The relationship between motor performance and parent-rated executive functioning in 3- to 5-year-old children: What is the role of confounding variables?

ObjectiveLarge systolic blood pressure (SBP) variability has been proposed as a novel risk factor for dementia above and beyond SBP levels, but the underlying neuropathology is largely unknown. We investigated the relationship among visit-to-visit SBP variability, cognitive deterioration and underlying neuropathological changes.MethodsWe used longitudinal data (between 2005 and 2019) from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center. 13,284 dementia-free participants aged≥50 years were followed over a median of 5.0 (interquartile range: 3.1-7.6) years. Neuropathology data were available in 1,400 autopsied participants. Visit-to-visit SBP variability was quantified from repeated annual SBP measurements. Cognitive deterioration was defined as conversion from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, or from MCI to dementia.ResultsLarger visit-to-visit SBP variability was associated with cognitive deterioration (adjusted odds ratio comparing extreme quintiles: 2.64; 95%CI:2.29-3.04, P <0.001). It was also associated with a higher burden of vascular pathology (including microinfarcts, white matter lesion, atherosclerosis of the circle of Willis and arteriolosclerosis) and with neurofibrillary tangle pathology assessed by Braak staging (All P < 0.05). The association with cognitive deterioration and vascular pathology appeared stronger among those with normal cognition versus MCI at baseline. These findings were observed after adjusting for age, sex, mean SBP and other confounding variables. Similar results were observed for diastolic BP variability.ConclusionLarger visit-to-visit SBP variability was associated with cognitive deterioration. It was also associated with cerebrovascular pathology and neurofibrillary tangles. These results suggest the intertwined role of vascular and Alzheimer's disease pathology in the etiology of dementia.

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The Relationships between Sibling Characteristics and Motor Performance in 3- to 5-Year-Old Typically Developing Children

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph19010356 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 356

Author(s):

Dagmar F. A. A. Derikx ◽

Erica Kamphorst ◽

Gerda van der Veer ◽

Marina M. Schoemaker ◽

Esther Hartman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Behavioral Problems ◽

Motor Performance ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Age Difference ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Safe Environment ◽

Confounding Variables ◽

Movement Assessment ◽

Order Position ◽

The Relationship

Siblings have been hypothesized to positively impact the motor performance of children by acting as examples and by providing a safe environment, but they may also negatively impact motor performance because they could compete for the parent’s time and care. Therefore, this study investigates the relationship between several sibling characteristics and motor performance in 3- to 5-year-old children. The sample consisted of 205 3- to 5-year-old children (mean age 50.9 ± 10.0 months, 52.2% boys). The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 was used to measure motor performance. The sibling variable was operationalized as the number of siblings present, the age difference between a child and its siblings, and the birth order position of a child. The confounding variables that were taken into account were the age, sex, and behavioral problems of the child and maternal education level. None of the investigated sibling variables were related to the total motor performance of a child after controlling for possible confounding variables. The absence of any associations between the sibling variables and motor performance might be explained by the characteristics of the study sample, the possibility that there is no linear relationship, or the presence of still unknown moderating or mediating factors.

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SLEEP QUALITY AS A MECHANISM LINKING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2866 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S779-S779

Author(s):

Alycia N Bisson ◽

Margie E Lachman

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

The United States ◽

Physically Active ◽

Waking Up ◽

The Relationship ◽

Second Wave ◽

Moderating Role

Abstract Modifiable health behaviors, such as physical activity and sleep quality are important for cognition throughout life. A growing body of research also suggests that engaging in enough physical activity is important to sleeping well. One recent study found that sleep efficiency mediates the relationship between physical activity and cognition. It is still unknown whether other metrics of sleep quality are mediators. The present study tested mediation in the second wave of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Using the PROCESS macro for SPSS, we found that those who were more physically active fell asleep faster, and had better executive functioning. In addition, those who were more physically active reported waking up fewer times during the night, and had better executive functioning and self-rated memory. Discussion will focus on the moderating role of gender and distinctions between findings with different measures of sleep, physical activity, and cognition.

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Learning about a New Technology: Pineapple in Ghana

The American Economic Review ◽

10.1257/aer.100.1.35 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 100 (1) ◽

pp. 35-69 ◽

Cited By ~ 703

Author(s):

Timothy G Conley ◽

Christopher R Udry

Keyword(s):

Social Learning ◽

New Technology ◽

Communication Patterns ◽

Agricultural Technology ◽

Learning Effects ◽

Unique Data ◽

Confounding Variables ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

This paper investigates the role of social learning in the diffusion of a new agricultural technology in Ghana. We use unique data on farmers' communication patterns to define each individual's information neighborhood. Conditional on many potentially confounding variables, we find evidence that farmers adjust their inputs to align with those of their information neighbors who were surprisingly successful in previous periods. The relationship of these input adjustments to experience further indicates the presence of social learning. In addition, applying the same method to input choices for another crop, of known technology, correctly indicates an absence of social learning effects. (JEL D83, O13, O33, Q16)

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Breakfast Cereal Consumption Moderates the Association Between Body Composition and Body Esteem in Young Women but not in Young Men

Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research ◽

10.3148/cjdpr-2014-012 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 75 (4) ◽

pp. 214-217

Author(s):

Holly-Anne Scott ◽

Michelle Marcinow ◽

Rachel Hicks ◽

Andrea C. Buchholz

Keyword(s):

Body Esteem ◽

The Body ◽

Adult Women ◽

Breakfast Cereal ◽

Air Displacement Plethysmography ◽

Confounding Variables ◽

External Attribution ◽

Adolescents And Adults ◽

The Relationship

Purpose: To explore the role of breakfast cereal consumption on the relationships among BMI, percent fat mass (%FM), and body esteem in young adults. Methods: Weight, height, and %FM (by air displacement plethysmography) were measured in 29 males (aged 25.1 ± 4.0 years) and 28 females (aged 24.6 ± 4.0 years). Body esteem was measured using the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA). Three-day food records classified participants as breakfast cereal consumers (n = 27, any amount of ready-to-eat or cooked cereal consumed at breakfast) versus nonconsumers (n = 30, no cereal consumed at breakfast). Results: The %FM was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) inversely correlated with weight esteem (r = −0.769), appearance esteem (r = −0.723), and external attribution (r = −0.620) in female noncereal consumers. BMI was similarly correlated with BESAA scores. These relationships were not significant in female cereal consumers (all r < 0.426), despite no difference in confounding variables between female cereal consumers and nonconsumers. Neither BMI nor %FM were correlated with measures of body esteem (all r < 0.466, NS) in either male cereal consumers or nonconsumers. Conclusions: Breakfast cereal consumption may moderate the relationship among BMI, %FM, and body esteem in young adult women and may be useful for improving body esteem without focusing on weight loss.

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Executive and Daily Life Functioning Influence the Relationship Between ADHD and Mood Symptoms in University Students

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/1087054719900251 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 108705471990025

Author(s):

Saleh M. H. Mohamed ◽

Norbert A. Börger ◽

Jaap J. van der Meere

Keyword(s):

Executive Functioning ◽

University Students ◽

Adult Adhd ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Functional Impairments ◽

Mood Symptoms ◽

Close Relationship ◽

The Relationship

Objectives: Many studies have indicated a close relationship between ADHD and mood symptoms in university students. In the present study, we explore the role of daily functional impairments and executive functioning in the ADHD–mood relationship. Method: A total of 343 adults (126 males) filled out (a) the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scale, (b) the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, (c) the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale, and (d) the Executive Function Index Scale. Results: The correlation between mood symptoms and ADHD was .48 (moderate correlation) and dropped to .15 (weak correlation) when controlling for functional problems and executive functioning. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that both functional impairments and executive functioning significantly explained 42% to 53% of the variance of mood symptoms. The addition of ADHD symptoms to the model slightly increased the explained mood variance by only 1%. Conclusion: These findings underline the role of experienced difficulties in triggering mood symptoms in ADHD symptomatology.

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Land inequality and numeracy in Spain during the seventeenth and eighteenth century

Historia Agraria Revista de agricultura e historia rural ◽

10.26882/histagrar.083e08p ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mari Carmen Pérez-Artés ◽

Jörg Baten

Keyword(s):

Human Capital ◽

Cognitive Skills ◽

Early Modern Period ◽

Individual Level ◽

Land Inequality ◽

Confounding Variables ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Farming Families ◽

The Relationship

We assess the relationship between land inequality and human capital at the end of the early modern period, focusing on individual-level evidence from Spain. Our main finding is that land inequality had already had a significant negative effect on the formation of human capital there in the late-seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. We argue that this reflects the important role of a social structure based on farming families (as opposed to latifundia and day laborers) in the development of numeracy. This is consistent with earlier studies, which argued that farming households could (1) maintain a relatively favourable nutritional standard as a precondition for cognitive skills, (2) limit child labour and (3) encourage numeracy due to its demand by farming activities. Our results are robust, as they include several control variables and potential confounding variables.

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Abstract 136: Role of Periodontal Disease on Intracranial Atherosclerosis

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.51.suppl_1.136 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Rachel Mascari ◽

Souvik Sen ◽

Fareed Suri ◽

Bruce Wasserman ◽

Rebecca Gottesman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Periodontal Disease ◽

Black Blood ◽

Intracranial Atherosclerosis ◽

Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities ◽

Isotropic Resolution ◽

Confounding Variables ◽

Black Blood Mri ◽

Aric Study ◽

The Relationship

Introduction: Periodontal disease (PD) is a chronic inflammatory process that affects gum and teeth. Due to the role of inflammation on atherosclerosis, we assessed the hypothesis that PD is associated with asymptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) in the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) study. Methods: Full-mouth clinical periodontal measurements (7-indices) collected at 6 sites per tooth from 6155 subjects from the Dental Atherosclerosis in Communities Study (DARIC) without prior stroke were used to differentiate seven periodontal profile classes (PPCs). Of this cohort, a stratified subset underwent 3D time-of-flight MR angiogram and 3D high-isotropic resolution black blood MRI. ICAS was graded according to the criteria established by the Warfarin-Aspirin Symptomatic Intracranial Disease (WASID) trial. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between PD status and severe asymptomatic ICAS, defined as ≥50% stenosis. Results: Among dentate subjects who underwent vascular imaging, 1033 (90%) had 0-50% ICAS and 112 (10%) had ≥50% ICAS. Compared to participants without gum disease (PPC-A), participants with gingivitis (PPC-C) had significantly higher odds of having ≥50% ICAS (Figure 1; Crude OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.8, p=0.015). This association strengthened after adjusting for the significant confounding variables: age, hypertension, and LDL cholesterol (Adjusted OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.3-4.5, p=0.006). Conclusion: We report a significant association between inflammatory PD class and ≥50% asymptomatic ICAS. Because gingivitis is reversible, future studies are needed to determine if treatment of gingivitis can prevent the development and progression of ICAS, thus reducing the risk of stroke.

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The Relationship Between Plasma Oxytocin and Executive Functioning in Huntington’s Disease: A Pilot Study

Journal of Huntington s Disease ◽

10.3233/jhd-210467 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Emily R. Fisher ◽

Natalia P. Rocha ◽

Diego A. Morales-Scheihing ◽

Venugopal Reddy Venna ◽

Erin E. Furr-Stimming ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Executive Functioning ◽

Huntington's Disease ◽

Huntington’S Disease ◽

Potential Role ◽

Group Differences ◽

Significant Group ◽

Plasma Measurement ◽

The Relationship ◽

Functioning Assessment

The role of oxytocin (OT) in social cognition of patients with Huntington’s disease (HD) has been studied, but its impact on executive functioning has not been explored yet. Healthy controls, premanifest HD, and manifest HD participants underwent executive functioning assessment and OT plasma measurement. There were no significant group differences in plasma OT levels. Higher OT levels were associated with better executive functioning in premanifest HD participants. Our findings revealed an association between OT levels and depressive symptoms in premanifest and manifest HD participants. The potential role of OT in HD deserves further investigation.

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