Toward Sensor-Based Early Diagnosis of Cognitive Impairment of Elderly Adults in Smart-Home Environments using Poisson Process Models

Emerging sensor-based assessment in combination with machine learning methodologies provide the potential to revolutionize current practices of (early) diagnosis of dementia. The goal of this research is to detect cognitive impairment in elderly adults using sensor-based measures. Longitudinal time-series data of sensor signals are analyzed with advanced computational models and supervised machine learning algorithms to identify individuals with cognitive impairment. This research further designs novel computational models using Poisson Processes that can model subtle temporal changes in sensor-based measurements, therefore have the potential to provide more reliable descriptors of cognitive impairments compared to aggregate time-series measures. Our results indicate that the proposed approach can effectively distinguish between dementia and MCI based on the sensor features yielded by the Poisson Process. Sensor-based assessment that relies on the non-homogeneous Poisson Process is further found to be effective in differentiating between adults with dementia and healthy adults, and depicts better performance compared to expert-based assessment. Findings from this research have the potential to help detect the early onset of cognitive impairment for elderly adults, and demonstrate the ability of advanced computational models and machine learning techniques to predict one’s cognitive health, thus, contributing toward advancing aging-in-place

COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Acceptance in Ethnic Minority Individuals in the United Kingdom: a mixed-methods study using Protection Motivation Theory

Background: Uptake of the COVID-19 booster vaccine among ethnic minority individuals has been lower than in the general population. However, there is little research examining the psychosocial factors that contribute to COVID-19 booster vaccine hesitancy in this population.Aim: Our study aimed to determine which factors predicted COVID-19 vaccination intention in minority ethnic individuals in Middlesbrough, using Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, in addition to demographic variables.Method: We used a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were collected using an online survey. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews. 64 minority ethnic individuals (33 females, 31 males; mage = 31.06, SD = 8.36) completed the survey assessing PMT constructs, COVID-19conspiracy beliefs and demographic factors. 42.2% had received the booster vaccine, 57.6% had not. 16 survey respondents were interviewed online to gain further insight into factors affecting booster vaccineacceptance.Results: Multiple regression analysis showed that perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 was a significant predictor of booster vaccination intention, with higher perceived susceptibility being associated with higher intention to get the booster. Additionally, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs significantly predictedintention to get the booster vaccine, with higher conspiracy beliefs being associated with lower intention to get the booster dose. Thematic analysis of the interview data showed that barriers to COVID-19 booster vaccination included time constraints and a perceived lack of practical support in the event ofexperiencing side effects. Furthermore, there was a lack of confidence in the vaccine, with individuals seeing it as lacking sufficient research. Participants also spoke of medical mistrust due to historical events involving medical experimentation on minority ethnic individuals.Conclusion: PMT and conspiracy beliefs predict COVID-19 booster vaccination in minority ethnic individuals. To help increase vaccine uptake, community leaders need to be involved in addressing people’s concerns, misassumptions, and lack of confidence in COVID-19 vaccination

Pilot study for subgroup classification for autism spectrum disorder based on dysmorphology and physical measurements in Chinese children

Poster Sessions: 157 - Comorbid Medical Conditions: abstract 157.058 58BACKGROUND: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder affecting individuals along a continuum of severity in communication, social interaction and behaviour. The impact of ASD significantly varies amongst individuals, and the cause of ASD can originate broadly between genetic and environmental factors. Objectives: Previous ASD researches indicate that early identification combined with a targeted treatment plan involving behavioural interventions and multidisciplinary therapies can provide substantial improvement for ASD patients. Currently there is no cure for ASD, and the clinical variability and uncertainty of the disorder still remains. Hence, the search to unravel heterogeneity within ASD by subgroup classification may provide clinicians with a better understanding of ASD and to work towards a more definitive course of action. METHODS: In this study, a norm of physical measurements including height, weight, head circumference, ear length, outer and inner canthi, interpupillary distance, philtrum, hand and foot length was collected from 658 Typical Developing (TD) Chinese children aged 1 to 7 years (mean age of 4.19 years). The norm collected was compared against 80 ASD Chinese children aged 1 to 12 years (mean age of 4.36 years). We then further attempted to find subgroups within ASD based on identifying physical abnormalities; individuals were classified as (non) dysmorphic with the Autism Dysmorphology Measure (ADM) from physical examinations of 12 body regions. RESULTS: Our results show that there were significant differences between ASD and TD children for measurements in: head circumference (p=0.009), outer (p=0.021) and inner (p=0.021) canthus, philtrum length (p=0.003), right (p=0.023) and left (p=0.20) foot length. Within the 80 ASD patients, 37(46%) were classified as dysmorphic (p=0.00). CONCLUSIONS: This study attempts to identify subgroups within ASD based on physical measurements and dysmorphology examinations. The information from this study seeks to benefit ASD community by identifying possible subtypes of ASD in Chinese population; in seek for a more definitive diagnosis, referral and treatment plan.published_or_final_versio

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Predicting Aggression in Children, Adolescents, and Adults: Exploring the Role of Cardiovascular Psychophysiology, Neuropsychology, and Psychopathy

This thesis explored the function of biological, personality, and cognitive factors as predictors of violence and aggression in children, adolescents, and adults. Chapter 2 sought to understand biopsychosocial profiles of aggressive groups of children (N = 110). Children who engaged in more severe forms of aggressive behavior were highest in psychopathic traits, and most distinct from other aggressive and nonaggressive children on biological indices of prefrontal functioning. This group of children displayed fewer executive functioning deficits compared to other aggressive children, which may explain their ability to implement planned aggression. Chapter 3 included 60 adolescents from Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties (EBD) schools and 62 adolescents from a stratified community school sample (N = 696). The aim was to test the association between callous-unemotional (CU) traits and fearlessness using cardiovascular measures of sympathetic (pre-ejection period) and parasympathetic reactivity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia) during fear induction, and self-report measures of fear. Adolescents high in CU traits, from both samples, exhibited high levels of conduct problems and aggression. No group differences emerged on self-report of fear, but the high CU group did display a unique autonomic profile when experiencing fear. This pattern of biological reactivity, a coactivation of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity, may suggest adolescents high in CU traits are better able to manage fearful situations by remaining physiologically calm yet alert. This may explain why individuals with CU traits have been previously characterized as fearless. Chapter 4 included 182 female offenders, and aimed to predict misconducts over 9-months. Callous and antisocial psychopathic traits best predicted violence, while impulsivity and antisocial psychopathic traits predicted nonviolent misconducts. The key findings across all chapters show psychopathic traits, regardless of age and population type (forensic, clinical, and community), were related to high levels of aggressive and antisocial behavior, and a host of biological and cognitive differences

Evaluating the role of social attention in the causal path to Autism Spectrum Disorder

This thesis evaluated the evidence for the hypothesis that early disruptions in social attention are involved in the causal pathway to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The sample included infants at high and low familial risk for neurodevelopmental disorders participating in a prospective longitudinal study, and their family members. Five studies were conducted to test whether social attention atypicalities precede the onset of behavioural symptoms and whether they are related to familial, genetic and epigenetic burden for ASD. Chapter 2 examined neural correlates of attention measured with multi-channel electroencephalography in 8-month-old infants attending to faces and non-social stimuli, in relation to outcomes at age 3. Chapter 3 used structural equation modelling to investigate whether disruptions in neural response have cascading effects on learning from the environment via looking behaviour. Next, to further understand whether disruptions in social attention lie between genetic risk and ASD phenotype, Chapter 4 examined the association between ability to detect eye-gaze direction in a familial sample, severity of ASD symptoms and polygenic risk for ASD. Chapter 5 explored these patterns earlier in development, looking at the relationship between social attention at 14 months of age and familial burden, polygenic risk and parentreport traits of ASD and ADHD. Finally, Chapter 6, leveraging DNA methylation data, explored whether epigenetic signals were associated with early neural and behavioural correlates of social attention as well as developmental change leading to atypical outcome. Taken together, this work examined in depth the multifaceted nature of social attention, pointing to neural and behavioural atypicalities at critical time points as promising targets for cognitive and affective interventions. Furthermore, it pioneers future work integrating genetics, epigenetics and early neurocognitive measures of social attention in large prospective longitudinal studies of individuals at increased vulnerability for neurodevelopmental disorders, to shed light on the developmental mechanisms underlying the emergence of ASD

25th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS-2016

Abstracts of the 25th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS-2016 Seogwipo City, Jeju-do, South Korea. 2–7 July 201

25th annual computational neuroscience meeting: CNS-2016

The same neuron may play different functional roles in the neural circuits to which it belongs. For example, neurons in the Tritonia pedal ganglia may participate in variable phases of the swim motor rhythms [1]. While such neuronal functional variability is likely to play a major role the delivery of the functionality of neural systems, it is difficult to study it in most nervous systems. We work on the pyloric rhythm network of the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion (STG) [2]. Typically network models of the STG treat neurons of the same functional type as a single model neuron (e.g. PD neurons), assuming the same conductance parameters for these neurons and implying their synchronous firing [3, 4]. However, simultaneous recording of PD neurons shows differences between the timings of spikes of these neurons. This may indicate functional variability of these neurons. Here we modelled separately the two PD neurons of the STG in a multi-neuron model of the pyloric network. Our neuron models comply with known correlations between conductance parameters of ionic currents. Our results reproduce the experimental finding of increasing spike time distance between spikes originating from the two model PD neurons during their synchronised burst phase. The PD neuron with the larger calcium conductance generates its spikes before the other PD neuron. Larger potassium conductance values in the follower neuron imply longer delays between spikes, see Fig. 17.Neuromodulators change the conductance parameters of neurons and maintain the ratios of these parameters [5]. Our results show that such changes may shift the individual contribution of two PD neurons to the PD-phase of the pyloric rhythm altering their functionality within this rhythm. Our work paves the way towards an accessible experimental and computational framework for the analysis of the mechanisms and impact of functional variability of neurons within the neural circuits to which they belong

Cross-cultural evidence for the influence of positive self-evaluation on cross-cultural differences in well-being

Poster Session F - Well-Being: abstract F197We propose that cultural norms about realism and hedonism contribute to the cross-cultural differences in well-being over and above differences in objective living conditions. To test this hypothesis, we used samples from China and the United States. Results supported the mediating role of positive evaluative bias in cross-cultural differences in well-being.postprin

Values and need satisfaction across 20 world regions

Poster Session F - Motivation/Goals: abstract F78Intrinsic valuing predicts the satisfaction of psychological needs (Niemiec, Ryan, & Deci, 2009). We conceptually replicate and extend this finding across 20 world regions. In multi-level models, Schwartz’s (1992) self-transcendence value was positively related to autonomy, competence, and relatedness satisfaction, even when controlling for the Big Five.postprin

29th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS*2020

Meeting abstracts This publication was funded by OCNS. The Supplement Editors declare that they have no competing interests. Virtual | 18-22 July 202