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Al-Saoud S, Nichols ES, Brossard-Racine M, Wild CJ, Norton L, Duerden EG. A transdiagnostic examination of cognitive heterogeneity in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders. Child Neuropsychol 2024:1-19. [PMID: 38863216 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2024.2364957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders demonstrate extensive cognitive heterogeneity that is not adequately captured by traditional diagnostic systems, emphasizing the need for alternative assessment and classification techniques. Using a transdiagnostic approach, a retrospective cohort study of cognitive functioning was conducted using a large heterogenous sample (n = 1529) of children and adolescents 7 to 18 years of age with neurodevelopmental disorders. Measures of short-term memory, verbal ability, and reasoning were administered to participants with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), comorbid ADHD/ASD, and participants without neurodevelopmental disorders (non-NDD) using a 12-task, web-based neurocognitive testing battery. Unsupervised machine learning techniques were used to create a self-organizing map, an artificial neural network, in conjunction with k-means clustering to identify data-driven subgroups. The study aims were to: 1) identify cognitive profiles in the sample using a data-driven approach, and 2) determine their correspondence with traditional diagnostic statuses. Six clusters representing different cognitive profiles were identified, including participants with varying forms of cognitive impairment. Diagnostic status did not correspond with cluster-membership, providing evidence for the application of transdiagnostic approaches to understanding cognitive heterogeneity in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders. Additionally, the findings suggest that many typically developing participants may have undiagnosed learning difficulties, emphasizing the need for accessible cognitive assessment tools in school-based settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Al-Saoud
- Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emily S Nichols
- Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Western Institute for Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marie Brossard-Racine
- School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Conor J Wild
- Western Institute for Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Physiology and Pharmacology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Loretta Norton
- Psychology, King's University College, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emma G Duerden
- Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Western Institute for Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Canada
- Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Canada
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Mareva S, Holmes J. Mapping neurodevelopmental diversity in executive function. Cortex 2024; 172:204-221. [PMID: 38354470 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Executive function, an umbrella term used to describe the goal-directed regulation of thoughts, actions, and emotions, is an important dimension implicated in neurodiversity and established malleable predictor of multiple adult outcomes. Neurodevelopmental differences have been linked to both executive function strengths and weaknesses, but evidence for associations between specific profiles of executive function and specific neurodevelopmental conditions is mixed. In this exploratory study, we adopt an unsupervised machine learning approach (self-organising maps), combined with k-means clustering to identify data-driven profiles of executive function in a transdiagnostic sample of 566 neurodivergent children aged 8-18 years old. We include measures designed to capture two distinct aspects of executive function: performance-based tasks designed to tap the state-like efficiency of cognitive skills under optimal conditions, and behaviour ratings suited to capturing the trait-like application of cognitive control in everyday contexts. Three profiles of executive function were identified: one had consistent difficulties across both types of assessments, while the other two had inconsistent profiles of predominantly rating- or predominantly task-based difficulties. Girls and children without a formal diagnosis were more likely to have an inconsistent profile of primarily task-based difficulties. Children with these different profiles had differences in academic achievement and mental health outcomes and could further be differentiated from a comparison group of children on both shared and profile-unique patterns of neural white matter organisation. Importantly, children's executive function profiles were not directly related to diagnostic categories or to dimensions of neurodiversity associated with specific diagnoses (e.g., hyperactivity, inattention, social communication). These findings support the idea that the two types of executive function assessments provide non-redundant information related to children's neurodevelopmental differences and that they should not be used interchangeably. The findings advance our understanding of executive function profiles and their relationship to behavioural outcomes and neural variation in neurodivergent populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Mareva
- MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Psychology Department, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, UK.
| | - Joni Holmes
- MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, UK
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Astle DE, Bassett DS, Viding E. Understanding divergence: Placing developmental neuroscience in its dynamic context. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 157:105539. [PMID: 38211738 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Neurodevelopment is not merely a process of brain maturation, but an adaptation to constraints unique to each individual and to the environments we co-create. However, our theoretical and methodological toolkits often ignore this reality. There is growing awareness that a shift is needed that allows us to study divergence of brain and behaviour across conventional categorical boundaries. However, we argue that in future our study of divergence must also incorporate the developmental dynamics that capture the emergence of those neurodevelopmental differences. This crucial step will require adjustments in study design and methodology. If our ultimate aim is to incorporate the developmental dynamics that capture how, and ultimately when, divergence takes place then we will need an analytic toolkit equal to these ambitions. We argue that the over reliance on group averages has been a conceptual dead-end with regard to the neurodevelopmental differences. This is in part because any individual differences and developmental dynamics are inevitably lost within the group average. Instead, analytic approaches which are themselves new, or simply newly applied within this context, may allow us to shift our theoretical and methodological frameworks from groups to individuals. Likewise, methods capable of modelling complex dynamic systems may allow us to understand the emergent dynamics only possible at the level of an interacting neural system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan E Astle
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom; MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - Dani S Bassett
- Departments of Bioengineering, Electrical & Systems Engineering, Physics & Astronomy, Neurology, and Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, United States; The Santa Fe Institute, United States
| | - Essi Viding
- Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
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Jones JS, Monaghan A, Leyland-Craggs A, Astle DE. Testing the triple network model of psychopathology in a transdiagnostic neurodevelopmental cohort. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 40:103539. [PMID: 37992501 PMCID: PMC10709083 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
AIM The triple network model of psychopathology posits that altered connectivity between the Salience (SN), Central Executive (CEN), and Default Mode Networks (DMN) may underlie neurodevelopmental conditions. However, this has yet to be tested in a transdiagnostic sample of young people. METHOD We investigated this in 175 children (60 girls) that represent a heterogeneous population who are experiencing neurodevelopmental difficulties in cognition and behavior, and 60 comparison children (33 girls). Hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention were assessed by parent-report. Resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging data were acquired and functional connectivity was calculated between independent network components and regions of interest. We then examined whether connectivity between the SN, CEN and DMN was dimensionally related to hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention, whilst controlling for age, gender, and motion. RESULTS Hyperactivity/impulsivity was associated with increased functional connectivity between the SN, CEN, and DMN in at-risk children, whereas it was associated with decreased functional connectivity between the CEN and DMN in comparison children. These effects replicated in an adult parcellation of brain function and when using increasingly stringent exclusion criteria for in-scanner motion. CONCLUSION Triple network connectivity characterizes transdiagnostic neurodevelopmental difficulties with hyperactivity/impulsivity. We suggest that this may arise from delayed network segregation, difficulties sustaining CEN activity to regulate behavior, and/or a heightened developmental mismatch between neural systems implicated in cognitive control relative to those implicated in reward/affect processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan S Jones
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK.
| | - Alicja Monaghan
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Duncan E Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK
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Carozza S, Akarca D, Astle D. The adaptive stochasticity hypothesis: Modeling equifinality, multifinality, and adaptation to adversity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2307508120. [PMID: 37816058 PMCID: PMC10589678 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2307508120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural phenotypes are the result of probabilistic developmental processes. This means that stochasticity is an intrinsic aspect of the brain as it self-organizes over a protracted period. In other words, while both genomic and environmental factors shape the developing nervous system, another significant-though often neglected-contributor is the randomness introduced by probability distributions. Using generative modeling of brain networks, we provide a framework for probing the contribution of stochasticity to neurodevelopmental diversity. To mimic the prenatal scaffold of brain structure set by activity-independent mechanisms, we start our simulations from the medio-posterior neonatal rich club (Developing Human Connectome Project, n = 630). From this initial starting point, models implementing Hebbian-like wiring processes generate variable yet consistently plausible brain network topologies. By analyzing repeated runs of the generative process (>107 simulations), we identify critical determinants and effects of stochasticity. Namely, we find that stochastic variation has a greater impact on brain organization when networks develop under weaker constraints. This heightened stochasticity makes brain networks more robust to random and targeted attacks, but more often results in non-normative phenotypic outcomes. To test our framework empirically, we evaluated whether stochasticity varies according to the experience of early-life deprivation using a cohort of neurodiverse children (Centre for Attention, Learning and Memory; n = 357). We show that low-socioeconomic status predicts more stochastic brain wiring. We conclude that stochasticity may be an unappreciated contributor to relevant developmental outcomes and make specific predictions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Carozza
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 7EF, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
| | - Danyal Akarca
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 7EF, United Kingdom
| | - Duncan Astle
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 7EF, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
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Zdorovtsova N, Jones J, Akarca D, Benhamou E, The Calm Team, Astle DE. Exploring neural heterogeneity in inattention and hyperactivity. Cortex 2023; 164:90-111. [PMID: 37207412 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Inattention and hyperactivity are cardinal symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). These characteristics have also been observed across a range of other neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism and dyspraxia, suggesting that they might best be studied across diagnostic categories. Here, we evaluated the associations between inattention and hyperactivity behaviours and features of the structural brain network (connectome) in a large transdiagnostic sample of children (Centre for Attention, Learning, and Memory; n = 383). In our sample, we found that a single latent factor explains 77.6% of variance in scores across multiple questionnaires measuring inattention and hyperactivity. Partial Least-Squares (PLS) regression revealed that variability in this latent factor could not be explained by a linear component representing nodewise properties of connectomes. We then investigated the type and extent of neural heterogeneity in a subset of our sample with clinically-elevated levels of inattention and hyperactivity. Multidimensional scaling combined with k-means clustering revealed two neural subtypes in children with elevated levels of inattention and hyperactivity (n = 232), differentiated primarily by nodal communicability-a measure which demarcates the extent to which neural signals propagate through specific brain regions. These different clusters had similar behavioural profiles, which included high levels of inattention and hyperactivity. However, one of the clusters scored higher on multiple cognitive assessment measures of executive function. We conclude that inattention and hyperactivity are so common in children with neurodevelopmental difficulties because they emerge through multiple different trajectories of brain development. In our own data, we can identify two of these possible trajectories, which are reflected by measures of structural brain network topology and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Zdorovtsova
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Jonathan Jones
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Danyal Akarca
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Elia Benhamou
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - The Calm Team
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Duncan E Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Douet Vannucci V, Marchand T, Hennequin A, Caci H, Staccini P. The EPIDIA4Kids protocol for a digital epidemiology study on brain functioning in children, based on a multimodality biometry tool running on an unmodified tablet. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1185565. [PMID: 37325324 PMCID: PMC10267880 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1185565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Neurodevelopment and related mental disorders (NDDs) are one of the most frequent disabilities among young people. They have complex clinical phenotypes often associated with transnosographic dimensions, such as emotion dysregulation and executive dysfunction, that lead to adverse impacts in personal, social, academic, and occupational functioning. Strong overlap exists then across NDDs phenotypes that are challenging for diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. Recently, digital epidemiology uses the rapidly growing data streams from various devices to advance our understanding of health's and disorders' dynamics, both in individuals and the general population, once coupled with computational science. An alternative transdiagnostic approach using digital epidemiology may thus better help understanding brain functioning and hereby NDDs in the general population. Objective The EPIDIA4Kids study aims to propose and evaluate in children, a new transdiagnostic approach for brain functioning examination, combining AI-based multimodality biometry and clinical e-assessments on an unmodified tablet. We will examine this digital epidemiology approach in an ecological context through data-driven methods to characterize cognition, emotion, and behavior, and ultimately the potential of transdiagnostic models of NDDs for children in real-life practice. Methods and analysis The EPIDIA4Kids is an uncontrolled open-label study. 786 participants will be recruited and enrolled if eligible: they are (1) aged 7 to 12 years and (2) are French speaker/reader; (3) have no severe intellectual deficiencies. Legal representative and children will complete online demographic, psychosocial and health assessments. During the same visit, children will perform additionally a paper/pencil neuro-assessments followed by a 30-min gamified assessment on a touch-screen tablet. Multi-stream data including questionnaires, video, audio, digit-tracking, will be collected, and the resulting multimodality biometrics will be generated using machine- and deep-learning algorithms. The trial will start in March 2023 and is expected to end by December 2024. Discussion We hypothesize that the biometrics and digital biomarkers will be capable of detecting early onset symptoms of neurodevelopment compared to paper-based screening while as or more accessible in real-life practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Douet Vannucci
- R&D Lab, O-Kidia, Nice, France
- URE Risk Epidemiology Territory INformatics Education and Health (URE RETINES), Université Côte d’Azur, Nice, France
| | - Théo Marchand
- R&D Lab, O-Kidia, Nice, France
- Bioelectronic Lab, Ecole des Mines de Saint-Étienne, Gardanne, France
| | | | - Hervé Caci
- Hôpitaux Pédiatriques de Nice CHU Lenval, Nice, France
- Centre de Recherche en Épidémiologie and Santé des Populations (CESP), INSERM U1018, Villejuif, France
| | - Pascal Staccini
- URE Risk Epidemiology Territory INformatics Education and Health (URE RETINES), Université Côte d’Azur, Nice, France
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Mareva S, Akarca D, Holmes J. Transdiagnostic profiles of behaviour and communication relate to academic and socioemotional functioning and neural white matter organisation. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:217-233. [PMID: 36127748 PMCID: PMC10087495 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Behavioural and language difficulties co-occur in multiple neurodevelopmental conditions. Our understanding of these problems has arguably been slowed by an overreliance on study designs that compare diagnostic groups and fail to capture the overlap across different neurodevelopmental disorders and the heterogeneity within them. METHODS We recruited a large transdiagnostic cohort of children with complex needs (N = 805) to identify distinct subgroups of children with common profiles of behavioural and language strengths and difficulties. We then investigated whether and how these data-driven groupings could be distinguished from a comparison sample (N = 158) on measures of academic and socioemotional functioning and patterns of global and local white matter connectome organisation. Academic skills were assessed via standardised measures of reading and maths. Socioemotional functioning was captured by the parent-rated version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. RESULTS We identified three distinct subgroups of children, each with different levels of difficulties in structural language, pragmatic communication, and hot and cool executive functions. All three subgroups struggled with academic and socioemotional skills relative to the comparison sample, potentially representing three alternative but related developmental pathways to difficulties in these areas. The children with the weakest language skills had the most widespread difficulties with learning, whereas those with more pronounced difficulties with hot executive skills experienced the most severe difficulties in the socioemotional domain. Each data-driven subgroup could be distinguished from the comparison sample based on both shared and subgroup-unique patterns of neural white matter organisation. Children with the most pronounced deficits in language, cool executive, or hot executive function were differentiated from the comparison sample by altered connectivity in predominantly thalamocortical, temporal-parietal-occipital, and frontostriatal circuits, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These findings advance our understanding of commonly co-morbid behavioural and language problems and their relationship to behavioural outcomes and neurobiological substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Mareva
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Danyal Akarca
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joni Holmes
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
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Inconsistencies between Subjective Reports of Cognitive Difficulties and Performance on Cognitive Tests are Associated with Elevated Internalising and Externalising Symptoms in Children with Learning-related Problems. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2022; 50:1557-1572. [PMID: 35838930 PMCID: PMC9653343 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-022-00930-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Children with learning difficulties are commonly assumed to have underlying cognitive deficits by health and educational professionals. However, not all children referred for psycho-educational assessment will be found to have deficits when their abilities are measured by performance on cognitive tasks. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of this inconsistent cognitive profile (ICP) in a transdiagnostic sample of children referred by health and education service providers for problems related to attention, learning and memory (N = 715). A second aim was to explore whether elevated mental health problems were associated with ICPs. Findings suggest that approximately half of this sample could be characterised as having an ICP. Cognitive difficulties, whether identified by parent ratings or task performance, were associated with elevated internalising and externalising difficulties. Crucially, a larger discrepancy between a parent's actual ratings of a child's cognitive difficulties and the ratings that would be predicted based on the child's performance on cognitive tasks was associated greater internalising and externalising difficulties for measures of working memory, and greater externalising difficulties for measures of attention. These findings suggest that subjective cognitive difficulties occurring in the absence of any task-based performance deficits may be a functional problem arising from mental health problems.
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Brkić D, Ng-Cordell E, O'Brien S, Martin J, Scerif G, Astle D, Baker K. [Formula: see text]FarmApp: a new assessment of cognitive control and memory for children and young people with neurodevelopmental difficulties. Child Neuropsychol 2022; 28:1097-1115. [PMID: 35332845 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2022.2054968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
We introduce a new touchscreen-based method measuring aspects of cognitive control and memory, in children and young people with neurodevelopmental difficulties, including intellectual disability (ID). FarmApp is a gamified, tablet-based assessment tool measuring go/no-go response speed, response inhibition, visuospatial short-term memory span, and long-term memory. Here, we assessed the feasibility, validity, and utility of the method, including the benefits of measuring change in performance over two weeks. We observed that: 1) a higher proportion of participants completed FarmApp than traditional psychometric tests; 2) this proportion increased when participants had opportunity for two weeks of self-paced testing at home; 3) ADHD-relevant behavioral difficulties were associated with average go/no-go performance across all attempts, and change in go/no-go performance over time, indicating sensitivity of the method to cognitive differences with real-world relevance. We also addressed the potential utility of the FarmApp for exploring links between ID etiology and cognitive processes. We observed differences in go/no-go task between two groups of ID participants stratified by the physiological functions of associated genetic variants (chromatin-related and synaptic-related). Moreover, the synaptic group demonstrated higher degree of improvement in go/no-go performance over time. This outcome is potentially informative of dynamic mechanisms contributing to cognitive difficulties within this group. In sum, FarmApp is a feasible, valid, and useful tool increasing access to cognitive assessment for individuals with neurodevelopmental difficulties of variable severity, with an added opportunity to monitor variation in performance over time and determine capacity to acquire task competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diandra Brkić
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Elise Ng-Cordell
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sinéad O'Brien
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica Martin
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Gaia Scerif
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Duncan Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Kate Baker
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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11
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Jones JS, Astle DE. Segregation and integration of the functional connectome in neurodevelopmentally 'at risk' children. Dev Sci 2022; 25:e13209. [PMID: 34873798 PMCID: PMC7613070 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Functional connectivity within and between Intrinsic Connectivity Networks (ICNs) transforms over development and is thought to support high order cognitive functions. But how variable is this process, and does it diverge with altered cognitive development? We investigated age-related changes in integration and segregation within and between ICNs in neurodevelopmentally 'at-risk' children, identified by practitioners as experiencing cognitive difficulties in attention, learning, language, or memory. In our analysis we used performance on a battery of 10 cognitive tasks alongside resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in 175 at-risk children and 62 comparison children aged 5-16. We observed significant age-by-group interactions in functional connectivity between two network pairs. Integration between the ventral attention and visual networks and segregation of the limbic and fronto-parietal networks increased with age in our comparison sample, relative to at-risk children. Furthermore, functional connectivity between the ventral attention and visual networks in comparison children significantly mediated age-related improvements in executive function, compared to at-risk children. We conclude that integration between ICNs show divergent neurodevelopmental trends in the broad population of children experiencing cognitive difficulties, and that these differences in functional brain organisation may partly explain the pervasive cognitive difficulties within this group over childhood and adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan S Jones
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Duncan E Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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12
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Walhovd KB, Fjell AM, Wang Y, Amlien IK, Mowinckel AM, Lindenberger U, Düzel S, Bartrés-Faz D, Ebmeier KP, Drevon CA, Baaré WFC, Ghisletta P, Johansen LB, Kievit RA, Henson RN, Madsen KS, Nyberg L, R Harris J, Solé-Padullés C, Pudas S, Sørensen Ø, Westerhausen R, Zsoldos E, Nawijn L, Lyngstad TH, Suri S, Penninx B, Rogeberg OJ, Brandmaier AM. Education and Income Show Heterogeneous Relationships to Lifespan Brain and Cognitive Differences Across European and US Cohorts. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:839-854. [PMID: 34467389 PMCID: PMC8841563 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Higher socio-economic status (SES) has been proposed to have facilitating and protective effects on brain and cognition. We ask whether relationships between SES, brain volumes and cognitive ability differ across cohorts, by age and national origin. European and US cohorts covering the lifespan were studied (4-97 years, N = 500 000; 54 000 w/brain imaging). There was substantial heterogeneity across cohorts for all associations. Education was positively related to intracranial (ICV) and total gray matter (GM) volume. Income was related to ICV, but not GM. We did not observe reliable differences in associations as a function of age. SES was more strongly related to brain and cognition in US than European cohorts. Sample representativity varies, and this study cannot identify mechanisms underlying differences in associations across cohorts. Differences in neuroanatomical volumes partially explained SES-cognition relationships. SES was more strongly related to ICV than to GM, implying that SES-cognition relations in adulthood are less likely grounded in neuroprotective effects on GM volume in aging. The relatively stronger SES-ICV associations rather are compatible with SES-brain volume relationships being established early in life, as ICV stabilizes in childhood. The findings underscore that SES has no uniform association with, or impact on, brain and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine B Walhovd
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo 0317, Norway
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo 0424, Norway
| | - Anders M Fjell
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo 0317, Norway
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo 0424, Norway
| | - Yunpeng Wang
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo 0317, Norway
| | - Inge K Amlien
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo 0317, Norway
| | - Athanasia M Mowinckel
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo 0317, Norway
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin 14195, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin D-14195, Germany
| | - Sandra Düzel
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - David Bartrés-Faz
- Departament de Medicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, and Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Klaus P Ebmeier
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK
| | - Christian A Drevon
- Vitas AS, Oslo 0349, Norway
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo 0317, Norway
| | - William F C Baaré
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Paolo Ghisletta
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- UniDistance Suisse, Brig, Brig 3900, Switzerland
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES, University of Geneva, Geneva 1212, Switzerland
| | - Louise Baruël Johansen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research and Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research, Mental Health Centre Glostrup, Glostrup 2600, Denmark
| | - Rogier A Kievit
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
- Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen 6500 GL, The Netherlands
| | - Richard N Henson
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Kathrine Skak Madsen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Radiography, Department of Technology, University College Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1799, Denmark
| | - Lars Nyberg
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo 0317, Norway
- Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Radiology, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Jennifer R Harris
- Division for Health Data and Digitalisation, The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo 0213, Norway
| | - Cristina Solé-Padullés
- Departament de Medicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, and Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Sara Pudas
- Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Radiology, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Øystein Sørensen
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo 0317, Norway
| | - René Westerhausen
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo 0317, Norway
| | - Enikő Zsoldos
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK
| | - Laura Nawijn
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam 1081 HJ, The Netherlands
| | - Torkild Hovde Lyngstad
- Department of Sociology and Human Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo 0317, Norway
| | - Sana Suri
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK
| | - Brenda Penninx
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam 1081 HJ, The Netherlands
| | | | - Andreas M Brandmaier
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin 14195, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin D-14195, Germany
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13
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Jones JS, The Calm Team, Astle DE. A transdiagnostic data-driven study of children's behaviour and the functional connectome. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 52:101027. [PMID: 34700195 PMCID: PMC8551598 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.101027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioural difficulties are seen as hallmarks of many neurodevelopmental conditions. Differences in functional brain organisation have been observed in these conditions, but little is known about how they are related to a child's profile of behavioural difficulties. We investigated whether behavioural difficulties are associated with how the brain is functionally organised in an intentionally heterogeneous and transdiagnostic sample of 957 children aged 5-15. We used consensus community detection to derive data-driven profiles of behavioural difficulties and constructed functional connectomes from a subset of 238 children with resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data. We identified three distinct profiles of behaviour that were characterised by principal difficulties with hot executive function, cool executive function, and learning. Global organisation of the functional connectome did not differ between the groups, but multivariate patterns of connectivity at the level of Intrinsic Connectivity Networks (ICNs), nodes, and hubs significantly predicted group membership in held-out data. Fronto-parietal connector hubs were under-connected in all groups relative to a comparison sample and children with hot vs cool executive function difficulties were distinguished by connectivity in ICNs associated with cognitive control, emotion processing, and social cognition. This demonstrates both general and specific neurodevelopmental risk factors in the functional connectome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan S Jones
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK.
| | - The Calm Team
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Duncan E Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
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14
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Mareva S, Holmes J. Cognitive and Academic Skills in Two Developmental Cohorts of Different Ability Level: A Mutualistic Network Perspective. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2021.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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15
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Holmes J, Mareva S, Bennett MP, Black MJ, Guy J. Higher-order dimensions of psychopathology in a neurodevelopmental transdiagnostic sample. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 130:909-922. [PMID: 34843293 PMCID: PMC8628482 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Hierarchical dimensional models of psychopathology derived for adult and child community populations offer more informative and efficient methods for assessing and treating symptoms of mental ill health than traditional diagnostic approaches. It is not yet clear how many dimensions should be included in models for youth with neurodevelopmental conditions. The aim of this study was to delineate the hierarchical dimensional structure of psychopathology in a transdiagnostic sample of children and adolescents with learning-related problems, and to test the concurrent predictive value of the model for clinically, socially, and educationally relevant outcomes. A sample of N = 403 participants from the Centre for Attention Learning and Memory (CALM) cohort were included. Hierarchical factor analysis delineated dimensions of psychopathology from ratings on the Conner's Parent Rating Short Form, the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. A hierarchical structure with a general p factor at the apex, broad internalizing and broad externalizing spectra below, and three more specific factors (specific internalizing, social maladjustment, and neurodevelopmental) emerged. The p factor predicted all concurrently measured social, clinical, and educational outcomes, but the other dimensions provided incremental predictive value. The neurodevelopmental dimension, which captured symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and executive function and emerged from the higher-order externalizing factor, was the strongest predictor of learning. This suggests that in struggling learners, cognitive and affective behaviors may interact to influence learning outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Joni Holmes
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
| | - Silvana Mareva
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
| | - Marc P Bennett
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
| | - Melissa J Black
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
| | - Jacalyn Guy
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
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16
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Holmes J, Guy J, Kievit RA, Bryant A, Mareva S, Gathercole SE. Cognitive Dimensions of Learning in Children With Problems in Attention, Learning, and Memory. JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 113:1454-1480. [PMID: 35855686 PMCID: PMC7613068 DOI: 10.1037/edu0000644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
A data-driven, transdiagnostic approach was used to identify the cognitive dimensions linked with learning in a mixed group of 805 children aged 5 to 18 years recognised as having problems in attention, learning and memory by a health or education practitioner. Assessments included phonological processing, information processing speed, short-term and working memory, and executive functions, and attainments in word reading, spelling, and maths. Data reduction methods identified three dimensions of phonological processing, processing speed and executive function for the sample as a whole. This model was comparable for children with and without ADHD. The severity of learning difficulties in literacy was linked with phonological processing skills, and in maths with executive control. Associations between cognition and learning were similar across younger and older children and individuals with and without ADHD, although stronger links between learning-related problems and both executive skills and processing speed were observed in children with ADHD. The results establish clear domain-specific cognitive pathways to learning that distinguish individuals in the heterogeneous population of children struggling to learn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joni Holmes
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
| | - Jacalyn Guy
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
| | | | - Annie Bryant
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia
| | - Silvana Mareva
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
| | - the CALM Team
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
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17
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Knott R, Johnson BP, Tiego J, Mellahn O, Finlay A, Kallady K, Kouspos M, Mohanakumar Sindhu VP, Hawi Z, Arnatkeviciute A, Chau T, Maron D, Mercieca EC, Furley K, Harris K, Williams K, Ure A, Fornito A, Gray K, Coghill D, Nicholson A, Phung D, Loth E, Mason L, Murphy D, Buitelaar J, Bellgrove MA. The Monash Autism-ADHD genetics and neurodevelopment (MAGNET) project design and methodologies: a dimensional approach to understanding neurobiological and genetic aetiology. Mol Autism 2021; 12:55. [PMID: 34353377 PMCID: PMC8340366 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-021-00457-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background ASD and ADHD are prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders that frequently co-occur and have strong evidence for a degree of shared genetic aetiology. Behavioural and neurocognitive heterogeneity in ASD and ADHD has hampered attempts to map the underlying genetics and neurobiology, predict intervention response, and improve diagnostic accuracy. Moving away from categorical conceptualisations of psychopathology to a dimensional approach is anticipated to facilitate discovery of data-driven clusters and enhance our understanding of the neurobiological and genetic aetiology of these conditions. The Monash Autism-ADHD genetics and neurodevelopment (MAGNET) project is one of the first large-scale, family-based studies to take a truly transdiagnostic approach to ASD and ADHD. Using a comprehensive phenotyping protocol capturing dimensional traits central to ASD and ADHD, the MAGNET project aims to identify data-driven clusters across ADHD-ASD spectra using deep phenotyping of symptoms and behaviours; investigate the degree of familiality for different dimensional ASD-ADHD phenotypes and clusters; and map the neurocognitive, brain imaging, and genetic correlates of these data-driven symptom-based clusters. Methods The MAGNET project will recruit 1,200 families with children who are either typically developing, or who display elevated ASD, ADHD, or ASD-ADHD traits, in addition to affected and unaffected biological siblings of probands, and parents. All children will be comprehensively phenotyped for behavioural symptoms, comorbidities, neurocognitive and neuroimaging traits and genetics. Conclusion The MAGNET project will be the first large-scale family study to take a transdiagnostic approach to ASD-ADHD, utilising deep phenotyping across behavioural, neurocognitive, brain imaging and genetic measures. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13229-021-00457-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Knott
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia.
| | - Beth P Johnson
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Jeggan Tiego
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Olivia Mellahn
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Amy Finlay
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Kathryn Kallady
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Maria Kouspos
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Vishnu Priya Mohanakumar Sindhu
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Ziarih Hawi
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Aurina Arnatkeviciute
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Tracey Chau
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Dalia Maron
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Emily-Clare Mercieca
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Kirsten Furley
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Katrina Harris
- Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia.,Department of Developmental Paediatrics, Monash Children's Hospital, 246 Clayton Rd, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - Katrina Williams
- Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia.,Department of Developmental Paediatrics, Monash Children's Hospital, 246 Clayton Rd, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia.,Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Alexandra Ure
- Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia.,Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Mental Health, Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Neurodevelopment and Disability Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Alex Fornito
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Kylie Gray
- Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal, and Research, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, 246 Clayton Rd, Melbourne, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - David Coghill
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Mental Health, Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Neurodevelopment and Disability Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Ann Nicholson
- Faculty of Information and Technology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Dinh Phung
- Faculty of Information and Technology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Eva Loth
- Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK.,Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Luke Mason
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Henry Welcome Building, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Declan Murphy
- Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK.,Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Jan Buitelaar
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mark A Bellgrove
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
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18
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Bignardi G, Dalmaijer ES, Anwyl-Irvine A, Astle DE. Collecting big data with small screens: Group tests of children's cognition with touchscreen tablets are reliable and valid. Behav Res Methods 2021; 53:1515-1529. [PMID: 33269446 PMCID: PMC7710155 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-020-01503-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Collecting experimental cognitive data with young children usually requires undertaking one-on-one assessments, which can be both expensive and time-consuming. In addition, there is increasing acknowledgement of the importance of collecting larger samples for improving statistical power Button et al. (Nature Reviews Neuroscience 14(5), 365-376, 2013), and reproducing exploratory findings Open Science Collaboration (Science, 349(6251), aac4716-aac4716 2015). One way both of these goals can be achieved more easily, even with a small team of researchers, is to utilize group testing. In this paper, we evaluate the results from a novel tablet application developed for the Resilience in Education and Development (RED) Study. The RED-app includes 12 cognitive tasks designed for groups of children aged 7 to 13 to independently complete during a 1-h school lesson. The quality of the data collected was high despite the lack of one-on-one engagement with participants. Most outcomes from the tablet showed moderate or high reliability, estimated using internal consistency metrics. Tablet-measured cognitive abilities also explained more than 50% of variance in teacher-rated academic achievement. Overall, the results suggest that tablet-based, group cognitive assessments of children are an efficient, reliable, and valid method of collecting the large datasets that modern psychology requires. We have open-sourced the scripts and materials used to make the application, so that they can be adapted and used by others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Bignardi
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Rd, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK.
| | - Edwin S Dalmaijer
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Rd, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Alexander Anwyl-Irvine
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Rd, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Duncan E Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Rd, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
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19
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Akarca D, Vértes PE, Bullmore ET, Astle DE. A generative network model of neurodevelopmental diversity in structural brain organization. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4216. [PMID: 34244490 PMCID: PMC8270998 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24430-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The formation of large-scale brain networks, and their continual refinement, represent crucial developmental processes that can drive individual differences in cognition and which are associated with multiple neurodevelopmental conditions. But how does this organization arise, and what mechanisms drive diversity in organization? We use generative network modeling to provide a computational framework for understanding neurodevelopmental diversity. Within this framework macroscopic brain organization, complete with spatial embedding of its organization, is an emergent property of a generative wiring equation that optimizes its connectivity by renegotiating its biological costs and topological values continuously over time. The rules that govern these iterative wiring properties are controlled by a set of tightly framed parameters, with subtle differences in these parameters steering network growth towards different neurodiverse outcomes. Regional expression of genes associated with the simulations converge on biological processes and cellular components predominantly involved in synaptic signaling, neuronal projection, catabolic intracellular processes and protein transport. Together, this provides a unifying computational framework for conceptualizing the mechanisms and diversity in neurodevelopment, capable of integrating different levels of analysis-from genes to cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danyal Akarca
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Petra E Vértes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
| | - Edward T Bullmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Duncan E Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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20
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Simpson-Kent IL, Fried EI, Akarca D, Mareva S, Bullmore ET, Kievit RA. Bridging Brain and Cognition: A Multilayer Network Analysis of Brain Structural Covariance and General Intelligence in a Developmental Sample of Struggling Learners. J Intell 2021; 9:32. [PMID: 34204009 PMCID: PMC8293355 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence9020032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Network analytic methods that are ubiquitous in other areas, such as systems neuroscience, have recently been used to test network theories in psychology, including intelligence research. The network or mutualism theory of intelligence proposes that the statistical associations among cognitive abilities (e.g., specific abilities such as vocabulary or memory) stem from causal relations among them throughout development. In this study, we used network models (specifically LASSO) of cognitive abilities and brain structural covariance (grey and white matter) to simultaneously model brain-behavior relationships essential for general intelligence in a large (behavioral, N = 805; cortical volume, N = 246; fractional anisotropy, N = 165) developmental (ages 5-18) cohort of struggling learners (CALM). We found that mostly positive, small partial correlations pervade our cognitive, neural, and multilayer networks. Moreover, using community detection (Walktrap algorithm) and calculating node centrality (absolute strength and bridge strength), we found convergent evidence that subsets of both cognitive and neural nodes play an intermediary role 'between' brain and behavior. We discuss implications and possible avenues for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan L. Simpson-Kent
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 7EF, UK; (D.A.); (S.M.); (R.A.K.)
| | - Eiko I. Fried
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands;
| | - Danyal Akarca
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 7EF, UK; (D.A.); (S.M.); (R.A.K.)
| | - Silvana Mareva
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 7EF, UK; (D.A.); (S.M.); (R.A.K.)
| | - Edward T. Bullmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge Clinical School, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 0SP, UK;
| | - the CALM Team
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 7EF, UK; (D.A.); (S.M.); (R.A.K.)
| | - Rogier A. Kievit
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 7EF, UK; (D.A.); (S.M.); (R.A.K.)
- Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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21
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Bryant A, Guy J, Holmes J. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Predicts Concurrent Mental Health Difficulties in a Transdiagnostic Sample of Struggling Learners. Front Psychol 2020; 11:587821. [PMID: 33329246 PMCID: PMC7717974 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.587821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Children and adolescents with developmental problems are at increased risk of experiencing mental health problems. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is widely used as a screener for detecting mental health difficulties in these populations, but its use thus far has been restricted to groups of children with diagnosed disorders (e.g., ADHD). Transdiagnostic approaches, which focus on symptoms and soften or remove the boundaries between traditional categorical disorders, are increasingly adopted in research and practice. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of the SDQ to detect concurrent mental health problems in a transdiagnostic sample of children. The sample were referred by health and educational professionals for difficulties related to learning (N = 389). Some had one diagnosis, others had multiple, but many had no diagnoses. Parent-rated SDQ scores were significantly positively correlated with parent ratings of mental health difficulties on the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS). Ratings on the SDQ Emotion subscale significantly predicted the likelihood of having concurrent clinical anxiety and depression scores. Ratings on the Hyperactivity subscale predicted concurrent anxiety levels. These findings suggest the SDQ could be a valuable screening tool for identifying existing mental health difficulties in children recognized as struggling, as it can be in typically developing children and those with specific diagnoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Bryant
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Jacalyn Guy
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Joni Holmes
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Astle DE, Fletcher-Watson S. Beyond the Core-Deficit Hypothesis in Developmental Disorders. CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2020; 29:431-437. [PMID: 33071483 PMCID: PMC7539596 DOI: 10.1177/0963721420925518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Developmental disorders and childhood learning difficulties encompass complex constellations of relative strengths and weaknesses across multiple aspects of learning, cognition, and behavior. Historically, debate in developmental psychology has been focused largely on the existence and nature of core deficits—the shared mechanistic origin from which all observed profiles within a diagnostic category emerge. The pitfalls of this theoretical approach have been articulated multiple times, but reductionist, core-deficit accounts remain remarkably prevalent. They persist because developmental science still follows the methodological template that accompanies core-deficit theories—highly selective samples, case-control designs, and voxel-wise neuroimaging methods. Fully moving beyond “core-deficit” thinking will require more than identifying its theoretical flaws. It will require a wholesale rethink about the way we design, collect, and analyze developmental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan E Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
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23
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Transdiagnostic Brain Mapping in Developmental Disorders. Curr Biol 2020; 30:1245-1257.e4. [PMID: 32109389 PMCID: PMC7139199 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.01.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Childhood learning difficulties and developmental disorders are common, but progress toward understanding their underlying brain mechanisms has been slow. Structural neuroimaging, cognitive, and learning data were collected from 479 children (299 boys, ranging in age from 62 to 223 months), 337 of whom had been referred to the study on the basis of learning-related cognitive problems. Machine learning identified different cognitive profiles within the sample, and hold-out cross-validation showed that these profiles were significantly associated with children's learning ability. The same machine learning approach was applied to cortical morphology data to identify different brain profiles. Hold-out cross-validation demonstrated that these were significantly associated with children's cognitive profiles. Crucially, these mappings were not one-to-one. The same neural profile could be associated with different cognitive impairments across different children. One possibility is that the organization of some children's brains is less susceptible to local deficits. This was tested by using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) to construct whole-brain white-matter connectomes. A simulated attack on each child's connectome revealed that some brain networks were strongly organized around highly connected hubs. Children with these networks had only selective cognitive impairments or no cognitive impairments at all. By contrast, the same attacks had a significantly different impact on some children's networks, because their brain efficiency was less critically dependent on hubs. These children had the most widespread and severe cognitive impairments. On this basis, we propose a new framework in which the nature and mechanisms of brain-to-cognition relationships are moderated by the organizational context of the overall network.
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24
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Simpson-Kent IL, Fuhrmann D, Bathelt J, Achterberg J, Borgeest GS, Kievit RA. Neurocognitive reorganization between crystallized intelligence, fluid intelligence and white matter microstructure in two age-heterogeneous developmental cohorts. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 41:100743. [PMID: 31999564 PMCID: PMC6983934 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the reliability of intelligence measures in predicting important life outcomes such as educational achievement and mortality, the exact configuration and neural correlates of cognitive abilities remain poorly understood, especially in childhood and adolescence. Therefore, we sought to elucidate the factorial structure and neural substrates of child and adolescent intelligence using two cross-sectional, developmental samples (CALM: N = 551 (N = 165 imaging), age range: 5-18 years, NKI-Rockland: N = 337 (N = 65 imaging), age range: 6-18 years). In a preregistered analysis, we used structural equation modelling (SEM) to examine the neurocognitive architecture of individual differences in childhood and adolescent cognitive ability. In both samples, we found that cognitive ability in lower and typical-ability cohorts is best understood as two separable constructs, crystallized and fluid intelligence, which became more distinct across development, in line with the age differentiation hypothesis. Further analyses revealed that white matter microstructure, most prominently the superior longitudinal fasciculus, was strongly associated with crystallized (gc) and fluid (gf) abilities. Finally, we used SEM trees to demonstrate evidence for developmental reorganization of gc and gf and their white matter substrates such that the relationships among these factors dropped between 7-8 years before increasing around age 10. Together, our results suggest that shortly before puberty marks a pivotal phase of change in the neurocognitive architecture of intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan L Simpson-Kent
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 7EF, UK.
| | - Delia Fuhrmann
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Joe Bathelt
- Dutch Autism & ADHD Research Center, Brain & Cognition, University of Amsterdam, 1018 WS Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jascha Achterberg
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Gesa Sophia Borgeest
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Rogier A Kievit
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 7EF, UK
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25
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Fuhrmann D, Simpson-Kent IL, Bathelt J, Kievit RA. A Hierarchical Watershed Model of Fluid Intelligence in Childhood and Adolescence. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:339-352. [PMID: 31211362 PMCID: PMC7029679 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluid intelligence is the capacity to solve novel problems in the absence of task-specific knowledge and is highly predictive of outcomes like educational attainment and psychopathology. Here, we modeled the neurocognitive architecture of fluid intelligence in two cohorts: the Centre for Attention, Leaning and Memory sample (CALM) (N = 551, aged 5-17 years) and the Enhanced Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland Sample (NKI-RS) (N = 335, aged 6-17 years). We used multivariate structural equation modeling to test a preregistered watershed model of fluid intelligence. This model predicts that white matter contributes to intermediate cognitive phenotypes, like working memory and processing speed, which, in turn, contribute to fluid intelligence. We found that this model performed well for both samples and explained large amounts of variance in fluid intelligence (R2CALM = 51.2%, R2NKI-RS = 78.3%). The relationship between cognitive abilities and white matter differed with age, showing a dip in strength around ages 7-12 years. This age effect may reflect a reorganization of the neurocognitive architecture around pre- and early puberty. Overall, these findings highlight that intelligence is part of a complex hierarchical system of partially independent effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delia Fuhrmann
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ivan L Simpson-Kent
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joe Bathelt
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rogier A Kievit
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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26
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Mareva S, Holmes J. Transdiagnostic associations across communication, cognitive, and behavioural problems in a developmentally at-risk population: a network approach. BMC Pediatr 2019; 19:452. [PMID: 31752809 PMCID: PMC6873531 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-019-1818-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Communication, behavioural, and executive function problems often co-occur in childhood. Previous attempts to identify the origins of these comorbidities have typically relied on comparisons of different deficit groups and/or latent variable models. Here we apply a network approach to a heterogeneous sample of struggling learners to conceptualise these comorbidities as a dynamic system of interacting difficulties. METHODS 714 children struggling with attention, learning, and/or memory were included. The sample consisted of children with both diagnosed (41%) and undiagnosed difficulties. The conditional independence network of parent ratings of everyday behaviour, cognition, and communication was estimated. RESULTS A clustering coefficient identified four interconnected areas of difficulty: (1) structural language and learning; (2) pragmatics and peer relationships; (3) behavioural and emotional problems; and (4) cognitive skills. Emotional and behavioural symptoms shared multiple direct connections with pragmatic abilities and cognitive problems, but not with structural language skills or learning problems. Poor structural language and cognitive skills were associated with learning problems. Centrality indices highlighted working memory and language coherence as symptoms bridging different problem areas. CONCLUSION The network model identified four areas of difficulty and potential bridging symptoms. Although the current analytic framework does not provide causal evidence, it is possible that bridging symptoms may be the origins of comorbidities observed on a dimensional level; problems in these areas may cascade and activate problems in other areas of the network. The potential value of applying a dynamic systems network approach to symptoms of developmental disorders is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Mareva
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK.
| | - Joni Holmes
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
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27
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de la Fuente J, González-Torres MC, Aznárez-Sanado M, Martínez-Vicente JM, Peralta-Sánchez FJ, Vera MM. Implications of Unconnected Micro, Molecular, and Molar Level Research in Psychology: The Case of Executive Functions, Self-Regulation, and External Regulation. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1919. [PMID: 31507487 PMCID: PMC6719524 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The proliferation of research production in Psychology as a science has been increasing exponentially. This situation leads to the necessity of organizing the research production into different levels of analysis that make it possible to delimit each research domain. The objective of this analysis is to clearly distinguish the different levels of research: micro-analysis, molecular, and molar. Each level is presented, along with an analysis of its benefits and limitations. Next, this analysis is applied to the topics of Executive Functions, Self-Regulation, and External Regulation. Conclusions, limitations, and implications for future research are offered, with a view toward a better connection of research production across the different levels, and an allusion to ethical considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús de la Fuente
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,School of Psychology, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | | | | | - José Manuel Martínez-Vicente
- School of Psychology, University of Almería, Almería, Spain.,Center of Research of Psychology, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
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28
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Chen J, Liu J, Calhoun VD. The Translational Potential of Neuroimaging Genomic Analyses To Diagnosis And Treatment In The Mental Disorders. PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE. INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS 2019; 107:912-927. [PMID: 32051642 PMCID: PMC7015534 DOI: 10.1109/jproc.2019.2913145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Imaging genomics focuses on characterizing genomic influence on the variation of neurobiological traits, holding promise for illuminating the pathogenesis, reforming the diagnostic system, and precision medicine of mental disorders. This paper aims to provide an overall picture of the current status of neuroimaging-genomic analyses in mental disorders, and how we can increase their translational potential into clinical practice. The review is organized around three perspectives. (a) Towards reliability, generalizability and interpretability, where we summarize the multivariate models and discuss the considerations and trade-offs of using these methods and how reliable findings may be reached, to serve as ground for further delineation. (b) Towards improved diagnosis, where we outline the advantages and challenges of constructing a dimensional transdiagnostic model and how imaging genomic analyses map into this framework to aid in deconstructing heterogeneity and achieving an optimal stratification of patients that better inform treatment planning. (c) Towards improved treatment. Here we highlight recent efforts and progress in elucidating the functional annotations that bridge between genomic risk and neurobiological abnormalities, in detecting genomic predisposition and prodromal neurodevelopmental changes, as well as in identifying imaging genomic biomarkers for predicting treatment response. Providing an overview of the challenges and promises, this review hopefully motivates imaging genomic studies with multivariate, dimensional and transdiagnostic designs for generalizable and interpretable findings that facilitate development of personalized treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayu Chen
- The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM 87106 USA
| | - Jingyu Liu
- The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM 87106 USA, and also with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 USA
| | - Vince D Calhoun
- The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM 87106 USA, and also with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 USA
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