Resting state networks mediate the association between both cardiovascular fitness and gross motor skills with neurocognitive functioning

Recent evidence suggests that cardiovascular fitness and gross motor skill performance are related to neurocognitive functioning by influencing brain structure and functioning. This study investigates the role of resting-state networks (RSNs) in the relation of cardiovascular fitness and gross motor skills with neurocognitive functioning in healthy 8- to 11-year-old children (n = 90, 45 girls, 10% migration background). Cardiovascular fitness and gross motor skills were related to brain activity in RSNs. Furthermore, brain activity in RSNs mediated the relation of both cardiovascular fitness (Frontoparietal network and Somatomotor network) and gross motor skills (Somatomotor network) with neurocognitive functioning. The results indicate that brain functioning may contribute to the relation between both cardiovascular fitness and gross motor skills with neurocognitive functioning

Effects of aerobic versus cognitively demanding exercise interventions on brain structure and function in healthy children:Results from a cluster randomized controlled trial

The beneficial effects of physical activity on neurocognitive functioning in children are considered to be facilitated by physical activity-induced changes in brain structure and functioning. In this study, we examined the effects of two 14-week school-based exercise interventions in healthy children on white matter microstructure and brain activity in resting-state networks (RSNs) and whether changes in white matter microstructure and RSN activity mediate the effects of the exercise interventions on neurocognitive functioning. A total of 93 children were included in this study (51% girls, mean age 9.13 years). The exercise interventions consisted of four physical education lessons per week, focusing on either aerobic or cognitively demanding exercise and were compared with a control group that followed their regular physical education program of two lessons per week. White matter microstructure was assessed using diffusion tensor imaging in combination with tract-based spatial statistics. Independent component analysis was performed on resting-state data to identify RSNs. Furthermore, neurocognitive functioning (information processing and attention, working memory, motor response inhibition, interference control) was assessed by a set of computerized tasks. Results indicated no Group × Time effects on white matter microstructure or RSN activity, indicating no effects of the exercise interventions on these aspects of brain structure and function. Likewise, no Group × Time effects were found for neurocognitive performance. This study indicated that 14-week school-based interventions regarding neither aerobic exercise nor cognitive-demanding exercise interventions influence brain structure and brain function in healthy children. This study was registered in the Netherlands Trial Register (NTR5341)

The relationship between white matter microstructure, cardiovascular fitness, gross motor skills, and neurocognitive functioning in children

Recent evidence indicates that both cardiovascular fitness and gross motor skill performance are related to enhanced neurocognitive functioning in children by influencing brain structure and functioning. This study investigates the role of white matter microstructure in the relationship of both cardiovascular fitness and gross motor skills with neurocognitive functioning in healthy children. In total 92 children (mean age 9.1 years, range 8.0–10.7) were included in this study. Cardiovascular fitness and gross motor skill performance were assessed using performance‐based tests. Neurocognitive functioning was assessed using computerized tests (working memory, inhibition, interference control, information processing, and attention). Diffusion tensor imaging was used in combination with tract‐based spatial statistics to assess white matter microstructure as defined by fractional anisotropy (FA), axial and radial diffusivity (AD, RD). The results revealed positive associations of both cardiovascular fitness and gross motor skills with neurocognitive functioning. Information processing and motor response inhibition were associated with FA in a cluster located in the corpus callosum. Within this cluster, higher cardiovascular fitness and better gross motor skills were both associated with greater FA, greater AD, and lower RD. No mediating role was found for FA in the relationship of both cardiovascular fitness and gross motor skills with neurocognitive functioning. The results indicate that cardiovascular fitness and gross motor skills are related to neurocognitive functioning as well as white matter microstructure in children. However, this study provides no evidence for a mediating role of white matter microstructure in these relationships

Effectiveness of Specific Techniques in Behavioral Teacher Training for Childhood ADHD Behaviors:Secondary Analyses of a Randomized Controlled Microtrial

Behavioral teacher training is an effective intervention for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Intervention effectiveness may be enhanced by including intervention components that carry the strongest evidence for their effectiveness. A previous article of this group showed that both antecedent- (i.e., stimulus-control) and consequent-based (i.e., contingency management) techniques were highly effective in reducing daily teacher-rated, individually selected problem behaviors in a specific situation of the child. Effects were observed up to three months post intervention. Here, we tested whether effects were also present in teacher-rated and masked DSM-based assessments that comprise the full range of ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms, as well as on teacher-rated impairment. Teachers of 90 children with (subthreshold) ADHD (6–12 years) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a short (two sessions), individualized intervention consisting of either a) antecedent-based techniques or b) consequent-based techniques; or c) waitlist. Multilevel analyses showed that both sets of techniques were effective in reducing teacher-rated ADHD symptoms and impairment immediately after the intervention and up to three months later, as compared to waitlist. Masked observations of ADHD behavior were in line with teacher ratings, with effects being most pronounced for inattention. No effects on teacher-rated or masked ODD behavior were found. This study showed that antecedent- and consequent-based techniques were effective in improving classroom ADHD symptoms and impairment. Long-term changes in teacher-rated ADHD are promising. These results extend previous findings and show the potential of short individually tailored interventions in classroom settings as treatment of ADHD symptoms

The Effects of Aerobic Versus Cognitively Demanding Exercise Interventions on Executive Functioning in School-Aged Children:A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

The authors performed a clustered randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of an aerobic and a cognitively demanding exercise intervention on executive functions in primary-school-age children compared with the regular physical education program (N = 856). They hypothesized that both exercise interventions would facilitate executive functioning, with stronger effects for the cognitively demanding exercise group. The interventions were provided four times per week for 14 weeks. Linear mixed models were conducted on posttest neurocognitive function measures with baseline level as covariate. No differences were found between the exercise interventions and the control group for any of the measures. Independently of group, dose of moderate to vigorous physical activity was positively related to verbal working memory and attention abilities. This study showed that physical exercise interventions did not enhance executive functioning in children. Exposure to moderate to vigorous physical activity is a crucial aspect of the relationship between physical activity and executive functioning

The Validity of Teacher Rating Scales for the Assessment of ADHD Symptoms in the Classroom:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: To assess attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in the classroom, most often teacher rating scales are used. However, clinical interviews and observations are recommended as gold standard assessment. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the validity of teacher rating scales. Method: Twenty-two studies (N = 3,947 children) assessing ADHD symptoms using teacher rating scale and either semi-structured clinical interview or structured classroom observation were meta-analyzed. Results: Results showed convergent validity for rating scale scores, with the strongest correlations (r =.55–.64) for validation against interviews, and for hyperactive–impulsive behavior. Divergent validity was confirmed for teacher ratings validated against interviews, whereas validated against observations this was confirmed for inattention only. Conclusion: Teacher rating scales appear a valid and time-efficient measure to assess classroom ADHD; although validated against semi-structured clinical interviews, there were only a few studies available. Low correlations between ratings and structured observations of inattention suggest that observations could add information above rating scales

Relations between gross motor skills and executive functions, controlling for the role of information processing and lapses of attention in 8-10 year old children

This study aimed to systematically investigate the relation between gross motor skills and aspects of executive functioning (i.e. verbal working memory, visuospatial working memory, response inhibition and interference control) in 8-10 year old children. Additionally, the role of information processing (speed and variability) and lapses of attention in the relation between gross motor skills and executive functions was investigated. Data of 732 Dutch children from grade 3 and 4 were analyzed (50.0% boys, 50.4% grade 3, age = 9.16 ± 0.64 years). Gross motor skills were assessed using three items of the Körper Koordinationstest fü r Kinder and one item of the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition. Executive functions were assessed using the Wechsler Digit Span task (verbal working memory), the Visuospatial Memory task (visuospatial working memory), the Stop Signal task (response inhibition) and a modified version of the Flanker task (interference control). Information processing and lapses of attention were obtained by applying an ex-Gaussian analysis on go trials of the Stop Signal task. Multilevel regression analysis showed that gross motor skills were significantly related to verbal working memory, visuospatial working memory and response inhibition, but not to interference control. Lapses of attention was a significant predictor for all executive functions, whereas processing speed was not. Variability in processing speed was only predictive for visuospatial working memory. After controlling for information processing and lapses of attention, gross motor skills were only significantly related to visuospatial working memory and response inhibition. The results suggest that after controlling for information processing and lapses of attention, gross motor skills are related to aspects of executive functions that are most directly involved in, and share common underlying processes with, gross motor skills

Developmentally Sensitive Interaction Effects of Genes and the Social Environment on Total and Subcortical Brain Volumes

Contains fulltext : 167721.PDF (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Smaller total brain and subcortical volumes have been linked to psychopathology including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Identifying mechanisms underlying these alterations, therefore, is of great importance. We investigated the role of gene-environment interactions (GxE) in interindividual variability of total gray matter (GM), caudate, and putamen volumes. Brain volumes were derived from structural magnetic resonance imaging scans in participants with (N = 312) and without ADHD (N = 437) from N = 402 families (age M = 17.00, SD = 3.60). GxE effects between DAT1, 5-HTT, and DRD4 and social environments (maternal expressed warmth and criticism; positive and deviant peer affiliation) as well as the possible moderating effect of age were examined using linear mixed modeling. We also tested whether findings depended on ADHD severity. Deviant peer affiliation was associated with lower caudate volume. Participants with low deviant peer affiliations had larger total GM volumes with increasing age. Likewise, developmentally sensitive GxE effects were found on total GM and putamen volume. For total GM, differential age effects were found for DAT1 9-repeat and HTTLPR L/L genotypes, depending on the amount of positive peer affiliation. For putamen volume, DRD4 7-repeat carriers and DAT1 10/10 homozygotes showed opposite age relations depending on positive peer affiliation and maternal criticism, respectively. All results were independent of ADHD severity. The presence of differential age-dependent GxE effects might explain the diverse and sometimes opposing results of environmental and genetic effects on brain volumes observed so far

Task-generic and task-specific connectivity modulations in the ADHD brain:an integrated analysis across multiple tasks

Contains fulltext : 231786.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with altered functioning in multiple cognitive domains and neural networks. This paper offers an overarching biological perspective across these. We applied a novel strategy that extracts functional connectivity modulations in the brain across one (P(single)), two (P(mix)) or three (P(all)) cognitive tasks and compared the pattern of modulations between participants with ADHD (n-89), unaffected siblings (n = 93) and controls (n = 84; total N = 266; age range = 8-27 years). Participants with ADHD had significantly fewer P(all) connections (modulated regardless of task), but significantly more task-specific (P(single)) connectivity modulations than the other groups. The amplitude of these P(single) modulations was significantly higher in ADHD. Unaffected siblings showed a similar degree of P(all) connectivity modulation as controls but a similar degree of P(single) connectivity modulation as ADHD probands. P(all) connections were strongly reproducible at the individual level in controls, but showed marked heterogeneity in both participants with ADHD and unaffected siblings. The pattern of reduced task-generic and increased task-specific connectivity modulations in ADHD may be interpreted as reflecting a less efficient functional brain architecture due to a reduction in the ability to generalise processing pathways across multiple cognitive domains. The higher amplitude of unique task-specific connectivity modulations in ADHD may index a more "effortful" coping strategy. Unaffected siblings displayed a task connectivity profile in between that of controls and ADHD probands, supporting an endophenotype view. Our approach provides a new perspective on the core neural underpinnings of ADHD

Long-Term Neurodevelopmental and Functional Outcomes of Infants Born Very Preterm and/or with a Very Low Birth Weight

Background: Birth weight (BW) is often used as a proxy for gestational age (GA) in studies on preterm birth. Recent findings indicate that, in addition to perinatal outcomes, subjects born very preterm (VP; GA <32 weeks) differ from those with a very low birth weight (VLBW; BW <1,500 g) in postnatal growth up to their final height. Objective: To study whether neurodevelopmental and functional outcomes at the age of 19 years differ in VP and/or VLBW subjects. Methods: 705 19-year-old subjects from the Project on Preterm and Small-for-Gestational-Age Infants (POPS) cohort were classified as (1) VP+/VLBW+ (n = 354), (2) VP+/VLBW– (n = 144), or (3) VP–/VLBW+ (n = 207), and compared with regard to IQ as assessed with the Multicultural Capacity Test-intermediate level; neuromotor function using Touwen’s examination of mild neurologic dysfunction; hearing loss; self- and parent-reported behavioral and emotional functioning; educational achievement and occupation; and self-assessed health using the Health Utilities Index and the London Handicap Scale. Results: VP+/VLBW– infants, on average, had 3.8-point higher IQ scores (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.5– 7.1), a trend towards higher educational achievement, 3.3- dB better hearing (95% CI 1.2–5.4), and less anxious behavior, attention problems, and internalizing behavior than to VP+/VLBW+ subjects. VP–/VLBW+ infants reported 1.8 increased odds (95% CI 1.2–2.6) of poor health compared to VP+/VLBW+ subjects. Conclusions: At the age of 19 years, subjects born VP+/VLBW+, VP+/VLBW–, and VP-/VLBW+ have different neurodevelopmental and functional outcomes, although effect sizes are small. Hence, the terms VP and VLBW are not interchangeable. We recommend, at least for industrialized countries, to base inclusion in future studies on preterm populations on GA instead of on B