Comparison of Theta Beta Ratio in children with Attention deficit/hyperactive disorder and specific Learning Disorder during active EEG

Introduction: Theta-Beta Ratio (TBR) has been claimed as a biomarker to diagnose Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, the effectiveness of this index to differentiate between different groups of disorders is still under discussion. The primary purpose was to determine to what extent active TRB can differentiate between children with ADHD and specific Learning Disorder (sLD) as the most common comorbid disorder. Methods: Two groups of school-aged children with sLD (N=15) and ADHD (N=15) were diagnosed through a process of clinical interview and observation. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded in both groups during active condition. The implemented cognitive task was the visual continuous performance task (VCPT). TBR in sites of CZ and Fz, and cognitive measures of VCPT were calculated in the aforementioned groups. Results: There was no significant differences in cognitive measures (containing Commission, Omission, Reaction Time, and Variability of Reaction Times) shown in two matched groups of children with sLD and ADHD. According to TBR, two groups demonstrated no significant results in comparison. Conclusion: TBR cannot be considered as a reliable biomarker to differentiate between those groups of psychological disorders that contain primary cognitive deficits and require the allocation of attention and working memory loads.

Advances and Problems in Preclinical Models for Childhood Cancer

Microblogging today has gotten an acclaimed specific instrument amongNeuroblastoma is a sympathetic nervous system disease in children and is themost prevalent solid tumor in childhood, accounting for 15% of all pediatriconcology deaths. Nearly 80% of patients with this clinically active condition donot react to current treatments in the long run. The precise portrayal of tumorbiology and diversity is the key obstacle in the discovery and evaluation ofnovel agents for pediatric drug growth. In addition to this restriction, the lowprevalence of neuroblastoma renders it difficult to enroll qualifying patientsfor early phase clinical trials, emphasizing the importance of thoroughpreclinical studies to ensure that the right drugs are chosen. To address theseissues, researchers need new preclinical models, technologies, and principles.Tissue engineering provides appealing methods for developing threedimensional(3D) cell models utilizing different biomaterials andmanufacturing techniques that replicate the geometry, dynamics,heterogeneity, metabolic gradients, and cell connectivity of the native tumormicroenvironment. We address existing laboratory models and evaluate theirability to reflect the systemic organization and physiological conditions of thehuman body, as well as current and emerging strategies to recapitulate thetumor niche utilizing tissue-engineered platforms in this study. Finally, we'lltalk about how innovative 3Din vitroculture systems might be used to answerunanswered questions in neuroblastoma biology.

Neural signatures of vigilance decrements predict behavioural errors before they occur

There are many monitoring environments, such as railway control, in which lapses of attention can have tragic consequences. Problematically, sustained monitoring for rare targets is difficult, with more misses and longer reaction times over time. What changes in the brain underpin these ‘vigilance decrements’? We designed a multiple-object monitoring (MOM) paradigm to examine how the neural representation of information varied with target frequency and time performing the task. Behavioural performance decreased over time for the rare target (monitoring) condition, but not for a frequent target (active) condition. This was mirrored in neural decoding using magnetoencephalography: coding of critical information declined more during monitoring versus active conditions along the experiment. We developed new analyses that can predict behavioural errors from the neural data more than a second before they occurred. This facilitates pre-empting behavioural errors due to lapses in attention and provides new insight into the neural correlates of vigilance decrements.

Increased functional connectivity of the intraparietal sulcus underlies the attenuation of numerosity estimations for self-generated words

ABSTRACTPrevious studies have shown that self-generated stimuli in auditory, visual, and somatosensory domains are attenuated, producing decreased behavioral and neural responses compared to the same stimuli that are externally generated. Yet, whether such attenuation also occurs for higher-level cognitive functions beyond sensorimotor processing remains unknown. In this study, we assessed whether cognitive functions such as numerosity estimations are subject to attenuation. We designed a task allowing the controlled comparison of numerosity estimations for self (active condition) and externally (passive condition) generated words. Our behavioral results showed a larger underestimation of self-compared to externally-generated words, suggesting that numerosity estimations for self-generated words are attenuated. Moreover, the linear relationship between the reported and actual number of words was stronger for self-generated words, although the ability to track errors about numerosity estimations was similar across conditions. Neuroimaging results revealed that numerosity underestimation involved increased functional connectivity between the right intraparietal sulcus and an extended network (bilateral supplementary motor area, left inferior parietal lobule and left superior temporal gyrus) when estimating the number of self vs. externally generated words. We interpret our results in light of two models of attenuation and discuss their perceptual versus cognitive origins.

Word learning from a tablet app: Toddlers perform better in a passive context

In recent years, the popularity of tablets has skyrocketed and there has been an explosive growth in apps designed for children. Howhever, many of these apps are released without tests for their effectiveness. This is worrying given that the factors influencing children’s learning from touchscreen devices need to be examined in detail. In particular, it has been suggested that children learn less from passive video viewing relative to equivalent live interaction, which would have implications for learning from such digital tools. However, this so-called video deficit may be reduced by allowing children greater influence over their learning environment. Across two touchscreen-based experiments, we examined whether 2- to 4-year-olds benefit from actively choosing what to learn more about in a digital word learning task. We designed a tablet study in which “active” participants were allowed to choose which objects they were taught the label of, while yoked “passive” participants were presented with the objects chosen by their active peers. We then examined recognition of the learned associations across different tasks. In Experiment 1, children in the passive condition outperformed those in the active condition (n = 130). While Experiment 2 replicated these findings in a new group of Malay-speaking children (n = 32), there were no differences in children’s learning or recognition of the novel word-object associations using a more implicit looking time measure. These results suggest that there may be performance costs associated with active tasks designed as in the current study, and at the very least, there may not always be systematic benefits associated with active learning in touchscreen-based word learning tasks. The current studies add to the evidence that educational apps need to be evaluated before release: While children might benefit from interactive apps under certain conditions, task design and requirements need to consider factors that may detract from successful performance.

Considering a Meso-Ergonomic Factor: Can Accountability Reduce Errors?

Accountability is an ill-defined and underexplored concept in job design, particularly in highly proceduralized environments that must operate under both high throughput and high-security expectations. Using x-ray images from the Airport Scanner game, this paper investigates two mechanisms of accountability: an active condition, and a passive condition. Each group was shown a list of prohibited items, but different feedback was provided. The active group was asked to be vigilant for any possible threat, whereas the passive group was instructed to stick to the list. Data from 76 participants were collected. The active group took longer (+16%) to process fewer (-10%) x-ray images compared to the passive group. As a result, the active group accomplished fewer hits (-14%), but also fewer misses (-31%) compared to the other group. While the active group worked slower, they provided higher quality performance. We conclude that accountability mechanisms can reduce errors if applied appropriately.

Cooking as a Health Behavior: Examining the Role of Cooking Classes in a Weight Loss Intervention

Americans are cooking fewer meals at home and eating more convenience foods prepared elsewhere. Cooking at home is associated with higher quality diets, while a reduction in cooking may be associated with increases in obesity and risk factors for chronic disease. The aims of this study were to examine cooking as an intervention for weight control in overweight and obese adults, and whether such an intervention increases participants’ food agency and diet quality. Overweight and obese adults were randomized into one of two intervention conditions: active or demonstration. Both conditions received the same 24-week behavioral weight loss intervention, and bi-weekly cooking classes. The active condition prepared a weekly meal during a hands-on lesson, while the demonstration condition observed a chef prepare the same meal. The active condition lost significantly more weight at six months compared with the demonstration condition (7.3% vs. 4.5%). Both conditions saw significant improvements in food agency scores and Healthy Eating Index scores, though no significant differences were noted between groups. The addition of active cooking to a weight management intervention may improve weight loss outcomes, though benefits in diet quality and cooking behaviors may also be seen with the addition of a demonstration-only cooking intervention.

Ongoing Electroencephalographic Rhythms Related to Exploratory Movements in Transgenic TASTPM Mice

Background: The European PharmaCog study (http://www.pharmacog.org) has reported a reduction in delta (1–6 Hz) electroencephalographic (EEG) power (density) during cage exploration (active condition) compared with quiet wakefulness (passive condition) in PDAPP mice (hAPP Indiana V717F mutation) modeling Alzheimer’s disease (AD) amyloidosis and cognitive deficits. Objective: Here, we tested the reproducibility of that evidence in TASTPM mice (double mutation in APP KM670/671NL and PSEN1 M146V), which develop brain amyloidosis and cognitive deficits over aging. The reliability of that evidence was examined in four research centers of the PharmaCog study. Methods: Ongoing EEG rhythms were recorded from a frontoparietal bipolar channel in 29 TASTPM and 58 matched “wild type” C57 mice (range of age: 12–24 months). Normalized EEG power was calculated. Frequency and amplitude of individual delta and theta frequency (IDF and ITF) peaks were considered during the passive and active conditions. Results: Compared with the “wild type” group, the TASTPM group showed a significantly lower reduction in IDF power during the active over the passive condition (p < 0.05). This effect was observed in 3 out of 4 EEG recording units. Conclusion: TASTPM mice were characterized by “poor reactivity” of delta EEG rhythms during the cage exploration in line with previous evidence in PDAPP mice. The reliability of that result across the centers was moderate, thus unveiling pros and cons of multicenter preclinical EEG trials in TASTPM mice useful for planning future studies.

Rhythmic Synchrony with Artificial Agents and Its Effects on Frequency of Visual Illusions Seen in White Noise

Rhythmic synchrony among different individuals has often been observed in various religious rituals and it has been known to bring various psychological effects in human minds. This study investigated the effects of induced rhythmic synchrony with artificial agents in drumming on participants’ visual illusions. The participants completed a task with three cartoon agents on a computer screen beating drums taking turns. We then investigated whether participants were tended to find more meaningful shapes in displayed random dots (pareidolia) when rhythms of intervals between each agents’ drumbeats were in-sync rather than out-of-sync. We simultaneously compared an active condition, in which participants took the role as one of three agents to beat a drum, with a passive condition, in which they only observed three agents beating the drums. The results showed that pareidolia appeared strongly in participants where the drum rhythm was in sync, regardless of active and passive conditions.

LONG AND VERY LONG FATTY ACID FRACTIONATION IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS IN THE ACTIVE AND INACTIVE STATUS

Objective: Flare in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an exacerbation of SLE clinical features that were earlier quiescent. The disease activity changes from inactive to active with an increase of several immunological profiles; the rise of immune activity induces a metabolic shift in SLE patients. The previous study aimed to investigate the long and very long fatty acid fractions (LCFA and VLCFA) in the active and inactive statuses of SLE patients and showed there were dynamic changes in fatty acid fractions in SLE patients, compared to healthy subjects. The aim of this preliminary study is to investigate LCFA and VLCFA in the active and inactive condition of SLE patients. Methods: Four serum samples of active and inactive statuses from the same SLE patients were used in this study. Serum LCFA and VLCFA fractions were analyzed by a 7890 Gas Chromatography (GC) System 5977 Mass Selective Detector (MSD). Results: All of the LCFA and VLCFA fractions were increased in the active condition, compared to SLE patients in inactive, although they were statistically not different (p>0.05). The total fatty acid fraction was 38% higher in active condition compare to inactive. The prominent increase of fatty acid fractions was alpha-linolenic acid (inactive vs. active: 23.25±17.97 vs 48.25±38.58 μmol/l), oleic acid (1300±190.4 vs 1774±866.3 μmol/l) and myristic acid (31.25±12.76 vs 59.25±40.4 μmol/l). Conclusion: The serum of LCFA and VLCFA fractions in SLE patients tend to increase in active conditions.