A Summary of the Developmental Trajectory of Executive Functions from Birth to Adulthood

Executive functions (EFs) refer to cognitive control abilities that can sustain goal-directed behavior within complex contexts or changing contingencies. This cognitive functioning domain involves abilities such as inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility, attention, and planning and is particularly important for cognitive and socio-emotional advance. Longitudinal design studies have highlighted the relevance of adequate EF development during childhood as a predictor of improved health, higher academic achievements, a better employment status, and a lower incidence of disruptive social conduct, addictions, behavior problems, and psychopathology in adulthood. Hence, understanding EF development and its mediating predictors is a topic of interest for neuroscience. Research work over the past 20 years has produced highly relevant knowledge about specific EF developmental trajectories; however, few studies have compiled these results. This paper will re-examine EF development from early childhood until adulthood to include research reports published in peer-reviewed scientific journals from 2000 to 2019. We will delve into the existence of sensitive periods, growth and decline peaks, common patterns, and gender differences, highlighting unexplored topics and new challenges for future research. Understanding these cognitive development milestones will be a foundational step forward for the design of prevention and EF promotion programs throughout an individual’s vital cycle.Fil: Korzeniowski, Celina Graciela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Ison, Mirta Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Difabio, Hilda Emilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Next-Generation Sequencing in Veterinary Medicine: How Can the Massive Amount of Information Arising from High-Throughput Technologies Improve Diagnosis, Control, and Management of Infectious Diseases?

The development of high-throughput molecular technologies and associated bioinformatics has dramatically changed the capacities of scientists to produce, handle, and analyze large amounts of genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data. A clear example of this step-change is represented by the amount of DNA sequence data that can be now produced using next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms. Similarly, recent improvements in protein and peptide separation efficiencies and highly accurate mass spectrometry have promoted the identification and quantification of proteins in a given sample. These advancements in biotechnology have increasingly been applied to the study of animal infectious diseases and are beginning to revolutionize the way that biological and evolutionary processes can be studied at the molecular level. Studies have demonstrated the value of NGS technologies for molecular characterization, ranging from metagenomic characterization of unknown pathogens or microbial communities to molecular epidemiology and evolution of viral quasispecies. Moreover, high-throughput technologies now allow detailed studies of host-pathogen interactions at the level of their genomes (genomics), transcriptomes (transcriptomics), or proteomes (proteomics). Ultimately, the interaction between pathogen and host biological networks can be questioned by analytically integrating these levels (integrative OMICS and systems biology). The application of high-throughput biotechnology platforms in these fields and their typical low-cost per information content has revolutionized the resolution with which these processes can now be studied