42 research outputs found
Theory of mind and emotion understanding predict moral development in early childhood
The current study utilized longitudinal data to investigate how theory of mind (ToM) and emotion understanding (EU) concurrently and prospectively predicted young children's moral reasoning and decision making. One hundred twenty-eight children were assessed on measures of ToM and EU at 3.5 and 5.5 years of age. At 5.5 years, children were also assessed on the quality of moral reasoning and decision making they used to negotiate prosocial moral dilemmas, in which the needs of a story protagonist conflict with the needs of another story character. More sophisticated EU predicted greater use of physical- and material-needs reasoning, and a more advanced ToM predicted greater use of psychological-needs reasoning. Most intriguing, ToM and EU jointly predicted greater use of higher-level acceptance-authority reasoning, which is likely a product of children's increasing appreciation for the knowledge held by trusted adults and children's desire to behave in accordance with social expectations.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79217/1/026151009X483056.pd
Automated deep learning segmentation of high-resolution 7 T postmortem MRI for quantitative analysis of structure-pathology correlations in neurodegenerative diseases
Postmortem MRI allows brain anatomy to be examined at high resolution and to
link pathology measures with morphometric measurements. However, automated
segmentation methods for brain mapping in postmortem MRI are not well
developed, primarily due to limited availability of labeled datasets, and
heterogeneity in scanner hardware and acquisition protocols. In this work, we
present a high resolution of 135 postmortem human brain tissue specimens imaged
at 0.3 mm isotropic using a T2w sequence on a 7T whole-body MRI scanner.
We developed a deep learning pipeline to segment the cortical mantle by
benchmarking the performance of nine deep neural architectures, followed by
post-hoc topological correction. We then segment four subcortical structures
(caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, and thalamus), white matter
hyperintensities, and the normal appearing white matter. We show generalizing
capabilities across whole brain hemispheres in different specimens, and also on
unseen images acquired at 0.28 mm^3 and 0.16 mm^3 isotropic T2*w FLASH sequence
at 7T. We then compute localized cortical thickness and volumetric measurements
across key regions, and link them with semi-quantitative neuropathological
ratings. Our code, Jupyter notebooks, and the containerized executables are
publicly available at: https://pulkit-khandelwal.github.io/exvivo-brain-upennComment: Preprint submitted to NeuroImage Project website:
https://pulkit-khandelwal.github.io/exvivo-brain-upen
Comparison of histological delineations of medial temporal lobe cortices by four independent neuroanatomy laboratories
The medial temporal lobe (MTL) cortex, located adjacent to the hippocampus, is crucial for memory and prone to the accumulation of certain neuropathologies such as Alzheimer's disease neurofibrillary tau tangles. The MTL cortex is composed of several subregions which differ in their functional and cytoarchitectonic features. As neuroanatomical schools rely on different cytoarchitectonic definitions of these subregions, it is unclear to what extent their delineations of MTL cortex subregions overlap. Here, we provide an overview of cytoarchitectonic definitions of the entorhinal and parahippocampal cortices as well as Brodmann areas (BA) 35 and 36, as provided by four neuroanatomists from different laboratories, aiming to identify the rationale for overlapping and diverging delineations. Nissl-stained series were acquired from the temporal lobes of three human specimens (two right and one left hemisphere). Slices (50âÎŒm thick) were prepared perpendicular to the long axis of the hippocampus spanning the entire longitudinal extent of the MTL cortex. Four neuroanatomists annotated MTL cortex subregions on digitized slices spaced 5âmm apart (pixel size 0.4 ÎŒm at 20Ă magnification). Parcellations, terminology, and border placement were compared among neuroanatomists. Cytoarchitectonic features of each subregion are described in detail. Qualitative analysis of the annotations showed higher agreement in the definitions of the entorhinal cortex and BA35, while the definitions of BA36 and the parahippocampal cortex exhibited less overlap among neuroanatomists. The degree of overlap of cytoarchitectonic definitions was partially reflected in the neuroanatomists' agreement on the respective delineations. Lower agreement in annotations was observed in transitional zones between structures where seminal cytoarchitectonic features are expressed less saliently. The results highlight that definitions and parcellations of the MTL cortex differ among neuroanatomical schools and thereby increase understanding of why these differences may arise. This work sets a crucial foundation to further advance anatomically-informed neuroimaging research on the human MTL cortex
Examination of the Accuracy and Applicability of Information in Popular Books on Dog Training
There is a wealth of popular literature available on dog behavior and training; sourcing reliable and trustworthy advice is important to achieving successful training. The aim of this study was to select five best-selling (at that time) dog training books, and review their general content and references to basic learning theory and human communicative cues. An Internet search was performed on three online bookstoresâ websites for âbest sellingâ âdog trainingâ books. The books were by Millan and Peltier (2006), Fennell (2002), Stilwell (2005), Pryor (1999), and Monks of New Skete (2002). The results showed marked differences across all books, including inconsistencies in the depth of information provided, and some starkly contrasting training methods were advocated. Overall, these books were not all considered to function as instructional manuals. The persistent popularity of these books suggests that they have likely contributed appreciably to the type of information accessed by dog guardians
Remembering object positions in absence of vision: Egocentric, Allocentric and Egocentric Decentred frames of references.
In three experiments we examined whether memory for object locations in the peri-
personal space in the absence of vision is affected by the correspondence between encoding and
test either of the body position or of the reference point. In particular, the study focuses on the
distinction between different spatial representations, by using a paradigm in which participants
are asked to relocate objects explored haptically. Three frames of reference were systematically
compared. In experiment 1, participants relocated the objects either from the same position of
learning by taking as reference their own body (centred egocentric condition) or from a 908
decentred position (allocentric condition). Performance was measured in terms of linear distance
errors and angular distance errors. Results revealed that the allocentric condition was more
difficult than the centred egocentric condition. In experiment 2, participants performed either the
centred egocentric condition or a decentred egocentric condition, in which the body position
during the test was the same as at encoding (egocentric) but the frame of reference was based on
a point decentred by 908. The decentred egocentric condition was found to be more difficult
than the centred egocentric condition. Finally, in experiment 3, participants performed in the
decentred egocentric condition or the allocentric condition. Here, the allocentric condition was
found to be more difficult than the decentred egocentric condition. Taken together, the results
suggest that also in the peripersonal space and in the absence of vision different frames of
reference can be distinguished. In particular, the decentred egocentric condition involves a frame
of reference which seems to be neither allocentric nor totally egocentric