scholarly journals Prefrontal Structural Correlates of Cognitive Control during Adolescent Development: A 4-Year Longitudinal Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 1118-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nandita Vijayakumar ◽  
Sarah Whittle ◽  
Murat Yücel ◽  
Meg Dennison ◽  
Julian Simmons ◽  
...  

Maturation of cognitive control abilities has been attributed to the protracted structural maturation of underlying neural correlates during adolescence. This study examined the relationship between development of two forms of cognitive control (proactive and reactive control) and structural maturation of the ACC, dorsolateral pFC, and ventrolateral pFC (vlPFC) between early and mid adolescence using a longitudinal design. Adolescents (n = 92) underwent baseline assessments when they were 12 years old and follow-up assessments approximately 4 years later. At each assessment, structural MRI scans were acquired, and a modified Stroop task was performed. Results showed longitudinal improvements in reactive control between early and mid adolescence. Furthermore, magnitude of the improvement in proactive control was associated with reduced thinning of the right vlPFC across the sample, whereas the magnitude of the improvements in reactive control was associated with reduced thinning of the left ACC in men alone. These findings suggest that individual differences in the maturation of ACC and vlPFC underlie the development of two distinct forms of cognitive control between early and mid adolescence as well as highlight sex differences in this relationship.

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1715
Author(s):  
Soyoung Kim ◽  
Deanna J. Greene ◽  
Carolina Badke D’Andrea ◽  
Emily C. Bihun ◽  
Jonathan M. Koller ◽  
...  

Previous studies have investigated differences in the volumes of subcortical structures (e.g., caudate nucleus, putamen, thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus) between individuals with and without Tourette syndrome (TS), as well as the relationships between these volumes and tic symptom severity. These volumes may also predict clinical outcome in Provisional Tic Disorder (PTD), but that hypothesis has never been tested. This study aimed to examine whether the volumes of subcortical structures measured shortly after tic onset can predict tic symptom severity at one-year post-tic onset, when TS can first be diagnosed. We obtained T1-weighted structural MRI scans from 41 children with PTD (25 with prospective motion correction (vNavs)) whose tics had begun less than 9 months (mean 4.04 months) prior to the first study visit (baseline). We re-examined them at the 12-month anniversary of their first tic (follow-up), assessing tic severity using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale. We quantified the volumes of subcortical structures using volBrain software. Baseline hippocampal volume was correlated with tic severity at the 12-month follow-up, with a larger hippocampus at baseline predicting worse tic severity at follow-up. The volumes of other subcortical structures did not significantly predict tic severity at follow-up. Hippocampal volume may be an important marker in predicting prognosis in Provisional Tic Disorder.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Ghosh ◽  
Dipanjan Roy ◽  
Arpan Banerjee

AbstractThe Ventral Attention Network (VAN) is involved in reorienting attention from an ongoing task when a salient (pop-out) stimulus is detected in the environment. Previous neuroimaging studies have extensively evaluated the structural and functional connectivity of the VAN. However, directed effective connectivity within the network and the neural oscillations driving it still remain elusive. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have not been able to address this issue due to lack of appropriate temporal resolution required to capture the process of reorientation. In this study, we recorded scalp electroencephalography (EEG) and behavioural data from healthy human volunteers, obtained saliency-specific spectral changes, localized the sources underlying the spectral power modulations with individual-specific structural MRI scans, reconstructed the waveforms of the sources and investigated the causal relationships between the areas of the VAN using Granger causality (GC). Using a custom-designed experiment involving visual search on static images and a dynamic motion tracking task, we investigated the neural processing of salient distractors operating at very slow and very fast time scales, respectively. Our results revealed how a task-independent but context-specific VAN encompassing the right insula, the right lateral pre-frontal cortex, the anterior and the posterior right temporo-parietal junction communicating in the alpha frequency band (8-12 Hz) supports saliency processing.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 759-769
Author(s):  
S. A. Shalnova ◽  
V. A. Kutsenko ◽  
A. V. Kapustina ◽  
E. B. Yarovaya ◽  
Yu. A. Balanova ◽  
...  

Aim. To study the relationship of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in a sample of men and women 25-64 years old and their predictive value for the development of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and mortality from all causes.Material and methods. Prospective observation was for cohorts of the population aged 25-64 years from 11 regions of the Russian Federation. 18,251 people were included in the analysis. Each participant gave written informed consent. All surveyed persons were interviewed with a standard questionnaire. BP was measured on the right hand with an automatic tonometer. BP and HR were measured twice with an interval of 2-3 min with the calculation of the average value. The patients were divided into 4 groups: the first group with BP<140/90 ><140/90 mm Hg and HR≤80 beats/min; the second group – BP<140/><140/90 mm Hg and HR>80; the third group – BP≥140/90 mm Hg and HR≤80; the fourth group – BP≥140/90 mm Hg and HR>80 beats/min. Risk factors and cardiovascular history were analyzed as well. Deaths over 6 years of follow-up occurred in 393 people (141 – from CVD). Statistical analysis was performed using the open source R3.6.1 system.Results. A HR>80 beats/min was found in 26.3% of people with BP≥140/90 mm Hg, regardless of medication. Analysis of the associations between HR and BP showed that for every increase in HR by 10 beats/min, systolic BP increases by 3 mm Hg. (p<0.0001). The group with HR>80 beats/min and BP≥140/90 mm Hg had the shortest life expectancy (p<0.001). Adding an increased HR to BP≥140/90 mm Hg significantly><0.001). Adding an increased HR to BP≥140/90 mm Hg significantly worsened the prognosis of patients. Similar results were obtained in the analysis of cardiovascular survival. Elevated BP and elevated HR had the same effect on outcomes, except for the combined endpoint, where the contribution of elevated BP was predominant. However, their combined effect was the largest and highly significant for the development of the studied outcomes, even after adjusting for other predictors. With an increase in HR by every 10 beats/min, the risk of mortality increased statistically significantly by 22%.Conclusion. The prevalence of HR>80 beats/min in people with BP≥140 mm Hg amounted to 26.34%. Every 10 beats/min significantly increases the risk of mortality by 22%. Increased HR with elevated BP leads to increased adverse outcomes.


2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 190-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A Kraut ◽  
Lori L Beason-Held ◽  
Wendy D Elkins ◽  
Susan M Resnick

White matter hyperintensities are frequently detected on cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of older adults. Given the presumed ischemic contribution to the etiology of these lesions and the posited import of resting brain activity on cognitive function, we hypothesized that longitudinal changes in MRI-detected white matter disease, and its severity at a given time point, would be associated with changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) over time. We evaluated MRI scans and resting H215O positron emission tomographic rCBF at baseline and after an average of 7.7-year follow-up in Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging participants without dementia. Differences in patterns of rCBF were evident at baseline and at follow-up between the group of subjects showing increased white matter disease over the 8-year interval compared with the group with stable white matter ratings. Furthermore, longitudinal changes over time in rCBF also differed between the two groups. Specifically, the group with progressive white matter abnormalities showed greater increase in the right inferior temporal gyrus/fusiform gyrus, right anterior cingulate, and the rostral aspect of the left superior temporal gyrus. Regions of greater longitudinal decrease in this group were evident in the right inferior parietal lobule and at the right occipital pole. Changes in white matter disease over time and its severity at any given time are associated significantly with both cross-sectional and longitudinal patterns of rCBF. The longitudinal increases may reflect cortical compensation mechanisms for reduced efficacy of interregional neural communications that result from white matter deterioration.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Katherine Fowler

<p>Complex cognitive capacities such as language and “executive function” are difficult to evaluate in neuropsychological populations due to their multifactorial nature. The current study takes a cognitively-motivated core-skills approach to their assessment. Across four investigations, these various capacities are decomposed into simpler core skills based on current cognitive theory. An undifferentiated sample of 28 neurological tumour patients is then assessed on these skills.  In the first study, we assessed the “core skills” underpinning language function at three time points: pre-operative (one day prior to surgery), post-operative (within three days of surgery), and at long-term follow-up (at least three months post-surgery). This approach was sensitive at detecting impairment; indeed, almost half of the patients showed persistent long-term language deficits even at long-term follow-up. The decompositional approach also proved effective at predicting long-term outcomes. Overall, these results suggest that the subtle language deficits may be more common and more persistent than previously estimated in tumour populations.  The second study examined the relationship between “core” language skills and sentence-level language processing at long-term follow up. Whilst there were few significant correlations, the results nonetheless suggest that “core skills” measures may be useful predictors of some aspects of sentence-level processing.  The third study isolated and identified “core” skills that are essential for complex cognitive control more generally, and assessed these in our patient sample at long-term follow-up. Results were broadly supportive of this decompositional approach, and again, our assessments proved highly sensitive at detecting deficits in this patient sample.  The fourth study examined the relationship between language processing and complex cognitive control. Specifically, we examined whether there are systems specially dedicated to the control of language, or whether control functions operate across all domains. Overall, our results were broadly consistent with the domain-specific view - that there may be functionally distinct control systems operating on verbal and nonverbal material.  The results, taken together suggest that a core skills approach to neuropsychological assessment has considerable promise, and is worth exploring further in a large patient sample. This approach may also help extend our understanding of the functional organisation of language, and the broader cognitive skills necessary for linguistic operations.</p>


2013 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Shimshon Rubin ◽  
Mor Shechory-Stahl

This article examines how varieties of the continuing relationship to the deceased child are associated with life functioning among bereaved parents. The research employed a longitudinal design utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research methodology. Six bereaved parents who lost sons in war and who had extensive interview material and research protocols spaced 10 years apart were selected for this study. Half had improved over time and half had not improved or deteriorated. Analyses of the ongoing relationship to the deceased focused upon: (a) perceptions of the deceased and (b) nature of the ongoing relationship to the deceased son. On perception, parents who improved tended to describe their sons in very favorable terms. The parents whose condition remained static or deteriorated tended to describe their sons less positively, and with superficial and shallow descriptions. Regarding the nature of the ongoing relationship, parents whose condition improved over the years describe a close and significant relationship with the son. We conclude that while the relationship to the son continues for all the bereaved parents, it is how the deceased is recollected that is associated with the direction of bereavement outcome.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bei Gao ◽  
Jing Xu ◽  
Guodong Tang ◽  
Chenying QU ◽  
Dongxue Du ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: To Investigate the efficacy of overnight orthokeratology (Ortho-k) for myopia control and the relationship between axial length (AL) changes and different baseline factors.Methods: This is a retrospective study of 675 myopic patients (Affiliated Eye Hospital of Shandong University of TCM) who received Ortho-k correction between August 2015 and July 2017. These subjects were followed up at least for 12 months. Genders, age, parental refractive status, manifest refractions, cycloplegic refractions, uncorrected and best-corrected visual acuities, power vector of astigmatism, corneal curvature, age at initiation of Ortho-k wear (year), intraocular pressuren (IOP), anterior chamber depth (ACD), pupil size (PL), corneal diameter (CD) and AL were obtained for analysis. Correlation and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to screen for the factors that can improve treatment outcome. Results: The baseline 675 patients’ AL of was 25.12±1.00 mm, and after 12 months of treatment, the AL was 25.30±0.94 mm, and the axial elongation was 0.18±0.22 mm. Univariate analysis of the right-eye independent variable of 675 patients showed a statistically significant association between age at initiation of Ortho-k wear, spherical equivalent refractive (SER), and changes in AL. Regression analysis results show that age at initiation of Ortho-k wear and SER are independent factors with effects on the treatment outcome.Conclusion: Ortho-k was effective in slowing myopia progression over a one-year follow-up period. Age at initiation of Ortho-k wear, and SER were found to be associated with increased change of AL during follow-up.


2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrienne Withall ◽  
Henry Brodaty ◽  
Annette Altendorf ◽  
Perminder S. Sachdev

ABSTRACTBackground: There is growing recognition that apathy is not only a symptom of depression but may be an independent syndrome. This is the first study to investigate the relationship of apathy and depression longitudinally following stroke and to examine the association with dementia.Method: 106 consecutive eligible participants following stroke received extensive medical, psychiatric and neuropsychological assessments at three to six months (index assessment) and 15 months (follow-up assessment) after their stroke. A subset of participants received magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at index assessment. Ratings were made for DSM-IV major or minor depression and for apathy using the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES).Results: While there was no significant overlap between apathy and depression at index assessment (OR = 1.79, 95% CI 0.48, 6.66), the overlap was significant a year later (OR = 7.75, 95% CI 2.60, 23.13). Dementia at index assessment was a common risk factor for both apathy and depression at follow-up (OR = 12.45, 95% CI 2.98, 52.02 and OR = 10.35, 95% CI 2.84, 37.72, respectively).Conclusions: Apathy and depression after stroke have a common predictor and overlap longitudinally. The overlap might be due to cumulative vascular pathology and because of the relationship of each of these syndromes to dementia, which was an important, possibly causal, predictor for both.


Author(s):  
Soyoung Kim ◽  
Deanna J. Greene ◽  
Carolina Badke D’Andrea ◽  
Emily C. Bihun ◽  
Jonathan M. Koller ◽  
...  

BackgroundPrevious studies have investigated differences in the volumes of subcortical structures (e.g., caudate nucleus, putamen, thalamus, amygdala, hippocampus) between individuals with and without Tourette syndrome (TS), as well as the relationships between these volumes and tic symptom severity. These volumes may also predict clinical outcome in Provisional Tic Disorder (PTD), but that hypothesis has never been tested.ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine whether the volumes of subcortical structures measured shortly after tic onset can predict tic symptom severity at one year post tic onset, when TS can first be diagnosed.MethodsWe obtained T1-weighted structural MRI scans from 41 children with PTD (25 with prospective motion correction [vNavs]) whose tics had begun less than 9 months (median 3.7 months) prior to the first study visit (baseline). We re-examined them at the 12-month anniversary of their first tic (follow-up), assessing tic severity using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale. We quantified the volumes of subcortical structures using volBrain software.ResultsBaseline hippocampal volume was correlated with tic severity at the 12-month follow-up, with a larger hippocampus at baseline predicting worse tic severity at follow-up. This result was confirmed in the subgroup scanned with prospective motion correction. The volumes of other subcortical structures did not significantly predict tic severity at follow-up.ConclusionThese findings suggest that hippocampal volume may be an important marker in predicting prognosis in Provisional Tic Disorder.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Katherine Fowler

<p>Complex cognitive capacities such as language and “executive function” are difficult to evaluate in neuropsychological populations due to their multifactorial nature. The current study takes a cognitively-motivated core-skills approach to their assessment. Across four investigations, these various capacities are decomposed into simpler core skills based on current cognitive theory. An undifferentiated sample of 28 neurological tumour patients is then assessed on these skills.  In the first study, we assessed the “core skills” underpinning language function at three time points: pre-operative (one day prior to surgery), post-operative (within three days of surgery), and at long-term follow-up (at least three months post-surgery). This approach was sensitive at detecting impairment; indeed, almost half of the patients showed persistent long-term language deficits even at long-term follow-up. The decompositional approach also proved effective at predicting long-term outcomes. Overall, these results suggest that the subtle language deficits may be more common and more persistent than previously estimated in tumour populations.  The second study examined the relationship between “core” language skills and sentence-level language processing at long-term follow up. Whilst there were few significant correlations, the results nonetheless suggest that “core skills” measures may be useful predictors of some aspects of sentence-level processing.  The third study isolated and identified “core” skills that are essential for complex cognitive control more generally, and assessed these in our patient sample at long-term follow-up. Results were broadly supportive of this decompositional approach, and again, our assessments proved highly sensitive at detecting deficits in this patient sample.  The fourth study examined the relationship between language processing and complex cognitive control. Specifically, we examined whether there are systems specially dedicated to the control of language, or whether control functions operate across all domains. Overall, our results were broadly consistent with the domain-specific view - that there may be functionally distinct control systems operating on verbal and nonverbal material.  The results, taken together suggest that a core skills approach to neuropsychological assessment has considerable promise, and is worth exploring further in a large patient sample. This approach may also help extend our understanding of the functional organisation of language, and the broader cognitive skills necessary for linguistic operations.</p>


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