scholarly journals Sensitive periods in cognitive development: A mutualistic perspective

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rogier Kievit
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Developmental Time ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Small Individual ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Sensitive Periods ◽  
Developmental Time Point ◽  
Time Point ◽  
Do So

The theory of mutualism posits that general cognitive ability emerges, at least in part, due to positive reciprocal interaction between distinct cognitive abilities during development. In other words, cognitive abilities at a given developmental time point govern the rate of growth in other cognitive abilities. Moreover, this emerging field of work finds that the strength as well as the nature of these interactions differs during developmental time: In other words, there are sensitive periods when small individual differences may have especially pronounced, long-lasting consequences for cognitive development. Here I review the literature on mutualistic effects, and show how it can shed new light on sensitive periods. I do so by considering sensitive periods as periods where interactions between (cognitive) domains differ in strength and/or in kind.

scholarly journals Cortical Structure and Cognition in Infants and Toddlers

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 786-800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica B Girault ◽  
Emil Cornea ◽  
Barbara D Goldman ◽  
Shaili C Jha ◽  
Veronica A Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Infants And Toddlers ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Cortical Structure ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
Visual Reception

ABSTRACTCortical structure has been consistently related to cognitive abilities in children and adults, yet we know little about how the cortex develops to support emergent cognition in infancy and toddlerhood when cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA) are maturing rapidly. In this report, we assessed how regional and global measures of CT and SA in a sample (N = 487) of healthy neonates, 1-year-olds, and 2-year-olds related to motor, language, visual reception, and general cognitive ability. We report novel findings that thicker cortices at ages 1 and 2 and larger SA at birth, age 1, and age 2 confer a cognitive advantage in infancy and toddlerhood. While several expected brain–cognition relationships were observed, overlapping cortical regions were also implicated across cognitive domains, suggesting that infancy marks a period of plasticity and refinement in cortical structure to support burgeoning motor, language, and cognitive abilities. CT may be a particularly important morphological indicator of ability, but its impact on cognition is relatively weak when compared with gestational age and maternal education. Findings suggest that prenatal and early postnatal cortical developments are important for cognition in infants and toddlers but should be considered in relation to other child and demographic factors.

scholarly journals Physical frailty and decline in general and specific cognitive abilities: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catharine Gale ◽  
Stuart J Ritchie ◽  
John M Starr ◽  
Ian J Deary
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Visuospatial Ability ◽  
Physical Frailty ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Lothian Birth Cohort

BackgroundPhysical frailty is associated with many adverse outcomes including disability, chronic disease, hospitalisation, institutionalisation and death. It is unclear what impact it might have on the rate of normal cognitive ageing. We investigated whether physical frailty was related to initial level of, and change in, cognitive abilities from age 70 to 79 years.MethodParticipants were 950 members of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. Physical frailty was assessed at age 70 years using the Fried criteria. Cognitive function was assessed at ages 70, 73, 76 and 79 years. We used linear regression to examine cross-sectional and prospective associations between physical frailty status at age 70 years and factor score estimates for baseline level of and change in four cognitive domains (visuospatial ability, memory, processing speed and crystallised ability) and in general cognitive ability.ResultsPhysical frailty, but not prefrailty, was associated with lower baseline levels of visuospatial ability, memory, processing speed and general cognitive ability after control for age, sex, education, depressive symptoms, smoking and number of chronic illnesses. Physical frailty was associated with greater decline in each cognitive domain: age-adjusted and sex-adjusted standardised regression coefficients (95% CIs) were: −0.45 (−0.70 to –0.20) for visuospatial ability, −0.32 (−0.56 to –0.07) for memory, −0.47 (−0.72 to −0.22) for processing speed, −0.43 (−0.68 to –0.18) for crystallised ability and −0.45 (−0.70 to –0.21) for general cognitive ability. These associations were only slightly attenuated after additional control for other covariates.ConclusionPhysical frailty may be an important indicator of age-related decline across multiple cognitive domains.

scholarly journals Mutualistic Coupling Between Vocabulary and Reasoning Supports Cognitive Development During Late Adolescence and Early Adulthood

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 1419-1431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rogier A. Kievit ◽  
Ulman Lindenberger ◽  
Ian M. Goodyer ◽  
Peter B. Jones ◽  
Peter Fonagy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Change Score ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Investment Theory ◽  
Mutualism Model ◽  
Matrix Reasoning ◽  
Age Range

One of the most replicable findings in psychology is the positive manifold: the observation that individual differences in cognitive abilities are universally positively correlated. Investigating the developmental origin of the positive manifold is crucial to understanding it. In a large longitudinal cohort of adolescents and young adults ( N = 784; n = 563 across two waves, mean interval between waves = 1.48 years; age range = 14–25 years), we examined developmental changes in two core cognitive domains, fluid reasoning and vocabulary. We used bivariate latent change score models to compare three leading accounts of cognitive development: g-factor theory, investment theory, and mutualism. We showed that a mutualism model, which proposes that basic cognitive abilities directly and positively interact during development, provides the best account of developmental changes. We found that individuals with higher scores in vocabulary showed greater gains in matrix reasoning and vice versa. These dynamic coupling pathways are not predicted by other accounts and provide a novel mechanistic window into cognitive development.

scholarly journals Physical frailty and decline in general and specific cognitive abilities: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catharine R Gale ◽  
Stuart James Ritchie ◽  
Ian Deary
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Visuospatial Ability ◽  
Physical Frailty ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Lothian Birth Cohort

Background: Physical frailty is associated with many adverse outcomes including disability, chronic disease, hospitalization, institutionalization and death. It is unclear what impact it might have on the rate of normal cognitive ageing. We investigated whether physical frailty was related to initial level of, and change in, cognitive abilities from age 70 to 79 years. Method: Participants were 950 members of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. Physical frailty was assessed at age 70 using the Fried criteria. Cognitive function was assessed at ages 70, 73, 76 and 79. We used linear regression to examine the associations between physical frailty status at age 70 and factor score estimates for baseline level of and change in four cognitive domains (visuospatial ability, memory, processing speed, and crystallized ability) and in general cognitive ability.Results: Physical frailty, but not pre-frailty, was associated with lower baseline levels of visuospatial ability, memory, processing speed, and general cognitive ability after control for age, sex, education, depressive symptoms, smoking, and number of chronic illnesses. Physical frailty was associated with greater decline in each cognitive domain: age- and sex-adjusted standardized regression coefficients (95% confidence intervals) were: -0.45 (-0.70, -0.20) for visuospatial ability, -0.32 (-0.56, -0.07) for memory, -0.47 (-0.72, -0.22) for processing speed, -0.43 (-0.68, -0.18) for crystallized ability, and -0.45 (-0.70, -0.21) for general cognitive ability. Further adjustment for the other covariates had only modest attenuating effects on these associations and they remained significant.Conclusion: Physical frailty may be an important indicator of age-related decline across multiple cognitive domains.

scholarly journals Using Interleaved Stimulation to Measure the Size and Selectivity of the Sustained Phase-Locked Neural Response to Cochlear Implant Stimulation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Carlyon ◽  
François Guérit ◽  
John M. Deeks ◽  
Andrew Harland ◽  
Robin Gransier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Group Delay ◽  
Acoustic Stimulation ◽  
Neural Response ◽  
Clinical Applications ◽  
Pulse Trains ◽  
Charge Integration ◽  
Recording Electrodes ◽  
Time Point ◽  
Do So

AbstractWe measured the sustained neural response to electrical stimulation by a cochlear implant (CI). To do so, we interleaved two stimuli with frequencies F1 and F2 Hz and recorded a neural distortion response (NDR) at F2-F1 Hz. We show that, because any one time point contains only the F1 or F2 stimulus, the instantaneous nonlinearities typical of electrical artefact should not produce distortion at this frequency. However, if the stimulus is smoothed, such as by charge integration at the nerve membrane, subsequent (neural) nonlinearities can produce a component at F2-F1 Hz. We stimulated a single CI electrode with interleaved sinusoids or interleaved amplitude-modulated pulse trains such that F2 = 1.5F1, and found no evidence for an NDR when F2-F1 was between 90 and 120 Hz. However, interleaved amplitude-modulated pulse trains with F2-F1~40 Hz revealed a substantial NDR with a group delay of about 45 ms, consistent with a thalamic and/or cortical response. The NDR could be measured even from recording electrodes adjacent to the implant and at the highest pulse rates (> 4000 pps) used clinically. We then measured the selectivity of this sustained response by presenting F1 and F2 to different electrodes and at different between-electrode distances. This revealed a broad tuning that, we argue, reflects the overlap between the excitation elicited by the two electrodes. Our results also provide a glimpse of the neural nonlinearity in the auditory system, unaffected by the biomechanical cochlear nonlinearities that accompany acoustic stimulation. Several potential clinical applications of our findings are discussed.

Longitudinal Consistency of the Relationship Between Depression Symptoms and Cognitive Functioning in Multiple Sclerosis

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 372-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Arnett
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Cognitive Dysfunction ◽  
Symptom Clusters ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Depression Symptom ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Mood Scale ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Time Point

AbstractBackground: Lifetime prevalence rates of cognitive dysfunction and depression in multiple sclerosis (MS) have typically been reported to be ∼50%. However, an inconsistent relationship between these two common features of MS has been reported in the literature. Because neurovegetative depression symptoms overlap with MS symptoms, it may be that literature inconsistencies can partly be explained by the fact that only those depression symptom clusters unambiguously reflective of depression are associated with cognitive dysfunction.Objective: To explore the relationship between different depression symptom clusters and a battery of tests measuring cognitive domains commonly impaired in MS and was examined at two time points 3 years apart.Methods: The Chicago Multiscale Depression Inventory was employed to measure mood, negative evaluative, and neurovegetative symptom clusters in 53 MS patients who were also administered a battery of neuropsychological tests.Results: At time point 1, Mood and Evaluative Chicago Multiscale Depression Inventory scales were significantly associated with tasks of complex speeded attention, planning, and working memory. At time point 2, the Evaluative scale was still significantly associated with these domains, in addition to spatial memory; however, all of the significant correlations with the Mood scale dropped out.Conclusion: These results show that negative evaluative depression symptoms are most consistently predictive of cognitive dysfunction in MS. It may be that negative evaluative depression symptoms use up available cognitive capacity, thus compromising performance on cognitive capacity demanding tasks in MS patients.

scholarly journals Meta-analysis of epigenome-wide associations between DNA methylation at birth and childhood cognitive skills

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doretta Caramaschi ◽  
Alexander Neumann ◽  
Andres Cardenas ◽  
Gwen Tindula ◽  
Silvia Alemany ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Cord Blood ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Wide Range

ABSTRACTCognitive skills are a strong predictor of a wide range of later life outcomes. Genetic and epigenetic associations across the genome explain some of the variation in general cognitive abilities in the general population and it is plausible that epigenetic associations might arise from prenatal environmental exposures and/or genetic variation early in life. We investigated the association between cord blood DNA methylation at birth and cognitive skills assessed in children from eight pregnancy cohorts (N=2196-3798) within the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) Consortium across overall, verbal and non-verbal cognitive scores. The associations at single CpG sites were weak for all of the cognitive domains investigated. One region near DUSP22 on chromosome 6 was associated with non-verbal cognition in a model adjusted for maternal IQ. We conclude that there is little evidence to support the idea that cord blood DNA methylation at single CpGs can predict cognitive skills and further studies are needed to confirm regional differences.

scholarly journals Cognitive Capacity Genomewide Polygenic Scores Identify Individuals Resilient to Cognitive Decline in Aging 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoonjung Yoonie Joo ◽  
Jiook Cha ◽  
Jeremy Freese ◽  
M Geoffrey Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Memory Recall ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Polygenic Scores

Abstract The genetic underpinnings of cognitive resilience in aging remains unknown. Predicting an individual’s rate of cognitive decline—or cognitive resilience—using genetics will allow personalized intervention for cognitive enhancement and optimal selection of target samples in clinical trials. Here, using genome-wide polygenic scores(GPS) as the genomic indicators for variations of human intelligence, we examined the genetic liability of cognitive abilities in the behavioral/cognitive phenome to understand individual differences in cognitive capacity over time. Using the longitudinal sociogenomic data of 8,509 European-ancestry adults between the ages of mid-60s to 70s, we found that a higher cognitive GPS significantly correlated with a slower cognitive decline specifically in memory recall, but not in other cognitive domains. Linear mixed models with cognitive GPSs explained proportions of the variances in cognitive tests up to 60.4%. This study presents the novel genetic protective effects of cognitive ability on the decline of memory recall in aging population.

scholarly journals Repeating the same mistakes: A century of research interested in the effects of bilingualism on non-linguistic cognitive functions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Mattschey
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Intelligence Tests ◽  
Background Factors ◽  
Matched Samples

At the beginning of the 20th Century, researchers became increasingly interested in the effects of bilingualism on cognitive development. With the emergence of the first standardised intelligence tests, it quickly became clear that bilinguals of all ages performed worse on them than their monolingual peers. Bilingualism was subsequently considered to be detrimental to non-verbal cognitive development. In these early studies, poorly matched samples of bilinguals and monolinguals repeatedly produced results suggesting adverse effects of bilingualism on non-linguistic cognitive functions due to unrelated background factors and/or unsuitable tests. This interest in how bilingualism affects non-linguistic cognitive abilities has continued through time, reflecting trends in psychological research. Researcher addressed its effect on meta-cognition and meta-linguistics in the 1970s and 1980s, before the focus shifted towards executive functioning in the 1990s. However, recent research suggests we may be repeating the same mistakes: poorly matched groups, no accounting for background factors, and inappropriate tasks.

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