429 research outputs found
Atypical visual-auditory predictive coding in Autism Spectrum Disorder:Electrophysiological evidence from stimulus omissions
Autism spectrum disorder is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder that has been linked to a range of perceptual processing alterations, including hypo- and hyperresponsiveness to sensory stimulation. A recently proposed theory that attempts to account for these symptoms, states that autistic individuals have a decreased ability to anticipate upcoming sensory stimulation due to overly precise internal prediction models. Here, we tested this hypothesis by comparing the electrophysiological markers of prediction errors in auditory prediction by vision between a group of autistic individuals and a group of age-matched individuals with typical development. Between-group differences in prediction error signaling were assessed by comparing event-related potentials evoked by unexpected auditory omissions in a sequence of audiovisual recordings of a handclap in which the visual motion reliably predicted the onset and content of the sound. Unexpected auditory omissions induced an increased early negative omission response in the autism spectrum disorder group, indicating that violations of the prediction model produced larger prediction errors in the autism spectrum disorder group compared to the typical development group. The current results show that autistic individuals have alterations in visual-auditory predictive coding, and support the notion of impaired predictive coding as a core deficit underlying atypical sensory perception in autism spectrum disorder. Lay abstract: Many autistic individuals experience difficulties in processing sensory information (e.g. increased sensitivity to sound). Here we show that these difficulties may be related to an inability to process unexpected sensory stimulation. In this study, 29 older adolescents and young adults with autism and 29 age-matched individuals with typical development participated in an electroencephalography study. The electroencephalography study measured the participantsâ brain activity during unexpected silences in a sequence of videos of a handclap. The results showed that the brain activity of autistic individuals during these silences was increased compared to individuals with typical development. This increased activity indicates that autistic individuals may have difficulties in processing unexpected incoming sensory information, and might explain why autistic individuals are often overwhelmed by sensory stimulation. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the different sensory perception experienced by autistic individuals
Electrophysiological alterations in motorâauditory predictive coding in autism spectrum disorder
The amplitude of the auditory N1 component of the eventârelated potential (ERP) is typically attenuated for selfâinitiated sounds, compared to sounds with identical acoustic and temporal features that are triggered externally. This effect has been ascribed to internal forward models predicting the sensory consequences of one's own motor actions. The predictive coding account of autistic symptomatology states that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties anticipating upcoming sensory stimulation due to a decreased ability to infer the probabilistic structure of their environment. Without precise internal forward prediction models to rely on, perception in ASD could be less affected by prior expectations and more driven by sensory input. Following this reasoning, one would expect diminished attenuation of the auditory N1 due to selfâinitiation in individuals with ASD. Here, we tested this hypothesis by comparing the neural response to selfâ versus externallyâinitiated tones between a group of individuals with ASD and a group of age matched neurotypical controls. ERPs evoked by tones initiated via buttonâpresses were compared with ERPs evoked by the same tones replayed at identical pace. Significant N1 attenuation effects were only found in the TD group. Selfâinitiation of the tones did not attenuate the auditory N1 in the ASD group, indicating that they may be unable to anticipate the auditory sensory consequences of their own motor actions. These results show that individuals with ASD have alterations in sensory attenuation of selfâinitiated sounds, and support the notion of impaired predictive coding as a core deficit underlying autistic symptomatology
The system-biological GLOBE 3D Genome Platform.
Genomes are tremendous co-evolutionary holistic systems for molecular storage, processing and fabrication of information. Their system-biological complexity remains, however, still largely mysterious, despite immense sequencing achievements and huge advances in the understanding of the general sequential, three-dimensional and regulatory organization. Here, we present the GLOBE 3D Genome Platform a completely novel grid based virtual âpaperâ tool and in fact the first system-biological genome browser integrating the holistic complexity of genomes in a single easy comprehensible platform: Based on a detailed study of biophysical and IT requirements, every architectural level from sequence to morphology of one or several genomes can be approached in a real and in a symbolic representation simultaneously and navigated by continuous scale-free zooming within a unique three-dimensional OpenGL and grid driven environment. In principle an unlimited number of multi-dimensional data sets can be visualized, customized in terms of arrangement, shape, colour, and texture etc. as well as accessed and annotated individually or in groups using internal or external data bases/facilities. Any information can be searched and correlated by importing or calculating simple relations in real-time using grid resources. A general correlation and application platform for more complex correlative analysis and a front-end for system-biological simulations both using again the huge capabilities of grid infrastructures is currently under development. Hence, the GLOBE 3D Genome Platform is an example of a grid based approach towards a virtual desktop for genomic work combining the three fundamental distributed resources: i) visual data representation, ii) data access and management, and iii) data analysis and creation. Thus, the GLOBE 3D Genome Platform is the novel system-biology oriented information system urgently needed to access, present, annotate, and to simulate the holistic genome complexity in a unique gateway towards a real understanding, educative presentation and curative manipulation planning of this tremendous evolutionary information grail â genomes
Mineral Intake and Status of CowÊŒs Milk Allergic Infants Consuming an Amino Acid-based Formula:
Data on the mineral status of infants with cow's milk allergy (CMA) consuming an amino acid-based formula (AAF) have not been published. The present study aims to assess mineral status of term infants age 0 to 8 months diagnosed with CMA receiving an AAF for 16 weeks. Serum concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, chloride, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and ferritin were determined in 82 subjects at baseline and in 66 subjects after 16 weeks on AAF using standard methods and evaluated against age-specific reference ranges. In addition to this, individual estimated energy and mineral intakes were compared to Adequate Intakes defined by the European Food Safety Authority and the US Institute of Medicine. The results of this study show that the AAF was effective in providing an adequate mineral status in infants with CMA. The vast majority of infants aged 0 to 6 months (formula only) and aged 6 to 12 months (formula and complementary foods) had adequate mineral intakes
Imbalanced Folate and Vitamin B12 in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy and its Association with Birthweight and Child Growth up to 2 Years
Scope: Folic acid supplementation during pregnancy may lead to an
imbalance when vitamin B12 intake is low (folate trap) and may affect childâs
growth.
Methods: The authors study the association between third trimester maternal
intakes of folate and B12 and birthweight and postnatal growth of 2632
infants from the KOALA Birth Cohort Study. Plasma vitamin biomarkers are
measured in 1219 women.
Results: Imbalanced total intakes (folate > 430 ”g dayâ1 combined with B12
< 5.5 ”g dayâ1) are not associated with birthweight [ adj (95% CI) = â14.87
(â68.87, 39.13)] compared with high intakes of both. Imbalanced intake is
associated with a lower z score of weight at 1â2 years [ adj = â0.14 (â0.25,
â0.03)]. Having red blood cell folate > 745 nmol Lâ1 and plasma B12
< 172 pmol Lâ1 is not associated with birthweight [ adj = â7.10 (â97.90,
83.71) g]. Maternal dietary B12 intake [ adj = â9.5 (â15.6, â3.3)] and plasma
methylmalonic acid [ adj = 234 (43, 426)] are associated with birthweight.
Conclusion: Low maternal dietary B12 intake and elevated methylmalonic
acid rather than imbalanced vitamins are associated with higher birthweight,
suggesting that low maternal B12 can predispose the infants for later obesity
Visualization, Analysis, and Design of COMBO-FISH Probes in the Grid-Based GLOBE 3D Genome Platform
Context matters! The relationship between mother-reported family nutrition climate, general parenting, food parenting practices and childrenâs BMI
Background: Efforts to explain childrenâs nutrition behavior or weight often involve investigating the parent-child relationship, typically studying the associations between food parenting practices (FPPs) and child outcomes. However, these behaviors are embedded in a broader system: general parenting (GP, the general emotional climate at home), and the family health climate (an aspect of the broader family system in the context of health). In the current study, we combined the parent-child measures of parenting (FPPs and GP) and the nutritional dimension of the family health climate (family nutrition climate, FNC) to get a broader view of how these concepts are interrelated. The current study had two aims: predicting FPPs using GP and FNC as predictor variables, and investigating the relationship between FPPs and childrenâs weight in different groups of parents, based on low and high GP and FNC scores.
Methods: We collected cross-sectional data via an online survey panel. Mothers of 267 children aged 5â12 years filled out a questionnaire assessing demographics (e.g., childrenâs weight and height), GP, FPPs, and FNC. Bivariate correlation coefficients were calculated between all constructs. Structural equation modeling was performed to test the hypothesized relationships between GP, FNC and FPPs. Hereafter, different groups of parents were identified, using median split, based on a low or high score on GP or a low or high score on FNC. Bivariate correlation coefficients were calculated between FPPs and childrenâs BMI z-score for these different groups.
Results: GP and FNC were consistently positively correlated (all râs â„.177), and both concepts were positively associated with healthy FPPs (all râs â„.214). In families with a positive context (i.e. scoring high on GP and on FNC), healthy FPPs were associated with lower BMI z-scores of the children (r -.229). This association was not found for children with a more negative family context.
Conclusions: FNC and GP are valuable additional concepts to investigate relationships between FPPs and child outcomes. We recommend that more studies, next to investigating the parent-child system, include a measure of the broader family system, in order to get a broader view of the mechanisms explaining child health behaviors and weight status
Recommended from our members
Cognitive tests used in chronic adult human randomised controlled trial micronutrient and phytochemical intervention studies
In recent years there has been a rapid growth of interest in exploring the relationship between nutritional therapies and the maintenance of cognitive function in adulthood. Emerging evidence reveals an increasingly complex picture with respect to the benefits of various food constituents on learning, memory and psychomotor function in adults. However, to date, there has been little consensus in human studies on the range of cognitive domains to be tested or the particular tests to be employed. To illustrate the potential difficulties that this poses, we conducted a systematic review of existing human adult randomised controlled trial (RCT) studies that have investigated the effects of 24 d to 36 months of supplementation with flavonoids and micronutrients on cognitive performance. There were thirty-nine studies employing a total of 121 different cognitive tasks that met the criteria for inclusion. Results showed that less than half of these studies reported positive effects of treatment, with some important cognitive domains either under-represented or not explored at all. Although there was some evidence of sensitivity to nutritional supplementation in a number of domains (for example, executive function, spatial working memory), interpretation is currently difficult given the prevailing 'scattergun approach' for selecting cognitive tests. Specifically, the practice means that it is often difficult to distinguish between a boundary condition for a particular nutrient and a lack of task sensitivity. We argue that for significant future progress to be made, researchers need to pay much closer attention to existing human RCT and animal data, as well as to more basic issues surrounding task sensitivity, statistical power and type I error
G3DV: A new 3D genome browser and experimental data viewer.
Genomes are tremendous co-evolutionary holistic systems for molecular storage, processing and fabrication of
information. Their system-biological complexity remains, however, still largely mysterious, despite immense
sequencing achievements and huge advances in the understanding of the general sequential, three-dimensional
and regulatory organization. Here, we present the GLOBE 3D Genome Platform a completely novel grid based
virtual âpaperâ tool and in fact the first system-biological genome browser integrating the holistic complexity of
genomes in a single easy comprehensible platform: Based on a detailed study of biophysical and IT
requirements, every architectural level from sequence to morphology of one or several genomes can be
approached in a real and in a symbolic representation simultaneously and navigated by continuous scale-free
zooming within a unique three-dimensional OpenGL and grid driven environment. In principle an unlimited
number of multi-dimensional data sets can be visualized, customized in terms of arrangement, shape, colour, and
texture etc. as well as accessed and annotated individually or in groups using internal or external data
bases/facilities. Any information can be searched and correlated by importing or calculating simple relations in
real-time using grid resources. A general correlation and application platform for more complex correlative
analysis and a front-end for system-biological simulations both using again the huge capabilities of grid
infrastructures is currently under development. Hence, the GLOBE 3D Genome Platform is an example of a grid
based approach towards a virtual desktop for genomic work combining the three fundamental distributed
resources: i) visual data representation, ii) data access and management, and iii) data analysis and creation. Thus,
the GLOBE 3D Genome Platform is the novel system-biology oriented information system urgently needed to
access, present, annotate, and to simulate the holistic genome complexity in a unique gateway towards a real
understanding, educative presentation and curative manipulation planning of this tremendous evolutionary
information grail â genomes
Visualization, analysis, and design of COMBO-FISH probes in the grid-based GLOBE 3D genome platform
The genome architecture in cell nuclei plays an important role in modern microscopy for the monitoring of medical diagnosis and therapy since changes of function and dynamics of genes are interlinked with changing geometrical parameters. The planning of corresponding diagnostic experiments and their imaging is a complex and often interactive IT intensive challenge and thus makes high-performance grids a necessity. To detect genetic changes we recently developed a new form of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) - COMBinatorial Oligonucleotide FISH (COMBO-FISH) - which labels small nucleotide sequences clustering at a desired genomic location. To achieve a unique hybridization spot other side clusters have to be excluded. Therefore, we have designed an interactive pipeline using the grid-based GLOBE 3D Genome Viewer and Platform to design and display different labelling variants of candidate probe sets. Thus, we have created a grid-based virtual "paper" tool for easy interactive calculation, analysis, management, and representation for COMBO-FISH probe design with many an advantage: Since all the calculations and analysis run in a grid, one can instantly and with great visual ease locate duplications of gene subsequences to guide the elimination of side clustering sequences during the probe design process, as well as get at least an impression of the 3D architectural embedding of the respecti
- âŠ