•Early life adversities can have a substantial impact on the developing brain.•These neural alterations might embed latent vulnerability to psychopathologies.•Convergence was found in the superior ...frontal gyrus in healthy subjects.•Convergence in the amygdala and in the precuneus were found for emotion and memory.•Postnatal early adversities showed convergence in the amygdala and the putamen.
The detrimental impact of early life adversities (ELAs; entailing pre- and postnatal experiences) on the developing brain has been well established. By inducing neural alterations underlying critical human socio-cognitive functions, ELAs may embed latent vulnerability to psychopathologies. However, single neuroimaging studies report conflicting results. Therefore, this coordinate-based meta-analysis aims to identify convergent functional alterations following ELAs. Electronic databases were searched for relevant articles (2001 to June 2019), retrieving 68 eligible studies containing 3685 unique participants. The activation likelihood estimation algorithm was used for analyses according to best-practice guidelines. Whereas pooled analyses did not yield any findings, further homogenizing the experiments revealed significant functional alterations in the left superior frontal gyrus in healthy subjects, left centromedial amygdala during emotion processing, left precuneus during memory processing and left centromedial amygdala and putamen when analyzing the impact of postnatal experiences. These results support the current consensus in the field of environmental imaging: ELAs might exert their effects through systematically altering critical neurocognitive systems and enhance one’s vulnerability to future mental health problems.
•The event-related visual occipito-temporal N700 component is sensitive to stimulus probabilities.•Visual P1, N1, N700, but not P3, showed larger amplitudes to rare than frequently presented ...letters.•N700 sensitivity to probabilities might reflect an orienting response on the level of visual cortex.
To examine whether the occipito-temporal visual N700 component of the event-related potential is sensitive to stimulus probabilities.
P1, N1, P3, and, in particular, the occipito-temporal N700 component of the event-related potential were analysed in response to frequent and rare non-target letters of a continuous performance task in 200 healthy adolescents. Additionally, amplitude habituation with time was examined for the occipito-temporal N700 and N1 components.
The visual P1, N1, and occipito-temporal N700 components were significantly larger in response to rare letters than to frequent letters, whereas the P3 component demonstrated no amplitude difference. Over time, the occipito-temporal N700 amplitude decreased in response to the rare letters, while the N1 amplitude increased, to both, frequent and rare letters.
This study provides first evidence that the visual occipito-temporal N700 is sensitive to stimulus probabilities, suggesting an enhanced post-processing of rare stimuli in secondary visual areas. The distinct habituation patterns of occipito-temporal N700 and N1 amplitudes distinguish repetition effects on stimulus post-processing (N700) from those on perception (N1).
The enhanced N700 component to rare stimuli might reflect an orienting response and underlying attentional processes. The N700 sensitivity to stimulus probabilities should be examined in patient groups with attentional deficits.
Prevalences for mental disorders within minor refugees are comparatively high and heterogeneous. To reduce heterogeneity and identify high-risk subgroups, we compared unaccompanied refugee minors ...(URM) to accompanied refugee minors (ARM) regarding depressive symptoms and mental distress. Furthermore, we examined associative factors of mental distress in URM on a broad scale. We conducted a survey with a cross-sectional design in four German University hospitals. The sample consisted of
n
= 172 URM and
n
= 52 ARM aged 14–21. Depressive symptoms were assessed via the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Mental distress was assessed by the Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15). Mann–Whitney test was used to examine differences between URM and ARM. Associated factors of mental distress were evaluated via a stepwise multiple regression analysis. URM showed significantly higher mean scores for PHQ-9 (
p
< .001) and RHS-15 (
p
< .001) compared to ARM indicating medium effect sizes. Furthermore, URM were significantly more likely to surpass the cut-off for depression (61.6% vs. 30.8%) and overall mental distress (81.4% vs. 53.8%) compared to ARM. The factors
Number of stressful life events (SLE), Female gender
, and
Fear of deportation
were found to be associated with an increased mental distress in URM, whereas
Weekly contact to a family member, School attendance,
and
German language skills
were accompanied with lower distress scores. All six factors accounted for 32% of the variance of mental distress in URM (
p
< .001). Within minor refugees, URM are a highly vulnerable subgroup, which should receive particular attention and more targeted measures by health authorities. Our results indicate that these measures should comprise a rapid promotion of family contact, school attendance, language acquisition, and the fast processing of asylum applications. However, the cross-sectional design limits the interpretability of the results.
Introduction
Childhood adversities have been associated with long-lasting brain morphological differences and poor psychological outcomes over the lifespan. Evidence with regard to protective factors ...counteracting the detrimental effect of childhood adversity on neurobiology is scarce.
Objectives
Therefore, we examined the interplay of childhood adversity with multiple protective factors in relation to brain morphology in a child and an adult cohort.
Methods
We analyzed data from two epidemiological longitudinal birth cohorts, the Generation R Study (N=3,008) and the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk (MARS) (N=179). Cumulative exposure to 12 adverse events (such as physical and sexual abuse), and the presence of protective factors, including child temperament, cognition, self-esteem, friendship quality and maternal sensitivity were assessed at different time points during childhood. Anatomical scans were acquired at the ages of 9-11 years in Generation R and at 25 years in MARS.
Results
Childhood adversity was related to smaller global brain volumes in Generation R, with similar effect sizes observed for the cerebellar volume in MARS. While small interaction effects between adversity and protective factors were found on the medial orbitofrontal cortex, the cerebellum and the amygdala in either cohort study, no interactions were consistent across cohorts or survived correction for multiple comparisons.
Conclusions
We found no consistent or strong evidence for interaction effects between multiple protective factors and childhood adversities on brain structure in a child and an adult cohort study. Instead, small interaction effects were found in either children or adults warranting further investigation and more fine-grained analyses.
Disclosure
TB:consultancy for Actelion, Hexal Pharma, Lilly, Lundbeck, Medice, Novartis, Shire; conference support by Lilly, Medice, Novartis, Shire; clinical trials by Shire and Viforpharma; royalties by Hogrefe, Kohlhammer, CIP Medien, Oxford University Press
A fundamental function of the brain is to evaluate the emotional and motivational significance of stimuli and to adapt behaviour accordingly. The IMAGEN study is the first multicentre ...genetic-neuroimaging study aimed at identifying the genetic and neurobiological basis of individual variability in impulsivity, reinforcer sensitivity and emotional reactivity, and determining their predictive value for the development of frequent psychiatric disorders. Comprehensive behavioural and neuropsychological characterization, functional and structural neuroimaging and genome-wide association analyses of 2000 14-year-old adolescents are combined with functional genetics in animal and human models. Results will be validated in 1000 adolescents from the Canadian Saguenay Youth Study. The sample will be followed up longitudinally at the age of 16 years to investigate the predictive value of genetics and intermediate phenotypes for the development of frequent psychiatric disorders. This review describes the strategies the IMAGEN consortium used to meet the challenges posed by large-scale multicentre imaging-genomics investigations. We provide detailed methods and Standard Operating Procedures that we hope will be helpful for the design of future studies. These include standardization of the clinical, psychometric and neuroimaging-acquisition protocols, development of a central database for efficient analyses of large multimodal data sets and new analytic approaches to large-scale genetic neuroimaging analyses.
This meta-analysis investigated the effects of computerized cognitive training (CCT) on clinical, neuropsychological and academic outcomes in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ...(ADHD). The authors searched PubMed, Ovid, and Web of Science until 19th January 2022 for parallel-arm randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using CCT in individuals with ADHD. Random-effects meta-analyses pooled standardized mean differences (SMD) between CCT and comparator arms. RCT quality was assessed with the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool (PROSPERO: CRD42021229279). Thirty-six RCTs were meta-analysed, 17 of which evaluated working memory training (WMT). Analysis of outcomes measured immediately post-treatment and judged to be "probably blinded" (PBLIND; trial n = 14) showed no effect on ADHD total (SMD = 0.12, 95%CI-0.01 to -0.25) or hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms (SMD = 0.12, 95%-0.03 to-0.28). These findings remained when analyses were restricted to trials (n: 5-13) with children/adolescents, low medication exposure, semi-active controls, or WMT or multiple process training. There was a small improvement in inattention symptoms (SMD = 0.17, 95%CI0.02-0.31), which remained when trials were restricted to semi-active controls (SMD = 0.20, 95%CI0.04-0.37), and doubled in size when assessed in the intervention delivery setting (n = 5, SMD = 0.40, 95%CI0.09-0.71), suggesting a setting-specific effect. CCT improved WM (verbal: n = 15, SMD = 0.38, 95%CI0.24-0.53; visual-spatial: n = 9, SMD = 0.49, 95%CI0.31-0.67), but not other neuropsychological (e.g., attention, inhibition) or academic outcomes (e.g., reading, arithmetic; analysed n: 5-15). Longer-term improvement (at ~6-months) in verbal WM, reading comprehension, and ratings of executive functions were observed but relevant trials were limited in number (n: 5-7). There was no evidence that multi-process training was superior to working memory training. In sum, CCT led to shorter-term improvements in WM, with some evidence that verbal WM effects persisted in the longer-term. Clinical effects were limited to small, setting specific, short-term effects on inattention symptoms.
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It is the most common ...neurodevelopmental disorder presenting to pediatric services, and pediatricians are often involved in the early assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of children with ADHD. The treatment of ADHD typically involves a multimodal approach that encompasses a combination of psychoeducation, parent/teacher training, psychosocial/psychotherapeutic interventions, and pharmacotherapy. Concerning pharmacotherapy, guidelines vary in drug choice and sequencing, with psychostimulants, such as methylphenidate and (lis)dexamfetamine, generally being the favored initial treatment. Alternatives include atomoxetine and guanfacine. Pharmacotherapy has been proven effective, but close follow-up focusing on physical growth, cardiovascular monitoring, and the surveillance of potential side effects including tics, mood fluctuations, and psychotic symptoms, is essential. This paper presents an overview of current pharmacological treatment options for ADHD and explores disparities in treatment guidelines across different European countries.
Conclusion
: Pharmacological treatment options for ADHD in children and adolescents are effective and generally well-tolerated. Pharmacotherapy for ADHD is always part of a multimodal approach. While there is a considerable consensus among European guidelines on pharmacotherapy for ADHD, notable differences exist, particularly concerning the selection and sequencing of various medications.
What is Known:
• There is a significant base of evidence for pharmacological treatment for ADHD in children and adolescents.
• Pediatricians are often involved in assessment, diagnosis and management of children with ADHD.
What is New:
• Our overview of different European guidelines reveals significant agreement in the context of pharmacotherapy for ADHD in children and adolescents.
• Discrepancies exist primarily in terms of selection and sequencing of different medications.
Abstract
An increasing number of large-scale multi-modal research initiatives has been conducted in the typically developing population,
e.g.
Dev. Cogn. Neur. 32:43-54, 2018; PLoS ...Med. 12(3):e1001779, 2015; Elam and Van Essen, Enc. Comp. Neur., 2013, as well as in psychiatric cohorts, e.g. Trans. Psych. 10(1):100, 2020; Mol. Psych. 19:659–667, 2014; Mol. Aut. 8:24, 2017; Eur. Child and Adol. Psych. 24(3):265–281, 2015. Missing data is a common problem in such datasets due to the difficulty of assessing multiple measures on a large number of participants. The consequences of missing data accumulate when researchers aim to integrate relationships across multiple measures. Here we aim to evaluate different imputation strategies to fill in missing values in clinical data from a large (total
N
= 764) and deeply phenotyped (i.e. range of clinical and cognitive instruments administered) sample of
N
= 453 autistic individuals and
N
= 311 control individuals recruited as part of the EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP) consortium. In particular, we consider a total of 160 clinical measures divided in 15 overlapping subsets of participants. We use two simple but common univariate strategies—mean and median imputation—as well as a Round Robin regression approach involving four independent multivariate regression models including Bayesian Ridge regression, as well as several non-linear models: Decision Trees (Extra Trees., and Nearest Neighbours regression. We evaluate the models using the traditional mean square error towards removed available data, and also consider the Kullback–Leibler divergence between the observed and the imputed distributions. We show that all of the multivariate approaches tested provide a substantial improvement compared to typical univariate approaches. Further, our analyses reveal that across all 15 data-subsets tested, an Extra Trees regression approach provided the best global results. This not only allows the selection of a unique model to impute missing data for the LEAP project and delivers a fixed set of imputed clinical data to be used by researchers working with the LEAP dataset in the future, but provides more general guidelines for data imputation in large scale epidemiological studies.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Impulsiveness is a pivotal personality trait representing a core domain in all major personality inventories. Recently, impulsiveness has been identified as an important modulator of cognitive ...processing, particularly in tasks that require the processing of large amounts of information. Although brain imaging studies have implicated the prefrontal cortex to be a common underlying representation of impulsiveness and related cognitive functioning, to date a fine-grain and detailed morphometric analysis has not been carried out. On the basis of ahigh-resolution magnetic resonance scans acquired in 1620 healthy adolescents (IMAGEN), the individual cortical thickness (CT) was estimated. Correlations between Cloninger's impulsiveness and CT were studied in an entire cortex analysis. The cluster identified was tested for associations with performance in perceptual reasoning tasks of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC IV). We observed a significant inverse correlation between trait impulsiveness and CT of the left superior frontal cortex (SFC; Monte Carlo Simulation P<0.01). CT within this cluster correlated with perceptual reasoning scores (Bonferroni corrected) of the WISC IV. On the basis of a large sample of adolescents, we identified an extended area in the SFC as a correlate of impulsiveness, which appears to be in line with the trait character of this prominent personality facet. The association of SFC thickness with perceptual reasoning argues for a common neurobiological basis of personality and specific cognitive domains comprising attention, spatial reasoning and response selection. The results may facilitate the understanding of the role of impulsiveness in several psychiatric disorders associated with prefrontal dysfunctions and cognitive deficits.
Highlights • Blood cortisol levels during the Trier Social Stress Test were assessed in a group of female adolescents (n = 130), using larger sample sizes than in former trials. • Participants with ...self-harm (n = 21) showed lower cortisol levels. • This study adds to former work showing an altered HPA-axis response to social stressors in individuals with self-harm.
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