in student resilience scores and protective factors. Baseline data explored the interactive effect of protective factors on overall resilience scores. Postintervention analysis compared changes in protective factors and resilience, after implementing the HPS project. RESULTS Baseline data analysis indicated no significant differences in the mean scores of protective factors and resilience scores between intervention and control groups (except for school connection). After 18 months of implementation, a resurvey showed that the intervention group had significantly higher scores than the control group on students' family connection, community connection, peer support, and their overall resilience. CONCLUSIONS Results showed that students in the HPS group had significantly higher scores on resilience than did students in the control group. A comprehensive, whole-school approach to building resilience that integrates students, staff, and community can strengthen important protective factors and build student resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia C Lee
- Lecturer, , School of Public Health, Griffith University Gold Coast Campus, Parklands Drive, Southport, Queensland 4222, Australia
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Nyaradi A, Li J, Hickling S, Foster J, Oddy WH. The role of nutrition in children's neurocognitive development, from pregnancy through childhood. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:97. [PMID: 23532379 PMCID: PMC3607807 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 259] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2012] [Accepted: 03/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
This review examines the current evidence for a possible connection between nutritional intake (including micronutrients and whole diet) and neurocognitive development in childhood. Earlier studies which have investigated the association between nutrition and cognitive development have focused on individual micronutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, folic acid, choline, iron, iodine, and zinc, and single aspects of diet. The research evidence from observational studies suggests that micronutrients may play an important role in the cognitive development of children. However, the results of intervention trials utilizing single micronutrients are inconclusive. More generally, there is evidence that malnutrition can impair cognitive development, whilst breastfeeding appears to be beneficial for cognition. Eating breakfast is also beneficial for cognition. In contrast, there is currently inconclusive evidence regarding the association between obesity and cognition. Since individuals consume combinations of foods, more recently researchers have become interested in the cognitive impact of diet as a composite measure. Only a few studies to date have investigated the associations between dietary patterns and cognitive development. In future research, more well designed intervention trials are needed, with special consideration given to the interactive effects of nutrients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anett Nyaradi
- Centre for Child Health Research, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, The University of Western AustraliaPerth, WA, Australia
- School of Population Health, The University of Western AustraliaPerth, WA, Australia
| | - Jianghong Li
- Centre for Child Health Research, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, The University of Western AustraliaPerth, WA, Australia
- Centre for Population Health Research, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin UniversityPerth, WA, Australia
- Social Science Research CenterBerlin, Germany
| | - Siobhan Hickling
- Centre for Child Health Research, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, The University of Western AustraliaPerth, WA, Australia
- School of Population Health, The University of Western AustraliaPerth, WA, Australia
| | - Jonathan Foster
- Centre for Child Health Research, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, The University of Western AustraliaPerth, WA, Australia
- School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin UniversityPerth, WA, Australia
- Neurosciences Unit, Health Department of Western AustraliaPerth, WA, Australia
- School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western AustraliaPerth, WA, Australia
| | - Wendy H. Oddy
- Centre for Child Health Research, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, The University of Western AustraliaPerth, WA, Australia
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Stanojlović O, Nikolić T, Hrnčić D, Radonjić N, Rašić-Marković A, Mladenović D, Petronijević N. Ontogenetic influence on rat susceptibility to lindane seizure after pretreatment with phencyclidine. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2013; 35:161-170. [PMID: 23314106 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2012.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2012] [Revised: 11/23/2012] [Accepted: 12/02/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the study was to determine the effects of early postnatal PCP treatment on the sensitivity of pubertal and adult rats to lindane proepileptogenic effects. Rat pups were treated with NaCl (0.9%) or PCP (10 mg/kg) at postnatal days 2, 6, 9 and 12. One control (NaCl-35) and one experimental (PCP-35) group have received lindane (4 mg/kg) at postnatal day 35, while others received lindane at postnatal day 65 (NaCl-65 and PCP-65). One week prior to lindane treatment three gold-plated EEG electrodes were implanted. Pubertal rats had significantly shorter latency time. After lindane, a prompt increase in power spectral density seen in PCP-treated groups vs. control was evident earlier in PCP-65 rats. The theta waves were significantly increased in PCP-35 and alpha rhythm in PCP-65 rats, when compared with corresponding controls. Postnatal PCP treatment increases the synchronization of brain electrical activity, thus contributing to the increased susceptibility to lindane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivera Stanojlović
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Institute of Medical Physiology Richard Burian, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Višegradska 26/II, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
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Tinajero C, Páramo MF. The systems approach in developmental psychology: fundamental concepts and principles. PSICOLOGIA: TEORIA E PESQUISA 2012. [DOI: 10.1590/s0102-37722012000400011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental Psychology seems to have come to an unifying theoretical framework which may make feasible to overcome the fragmentation so frequently referred to within the discipline. This is indicated by the widespread support being given to the systems approach, enriched by dialectic and contextual postulates. In this article, we briefly review the antecedents of this approach and explore its core concepts, indicating their roots and the precise way in which they are applied to developmental analyses today. We also examine the implications of the systems approach for developmental investigation, and its challenges.
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Maitre NL, Barnett ZP, Key APF. Novel assessment of cortical response to somatosensory stimuli in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy. J Child Neurol 2012; 27:1276-83. [PMID: 22378658 PMCID: PMC3744820 DOI: 10.1177/0883073811435682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The brain's response to somatosensory stimuli is essential to experience-driven learning in children. It was hypothesized that advances in event-related potential technology could quantify the response to touch in somatosensory cortices and characterize the responses of hemiparetic children. In this prospective study of 8 children (5-8 years old) with hemiparetic cerebral palsy, both event-related potential responses to sham or air puff trials and standard functional assessments were used. Event-related potential technology consistently measured signals reflecting activity in the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices as well as complex cognitive processing of touch. Participants showed typical early responses but less efficient perceptual processes. Significant differences between affected and unaffected extremities correlated with sensorimotor testing, stereognosis, and 2-point discrimination (r > 0.800 and P = .001 for all). For the first time, a novel event-related potential paradigm shows that hemiparetic children have slower and less efficient tactile cortical perception in their affected extremities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie L Maitre
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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Lipina SJ, Posner MI. The impact of poverty on the development of brain networks. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:238. [PMID: 22912613 PMCID: PMC3421156 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2012] [Accepted: 07/26/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the study of brain development in non-human animals is an old one, recent imaging methods have allowed non-invasive studies of the gray and white matter of the human brain over the lifespan. Classic animal studies show clearly that impoverished environments reduce cortical gray matter in relation to complex environments and cognitive and imaging studies in humans suggest which networks may be most influenced by poverty. Studies have been clear in showing the plasticity of many brain systems, but whether sensitivity to learning differs over the lifespan and for which networks is still unclear. A major task for current research is a successful integration of these methods to understand how development and learning shape the neural networks underlying achievements in literacy, numeracy, and attention. This paper seeks to foster further integration by reviewing the current state of knowledge relating brain changes to behavior and indicating possible future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián J Lipina
- Unidad de Neurobiología Aplicada, Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas Norberto Quirno (CEMIC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICET Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Deoni SCL, Dean DC, O'Muircheartaigh J, Dirks H, Jerskey BA. Investigating white matter development in infancy and early childhood using myelin water faction and relaxation time mapping. Neuroimage 2012; 63:1038-53. [PMID: 22884937 PMCID: PMC3711836 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.07.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 253] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2011] [Revised: 07/13/2012] [Accepted: 07/19/2012] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The elaboration of the myelinated white matter is essential for normal neurodevelopment, establishing and mediating rapid communication pathways throughout the brain. These pathways facilitate the synchronized communication required for higher order behavioral and cognitive functioning. Altered neural messaging (or ‘disconnectivity’) arising from abnormal white matter and myelin development may underlie a number of neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders. Despite the vital role myelin plays, few imaging studies have specifically examined its maturation throughout early infancy and childhood. Thus, direct investigations of the relationship(s) between evolving behavioral and cognitive functions and the myelination of the supporting neural systems have been sparse. Further, without knowledge of the ‘normative’ developmental time-course, identification of early abnormalities associated with developmental disorders remains challenging. In this work, we examined the use of longitudinal (T1) and transverse (T2) relaxation time mapping, and myelin water fraction (MWF) imaging to investigate white matter and myelin development in 153 healthy male and female children, 3 months through 60 months in age. Optimized age-specific acquisition protocols were developed using the DESPOT and mcDESPOT imaging techniques; and mean T1, T2 and MWF trajectories were determined for frontal, temporal, occipital, parietal and cerebellar white matter, and genu, body and splenium of the corpus callosum. MWF results provided a spatio-temporal pattern in-line with prior histological studies of myelination. Comparison of T1, T2 and MWF measurements demonstrates dissimilar sensitivity to tissue changes associated with neurodevelopment, with each providing differential but complementary information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean C L Deoni
- Advanced Baby Imaging Lab, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
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Exposure to environmental enrichment prior to a cerebral cortex stab wound attenuates the postlesional astroglia response in rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 7:163-75. [PMID: 22874635 DOI: 10.1017/s1740925x12000099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Modulation of astroglial components involved in reactive postlesional responses in the rat cerebral cortex was analyzed following exposure to environmental enrichment (EE) condition prior to injury. For this purpose, changes in % immunoreactive (IR) area of GFAP, vimentin, EAAT1 and ezrin were evaluated in the perilesional zone after placing a cortical stab wound in the visual cerebral cortex of adult rats. GFAP-IR postlesional reactive astrocytosis in the perilesional cortex was significantly lower in the animal group exposed to EE during postnatal development. This GFAP-IR reaction seems to be associated with existing astroglia, because neither BrdU- nor endogenous Ki-67-labeled nuclei were found in the perilesional cortex analyzed. Increased ezrin-IR area in the visual cortex of rats exposed to EE condition suggests the formation of new synapses or the enhancement of astroglial involvement in the existing ones. No effects of EE were found on either EAAT1- or vimentin-IR area. Results suggest that exposure to EE conditions prior to injury attenuates the postlesional astroglia GFAP-response in the perilesional cortex of rats. Whether this attenuated postlesional astroglia GFAP-response promotes or not protective effects on the cortical neuropil remains to be explored in futures studies.
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Howard-Jones PA, Washbrook EV, Meadows S. The timing of educational investment: a neuroscientific perspective. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2012; 2 Suppl 1:S18-29. [PMID: 22682906 PMCID: PMC7110431 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2011.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2011] [Revised: 10/21/2011] [Accepted: 11/01/2011] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Economic models of investment in human capital sometimes refer to neuroscience as a means to support their underlying assumptions regarding human development. These assumptions have a crucial influence on the policy implications the models generate. We review the extent to which the neuroscience of development can be used to support a "learning begets learning" principle of human capital accumulation. We conclude that, although early neural development can be considered as foundational, it cannot be considered as a unitary phenomenon that proceeds in continuous fashion. Furthermore, the concept of the sensitive period, which is often used associated with the principle, suggests benefits of investment depend upon an individual's circumstances and developmental history, and particularly whether this can be classified as normal. A more recent model of investment has involved two different types of abilities, with outcomes demonstrating the value of including more sophisticated assumptions about human development. We conclude that, while current discussions of policy would benefit from a more careful interpretation of existing models, the potential for future work combining modern neuroscientific understanding with economic theory is considerable.
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Affiliation(s)
- P A Howard-Jones
- Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol, 35 Berkeley Square, Bristol, UK.
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Pasiali V. Resilience, music therapy, and human adaptation: nurturing young children and families. NORDIC JOURNAL OF MUSIC THERAPY 2012. [DOI: 10.1080/08098131.2011.571276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Vinogradov S, Fisher M, de Villers-Sidani E. Cognitive training for impaired neural systems in neuropsychiatric illness. Neuropsychopharmacology 2012; 37:43-76. [PMID: 22048465 PMCID: PMC3238091 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2011.251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 238] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2011] [Revised: 09/21/2011] [Accepted: 09/21/2011] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Neuropsychiatric illnesses are associated with dysfunction in distributed prefrontal neural systems that underlie perception, cognition, social interactions, emotion regulation, and motivation. The high degree of learning-dependent plasticity in these networks-combined with the availability of advanced computerized technology-suggests that we should be able to engineer very specific training programs that drive meaningful and enduring improvements in impaired neural systems relevant to neuropsychiatric illness. However, cognitive training approaches for mental and addictive disorders must take into account possible inherent limitations in the underlying brain 'learning machinery' due to pathophysiology, must grapple with the presence of complex overlearned maladaptive patterns of neural functioning, and must find a way to ally with developmental and psychosocial factors that influence response to illness and to treatment. In this review, we briefly examine the current state of knowledge from studies of cognitive remediation in psychiatry and we highlight open questions. We then present a systems neuroscience rationale for successful cognitive training for neuropsychiatric illnesses, one that emphasizes the distributed nature of neural assemblies that support cognitive and affective processing, as well as their plasticity. It is based on the notion that, during successful learning, the brain represents the relevant perceptual and cognitive/affective inputs and action outputs with disproportionately larger and more coordinated populations of neurons that are distributed (and that are interacting) across multiple levels of processing and throughout multiple brain regions. This approach allows us to address limitations found in earlier research and to introduce important principles for the design and evaluation of the next generation of cognitive training for impaired neural systems. We summarize work to date using such neuroscience-informed methods and indicate some of the exciting future directions of this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Vinogradov
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94122, USA.
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Abstract
Generalized language-of-thought arguments, appropriate, in the sense of Dretske, to interacting cognitive modules, permit exploration of how disease states interact with medical treatment, given an embedding context of structured psychosocial stress. The interpenetrating feedback between treatment and response creates a kind of idiotypic hall of mirrors generating a synergistic pattern of efficacy, treatment failure, adverse reactions, and patient noncompliance which, from a Rate Distortion perspective, embodies a distorted image of externally-imposed structured stress. For the US, accelerating spatial and social spread of such stress enmeshes both dominant and subordinate populations in a linked system of pathogenic social hierarchy which will express itself, not only in an increasingly unhealthy society, but in the diffusion of therapeutic failure, including, but not limited to, drug-based treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - DEBORAH WALLACE
- Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, USA
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41
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Wickrama KAS, Conger RD, Lorenz FO, Martin M. Continuity and discontinuity of depressed mood from late adolescence to young adulthood: the mediating and stabilizing roles of young adults' socioeconomic attainment. J Adolesc 2011; 35:648-58. [PMID: 21925725 DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2011.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2011] [Revised: 08/29/2011] [Accepted: 08/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Using prospective, longitudinal data from 467 youth over a 13-year period (late adolescence and young adulthood), the present study investigates three research questions: (1) to what extent do elevations in depressed mood continue (homotypic continuity) from adolescence to young adulthood, (2) to what extent do young adults' socioeconomic attainments and failures sustain the depressed mood from adolescence to young adulthood, and (3) to what extent do young adults' socioeconomic attainments or failures mediate the continuity and discontinuity of depressive symptoms across this period? The results from our structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses suggest that continuity of depressive symptoms from late adolescence to young adulthood is mediated in part by economic and work achievements or failures of young adults after controlling for adolescent conduct disorder/antisocial behavior, parents' psychopathology and family adversity. Additionally, the results indicate that the continuity of depressed mood across the early life course is conditioned (stabilized or disrupted) by young adult socioeconomic achievements or failures.
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Affiliation(s)
- K A S Wickrama
- Department of Child & Family Studies, The University of Georgia, USA.
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Abstract
Waddington's original description of canalization refers to the ability of an organism to maintain phenotypic fidelity in the face of environmental and/or genetic perturbation. Development of the human brain requires exposure to a 'wild-type' environment-one that supports the optimal set of instructions for development. Recently derived brain structures in our species, such as the expanded neocortex, may be more vulnerable to decanalization because there has been insufficient time to evolve buffering capacity. On the basis of modern notions of decanalization, we provide perspectives on selected environmental and genetic risk factors for schizophrenia, and we discuss strengths and weaknesses of this conceptual framework. We argue that if we are to build a solid foundation for translational psychiatry, we must explore models that attempt to capture the complexity of the interaction between genetic and non-genetic risk factors in mediating and modulating brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J McGrath
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.
| | - A J Hannan
- Howard Florey Institute, Florey Neuroscience Institutes, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - G Gibson
- School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Cramer SC, Sur M, Dobkin BH, O'Brien C, Sanger TD, Trojanowski JQ, Rumsey JM, Hicks R, Cameron J, Chen D, Chen WG, Cohen LG, deCharms C, Duffy CJ, Eden GF, Fetz EE, Filart R, Freund M, Grant SJ, Haber S, Kalivas PW, Kolb B, Kramer AF, Lynch M, Mayberg HS, McQuillen PS, Nitkin R, Pascual-Leone A, Reuter-Lorenz P, Schiff N, Sharma A, Shekim L, Stryker M, Sullivan EV, Vinogradov S. Harnessing neuroplasticity for clinical applications. Brain 2011; 134:1591-609. [PMID: 21482550 PMCID: PMC3102236 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awr039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 611] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroplasticity can be defined as the ability of the nervous system to respond to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, function and connections. Major advances in the understanding of neuroplasticity have to date yielded few established interventions. To advance the translation of neuroplasticity research towards clinical applications, the National Institutes of Health Blueprint for Neuroscience Research sponsored a workshop in 2009. Basic and clinical researchers in disciplines from central nervous system injury/stroke, mental/addictive disorders, paediatric/developmental disorders and neurodegeneration/ageing identified cardinal examples of neuroplasticity, underlying mechanisms, therapeutic implications and common denominators. Promising therapies that may enhance training-induced cognitive and motor learning, such as brain stimulation and neuropharmacological interventions, were identified, along with questions of how best to use this body of information to reduce human disability. Improved understanding of adaptive mechanisms at every level, from molecules to synapses, to networks, to behaviour, can be gained from iterative collaborations between basic and clinical researchers. Lessons can be gleaned from studying fields related to plasticity, such as development, critical periods, learning and response to disease. Improved means of assessing neuroplasticity in humans, including biomarkers for predicting and monitoring treatment response, are needed. Neuroplasticity occurs with many variations, in many forms, and in many contexts. However, common themes in plasticity that emerge across diverse central nervous system conditions include experience dependence, time sensitivity and the importance of motivation and attention. Integration of information across disciplines should enhance opportunities for the translation of neuroplasticity and circuit retraining research into effective clinical therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven C Cramer
- Department of Neurology, UC Irvine Medical Centre, 101 The City Drive South, Bldg 53, Rm 203, Orange, CA 92868-4280, USA.
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Mezzacappa E, Buckner JC, Earls F. Prenatal cigarette exposure and infant learning stimulation as predictors of cognitive control in childhood. Dev Sci 2011; 14:881-91. [PMID: 21676107 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2011.01038.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal exposures to neurotoxins and postnatal parenting practices have been shown to independently predict variations in the cognitive development and emotional-behavioral well-being of infants and children. We examined the independent contributions of prenatal cigarette exposure and infant learning stimulation, as well as their inter-relationships in predicting variations in the proficiency of executive attention, a core element of cognitive control and self-regulation. Participants were an ethnic-racially, socio-economically diverse sample of 249 children followed from birth in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. We obtained histories of prenatal exposure to alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs, and we assessed socio-economic status and learning stimulation during a home visit when the participants were infants. In childhood we utilized the Attention Networks Test to assess the proficiency of executive attention during two home visits, one year apart. Accounting for age, SES, prenatal alcohol exposure, and baseline performance, we found that prenatal cigarette exposure impaired the speed of executive attention. Infant learning stimulation mitigated these effects, and predicted better accuracy of executive attention as well, suggestive of both protective and health promoting effects. Effect sizes for these relations, whether examined independently or by their inter-relationships, were comparable to if not greater in magnitude than the effects of age on speed and accuracy, highlighting the importance of these very early experiences in shaping the proficiency of self-regulation. Since executive attention is central to cognitive control and self-regulation, previously described relations between prenatal cigarette exposure, parenting practices, and some forms of childhood psychopathology may be contingent on how early learning stimulation contributes to the proficiency of executive attention through direct and indirect effects. Furthermore, considering the prolonged developmental trajectory of executive attention, interventions to support provision of learning stimulation may mitigate poor outcomes for some at-risk children by promoting development of more proficient executive attention.
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Moriceau S, Roth TL, Sullivan RM. Rodent model of infant attachment learning and stress. Dev Psychobiol 2011; 52:651-60. [PMID: 20730787 DOI: 10.1002/dev.20482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Here we review the neurobiology of infant odor learning in rats, and discuss the unique role of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) in the learning necessary for the developing rat. During the first 9 postnatal (PN) days, infants readily learn odor preferences, while aversion and fear learning are attenuated. Such restricted learning may ensure that pups only approach their mother. This sensitive period of preference learning overlaps with the stress hyporesponsive period (SHRP, PN4-14) when pups have a reduced CORT response to most stressors. Neural underpinnings responsible for sensitive-period learning include increased activity within the olfactory bulb and piriform "olfactory" cortex due to heightened release of norepinephrine from the locus coeruleus. After PN10 and with the decline of the SHRP, stress-induced CORT release permits amygdala activation and facilitates learned odor aversions and fear. Remarkably, odor preference and attenuated fear learning can be reestablished in PN10-15 pups if the mother is present, an effect due to her ability to suppress pups' CORT and amygdala activity. Together, these data indicate that functional changes in infant learning are modified by a unique interaction between the developing CORT system, the amygdala, and maternal presence, providing a learning system that becomes more flexible as pups mature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Moriceau
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA.
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Perry BL. Taking the Medical Sciences Seriously: Why and How Medical Sociology Should Incorporate Diverse Disciplinary Perspectives. HANDBOOK OF THE SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH, ILLNESS, AND HEALING 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-7261-3_28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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Greenwood PM, Parasuraman R. Neuronal and cognitive plasticity: a neurocognitive framework for ameliorating cognitive aging. Front Aging Neurosci 2010; 2:150. [PMID: 21151819 PMCID: PMC2999838 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2010.00150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2010] [Accepted: 10/22/2010] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
What is the neurocognitive basis for the considerable individual differences observed in functioning of the adult mind and brain late in life? We review the evidence that in healthy old age the brain remains capable of both neuronal and cognitive plasticity, including in response to environmental and experiential factors. Neuronal plasticity (e.g., neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, cortical re-organization) refers to neuron-level changes that can be stimulated by experience. Cognitive plasticity (e.g., increased dependence on executive function) refers to adaptive changes in patterns of cognition related to brain activity. We hypothesize that successful cognitive aging requires interactions between these two forms of plasticity. Mechanisms of neural plasticity underpin cognitive plasticity and in turn, neural plasticity is stimulated by cognitive plasticity. We examine support for this hypothesis by considering evidence that neural plasticity is stimulated by learning and novelty and enhanced by both dietary manipulations (low-fat, dietary restriction) and aerobic exercise. We also examine evidence that cognitive plasticity is affected by education and training. This is a testable hypothesis which could be assessed in humans in randomized trials comparing separate and combined effects of cognitive training, exercise, and diet on measures of cognitive and brain integrity. Greater understanding of the factors influencing the course of cognitive aging and of the mechanisms underlying those factors could provide information on which people could base choices that improve their ability to age successfully.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela M Greenwood
- Arch Laboratory, Psychology Department, George Mason University Fairfax, VA, USA
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Riggs NR, Spruijt-Metz D, Sakuma KL, Chou CP, Pentz MA. Executive cognitive function and food intake in children. JOURNAL OF NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR 2010; 42:398-403. [PMID: 20719568 PMCID: PMC2980564 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2009.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2009] [Revised: 11/13/2009] [Accepted: 11/22/2009] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The current study investigated relations among neurocognitive skills important for behavioral regulation, and the intake of fruit, vegetables, and snack food in children. DESIGN Participants completed surveys at a single time point. SETTING Assessments took place during school. PARTICIPANTS Participants were 107 fourth-grade children from a large US city. Ninety-one percent were Latino, and 4% were African-American, which represented school ethnic distribution. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Independent variable included was self-reported executive cognitive function (ECF). Dependent variables included self-reported fruit, vegetable, and snack food intake. ANALYSES Primary analyses general linear regression models covarying for appropriate demographic variables. RESULTS Analyses demonstrated that ECF proficiency was negatively related to snack food intake, but was not significantly related to fruit and vegetable intake. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Since ECF is correlated with snack food intake, future studies may consider assessing the potential of enhancing ECF in health promotion interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel R Riggs
- Institute for Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA 91803, USA.
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Burke AR, Renner KJ, Forster GL, Watt MJ. Adolescent social defeat alters neural, endocrine and behavioral responses to amphetamine in adult male rats. Brain Res 2010; 1352:147-56. [PMID: 20603109 PMCID: PMC2926242 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.06.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2010] [Revised: 06/17/2010] [Accepted: 06/24/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The mesocorticolimbic dopamine system, which governs components of reward and goal-directed behaviors, undergoes final maturation during adolescence. Adolescent social stress contributes to adult behavioral dysfunction and is linked to adult psychiatric and addiction disorders. Here, behavioral, corticosterone and limbic dopamine responses to amphetamine were examined in adult male rats previously exposed to repeated social defeat stress during mid-adolescence. Amphetamine (2.5mg/kg, ip) was administered after a novel environment test, with behavior observed in the same context for 90min thereafter. Adult rats that had been defeated in adolescence showed increased locomotion in the novel environment but reduced amphetamine-induced locomotion relative to non-defeated age matched controls. Monoamine and corticosterone responses to amphetamine were examined following a second amphetamine injection 3 days later. In previously defeated rats, corticosterone and medial prefrontal cortex dopamine responses to amphetamine were blunted while dopamine responses in the nucleus accumbens core were elevated. Our results suggest that experience of social defeat stress during adolescent development can contribute to altered behavioral and endocrine responses to amphetamine in adulthood. Furthermore, these effects are paralleled by changes in amphetamine-induced dopamine responses in corticolimbic systems implicated in addiction disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R. Burke
- Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St., Vermillion, SD, USA 57069
| | - Kenneth J. Renner
- Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St., Vermillion, SD, USA 57069
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St., Vermillion, SD, USA 57069
| | - Gina L. Forster
- Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St., Vermillion, SD, USA 57069
| | - Michael J. Watt
- Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St., Vermillion, SD, USA 57069
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Muralidharan A, Yoo D, Ritschel LA, Simeonova DI, Craighead WE. Development of emotion regulation in children of bipolar parents: Putative contributions of socioemotional and familial risk factors. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY-SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2850.2010.01209.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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