The Neural Correlates of Mental Flexibility in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Mental flexibility is an important executive function, facilitating flexibility in thought and action. Neurodevelopmental disorders represent a heterogeneous group of disorders, characterized by impaired brain development and function. Despite shared impairments in mental flexibility, it is not known whether the various neurodevelopmental disorders share the same aberrant neural correlates. To investigate, children [total n=110, ages 8-15 years; 22 typically developing, 38 autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 28 attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 22 obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)] completed a mental flexibility task in a magnetoencephalograph (MEG). Results revealed that typically developing children generally relied on the expected fronto-parietal network. However, all clinical groups showed an atypical reliance on the parietal regions, while patterns of delayed and atypical frontal activity differentiated the three clinical groups. This is the first neuroimaging study to elucidate the similarities and differences in the spatio-temporal profiles of neural regions involved in mental flexibility in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.M.Sc

sj-docx-1-cjb-10.1177_00938548241246437 – Supplemental material for Examining the Measurement Invariance and Psychometrics of the Drug Abuse Screening Test for Adolescents (DAST-A) in Justice-Involved Youth

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-cjb-10.1177_00938548241246437 for Examining the Measurement Invariance and Psychometrics of the Drug Abuse Screening Test for Adolescents (DAST-A) in Justice-Involved Youth by Alexandra Mogadam, Tracey A. Skilling, Michele Peterson-Badali and Liam Hannah in Criminal Justice and Behavior</p

Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain activity during a mental flexibility task suggests some shared neurobiology in children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Abstract Background Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) exhibit a shared phenotype that involves executive dysfunctions including impairments in mental flexibility (MF). It is of interest to understand if this phenotype stems from some shared neurobiology. Methods To investigate this possibility, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) neuroimaging to compare brain activity in children (n = 88; 8–15 years) with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as they completed a set-shifting/mental flexibility task. Results Neuroimaging results revealed a similar parietal activation profile across the NDD, groups suggesting a link to their shared phenotype. Differences in frontal activity differentiated the three clinical groups. Brain-behaviour analyses showed a link with repetitive behaviours suggesting shared dysfunction in the associative loop of the corticostriatal system. Conclusion Our study supports the notion that NDDs may exist along a complex phenotypic/biological continuum. All NDD groups showed a sustained parietal activity profile suggesting that they share a strong reliance on the posterior parietal cortices to complete the mental flexibility task; future studies could elucidate whether this is due to delayed brain development or compensatory functioning. The differences in frontal activity may play a role in differentiating the NDDs. The OCD group showed sustained prefrontal activity that may be reflective of hyperfrontality. The ASD group showed reduced frontal activation suggestive of frontal dysfunction and the ADHD group showed an extensive hypoactivity that included frontal and parietal regions. Brain-behaviour analyses showed a significant correlation with repetitive behaviours which may reflect dysfunction in the associative loop of the corticostriatal system, linked to inflexible behaviours