scholarly journals Determinants of neonatal brain-derived neurotrophic factor and association with child development

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1499-1511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akhgar Ghassabian ◽  
Rajeshwari Sundaram ◽  
Nikhita Chahal ◽  
Alexander C. McLain ◽  
Erin Bell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Dried Blood Spots ◽  
Infertility Treatment ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Developmental Domains ◽  
Children's Development ◽  
Children’S Development

AbstractUsing a population-based birth cohort in upstate New York (2008–2010), we examined the determinants of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) measured in newborn dried blood spots (n = 2,637). We also examined the association between neonatal BDNF and children's development. The cohort was initially designed to examine the influence of infertility treatment on child development but found no impact. Mothers rated children's development in five domains repeatedly through age 3 years. Socioeconomic and maternal lifestyle determinants of BDNF were examined using multivariable linear regression models. Generalized linear mixed models estimated odds ratios for neonatal BDNF in relation to failing a developmental domain. Smoking and drinking in pregnancy, nulliparity, non-White ethnicity/race, and prepregnancy obesity were associated with lower neonatal BDNF. Neonatal BDNF was not associated with failure for developmental domains; however, there was an interaction between BDNF and preterm birth. In preterm infants, a higher BDNF was associated with lower odds of failing any developmental domains, after adjusting for confounders and infertility treatment. This result was particularly significant for failure in communication. Our findings suggest that BDNF levels in neonates may be impacted by maternal lifestyle characteristics. More specifically, lower neonatal BDNF might be an early marker of aberrant neurodevelopment in preterm infants.

scholarly journals Impact of child development at primary school entry on adolescent health—protocol for a participatory systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Black ◽  
Amy Barnes ◽  
Mark Strong ◽  
David Taylor-Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Adolescent Health ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
Starting School ◽  
Children's Development ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Children’S Development

Abstract Background Reducing child health inequalities is a global health priority and evidence suggests that optimal development of knowledge, skills and attributes in early childhood could reduce health risks across the life course. Despite a strong policy rhetoric on giving children the ‘best start in life’, socioeconomic inequalities in children’s development when they start school persist. So too do inequalities in child and adolescent health. These in turn influence health inequalities in adulthood. Understanding how developmental processes affect health in the context of socioeconomic factors as children age could inform a holistic policy approach to health and development from childhood through to adolescence. However, the relationship between child development and early adolescent health consequences is poorly understood. Therefore the aim of this review is to summarise evidence on the associations between child development at primary school starting age (3–7 years) and subsequent health in adolescence (8–15 years) and the factors that mediate or moderate this relationship. Method A participatory systematic review method will be used. The search strategy will include; searches of electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ASSIA and ERIC) from November 1990 onwards, grey literature, reference searches and discussions with stakeholders. Articles will be screened using inclusion and exclusion criteria at title and abstract level, and at full article level. Observational, intervention and review studies reporting a measure of child development at the age of starting school and health outcomes in early adolescence, from a member country of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, will be included. The primary outcome will be health and wellbeing outcomes (such as weight, mental health, socio-emotional behaviour, dietary habits). Secondary outcomes will include educational outcomes. Studies will be assessed for quality using appropriate tools. A conceptual model, produced with stakeholders at the outset of the study, will act as a framework for extracting and analysing evidence. The model will be refined through analysis of the included literature. Narrative synthesis will be used to generate findings and produce a diagram of the relationship between child development and adolescent health. Discussion The review will elucidate how children’s development at the age of starting school is related to subsequent health outcomes in contexts of socioeconomic inequality. This will inform ways to intervene to improve health and reduce health inequality in adolescents. The findings will generate knowledge of cross-sector relevance for health and education and promote inter-sectoral coherence in addressing health inequalities throughout childhood. Protocol Registration This systematic review protocol has been registered with PROSPERO CRD42020210011.

scholarly journals The kleineWeltentdecker App - A Smartphone-Based Developmental Diary

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz M. Daum ◽  
Marco Bleiker ◽  
Stephanie Wermelinger ◽  
Ira Kurthen ◽  
Laura Maffongelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
Motor Cognition ◽  
Current State ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Technical Details ◽  
Developmental Domains ◽  
Children's Development ◽  
Detailed Picture ◽  
Time Subject ◽  
Children’S Development

Today, a vast amount of tools exist to measure development in early childhood in a variety of domains such as motor, cognition, or language. These tools vary in different aspects. Either children are examined by a trained experimenter, or caregivers fill out questionnaires. The tools are applied in the controlled setting of a laboratory or in the children's natural environment. While these tools provide a detailed picture of the current state of children’s development, they are at the same time subject to a number of constraints. The measurement of an individual child's change of different skills over time requires high-density longitudinal assessments. These assessments are time-consuming, often need experts to be performed, and the breadth of developmental domains assessed remains limited. Here, we present a novel tool to assess the development of different skills in different domains, a smartphone-based developmental diary app (the kleineWeltentdecker App, henceforth referred to as the APP. Note that the German expression “kleine Weltententdecker“ can be translated as “young world explorers“.). By using the APP, parents can track changes in their children's skills during development. Here, we report the construction and validation of the questionnaires embedded in the APP as well as the technical details. Empirical validations with children of different age groups confirmed the robustness of the different measures implemented in the APP. In addition, we report a few preliminary findings, for example, on children's communicative development by using preliminary APP data. This substantiates the validity of the assessment. With the APP, we put a portable tool for the longitudinal documentation of individual children’s development in every caregiver's pocket, worldwide.

scholarly journals The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Physical and Cognitive Outcomes in a Small Cohort of Outpatients with Schizophrenia

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-174
Author(s):  
Nicholas Massa ◽  
Alaaeddin Alrohaibani ◽  
Kevin Mammino ◽  
Medina Bello ◽  
Nicholas Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerobic Exercise ◽  
Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Visual Learning ◽  
Balance Training ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Serum Samples

Background: Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe, chronic illness characterized by psychotic symptoms and impairments in many cognitive domains. Dysregulation of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with the cognitive impairments seen in patients with SCZ. Given the growing literature supporting a positive effect of aerobic exercise on cognition in other populations, we hypothesized that a structured aerobic exercise program would improve cognitive and functional outcomes in subjects with SCZ, potentially mediated by increases in BDNF. Methods: The study was a small randomized parallel group clinical trial of subjects with SCZ comparing 12 weeks of aerobic exercise (AE) against control (CON) stretching and balance training. At Baseline, Week 12, and Week 20 we collected serum samples for analysis of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and assessed functional, physical, and cognitive outcomes. Linear regression models were used to compare change scores between timepoints. Results: We randomized 21 subjects to AE and 17 to CON; however, only 9 AE and 6 CON completed their programs. Subjects in both groups were slower at the 400 m walk in Week 12 compared to Baseline, but the AE group had significantly less slowing than the CON group (B = –28.32, p = 0.011). Between Week 12 and Week 20, the AE group had a significantly greater change score on the Composite and Visual Learning Domain of the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (B = 5.11, p = 0.03; B = 13.96, p = 0.006). Conclusion: These results indicate that participation in a structured aerobic exercise paradigm may modestly blunt physical function decline and enhance cognitive function in individuals with SCZ.

scholarly journals Sex-Specific Associations of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in the General Population

Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Lena Schmalhofer ◽  
Marcello R.P. Markus ◽  
Jan C. Gras ◽  
Juliane Kopp ◽  
Deborah Janowitz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
General Population ◽  
Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽  
Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Maximal Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
General Population Study ◽  
Specific Association ◽  
Serum Bdnf

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was initially considered to be neuron-specific. Meanwhile, this neurotrophin is peripherally also secreted by skeletal muscle cells and increases due to exercise. Whether BDNF is related to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is currently unclear. We analyzed the association of serum BDNF levels with CRF in the general population (Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND) from Northeast Germany; n = 1607, 51% female; median age 48 years). Sex-stratified linear regression models adjusted for age, height, smoking, body fat, lean mass, physical activity, and depression analyzed the association between BDNF and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2peak), maximal oxygen consumption normalized for body weight (VO2peak/kg), and oxygen consumption at the anaerobic threshold (VO2@AT). In women, 1 mL/min higher VO2peak, VO2peak/kg, and VO2@AT were associated with a 2.43 pg/mL (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16 to 3.69 pg/mL; p = 0.0002), 150.66 pg/mL (95% CI: 63.42 to 237.90 pg/mL; p = 0.0007), and 2.68 pg/mL (95% CI: 0.5 to 4.8 pg/mL; p = 0.01) higher BDNF serum concentration, respectively. No significant associations were found in men. Further research is needed to understand the sex-specific association between CRF and BDNF.

scholarly journals Continuing education on child development for primary healthcare professionals: a prospective before-and-after study

2014 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amira Consuêlo Melo Figueiras ◽  
Rosana Fiorini Puccini ◽  
Edina Mariko Koga Silva
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Continuing Education ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Children's Development ◽  
Before And After Study ◽  
Children’S Development

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Children's developmental disorders are often identified late by healthcare professionals working in primary care. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a continuing education program on child development, on the knowledge and practices of these professionals.DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective single-cohort study (before-and-after study), conducted in the city of Belém, Pará , Brazil.METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-one professionals working in primary healthcare (82.2%) participated in a continuing education program on child development and were assessed before and after implementation of the program through tests on their knowledge of child development, consisting of 19 questions for physicians and 14 for nurses, and questionnaires on their professional practices.RESULTS: One to three years after the program, the mean number of correct answers in the tests had increased from 11.5 to 14.3 among physicians in the Healthy Family Program (Programa Família Saudável, PFS); 13.0 to 14.3 among physicians in Municipal Health Units (Unidades Municipais de Saúde, UMS); 8.3 to 10.0 among PFS nurses; and 7.8 to 9.4 among UMS nurses. In interviews with mothers attended by these professionals before the program, only 21.7% reported that they were asked about their children's development, 24.7% reported that the professional asked about or observed their children's development and 11.1% received advice on how to stimulate them. After the program, these percentages increased to 34.5%, 54.2% and 30.3%, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: Professionals who participated in the program showed improved performance regarding child development knowledge and practices.

scholarly journals Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is related with adverse cardiac remodeling and high NTproBNP

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Bahls ◽  
Stephanie Könemann ◽  
Marcello R. P. Markus ◽  
Kristin Wenzel ◽  
Nele Friedrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Remodeling ◽  
Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Posterior Wall ◽  
Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cardiac Contraction ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cardiac Damage ◽  
Posterior Wall Thickness

Abstract The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neuronal growth factor essential for normal cardiac contraction and relaxation. Alterations in BDNF signaling are related to the development of cardiovascular disease. Whether BDNF is related to subclinical cardiac remodeling is unclear. We related BDNF with echocardiographic parameters and NTproBNP in a large population-based cohort (n = 2,976, median age 48 years; 45% male). Transthoracic echocardiography was performed on all subjects and BDNF was measured by ELISA. Study participants with severe kidney dysfunction, previous myocardial infarction, and LV ejection fraction <40% were excluded. Linear regression models were adjusted for age, sex, lean mass, fat mass, current smoking, systolic blood pressure and depression. Low BDNF was associated with high NTproBNP. A 10,000 pg/ml lower BDNF was related with a 2.5 g higher (95%-confidence interval [CI]: 0.2 to 4.9; p = 0.036) LV mass, 0.01 cm posterior wall thickness (0.003 to 0.022; p = 0.007) and 0.02 E/A ratio (0.003 to 0.042, p = 0.026). Here we show that low BDNF levels are related with adverse cardiac remodeling and higher levels of NTproBNP. Further research is warranted to assess if BDNF may be used to monitor neuronal-cardiac damage during CVD progression.

scholarly journals Impact of Child Development at Primary School Entry on Adolescent Health – Protocol for a Participatory Systematic Review.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Black ◽  
Amy Barnes ◽  
Mark Strong ◽  
David Taylor-Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Adolescent Health ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
Starting School ◽  
Children's Development ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Children’S Development

Abstract BackgroundReducing child health inequalities is a global health priority and evidence suggests that optimal development of knowledge, skills and attributes in early childhood could reduce health risks across the life course. Despite a strong policy rhetoric on giving children the ‘best start in life’, socioeconomic inequalities in children’s development when they start school persist. So too do inequalities in child and adolescent health. These in turn influence health inequalities in adulthood. Understanding how developmental processes affect health in the context of socioeconomic factors as children age could inform a holistic policy approach to health and development from childhood through to adolescence. However the relationship between child development and early adolescent health consequences is poorly understood. Therefore the aim of this review is to summarise evidence on the associations between child development at primary school starting age (3-7 years) and subsequent health in adolescence (8 -15 years) and the factors that mediate or moderate this relationship. MethodA participatory systematic review method will be used. The search strategy will include; searches of electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ASSIA and ERIC), grey literature, reference searches and discussions with stakeholders. Articles will be screened using inclusion and exclusion criteria at title and abstract level, and at full article level. Studies reporting a measure of child development at the age of starting school and health outcomes in early adolescence, from a member country of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, will be included. Studies will be assessed for quality using appropriate tools. A conceptual model, produced with stakeholders at the outset of the study, will act as a framework for extracting and analysing evidence. The model will be refined through analysis of the included literature. Narrative synthesis will be used to generate findings and produce a diagram of the relationship between child development and adolescent health. DiscussionThe review will elucidate how children’s development at the age of starting school is related to subsequent health outcomes in contexts of socioeconomic inequality. This will inform ways to intervene to improve health and reduce health inequality in adolescents. The findings will generate knowledge of cross-sector relevance for health and education and promote inter-sectoral coherence in addressing health inequalities throughout childhood. Systematic Review RegistrationThis systematic review protocol has been registered with PROSPERO CRD42020210011.

scholarly journals Rethinking Assessments: Creating a New Tool Using the Zone Of Proximal Development within a Cultural-Historical Framework

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Minson ◽  
M. Hammer ◽  
N.N. Veresov
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Zone Of Proximal Development ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Proximal Development ◽  
Theoretical Rationale ◽  
Children's Development ◽  
Children’S Development

This paper presents a picture of the current theoretical positions and methods used to assess children’s development. A maturational understanding of development is seen to be predominately used to inform the assessment tools which track how children develop across the 0—5 age group. This paper proposes that with the movement towards a cultural-historical understanding of development, a tool following from this standpoint should be developed. It is envisaged that a new assessment tool will be developed from this analysis. A theoretical rationale is given to support why the Zone of Proximal Development can be used to identify the indicators of children’s actual and potential levels of development, moving away from age/level based testing. Developing an assessment tool aligned to the principles of the ZPD can offer alternative method to assess children’s development in a theoretically robust way, providing empirical evidence to rethink the methodologies of child development assessments.

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