Personalized cognitive training: protocol for individual-level meta-analysis implementing machine learning methods

Accumulating evidence suggests that cognitive training may enhance well-being. Yet, mixed findings imply that individual differences and training characteristics may interact to moderate training efficacy. To investigate this possibility, the current paper describes a protocol for a data-driven individual-level meta-analysis study aimed at developing personalized cognitive training. To facilitate comprehensive analysis, this protocol proposes criteria for data search, selection and pre-processing along with the rationale for each decision. Twenty-two cognitive training datasets comprising 1544 participants were collected. The datasets incorporated diverse training methods, all aimed at improving well-being. These training regimes differed in training characteristics such as targeted domain (e.g., working memory, attentional bias, interpretation bias, inhibitory control) and training duration, while participants differed in diagnostic status, age and sex. The planned analyses incorporate machine learning algorithms designed to identify which individuals will be most responsive to cognitive training in general and to discern which methods may be a better fit for certain individuals

560 Associations of human placental lactogen and oxytocin during pregnancy with maternal-fetal attachment, anxiety and depression

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The goals of the present study were to examine levels and potential changes in oxytocin and HPL over the course of pregnancy. We assessed the potential predictive value of oxytocin and HPL on maternal-fetal attachment, anxiety and depression at three timepoints during pregnancy. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Pregnant women (n=70) enrolled in a longitudinal, rolling protocol study. Eligibility criteria included 1) singleton pregnancy confirmed at early pregnancy screen (EPS) ultrasonography, 2) mother aged 19 or greater, and 3) fluent in English. Predictors (oxytocin and HPL levels) were measured via blood draws at the same three times (early-stage, mid-stage, and late-stage) that MFA, anxiety and depression questionnaires were completed. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: An increased OT level compared to a mother’s average OT level did not have a statistically significant effect on MFA (within-person estimate = 0.02, 95% CI: -0.03 to 0.05, p = 0.427. An increased HPL level compared to a patient’s average HPL level did not have a statistically significant effect on MFA (within-person estimate = -0.10, 95% CI: -0.67 to 0.47, p = 0.730). The main effect of between-person HPL was significant; such that a one-unit increase in average HPL level was associated with a 0.52 higher anxiety score (between-person 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.96, p = 0.022). The main effect of between-person HPL was significant, such that an increased average HPL level was associated with a 0.45 higher depression score (between-person estimate = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.86, p=0.031). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: To our knowledge, our study is the first to measure HPL and MFA over the course of a pregnancy. At this point, perhaps the best we can say is that HPL is a promising new target hormone that may be related to psychological symptoms surrounding pregnancy

Resting-State Neurophysiological Abnormalities in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Magnetoencephalography Study

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition that is common in veterans returning from combat operations. While the symptoms of PTSD have been extensively characterized, the neural mechanisms that underlie PTSD are only vaguely understood. In this study, we examined the neurophysiology of PTSD using magnetoencephalography (MEG) in a sample of veterans with and without PTSD. Our primary hypothesis was that veterans with PTSD would exhibit aberrant activity across multiple brain networks, especially those involving medial temporal and frontal regions. To this end, we examined a total of 51 USA combat veterans with a battery of clinical interviews and tests. Thirty-one of the combat veterans met diagnostic criteria for PTSD and the remaining 20 did not have PTSD. All participants then underwent high-density MEG during an eyes-closed resting-state task, and the resulting data were analyzed using a Bayesian image reconstruction method. Our results indicated that veterans with PTSD had significantly stronger neural activity in prefrontal, sensorimotor and temporal areas compared to those without PTSD. Veterans with PTSD also exhibited significantly stronger activity in the bilateral amygdalae, parahippocampal and hippocampal regions. Conversely, healthy veterans had stronger neural activity in the bilateral occipital cortices relative to veterans with PTSD. In conclusion, these data suggest that veterans with PTSD exhibit aberrant neural activation in multiple cortical areas, as well as medial temporal structures implicated in affective processing

Cortisol changes in healthy children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused massive disruptions to daily life in the United States, closing schools and businesses and increasing physical and social isolation, leading to deteriorations in mental health and well-being in people of all ages. Many studies have linked chronic stress with long-term changes in cortisol secretion, which has been implicated in many stress-related physical and mental health problems that commonly emerge in adolescence. However, the physiological consequences of the pandemic in youth remain understudied. Using hair cortisol concentrations (HCC), we quantified average longitudinal changes in cortisol secretion across a four-month period capturing before, during, and after the transition to pandemic-lockdown conditions in a sample of healthy youth (n = 49). Longitudinal changes in HCC were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Perceived levels of pandemic-related stress were measured and compared to the physiological changes in HCC. In children and adolescents, cortisol levels significantly increased across the course of the pandemic. These youth reported a multitude of stressors during this time, although changes in HCC were not associated with self-reported levels of COVID-19-related distress. We provide evidence that youth are experiencing significant physiological changes in cortisol activity across the COVID-19 pandemic, yet these biological responses are not associated with perceived stress levels. Youth may be especially vulnerable to the deleterious impacts of chronic cortisol exposure due to their current status in the sensitive periods for development, and the incongruency between biological and psychological stress responses may further complicate these developmental problems.</p