Early Visual Cortex Dynamics during Top–Down Modulated Shifts of Feature-Selective Attention

Shifting attention from one color to another color or from color to another feature dimension such as shape or orientation is imperative when searching for a certain object in a cluttered scene. Most attention models that emphasize feature-based selection implicitly assume that all shifts in feature-selective attention underlie identical temporal dynamics. Here, we recorded time courses of behavioral data and steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), an objective electrophysiological measure of neural dynamics in early visual cortex to investigate temporal dynamics when participants shifted attention from color or orientation toward color or orientation, respectively. SSVEPs were elicited by four random dot kinematograms that flickered at different frequencies. Each random dot kinematogram was composed of dashes that uniquely combined two features from the dimensions color (red or blue) and orientation (slash or backslash). Participants were cued to attend to one feature (such as color or orientation) and respond to coherent motion targets of the to-be-attended feature. We found that shifts toward color occurred earlier after the shifting cue compared with shifts toward orientation, regardless of the original feature (i.e., color or orientation). This was paralleled in SSVEP amplitude modulations as well as in the time course of behavioral data. Overall, our results suggest different neural dynamics during shifts of attention from color and orientation and the respective shifting destinations, namely, either toward color or toward orientation

Attentional Performance, Age and Scholastic Achievement in Healthy Children

Attentional processes in children play a critical role in daily school demands and accomplishments. Studies on the association of attentional processes with school achievement and age in healthy school children are scarce. The aim of the present study was to identify correlations between dimensions of attentional performance, scholastic achievement and age.An extensive testing battery was used to assess a wide range of attentional dimensions. A principal component analysis revealed three factors that are related to attentional performance (distractibility, lapses of attention, cognitive speed). Age was negatively associated with distractibility, lapses of attention and cognitive speed, indicating that distractibility and lapses of attention decreased with age in healthy children and resulted in lower cognitive speed.Attentional processes in healthy children should be measured in relation to distractibility, lapses of attention and cognitive speed

Identification of genetic variants associated with Huntington's disease progression: a genome-wide association study

Background Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene, HTT. Age at onset has been used as a quantitative phenotype in genetic analysis looking for Huntington's disease modifiers, but is hard to define and not always available. Therefore, we aimed to generate a novel measure of disease progression and to identify genetic markers associated with this progression measure. Methods We generated a progression score on the basis of principal component analysis of prospectively acquired longitudinal changes in motor, cognitive, and imaging measures in the 218 indivduals in the TRACK-HD cohort of Huntington's disease gene mutation carriers (data collected 2008–11). We generated a parallel progression score using data from 1773 previously genotyped participants from the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study of Huntington's disease mutation carriers (data collected 2003–13). We did a genome-wide association analyses in terms of progression for 216 TRACK-HD participants and 1773 REGISTRY participants, then a meta-analysis of these results was undertaken. Findings Longitudinal motor, cognitive, and imaging scores were correlated with each other in TRACK-HD participants, justifying use of a single, cross-domain measure of disease progression in both studies. The TRACK-HD and REGISTRY progression measures were correlated with each other (r=0·674), and with age at onset (TRACK-HD, r=0·315; REGISTRY, r=0·234). The meta-analysis of progression in TRACK-HD and REGISTRY gave a genome-wide significant signal (p=1·12 × 10−10) on chromosome 5 spanning three genes: MSH3, DHFR, and MTRNR2L2. The genes in this locus were associated with progression in TRACK-HD (MSH3 p=2·94 × 10−8 DHFR p=8·37 × 10−7 MTRNR2L2 p=2·15 × 10−9) and to a lesser extent in REGISTRY (MSH3 p=9·36 × 10−4 DHFR p=8·45 × 10−4 MTRNR2L2 p=1·20 × 10−3). The lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TRACK-HD (rs557874766) was genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (p=1·58 × 10−8), and encodes an aminoacid change (Pro67Ala) in MSH3. In TRACK-HD, each copy of the minor allele at this SNP was associated with a 0·4 units per year (95% CI 0·16–0·66) reduction in the rate of change of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Total Motor Score, and a reduction of 0·12 units per year (95% CI 0·06–0·18) in the rate of change of UHDRS Total Functional Capacity score. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age of onset. Interpretation The multidomain progression measure in TRACK-HD was associated with a functional variant that was genome-wide significant in our meta-analysis. The association in only 216 participants implies that the progression measure is a sensitive reflection of disease burden, that the effect size at this locus is large, or both. Knockout of Msh3 reduces somatic expansion in Huntington's disease mouse models, suggesting this mechanism as an area for future therapeutic investigation

Phonologische und auditive Verarbeitung bei Kindern mit Leserechtschreibstörung und isolierter Rechtschreibstörung

Diese Arbeit wurde verfasst, um einen Beitrag zur Validierung von Defiziten der Leserechtschreibstörung (LRS) und der isolierten Rechtschreibstörung (RS) zu leisten. Zur Erklärung umschriebener Entwicklungsstörungen schulischer Fertigkeiten werden unterschiedliche Defizite im Sinne von neurokognitiven Grundlagen diskutiert. Die derzeit prominentesten Defizittypen, die mit LRS in Zusammenhang stehen, sind die des phonologischen und das auditiven Defizits vor dem hintergrund einer magnozellen Störung

Correlation between age (yrs.) and cognitive speed as assessed by the KITAP (z-scores) [<b>18]</b>, [33<b> </b>].

<p>A linear trend indicated a reduction in cognitive speed with increasing age, a quadratic trend indicated a sudden decrease in cognitive speed at the age of 10 years, and a cubic trend was indicative of a stepwise decrease in cognitive speed (decrease – plateau – decrease) for the age range of 6 to 10 years.</p

Characteristics of the study sample (n = 61) as indexed by age (yrs., mean +/− standard deviation [SD]).

<p>Characteristics of the study sample (n = 61) as indexed by age (yrs., mean +/− standard deviation [SD]).</p

Parameters of attentional performance in the KITAP [19], [34] as indexed by the median (MD) of reaction time (RT), standard deviation (SD) of RT, error performance (ER) and omissions (OM).

<p>Parameters of attentional performance in the KITAP <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0032279#pone.0032279-Fldnyi2" target="_blank">[19]</a>, <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0032279#pone.0032279-Zimmermann1" target="_blank">[34]</a> as indexed by the median (MD) of reaction time (RT), standard deviation (SD) of RT, error performance (ER) and omissions (OM).</p

Fit between workers' competencies and job demands as predictor for job performance over the work career

"In modern work environments, employees need to flexibly adjust their abilities to an increasing complexity of their work place demands. We assumed that a fit between demands and individual abilities might positively influence work ability, job-related self-efficacy, and job satisfaction as important indicators of job performance. A misfit on the contrary, might have adverse effects and interfere with job performance measures. Linking to the demographic change, it is even more important to analyze if age has an impact on the association between fit or misfit and performance outcomes to reveal evidence for age specific intervention strategies. We asked 103 employees and 15 supervisors of a production company to rate individual abilities and work-place demands in the sensory, motor, and cognitive fields to identify associations between a fit/misfit and outcomes that influence job performance. Our analyses showed that a fit/misfit between subjectively perceived demands and abilities in motor control influenced job-related self-efficacy. This was particularly true for blue collar workers and for older employees. A fit/misfit between the supervisor- and employee-rated abilities to learn new tasks had a high impact on work ability. Both white and blue collar workers as well as middle aged and older employees were sensitive to this effect. A fit/misfit between employee- and supervisor rated ability to deal with high task complexity was not associated with job satisfaction over the entire group, but in white collar workers and older employees. We conclude that a fit/misfit between work abilities and demands as well as between self and supervisor ratings of the employees' abilities has to be constantly evaluated with regard to age and work type to maintain healthy and productive employees." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))matching, Qualifikationsniveau, Qualifikationsanforderungen, Arbeitsanforderungen, Arbeitnehmer, berufliche Flexibilität, Qualifikationsanpassung, altersspezifische Faktoren, Arbeitsleistung, Arbeitszufriedenheit, Arbeitsfähigkeit, kognitive Fähigkeit, Verwaltungsberufe, Industriearbeiter, Lernfähigkeit, Selbsteinschätzung, Fremdbild, ältere Arbeitnehmer

Correlation between age (yrs.) and lapses of attention as assessed by the KITAP [<b>18]</b>, [33<b> </b>].

<p>A linear trend was indicative of a reduction of lapses of attention with increasing age; a quadratic trend, but no cubic trend, was indicative of a plateau (decrease – plateau) starting at the age of 8 years.</p

Sex and age distribution of the study sample (n = 61) as indexed by age groups (yrs., mean +/− standard deviation [SD], range).

<p>Sex and age distribution of the study sample (n = 61) as indexed by age groups (yrs., mean +/− standard deviation [SD], range).</p