Sex difference in written verbal fluency task among adolescents

Verbal fluency tasks have been widely used in clinical neuropsychology and they are important indicators for different conditions. The aim of this study was to examine sex difference in written verbal fluency task in a sample of adolescents from different cultures than those studied so far, using stimulus letters specific for the language of that culture. Participants were high-school students (N=233, 40% males), aged between 14 and 19 years (M=16.66, SD=1.26). Participants were asked to produce as many words as they can, longer than three letters, starting with letters K and M. These letters were chosen according to Mimica et al. (2011) study on appropriate phonological verbal fluency stimulus letters for use with Croatian speaking individuals. Scores of females and males obtained for letters K and M were compared using ANOVA. Females performed better with Cohen d 0.68 for letter K and 0.54 for letter M. This sex difference in verbal fluency in adolescence might be related to sex differences in the regional timing of brain maturation or to sex difference in writing speed. Future studies should further test alternative explanations for this sex difference in adolescence, which seems to become smaller or disappear in adulthood

The typical developmental trajectory of social and executive functions in late adolescence and early adulthood.

Executive functions and social cognition develop through childhood into adolescence/early adulthood and are important for adaptive goal-oriented behaviour (Apperly, Samson & Humphreys, 2009; Blakemore & Choudhury, 2006). These functions are attributed to frontal networks known to undergo protracted maturation into early adulthood (Barker, Andrade, Morton, Romanowski & Bowles, 2010; Lebel, Walker, Leemans, Phillips & Beaulieu, 2008) although social cognition functions are also associated with widely distributed networks. Previously, non-linear development has been reported around puberty on an emotion match to sample task (McGivern, Andersen, Byrd, Mutter & Reilly, 2002) and for IQ in mid adolescence (Ramsden et al., 2011). However, there are currently little data on the typical development of social and executive functions in late adolescence and early adulthood. In a cross sectional design, 98 participants completed tests of social cognition and executive function, Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (Wechsler, 1999), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (Watson, Clark & Tellegan, 1988), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Zigmond & Snaith, 1983) and measures of pubertal development and demographics at age 17, 18 and 19. Non-linear age differences for letter fluency and concept formation executive functions were found, with a trough in functional ability in 18 year olds compared to other groups. There were no age group differences on social cognition measures. Gender accounted for differences on one scale of concept formation, one dynamic social interaction scale and two empathy scales. The clinical, developmental and educational implications of these findings are discussed

Structural correlates of spoken language abilities : a surface-based region-of interest morphometry study

Brain structure can predict many aspects of human behavior, though the extent of this relationship in healthy adults, particularly for language-related skills, remains largely unknown. The objective of the present study was to explore this relation using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on a group of 21 healthy young adults who completed two language tasks: (1) semantic fluency and (2) sentence generation. For each region of interest, cortical thickness, surface area, and volume were calculated. The results show that verbal fluency scores correlated mainly with measures of brain morphology in the left inferior frontal cortex and bilateral insula. Sentence generation scores correlated with structure of the left inferior parietal and right inferior frontal regions. These results reveal that the anatomy of several structures in frontal and parietal lobes is associated with spoken language performance. The presence of both negative and positive correlations highlights the complex relation between brain and language

Gender differences in the relationship of lung function and response times during verbal performance in healthy adolescents

Abstract The association between lung function and cognition has been examined in adulthood and in old age, but few studies have investigated the relationship in early life periods such as in adolescence. Because development in adolescence involves remarkable physiological and psychological changes, it is important to explore closely the relationship between bodily functions and cognition. This study evaluated the lung-cognition association in 49 healthy teenagers between the ages of 16-18 years, and gender differences were also investigated. We measured Vital Capacity (VC) and cognitive functioning. As part of the cognitive evaluation, verbal abilities were assessed through three different tasks: phonemic verbal fluency, semantic verbal fluency and reading of short text. On each of the verbal tasks inspiratory measures were acquired during execution of the tasks. To evaluate the lung-cognition association, we used two approaches: First, we correlated the separate performances of cognitive abilities and lung function. Secondly, we correlated performance on verbal tasks with inspiratory airflow parameters (duration, peak and volume) measured during the response time of each of the verbal tests. Results showed restricted gender differences in neuropsychological tasks, while more evident gender differences were found in VC. Correlational results showed that inspiratory airflow measures were especially associated with phonemic fluency tasks, which measures executive functions. These findings suggest that abilities associated with performance in phonemic fluency may require more oxygen usage for an optimal performance. Keywords: Adolescence, gender differences, inspiratory airflow, lung function, cognitive abilities, executive function, verbal abilities, verbal fluency, response time, processing speedAbstrakt Assosiasjonen mellom lungefunksjon og kognisjon har blitt undersøkt hos voksne og eldre, men få studier har undersøkt forholdet tidligere i livet, slik som i ungdomstid. Utvikling i ungdomstid involverer betydelige fysiologiske og psykologiske endringer, og dermed er det viktig å undersøke forholdet mellom kroppslige funksjoner og kognisjon nærmere. Denne studien evaluerte lunge-kognisjon assosiasjonen hos 49 friske tenåringer i alderen 16-18 år, i tillegg ble kjønnsforskjeller undersøkt. Vi målte Vital Kapasitet (VC) og kognitiv funksjon. Som en del av den kognitive evalueringen, ble verbale evner målt ved tre ulike oppgaver: fonemisk verbal flyt, semantisk verbal flyt og lesing av en kort tekst. Inspiratoriske parametere (inn-pust) ble målt i hver av de verbale oppgavene, samtidig som gjennomføringen av oppgavene pågikk. To tilnærminger ble benyttet i evalueringen av lunge-kognisjon assosiasjonen: Først, ved å korrelere separate prestasjoner i kognitive evner og lungefunksjon. I den andre tilnærmingen, ved å korrelere utførelse på verbale oppgaver med inspiratoriske luftflyt parametere (duration, peak og volume) målt i responstid for hver verbal oppgave. Resultatene viste få kjønnsforskjeller i de nevropsykologiske oppgavene, imens det var større kjønnsforskjeller i VC. Korrelasjonsanalysene viste at inspiratoriske luftflyt parametere var spesielt assosiert med den fonemiske flyt oppgaven, som måler eksekutive funksjoner. Disse funnene foreslår at evner som er assosiert med prestasjon på fonemisk flyt antagelig krever mer oksygenbruk for å oppnå en optimal gjennomføring. Nøkkelord: Ungdomstid, kjønnsforskjeller, inspiratorisk luftflyt, lungefunksjon, kognitive evner, eksekutiv funksjon, verbale evner, verbal flyt, responstid, prosesseringshastighe

Évaluation électrophysiologique auditive et examen du langage et de l’attention chez l’enfant né prématurément et l’enfant né à terme

L’objectif de cette thèse est l’étude du développement de l’attention auditive et des capacités de discrimination langagière chez l’enfant né prématurément ou à terme. Les derniers mois de grossesse sont particulièrement importants pour le développement cérébral de l’enfant et les conséquences d’une naissance prématurée sur le développement peuvent être considérables. Les enfants nés prématurément sont plus à risque de développer une variété de troubles neurodéveloppementaux que les enfants nés à terme. Même en l’absence de dommages cérébraux visibles, de nombreux enfants nés avant terme sont à risque de présenter des troubles tels que des retards langagiers ou des difficultés attentionnelles. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons donc une méthode d’investigation des processus préattentionnels auditifs et de discrimination langagière, à l’aide de l’électrophysiologie à haute densité et des potentiels évoqués auditifs (PEAs). Deux études ont été réalisées. La première visait à mettre sur pied un protocole d’évaluation de l’attention auditive et de la discrimination langagière chez l’enfant en santé, couvrant différents stades de développement (3 à 7 ans, 8 à 13 ans, adultes ; N = 40). Pour ce faire, nous avons analysé la composante de Mismatch Negativity (MMN) évoquée par la présentation de sons verbaux (syllabes /Ba/ et /Da/) et non verbaux (tons synthétisés, Ba : 1578 Hz/2800 Hz ; Da : 1788 Hz/2932 Hz). Les résultats ont révélé des patrons d’activation distincts en fonction de l’âge et du type de stimulus présenté. Chez tous les groupes d’âge, la présentation des stimuli non verbaux a évoqué une MMN de plus grande amplitude et de latence plus rapide que la présentation des stimuli verbaux. De plus, en réponse aux stimuli verbaux, les deux groupes d’enfants (3 à 7 ans, 8 à 13 ans) ont démontré une MMN de latence plus tardive que celle mesurée dans le groupe d’adultes. En revanche, en réponse aux stimuli non verbaux, seulement le groupe d’enfants de 3 à 7 ans a démontré une MMN de latence plus tardive que le groupe d’adulte. Les processus de discrimination verbaux semblent donc se développer plus tardivement dans l’enfance que les processus de discrimination non verbaux. Dans la deuxième étude, nous visions à d’identifier les marqueurs prédictifs de déficits attentionnels et langagiers pouvant découler d’une naissance prématurée à l’aide des PEAs et de la MMN. Nous avons utilisé le même protocole auprès de 74 enfants âgés de 3, 12 et 36 mois, nés prématurément (avant 34 semaines de gestation) ou nés à terme (au moins 37 semaines de gestation). Les résultats ont révélé que les enfants nés prématurément de tous les âges démontraient un délai significatif dans la latence de la réponse MMN et de la P150 par rapport aux enfants nés à terme lors de la présentation des sons verbaux. De plus, les latences plus tardives de la MMN et de la P150 étaient également corrélées à des performances langagières plus faibles lors d’une évaluation neurodéveloppementale. Toutefois, aucune différence n’a été observée entre les enfants nés à terme ou prématurément lors de la discrimination des stimuli non verbaux, suggérant des capacités préattentionnelles auditives préservées chez les enfants prématurés. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats de cette thèse indiquent que les processus préattentionnels auditifs se développent plus tôt dans l'enfance que ceux associés à la discrimination langagière. Les réseaux neuronaux impliqués dans la discrimination verbale sont encore immatures à la fin de l'enfance. De plus, ceux-ci semblent être particulièrement vulnérables aux impacts physiologiques liés à la prématurité. L’utilisation des PEAs et de la MMN en réponse aux stimuli verbaux en bas âge peut fournir des marqueurs prédictifs des difficultés langagières fréquemment observées chez l’enfant prématuré.The aim of this thesis is to investigate early auditory attention and language development in full-term and preterm children. The last months of pregnancy are particularly important for the child’s cerebral development, and the impacts of a premature birth on his/her neurodevelopment can be substantial. Prematurely born children are at higher risk of developing a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders compared to full-terms. Even without visible brain injury, many premature children are at risk of presenting disorders such as language delays and attentional difficulties. In this thesis, we suggest an approach to investigate pre-attentional processes and early language discrimination abilities in infants using high-density electrophysiology and auditory event-related potentials (AERPs). We conducted two studies. The first one aimed at establishing a paradigm to evaluate auditory attention and language discrimination development in healthy full-term children, over different developmental stages (3 to 7 years, 8 to 13 years, adults; N = 40). To do so, we analyzed the Mismatch Negativity (MMN) component in response to speech (spoken syllables /Ba/ and /Da/) and non-speech stimuli (frequency-synthesized tones, Ba: 1578 Hz/2800 Hz; Da: 1788 Hz/2932 Hz). Distinct patterns of activation were revealed according to stimulus type and age. In all groups, non-speech stimuli elicited an MMN of larger amplitude and earlier latency than did the presentation of speech stimuli. Moreover, in response to speech stimuli, both children groups (3 to 7 years, 8 to 13 years) showed a significantly delayed MMN response compared to the adults group. In contrast, in response to non-speech stimuli, only the youngest group (3 to 7 years) showed a significantly delayed MMN compared to the adults. Age-related differences for tone discrimination therefore appear to occur earlier in children’s development than do the discriminative processes for speech sounds. In the second study, we aimed at identifying the electrophysiological markers of auditory attention and language deficits often incurred by a premature birth. We thus presented this paradigm to 74 infants born preterm (before 34 gestational weeks) or full-term (at least 37 gestational weeks), aged 3, 12 and 36 months old. Our results indicated that preterm children of all age groups showed a significantly delayed MMN and P150 responses to speech stimuli compared to full-terms. Moreover, significant correlations were found between the delayed MMN and P150 responses to speech sounds and lower language scores on a neurodevelopmental assessment. However, no significant differences were found between full-term and preterm children for the MMN in response to non-speech stimuli, suggesting preserved pre-attentional auditory discrimination abilities in these children. Altogether, the findings from this thesis indicate that the neurodevelopmental processes associated with auditory pre-attentional skills occur earlier in childhood compared to language discrimination processes. Cerebral networks involved in speech discrimination are still immature in late childhood. Furthermore, neural networks involved in speech discrimination and language development also appear to be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of prematurity. The use of AERPs and the MMN response to speech stimuli in infancy can thus provide predictive markers of language difficulties commonly seen in premature infants

The brain structure during language development: neural correlates of sentence comprehension in preschool children

Language skills increase as the brain matures and language specialization is linked to the left hemisphere. Among distinct language domains, sentence comprehension is particularly vital in language acquisition and, by comparison, requires a much longer time-span before full mastery in children. Although accumulating studies have revealed the neural mechanism underlying sentence comprehension acquisition, the development of the brain’s gray matter and its relation to sentence comprehension had not been fully understood. This thesis employs structural magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging data to investigate the neural correlates of sentence comprehension in preschoolers both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The first study examines how cortical thick- ness covariance is relevant for syntax in preschoolers and changes across development. Results suggest that the cortical thickness covariance of brain regions relevant for syntax increases from preschoolers to adults, whilst preschoolers with superior language abilities show a more adult-like covariance pattern. Reconstructing the white matter fiber tract connecting the left inferior frontal and superior temporal cortices using diffusion-weighted imaging data, the second study suggests that the reduced cortical thickness covariance in the left frontotemporal regions is likely due to immature white matter connectivity during preschool. The third study then investigated the cortical thickness asymmetry and its relation to sentence comprehension abilities. Results show that longitudinal cortical thick- ness asymmetry in the inferior frontal cortex was associated with improvements in sentence comprehension, further suggesting the crucial role of the inferior frontal cortex for sentence comprehension acquisition. Taken together, evidence from gray and white matter data provides new insights into the neuroscientific model of language acquisition and the emergence of syntactic processing during language development

The Effects of Indoor Temperature and CO2 levels as an Indicator for Ventilation Rates on Cognitive Performance of Adult Female Students in Saudi Arabia

Educational buildings are complex spaces to design, as they need to perform well in all aspects of environmental conditions. Research has clearly established that problems with indoor environmental quality in classrooms, including, but not limited to, thermal and air quality, can directly influence students’ outcomes and learning. There is a growing body of evidence that improved environmental conditions in classrooms increases productivity and improves the performance of mental tasks, such as improved concentration and recall. It is of particular importance to investigate the effects in educational buildings relying on mechanical for ventilation and cooling in the hot desert climates like Saudi Arabia where great reliance on air conditioners occurs, especially after energy has become cheap and affordable. An experimental approach was adopted in this study via an intervention study in a selected female university building to investigate the effects of classrooms’ temperature and CO2 levels on a set of vigilance and memory tasks exemplifying the basic yet most critically important functions involved in the process of learning. The experiments were performed using a blind cross-over design with repeated-measures. Data analysis was performed using a multi-variable multilevel statistical analysis approach. The study is based on two classrooms’ physical environmental measurements data collected from 499 adult female participants. After considering the possible confounders of the study, the main findings highlight the potential benefits of effectively managing indoor temperature and CO2 levels in the air-conditioned university/college buildings in Saudi Arabia for improved educational environments in which students are expected to learn and produce. The research concludes that temperature affects the accuracy of tasks differently according to the type of task while performance in all tasks improved significantly when CO2 levels decreased from 1800 ppm to 600 ppm and also from the currently recommended levels by ASHRAE of 1000 ppm to 600 ppm