scholarly journals Age-Related Changes in Neural Networks Supporting Complex Visual and Social Processing in Adolescence

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulia Lerner ◽  
K. Suzanne Scherf ◽  
Mikhail Katkov ◽  
Uri Hasson ◽  
Marlene Behrmann
Keyword(s):  
Neural Development ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Critical Question ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Adolescent Groups ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Brain

AbstractDespite our differences, there is much about the natural visual world that almost all observers apparently perceive in common. This coherence across observers is evidenced by the finding that, across adults, approximately 30% of the brain is activated in a consistent fashion in response to viewing naturalistic input. The critical question addressed here is how does this consistency emerge and is this pattern of coherence apparent from early in development or does it evolve with time and/or experience? We focused our investigation at a key developmental juncture that might bridge the child and adult patterns, namely, the period of adolescence. We acquired fMRI BOLD data evoked by an 11-minute age-appropriate movie in younger (age 9-14 years) and older adolescents (age 15-19 years) and in adults. Using an intra-subject correlation approach, we characterized the consistency of the neural response within-individual (across two separate runs of the movie), and then, using an inter-subject correlation approach, evaluated the similarity of the response profile within individuals of the same age group and between age-groups. In primary sensory areas (A1+, V1) the response profiles in both groups of adolescents were highly similar to those of the adults, suggesting that these areas are functionally mature at earlier stages of the development. In contrast, some other regions exhibited higher within-age correlations in the adolescent groups than in the adult group. Last, we evaluated the brain responses across the whole cortex and identified the different patterns of maturation as reflected in different inter-subject correlations across the age groups. Together, these findings provide a fine-grained characterization of functional neural development. The approach offers the potential for careful tracking of the development of widespread cortical networks that support the emerging stereotypical responses to naturalistic visual and social stimuli and has important implications for future studies of cortical development.

Changes in Cortical Coherence Supporting Complex Visual and Social Processing in Adolescence

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Yulia Lerner ◽  
Suzanne K. Scherf ◽  
Mikhail Katkov ◽  
Uri Hasson ◽  
Marlene Behrmann
Keyword(s):  
Neural Development ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Qualitative Change ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Despite our differences, there is much about the natural visual world that most observers perceive in common. Across adults, approximately 30% of the brain is activated in a consistent fashion while viewing naturalistic input. At what stage of development is this consistency of neural profile across individuals present? Here, we focused specifically on whether this mature profile is present in adolescence, a key developmental period that bridges childhood and adulthood, and in which new cognitive and social challenges are at play. We acquired fMRI data evoked by a movie shown twice to younger (9–14 years old) and older adolescents (15–19 years old) and to adults and conducted three key analyses. First, we characterized the consistency of the neural response within individuals (across separate runs of the movie), then within individuals of the same age group, and, last, between age groups. The neural consistency within individuals was similar across age groups with reliable activation in largely overlapping but slightly different cortical regions. In contrast, somewhat differing regions exhibited higher within-age correlations in both groups of adolescents than in the adults. Last, across the whole cortex, we identified regions evincing different patterns of maturation across age. Together, these findings provide a fine-grained characterization of functional neural development in adolescence and uncover signatures of widespread change in cortical coherence that supports the emerging mature stereotypical responses to naturalistic stimuli. These results also offer a more nuanced account of development that obeys neither a rigid linear progression nor a large qualitative change over time.

scholarly journals Young Children's Exposure to and Ability to Eat Different Food Textures, as Reported by Parents (P11-119-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Smith-Simpson ◽  
Lisa Fries ◽  
Carolyn Ross
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Food Texture ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Age Appropriate

Abstract Objectives The objective was to identify the age at which parents expose their children to different food textures and how challenging the textures were for their child to eat. It was hypothesized that older children would be exposed to a wider variety of food textures and that parents would consider a larger proportion of these textures to be easy to eat. Methods Parents (n = 365) in Grand Rapids, MI, USA with a child aged 6–36 months completed an online survey. The survey had 37 questions, including 15 unique food texture categories with food examples (Table 1). Parents were asked how difficult each texture category was for their child to eat using a 5-point scale ranging from “Very Easy” to “Very Difficult”, plus an option for “My child hasn't tried this yet”. Children were divided into 5 age groups (6-8 months, 9–12 months, 13–18 months, 19–24 months, 25–36 months) for analysis. Across texture category and age group, data were analyzed using analysis of variance, with mean separation accomplished using Fisher's LSD (P < 0.05). Results A majority of children in the youngest age group (6-8 months) had only eaten foods described as creamy, dissolvable, or pureed. All of the texture categories had been served to a majority of 9–12 month-old children, except for “hard” and “tough meat”. By 18 months of age, a majority of children had tried all food texture categories except “hard”. Across all age groups, creamy, dissolvable, and puree were rated as easy and “tough meat” was rated as difficult. The other textures showed age-related differences, with parents of older children reporting the textures as easier to eat than those of younger children. Food textures were compared within the 9–12 and 13–18 month age groups, when most new food textures are introduced, and similar trends were observed. The easiest textures were creamy, dissolvable, puree and soft, followed by lumpy and juicy, then slippery, chewy, rubbery, and sticky. The most difficult textures were leafy, with skin, hard, tough meat and combination of textures. Conclusions When considering textures of the foods that comprise a well-balanced, healthy diet, many foods are difficult for children to eat. Preparing foods such as green vegetables specifically to have age-appropriate textures could improve consumption. Funding Sources Washington State Univ College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Emerging Research Issues Grant.

scholarly journals Differences in strategic abilities but not associative processes explain memory development

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.C.J. Müller ◽  
N. Kohn ◽  
M. van Buuren ◽  
N. Klijn ◽  
H. Emmen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Development ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Memory Representation ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Learning Capabilities ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Evaluation And Monitoring

AbstractChildren’s learning capabilities change while growing up. One framework that describes the cognitive and neural development of children’s growing learning abilities is the two-component model. It distinguishes processes that integrate separate features into a coherent memory representation (associative component) and executive abilities, such as elaboration, evaluation and monitoring, that support memory processing (strategic component). In an fMRI study using an object-location association paradigm, we investigated how the two components influence memory performance across development. We tested children (10-12 yrs., n=31), late adolescents (18 yrs., n=29) and adults (25+ yrs., n=30) of either sex. For studying the associative component, we also probed how the utilisation of prior knowledge (schemas) facilitates memory across age groups. Children had overall lower retrieval performance, while adolescents and adults did not differ from each other. All groups benefitted from schemas, but this effect did not differ between groups. Performance differences between groups were associated with deactivation of the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), which in turn was linked to executive functioning. These patterns were stronger in adolescents and adults and seemed absent in children. This pattern of results suggests the children’s executive system, the strategic component, is not as mature and thus cannot facilitate memory performance in the same way as in adolescents/adults. In contrast, we did not find age-related differences in the associative component; with activity in the angular gyrus predicting memory performance systematically across groups. Overall our results suggest that differences of executive rather than associative abilities explain memory differences between children, adolescents and adults.

The Intricate Interplay of Spatial Attention and Expectation: a Multisensory Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 383-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianna Zuanazzi ◽  
Uta Noppeney
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Multisensory Perception ◽  
Critical Question ◽  
Perceptual Inference ◽  
Attentional Resources ◽  
The Senses ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Attention (i.e., task relevance) and expectation (i.e., signal probability) are two critical top-down mechanisms guiding perceptual inference. Attention prioritizes processing of information that is relevant for observers’ current goals. Prior expectations encode the statistical structure of the environment. Research to date has mostly conflated spatial attention and expectation. Most notably, the Posner cueing paradigm manipulates spatial attention using probabilistic cues that indicate where the subsequent stimulus is likely to be presented. Only recently have studies attempted to dissociate the mechanisms of attention and expectation and characterized their interactive (i.e., synergistic) or additive influences on perception. In this review, we will first discuss methodological challenges that are involved in dissociating the mechanisms of attention and expectation. Second, we will review research that was designed to dissociate attention and expectation in the unisensory domain. Third, we will review the broad field of crossmodal endogenous and exogenous spatial attention that investigates the impact of attention across the senses. This raises the critical question of whether attention relies on amodal or modality-specific mechanisms. Fourth, we will discuss recent studies investigating the role of both spatial attention and expectation in multisensory perception, where the brain constructs a representation of the environment based on multiple sensory inputs. We conclude that spatial attention and expectation are closely intertwined in almost all circumstances of everyday life. Yet, despite their intimate relationship, attention and expectation rely on partly distinct neural mechanisms: while attentional resources are mainly shared across the senses, expectations can be formed in a modality-specific fashion.

Effect of Anti-Oxidant in co-relation with Rasayana therapy of Ayurveda on Ageing

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gitanjali Sasmal ◽  
Sasmal Sipra
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
The Body ◽  
Natural Immunity ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
Replacement Process ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Anti Oxidant ◽  
Almost All

Ageing is a process of unfavorable progressive changes associated with decline in vigour and ending in death. Ageing is the part of life which is unavoidable but the untimely aging can be stopped. The process of ageing involves the coexistence of two opposing factor namely evolution (growth) and involution (atrophy). These processes continue to operate throughout the life but their importance varies in different age groups. As the age advanced, human beings gradually lose some of their attributes, because of functional and structural alteration in almost all organ systems. Ageing in individuals is affected to a greater extent by genetic factors, diet, social conditions and the occurrence of age related disorders. Anti oxidants can speed up the cell division and cell replacement process, which can help to slow the overall effects of ageing and prevent specific age related diseases. It also deactivates the free radicals and prevents their formation and also stimulates the immune system to increase our protection against all diseases. Like anti-oxidant in Ayurveda the Rasayana therapy not only helped attain longer, healthier life but also help cure some of the dreadful diseases. Rasayana aid in increasing natural immunity, enhancing general wellbeing, improving the functioning of all fundamental organs of the body and keep the signs of early ageing. The main purpose of Rasayana therapy is to impede the ageing process and to delay the degenerative process in the body.

Self/other organization in human psychological development

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 653-677 ◽  
Author(s):  
KENNETH J. AITKEN ◽  
COLWYN TREVARTHEN
Keyword(s):  
Neural Development ◽  
Body Movement ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Cultural Behavior ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Brain And Behavior ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Brain

Evidence from the evolution of human cultural behavior and learning, embryology and genetics of the brain, and the behavior of human infants indicates that the critical and uniquely human motives for cooperative imagination and joint interest in objects and tasks are determined by expression of genes and epigenetic neural systems elaboration long before birth, along with essential peripheral organs of perception and motor expression that will serve in communication by rhythmic facial, vocal, gestural, and body movement signals. These cerebral motives continue to exercise their influence on neural development and behavior throughout life, transforming the behaviors of the developing individual through a succession of phases to which other individuals and cultural institutions are constrained to adapt. We discuss the theory of innate intersubjectivity and relate it to the hypothesis of an Innate Motive Formation that emerges in brain development as regulator of morphogenesis in neural systems, and that continues to function, postnatally, as generator of motives and emotions by which human contacts and relationships are regulated. We suggest that differentiates of the primary motive formation in the embryo brain later serve to generate intelligent exploration of the objective environment, and the emergence of an additional dialogic mechanism that represents the self-subject as a partner for an other-subject, intersubjectively. Intersubjective communication in infancy leads, through systematic age-related transformations of the brain and behavior, to preverbal mimetic negotiation of cooperative awareness and joint task performance. Finally we discuss, in relation to this theory, interpretations of faulty communication and development at different stages of the life cycle that result from maternal postnatal depression, autism, premature birth, and schizophrenia.

Changes in Brain White Matter Assessed Via Textural Features Using a Neural Network

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
R. Kalpana ◽  
S. Muttan ◽  
B. Agrawala
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Textural Features ◽  
Statistical Parameters ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Brain

Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DTMRI) has proved useful for microstructure characterization of the brain. This technique also helps determining complex connectivity of fiber tracts. The brain white matter (BMW) changes with respect to age and corresponding appearance of white-matter lesions among the brain’s message-carrying axons affects cognitive functions in old age. In this paper, the observed morphology in BWM on ageing is analyzed using statistical parameters extracted from DTMR images of different age groups. The gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) obtained from the segmented images gives 14 textural features, subsets of which are adopted as the input sets in a backpropagation neural network classifier. The network is trained to predict the age based on BMW details used as the inputs. The proposed method helps in understanding the age-related changes in white matter. This is useful for the physician in understanding miscorrelation in motor activities and relevant causes in elderly subjects.

scholarly journals Aquatic Competencies and Drowning Prevention in Children 2–4 Years: A Systematic Review

Safety ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle H. Taylor ◽  
Richard C. Franklin ◽  
Amy E. Peden
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Skills Acquisition ◽  
Drowning Prevention ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Developmental Readiness ◽  
Increase Risk ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
The Relationship

Aquatic competencies have been proposed as a prevention strategy for children aged 2–4 years who are over-represented in drowning statistics. For this recommendation to be made, exploration of the connection between aquatic competencies and drowning is required. This review critically analyzed studies exploring aquatic competencies and their effect on drowning and/or injury severity in children 2–4 years. English language peer-reviewed literature up to 31 July 2019 was searched and the PRISMA process utilized. Data were extracted from twelve studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Findings from this study included that aquatic competencies were not found to increase risk of drowning and demonstrated children aged 2–4 years are capable of developing age-appropriate aquatic competencies. Age-appropriate aquatic competencies extracted were propulsion/locomotion, flotation/buoyancy, water familiarization, submersion and water exits. The acquisition of these competencies holds benefit for the prevention of drowning. No evidence was found relating to injury severity. There was limited exploration of the relationship between aquatic competencies attainment and age-related developmental readiness. The review highlights the need for consistent measures of exposure, clarity around skills acquisition, better age-specific data (2 years vs. 3 years vs. 4 years), studies with larger sample sizes, further exploration of the dose–response relationship and consistent skill level testing across age groups. Further investigation is required to establish the efficacy of aquatic competencies as a drowning prevention intervention, as well as exploring the relationship between aquatic competencies and age-related developmental readiness. In conclusion, early evidence suggests aquatic competencies can help to reduce drowning.

scholarly journals Age-Related Changes of the Pineal Gland in Humans: A Digital Anatomo-Histological Morphometric Study on Autopsy Cases with Comparison to Predigital-Era Studies

Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 383
Author(s):  
Bogdan-Alexandru Gheban ◽  
Horațiu Alexandru Colosi ◽  
Ioana-Andreea Gheban-Rosca ◽  
Bogdan Pop ◽  
Ana-Maria Teodora Domșa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pineal Gland ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Polarized Light ◽  
Morphometric Study ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Autopsy Study ◽  
Pediatric Age Group ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Age Related Changes

Background and objectives: The pineal gland is a photoneuroendocrine organ in the midline of the brain, responsible primarily for melatonin synthesis. It is composed mainly of pinealocytes and glial tissue. This study examined human postmortem pineal glands to microscopically assess age-related changes using digital techniques, and offers a perspective on evolutionary tendencies compared to the past. Materials and Methods: A retrospective autopsy study has been performed on 72 pediatric and adult autopsy cases. The glands have been processed for histological analysis and immunohistochemical staining with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Slides were assessed under polarized light and digitally scanned. Morphometric data were obtained using CaseViewer and ImageJ. Results: Thirty-three females and 39 males were included in the study, grouped under three age groups: 0–25, 46–65, and 66–96 years of age. The peak gland volume was found within the 46–65 age group, the overall mean volume was 519 mm3, the main architectural types were lobular and insular, and the mean percentage of pineal calcification was 15% of the gland, peaking within the 66–96 age group, with a predominantly globular shape. Glial cysts were found in 20.8% of cases. The intensity of GFAP stain was maximal in the pediatric age group, but the extent of glial tissue was much larger in elderly patients. Discussion: The degenerative process of the pineal gland can be quantified by measuring normal parenchyma, calcifications, glial tissue, and glial cysts. Morphometric differences have been observed and compared to a similar studies performed in the published literature. The current study, unfortunately, lacks a 26–45 age group. Digital techniques seemed to offer a more exact analysis, but returned similar results to studies performed over 40 years ago, therefore offering important information on evolutionary tendencies. Conclusions: Increase in glial tissue, calcifications, and glial cysts have a defining role as age-related changes in the pineal gland.

scholarly journals WHO essential medicines for children 2011–2019: age-appropriateness of enteral formulations

2021 ◽  
pp. archdischild-2021-321831
Author(s):  
Ebiowei Samuel F Orubu ◽  
Jennifer Duncan ◽  
Catherine Tuleu ◽  
Mark A Turner ◽  
Anthony Nunn
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
Essential Medicine ◽  
Access To Medicines ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Efficacy Evaluation ◽  
7Th Edition ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
Medicines For Children

IntroductionThe WHO Essential Medicine List for children (EMLc) is used for promoting access to medicines. The age-appropriateness of enteral (oral and rectal) formulations for children depend on their adaptability/flexibility to allow age-related or weight-related doses to be administered/prescribed and the child’s ability to swallow, as appropriate. There is scant information on the age-appropriateness of essential enteral medicines for children.ObjectiveTo evaluate the age-appropriateness of enteral essential medicines.Materials and methodsAge-appropriateness of all enteral formulations indicated and recommended in the EMLc 3rd to 7th (2011–2019) editions were determined by assessing swallowability and/or dose adaptability for children under 12 years, stratified into five age groups.ResultsEnteral formulations in the EMLc were more age-appropriate for older children aged 6–11 years than for younger children. In the 3rd edition, for older children, 77%, n=342, of formulations were age-appropriate. For younger children, age-appropriateness decreased with age group: 34% in those aged 3–5 years, 30% in those aged 1–2 years, 22% among those aged 28 days to 11 months and 15% in those aged 0–27 days. Overall, similar proportions were found for the 7th edition. In contrast, the majority of medicines in the 7th list were age-appropriate in targeted diseases like HIV and tuberculosis.ConclusionMost recommended enteral essential medicines in EMLc 2011 and 2019 were not age-appropriate for children <6 years. Medicines which are not age-appropriate must be manipulated before administration, leading to potential issues of safety and efficacy. Evaluation of the age-appropriateness of formulations for medicines to be included in EMLc could improve access to better medicines for children in the future.

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