A Polysemous World: An Examination of Polysemous Word Learning in Toddlers

Polysemy is a phenomenon in which individual words have multiple, related meanings, such as drinking glasses and eyeglasses (which, in this case, relate through their common material). Polysemous words are ubiquitous in many languages and comprise an estimated 40- 80% of the English language. To examine how young language learners acquire polysemous words, the present study used an eyetracking experiment with monolingual English-speaking 2- year-olds (n=40). In the study, the toddler was shown a screen with two images and prompted to find the target image (e.g. “look, can you find the glasses?”). Our findings showed that toddlers could recognize two English meanings (e.g. drinking glasses and eyeglasses) as well as infer a novel, third meaning that is present as a polysemous meaning in another language, but not English (e.g., goggles, which share a label with eyeglasses in some dialects of Spanish: gafas). These findings suggest that children can successfully track multiple, polysemous meanings, and even possess the ability to infer new extensions that they have never encountered before. This information is crucial for understanding the principles that guide word acquisition, which have previously assumed that additional meanings of a word will interfere with previous meanings

A Polysemous World: An Examination of Polysemous Word Learning in Toddlers

Polysemy is a phenomenon in which individual words have multiple, related meanings, such as drinking glasses and eyeglasses (which, in this case, relate through their common material). Polysemous words are ubiquitous in many languages and comprise an estimated 40- 80% of the English language. To examine how young language learners acquire polysemous words, the present study used an eyetracking experiment with monolingual English-speaking 2- year-olds (n=40). In the study, the toddler was shown a screen with two images and prompted to find the target image (e.g. “look, can you find the glasses?”). Our findings showed that toddlers could recognize two English meanings (e.g. drinking glasses and eyeglasses) as well as infer a novel, third meaning that is present as a polysemous meaning in another language, but not English (e.g., goggles, which share a label with eyeglasses in some dialects of Spanish: gafas). These findings suggest that children can successfully track multiple, polysemous meanings, and even possess the ability to infer new extensions that they have never encountered before. This information is crucial for understanding the principles that guide word acquisition, which have previously assumed that additional meanings of a word will interfere with previous meanings

Neurocircuitry basis of the opioid use disorder-post-traumatic stress disorder comorbid state:conceptual analyses using a dimensional framework

Understanding the interface between opioid use disorder (OUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is challenging. By use of a dimensional framework, such as research domain criteria, convergent and targetable neurobiological processes in OUD-PTSD comorbidity can be identified. We hypothesise that, in OUD-PTSD, circuitry that is implicated in two research domain criteria systems (ie, negative valence and cognitive control) underpins dysregulation of incentive salience, negative emotionality, and executive function. We also propose that the OUD-PTSD state might be systematically investigated with approaches outlined within a neuroclinical assessment framework for addictions and PTSD. Our dimensional analysis of the OUD-PTSD state shows how first-line therapeutic approaches (ie, partial μ-type opioid receptor [MOR1] agonism) modulate overlapping neurobiological and clinical features and also provides mechanistic rationale for evaluating polytherapeutic strategies (ie, partial MOR1 agonism, κ-type opioid receptor [KOR1] antagonism, and α-2A adrenergic receptor [ADRA2A] agonism). A combination of these therapeutic mechanisms is projected to facilitate recovery in patients with OUD-PTSD by mitigating negative valence states and enhancing executive control

The experience of living with Niemann–Pick type C: a patient and caregiver perspective

Abstract Background Niemann–Pick disease type C (NPC) is a rare inherited lysosomal storage disease typified by accumulation of cholesterol and other lipids in late endosomes/lysosomes, thereby resulting in a spectrum of neurological, psychiatric, and systemic symptoms (notably liver disease). Though it is well-known that NPC exacts a physical and emotional toll on both patients and caregivers, the burden of NPC can vary between patients, while the challenges of living with NPC can evolve over time (i.e., from time of diagnosis to the present day). To further grasp patient and caregiver perceptions and experiences with NPC, we carried out focus group discussions with pediatric and adult individuals with NPC (N = 19), with partial or full representation of the patient by their caregiver. Furthermore, we utilized our NPC focus group discussion to provide guidance on study design parameters and feasibility of prospective investigations aiming to characterize the central manifestations of NPC using neuroimaging, specifically, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methodology. Results Focus group discussions revealed that neurological signs, including declining cognition, memory loss, and psychiatric symptoms, as well as increasingly impaired mobility and motor function, are among the most pressing past and current concerns for patients and caregivers. Moreover, several participants also expressed concern over a loss of independence, social exclusion, and uncertainty for what the future holds. Caregivers described the challenges that participation in research poses, which included logistical difficulties mainly due to traveling with medical equipment and the need for sedation in a minority of patients when undergoing MRI. Conclusions The findings derived from focus group discussions highlight the outstanding challenges that NPC patients and their caregivers face daily, while also providing direction on the potential scope and feasibility of future studies focusing on the central phenotypes of NPC

A multidisciplinary assessment of pain in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

INTRODUCTION: Pain is prevalent in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Unknowns regarding the biological drivers of pain complicate therapeutic targeting. We employed neuroimaging to define pain-related neurobiological features altered in JIA. METHODS: 16 male and female JIA patients (12.7 ± 2.8 years of age) on active treatment were enrolled, together with age- and sex-matched controls. Patients were assessed using physical examination, clinical questionnaires, musculoskeletal MRI, and structural neuroimaging. In addition, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected during the resting-state, hand-motor task performance, and cold stimulation of the hand and knee. RESULTS: Patients with and without pain and with and without inflammation (joint and systemic) were evaluated. Pain severity was associated with more physical stress and poorer cognitive function. Corrected for multiple comparisons, morphological analysis revealed decreased cortical thickness within the insula cortex and a negative correlation between caudate nucleus volume and pain severity. Functional neuroimaging findings suggested alteration within neurocircuitry structures regulating emotional pain processing (anterior insula) in addition to the default-mode and sensorimotor networks. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with JIA may exhibit changes in neurobiological circuits related to pain. These preliminary findings suggest mechanisms by which pain could potentially become dissociated from detectable joint pathology and persist independently of inflammation or treatment status

Proteomics based markers of clinical pain severity in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

INTRODUCTION: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a cluster of autoimmune rheumatic diseases occurring in children 16 years of age or less. While it is well-known that pain may be experienced during inflammatory and non-inflammatory states, much remains ambiguous regarding the molecular mechanisms that may drive JIA pain. Thus, in this pilot study, we explored the variability of the serum proteomes in relation to pain severity in a cohort of JIA patients. METHODS: Serum samples from 15 JIA patients (male and female, 12.7 ± 2.8 years of age) were assessed using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Correlation analyses were performed to determine the relationships among protein levels and self-reported clinical pain severity. Additionally, how the expression of pain-associated proteins related to markers of inflammation (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)) or morphological properties of the central nervous system (subcortical volume and cortical thickness) implicated in JIA were also evaluated. RESULTS: 306 proteins were identified in the JIA cohort of which 14 were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with clinical pain severity. Functional properties of the identified pain-associated proteins included but were not limited to humoral immunity (IGLV3.9), inflammatory response (PRG4) and angiogenesis (ANG). Associations among pain-associated proteins and ESR (IGHV3.9, PRG4, CST3, VWF, ALB), as well as caudate nucleus volume (BTD, AGT, IGHV3.74) and insular cortex thickness (BTD, LGALS3BP) were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: The current proteomic findings suggest both inflammatory- and non-inflammatory mediated mechanisms as potential factors associated with JIA pain. Validation of these preliminary observations using larger patient cohorts and a longitudinal study design may further point to novel serologic markers of pain in JIA. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12969-022-00662-1