Feasibility of Behavior Change Techniques to Increase Parent Involvement in STEM ?with Young Children Experiencing Poverty

Broadening participation in early, informal STEM is important for families experiencing poverty. We explored the feasibility of the Teaching Together STEM preschool program for increasing home-based parent involvement and reducing barriers to informal STEM learning with 181 families at schools where 92% of students received free/reduced lunch. The core treatment included family engagement events and text messages; STEM events were delivered at school sites by museum-based informal science educators. We randomly assigned schools to business-as-usual or one of three additive treatment groups to evaluate adult behavior change techniques of adding materials and parent rewards to the core treatment. The primary outcome was parent involvement in STEM. There were no significant impacts of any treatment on home-based parent involvement in STEM; however, the groups that included take-home activity kits along with family education events/resources were the most promising way to get focal parents involved in doing science and math with their young child. Interestingly, the most intensive treatment group that added parent monetary rewards produced short-term improvements in parent involvement that faded at a later follow-up timepoint. We discuss the relative effects of different behavior change techniques and uptake of components, as this has implications for family engagement programs that aim to ensure equity when many parents have competing demands on their time.

Patterns of psychopathology and cognition in sex chromosome aneuploidy

Background Sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) are a collectively common family of genetic disorders that increase the risk for neuropsychiatric and cognitive impairment. Beyond being important medical disorders in their own right, SCAs also offer a unique naturally occurring model for studying X- and Y-chromosome influences on the human brain. However, it remains unclear if (i) different SCAs are associated with different profiles of psychopathology and (ii) the notable interindividual variation in psychopathology is related to co-occurring variation in cognitive ability. Methods We examined scores for 11 dimensions of psychopathology [Child/Adult Behavior Checklist (CBCL)] and general cognitive ability [full-scale IQ (FSIQ) from Wechsler tests] in 110 youth with varying SCAs (XXY = 41, XYY = 22, XXX = 27, XXYY = 20) and 131 typically developing controls (XX = 59, XY = 72). Results All SCAs were associated with elevated CBCL scores across several dimensions of psychopathology (two-sample t tests comparing the euploidic and aneuploidic groups [all |T| > 9, and p < 0.001]). Social and attentional functioning were particularly sensitive to the carriage of a supernumerary Y-chromosome. In particular, the XYY group evidenced significantly more social problems than both extra-X groups (Cohen’s d effect size > 0.5, Bonferroni corrected p < .05). There was marked variability in CBCL scores within each SCA group, which generally correlated negatively with IQ, but most strongly so for social and attentional difficulties (standardized β, − 0.3). These correlations showed subtle differences as a function of the SCA group and CBCL scale. Conclusions There is domain-specific variation in psychopathology across SCA groups and domain-specific correlation between psychopathology and IQ within SCAs. These findings (i) help to tailor clinical assessment of this common and impactful family of genetic disorders and (ii) suggest that dosage abnormalities of X- and Y-linked genes impart somewhat distinct profiles of neuropsychiatric risk.

Behavior Individuality: A Focus on Drosophila melanogaster

Among individuals, behavioral differences result from the well-known interplay of nature and nurture. Minute differences in the genetic code can lead to differential gene expression and function, dramatically affecting developmental processes and adult behavior. Environmental factors, epigenetic modifications, and gene expression and function are responsible for generating stochastic behaviors. In the last decade, the advent of high-throughput sequencing has facilitated studying the genetic basis of behavior and individuality. We can now study the genomes of multiple individuals and infer which genetic variations might be responsible for the observed behavior. In addition, the development of high-throughput behavioral paradigms, where multiple isogenic animals can be analyzed in various environmental conditions, has again facilitated the study of the influence of genetic and environmental variations in animal personality. Mainly, Drosophila melanogaster has been the focus of a great effort to understand how inter-individual behavioral differences emerge. The possibility of using large numbers of animals, isogenic populations, and the possibility of modifying neuronal function has made it an ideal model to search for the origins of individuality. In the present review, we will focus on the recent findings that try to shed light on the emergence of individuality with a particular interest in D. melanogaster.

KLC4 shapes axon arbors during development and mediates adult behavior

Development of elaborate and polarized neuronal morphology requires precisely regulated transport of cellular cargos by motor proteins such as kinesin-1. Kinesin-1 has numerous cellular cargos which must be delivered to unique neuronal compartments. The process by which this motor selectively transports and delivers cargo to regulate neuronal morphogenesis is poorly understood. Our work implicates one kinesin light chain subunit, KLC4, as an essential regulator of axon branching and arborization pattern of sensory neurons during development. Using several live imaging approaches in klc4 mutant zebrafish, we show that KLC4 is required for stabilization of nascent axon branches and for proper microtubule (MT) dynamics. Furthermore, KLC4 is required for the contact repulsion necessary for tiling of peripheral axon arbors: in klc4 mutants, peripheral axons showed abnormal fasciculation, a behavior characteristic of central axons, suggesting that KLC4 patterns axonal compartments and helps define axon identity. Finally, we find that klc4 mutant adults show anxiety-like behavior in a novel tank test, implicating klc4 as a novel gene involved in stress response circuits.

Age-friendly as Tranquilo Ambiente: How Socio-Cultural Perspectives Shape the Lived Environment of Latinx Older Adults

Background and Objectives Researchers have increasingly considered the importance of age-friendly communities to improve the health and well-being of older adults. Studies have primarily focused on the built environment, such as community infrastructure, older adult behavior, and environmental expectations. Less is known about the role of cultural characteristics in shaping perceptions of age-friendly environments, especially among racial and ethnic minorities. Research Design and Methods Using an ethnographic methodological approach, including participant observation in a Latinx community near New York City and 72 semi-structured interviews, this study examines how older Latinxs characterize age-friendly communities. Results Latinx older adults described their community as age-friendly by way of the concept Tranquilo Ambiente, translated as calm or peaceful environment. More specifically, TA includes: 1) a sense of perceived personal safety, 2) ethnic and social connectedness, and 3) spatial and cultural accessibility. Discussion and Implications This study extends prior research that has largely considered structural or economic components to show how culture may also influence the well-being of older Latinxs, even if living in an under-resourced area. The concept of Tranquilo Ambiente demonstrates that both structural and cultural environmental factors influence older Latinxs understandings of age-friendly communities. By utilizing a socio-cultural lens, this research highlights how Latinx older adults benefit from an environment that supports their physical (e.g., well-lit and newly paved streets), social (e.g., city hall senior center), and cultural (e.g., events and programs that promote cultural heritage) needs.

Sleep, Behavior, and Adaptive Function in KAT6A Syndrome

KAT6A syndrome is a Mendelian Disorder of the Epigenetic Machinery characterized by intellectual disability and profound expressive language impairment. This study aimed to further characterize behavior and sleep in this syndrome. 26 participants between the ages of 3 and 35 years with KAT6A syndrome were assessed via parental informant using the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System version 3 (ABAS-3), Achenbach Child or Adult Behavior Checklist (CBCL/ABCL), and a Modified Simonds and Parraga Sleep Questionnaire (MSPSQ). The ABAS reports conceptual, social, and practical domains of adaptive function as well as a general composite score for adaptive function. The CBCL/ABCL is an inventory that measures internalizing, externalizing, and DSM-oriented problem domains. The MSPSQ is a mix of qualitative and quantitative sleep information that includes behavioral and medical sleep problems. Mean values for all domains of the ABAS-3 were in the extremely low range. Additionally, sleep was very dysfunctional in this cohort. Sixty percent of respondents reported feeling there was a sleep problem, 64% take medication for sleep, and 68% have sought treatment or advice for sleep. Only 12% of these participants have sleep apnea suggesting that sleep problems in this disorder are unrelated to sleep-disordered breathing. Interestingly, there were extremely low rates of all types of behaviors reported among participants on the CBCL/ABCL. No significant differences were seen based on genotype grouping in adaptive function, sleep, or behavior. This study further delineates the phenotype of the KAT6A syndrome and emphasizes the need for supports for adaptive functioning as well as detailed attention to the behavioral aspects of sleep in this condition.

The Application of the Adult Self-Report and the Adult Behavior Checklist Form to Chinese Adults: Syndrome Structure, Inter-Informant Agreement, and Cultural Comparison

Given the global public health burden of mental illness, there is a critical need for culturally validated psychopathology assessment tools that perform well in diverse societies. This study examines the psychometric properties of the Adult Self-Report (ASR) and Adult Behavioral Checklist (ABCL) from the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessments in adults in China. Chinese adults (N = 1276) and their spouses completed the ASR and ABCL, respectively. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis on 99 ASR items and 93 ABCL items. Estimators of model fit confirmed that both measures demonstrated excellent fit (e.g., root mean square error of approximation = 0.016 and 0.018, respectively). Syndrome loadings on both measures were satisfactory but generally higher on the ASR. Neither gender nor education had significant effects, but there were informant x gender effects on most problem scales. Cross-informant agreement correlations between the ASR and ABCL were medium to large. Findings from this novel sample of Chinese adults are consistent with previous validation studies supporting the dimensionality, syndrome structure, gender differences, and inter-informant agreement of the ASR and ABCL. Our findings contribute to the cross-cultural understanding of mental health assessment and offer a psychometrically sound approach to measuring adult psychopathology in Chinese populations.

Infant inhibited temperament in primates predicts adult behavior, is heritable, and is associated with anxiety-relevant genetic variation

An anxious or inhibited temperament (IT) early in life is a major risk factor for the later development of stress-related psychopathology. Starting in infancy, nonhuman primates, like humans, begin to reveal their temperament when exposed to novel situations. Here, in Study 1 we demonstrate this infant IT predicts adult behavior. Specifically, in over 600 monkeys, we found that individuals scored as inhibited during infancy were more likely to refuse treats offered by potentially-threatening human experimenters as adults. In Study 2, using a sample of over 4000 monkeys from a large multi-generational family pedigree, we demonstrate that infant IT is partially heritable. The data revealed infant IT to reflect a co-inherited substrate that manifests across multiple latent variables. Finally, in Study 3 we performed whole-genome sequencing in 106 monkeys to identify IT-associated single-nucleotide variations (SNVs). Results demonstrated a genome-wide significant SNV near CTNNA2, suggesting a molecular target worthy of additional investigation. Moreover, we observed lower p values in genes implicated in human association studies of neuroticism and depression. Together, these data demonstrate the utility of our model of infant inhibited temperament in the rhesus monkey to facilitate discovery of genes that are relevant to the long-term inherited risk to develop anxiety and depressive disorders.