Muss der Bildungsauftrag des Kindergartens "eigenständig" sein?

Die institutionellen Bezugspunkte, gegen die sich in der Vergangenheit wie heute die Forderung nach Eigenständigkeit des Bildungsauftrages des Kindergartens richtet, sind die Familie und die Schule. Gegenüber der Familie besagt sie, dass der Kindergarten nicht nur einen sozialpädagogischen Betreuungsauftrag habe, sondern auch einen pädagogischen Bildungsauftrag neben der Familie; gegenüber der Schule besagt sie, dass der Bildungsauftrag nicht oder nicht in erster Linie als vorschulischer, d.h. auf die Schule bezogener Bildungsauftrag zu definieren sei. Gegenüber der Familie hat sich die Eigenständigkeitsforderung durchgesetzt. Gegenüber der Schule lassen sich in der gegenwärtigen Diskussion zwei Positionen unterscheiden: die traditionalistische will die strikte Abgrenzung des Kindergartens zur Schule aufrechterhalten; daneben hat sich eine Reformposition herausgebildet, welche die beiden Bereiche in ein Verhältnis der Kontinuität setzen will. In dem Artikel wird dafür plädiert, den Ausdruck vom "eigenständigen Bildungsauftrag des Kindergartens" aus der Diskussion zu nehmen, weil er unklar ist, zu Verwirrung führt und die Kommunikation mit der Grundschulpädagogik belastet. (DIPF/Orig.)The institutional points of reference against which the demand for independence of the educational mission of kindergarten was directed in the past are the family and the school. With regard to the family, it is said that kindergarten does not only have a socio-pedagogical mission of care, but also a pedagogical mission of education besides the family. As regards the school, it is stated that the educational mission is not - at least not primarily - to be defined as a preschool, i.e. school-related, mission. With regard to the family, the demand for independence has been asserted successfully. As regards the school, two positions may be distinguished in the recent discussion: the traditionalist position which wants to maintain the strict delimitation between kindergarten and school; in addition, a reform position has emerged which aims at creating a relationship of continuity between the two sectors. The author pleads for eliminating the concept of the "independent educational mission of kindergarten" from the debate, because it is unclear, leads to confusion, and strains communication with elementary school pedagogics. (DIPF/Orig.

Vorschulreform und der wissenschaftliche Status der "Pädagogik der frühen Kindheit" als Teildisziplin der Erziehungswissenschaft

Mit der ersten Vorschulreform in den 1970er Jahren entstanden nach semiakademischen Vorläufern die ersten Konturen einer Pädagogik der frühen Kindheit als Teildisziplin der Erziehungswissenschaft. Mit dem Ende der Reform stagnierte sie auf niedrigem Ausbaustand im disziplinären Gefüge der Sozialpädagogik. Mit der gegenwärtigen Vorschulreform stellt sich die Frage, ob die Pädagogik der frühen Kindheit von ihr profitieren und sich in Richtung einer teildisziplinären Eigenständigkeit weiterentwickeln und konsolidieren kann. (DIPF/Orig.)With the first reform of preschool education during the 1970s and following several semi-academic precursors, the first contours of a pedagogy of early childhood emerged as a sub-discipline of educational science. With the end of the reform movement, this theoretical construct stagnated on a rather low level of elaboration within the disciplinary structure of sociopedagogics. With the present reform of preschool education, the question arises whether the pedagogy of early childhood could profit from this reform movement and whether it could thus continue to develop into a consolidated independent sub-discipline. (DIPF/Orig.

Genome-wide analyses identify a role for SLC17A4 and AADAT in thyroid hormone regulation.

Thyroid dysfunction is an important public health problem, which affects 10% of the general population and increases the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Many aspects of thyroid hormone regulation have only partly been elucidated, including its transport, metabolism, and genetic determinants. Here we report a large meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for thyroid function and dysfunction, testing 8 million genetic variants in up to 72,167 individuals. One-hundred-and-nine independent genetic variants are associated with these traits. A genetic risk score, calculated to assess their combined effects on clinical end points, shows significant associations with increased risk of both overt (Graves' disease) and subclinical thyroid disease, as well as clinical complications. By functional follow-up on selected signals, we identify a novel thyroid hormone transporter (SLC17A4) and a metabolizing enzyme (AADAT). Together, these results provide new knowledge about thyroid hormone physiology and disease, opening new possibilities for therapeutic targets

Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume

The hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic underpinnings of hippocampal structure here we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 33,536 individuals and discover six independent loci significantly associated with hippocampal volume, four of them novel. Of the novel loci, three lie within genes (ASTN2, DPP4 and MAST4) and one is found 200 kb upstream of SHH. A hippocampal subfield analysis shows that a locus within the MSRB3 gene shows evidence of a localized effect along the dentate gyrus, subiculum, CA1 and fissure. Further, we show that genetic variants associated with decreased hippocampal volume are also associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (rg =-0.155). Our findings suggest novel biological pathways through which human genetic variation influences hippocampal volume and risk for neuropsychiatric illness

Genetic architecture of subcortical brain structures in 38,851 individuals

Subcortical brain structures are integral to motion, consciousness, emotions and learning. We identified common genetic variation related to the volumes of the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, brainstem, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen and thalamus, using genome-wide association analyses in almost 40,000 individuals from CHARGE, ENIGMA and UK Biobank. We show that variability in subcortical volumes is heritable, and identify 48 significantly associated loci (40 novel at the time of analysis). Annotation of these loci by utilizing gene expression, methylation and neuropathological data identified 199 genes putatively implicated in neurodevelopment, synaptic signaling, axonal transport, apoptosis, inflammation/infection and susceptibility to neurological disorders. This set of genes is significantly enriched for Drosophila orthologs associated with neurodevelopmental phenotypes, suggesting evolutionarily conserved mechanisms. Our findings uncover novel biology and potential drug targets underlying brain development and disease

Genetic correlation between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and schizophrenia

A. Palotie on työryhmän Schizophrenia Working Grp Psychiat jäsen.We have previously shown higher-than-expected rates of schizophrenia in relatives of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), suggesting an aetiological relationship between the diseases. Here, we investigate the genetic relationship between ALS and schizophrenia using genome-wide association study data from over 100,000 unique individuals. Using linkage disequilibrium score regression, we estimate the genetic correlation between ALS and schizophrenia to be 14.3% (7.05-21.6; P = 1 x 10(-4)) with schizophrenia polygenic risk scores explaining up to 0.12% of the variance in ALS (P = 8.4 x 10(-7)). A modest increase in comorbidity of ALS and schizophrenia is expected given these findings (odds ratio 1.08-1.26) but this would require very large studies to observe epidemiologically. We identify five potential novel ALS-associated loci using conditional false discovery rate analysis. It is likely that shared neurobiological mechanisms between these two disorders will engender novel hypotheses in future preclinical and clinical studies.Peer reviewe

Novel genetic loci underlying human intracranial volume identified through genome-wide association

Intracranial volume reflects the maximally attained brain size during development, and remains stable with loss of tissue in late life. It is highly heritable, but the underlying genes remain largely undetermined. In a genome-wide association study of 32,438 adults, we discovered five novel loci for intracranial volume and confirmed two known signals. Four of the loci are also associated with adult human stature, but these remained associated with intracranial volume after adjusting for height. We found a high genetic correlation with child head circumference (ρgenetic=0.748), which indicated a similar genetic background and allowed for the identification of four additional loci through meta-analysis (Ncombined = 37,345). Variants for intracranial volume were also related to childhood and adult cognitive function, Parkinson’s disease, and enriched near genes involved in growth pathways including PI3K–AKT signaling. These findings identify biological underpinnings of intracranial volume and provide genetic support for theories on brain reserve and brain overgrowth

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Identification of Novel Genetic Loci Associated with Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies and Clinical Thyroid Disease

Peer reviewe