Empowering Executive Functions in 5- and 6-Year-Old Typically Developing Children Through Educational Robotics: An RCT Study

Educational Robotics (ER) is a new learning approach that is known mainly for its effects on scientific academic subjects such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Recent studies indicate that ER can also affect cognitive development by improving critical reasoning and planning skills. This study aimed to quantify the ability of ER to empower Executive Functions (EF), including the ability to control, update, and program information, in 5- and 6-year-old children attending first grade, a crucial evolutionary window for the development of such abilities. A total of 187 typically developing children were enrolled and randomly allocated into two experimental conditions: A, for immediate ER training, and B, for waitlist. ER-Laboratories (ER-Lab) for small groups were organized at schools, using a child-friendly, bee-shaped robot called Bee-Bot® (Campus Store). Activities were intensive, enjoyable, and progressively more challenging over the 20 twice-weekly sessions. Outcome measures, based on standardized tests, were used to quantify the effects of ER on EF. Compared to the control group, the ER-Lab group showed significantly better ability to actively manipulate information in short-term memory and suppress automatic responses in favor of goal-appropriate actions. This RCT study provides the first quantitative evidence of the positive effects of ER activities for improving working memory and inhibition in the early school years

Developmental language disorder: Early predictors, age for the diagnosis, and diagnostic tools. A scoping review

Background. Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is frequent in childhood and may have long-term sequelae. By employing an evidence-based approach, this scoping review aims at identifying (a) early predictors of DLD; (b) the optimal age range for the use of screening and diagnostic tools; (c) effective diagnostic tools in preschool children. Methods. We considered systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and primary observational studies with control groups on predictive, sensitivity and specificity values of screening and diagnostic tools and psycholinguistic measures for the assessment of DLD in preschool children. We identified 37 studies, consisting of 10 systematic reviews and 27 primary studies. Results. Delay in gesture production, receptive and/or expressive vocabulary, syntactic comprehension, or word combination up to 30 months emerged as early predictors of DLD, a family history of DLD appeared to be a major risk factor, and low socioeconomic status and environmental input were reported as risk factors with lower predictive power. Optimal time for screening is suggested between age 2 and 3, for diagnosis around age 4. Because of the high variability of sensitivity and specificity values, joint use of standardized and psycholinguistic measures is suggested to increase diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions. Monitoring risk situations and employing caregivers\u2019 reports, clinical assessment and multiple linguistic measures are fundamental for an early identification of DLD and timely interventions

Implicit learning deficit in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Evidence for a cerebellar cognitive impairment?

This study aimed at comparing implicit sequence learning in individuals affected by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy without intellectual disability and age-matched typically developing children. A modified version of the Serial Reaction Time task was administered to 32 Duchenne children and 37 controls of comparable chronological age. The Duchenne group showed a reduced rate of implicit learning even if in the absence of global intellectual disability. This finding provides further evidence of the involvement of specific aspects of cognitive function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and on its possible neurobiological substrate

Increased expression of the normal cellular isoform of prion protein in inclusion-body myositis, inflammatory myopathies and denervation atrophy

The cellular isoform of the prion protein (PrPc) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoprotein, normally expressed in neural and non-neural tissues, including skeletal muscle. In transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or prion diseases, PrPc, which is soluble in nondenaturing detergent and sensitive to proteinase K (PK)-treatment, represents the molecular substrate for the production of a detergent-insoluble and PK-resistant isoform, termed PrP(Sc). In human prion diseases, PrP(Sc) accumulation occurs only in brain tissues, with the exception of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, where PrP(Sc) is also detected in lymphoid tissues. Increased amounts of prion protein expression and deposition have been described in pathological muscle fibers of two human muscle disorders, called sporadic inclusion-body myositis (s-IBM) and hereditary inclusion-body myopathy, but it is unknown whether accumulated prion protein reflects normal PrPc or PrP(Sc). We investigated the biochemical characteristics of prion protein in normal human muscle, s-IBM, other inflammatory myopathies and denervation atrophy. We report that 1) both the glycoform profile and size of the normal muscle PrPc are different from those of human brain PrPc; 2) in addition to s-IBM, increased PrPc expression is seen in polymyositis, dermatomyositis and neurogenic muscle atrophy, but PrPc glycoforms are unchanged; 3) only the normal PrPc isoform, and not PrP(Sc), is detected in s-IBM. The present results exclude that s-IBM is a prion disease

Language organisation in left perinatal stroke

Right-hemispheric organisation of language has been observed following early left-sided brain lesions. The role of the site of damage is still controversial, as other aspects influence the pattern of speech organisation including timing of the lesion and the presence of epilepsy. We studied a group of 10 term-born children homogeneous for timing/type of lesion and clinical picture. All subjects had left perinatal arterial stroke, right hemiplegia, normal cognitive functions and no or easily controlled epileptic seizures. In half the patients, the lesion clearly involved Broca's area, in the other half it was remote from it. Language lateralization was explored by an fMRI covert rhyme generation task. Eight of 10 subjects showed a right lateralisation of language, including all five patients with a damaged left Broca and 3/5 of those without it. Group analysis in patients with right hemispheric organisation showed brain activations homotopic to those found in the left hemisphere of a matched control group. Our findings confirm that, at the end of gestation, the human brain exhibits extraordinary (re-)organisational capabilities. Language organisation in the right hemisphere is favoured by the presence of destructive lesions of the left Broca's area at birth, and occurs in brain regions homotopic to those usually involved in language processing

Why Might Women Justify Dating Violence? The Role of Men’s Sexual Objectification of Their Romantic Partners Within Heterosexual Relationships

Men’s partner-sexual objectification has been linked to increased self-objectification and diminished well-being in women. Some recent findings have also demonstrated that men’s partner-sexual objectification is related to increased violence in the relationship. However, mechanisms driving this association remain unexplored. In the present research, we collected data on women and men involved in heterosexual romantic relationships and investigated the associations between men’s partner-sexual objectification, women’s self-objectification, and both partners’ attitudes toward dating violence. Study 1 (N = 171 heterosexual couples) provided first evidence for the link between men’s partner-sexual objectification and their attitudes toward dating violence. Furthermore, men’s attitudes toward dating violence mediated the relationship between sexual objectification of their partners and women’s attitudes toward dating violence. These results were replicated in Study 2 (N = 235 heterosexual couples). Findings of this study also revealed that, along with men’s attitudes toward dating violence, women’s self-objectification acted as a mediating mechanism linking experiences of being sexually objectified by the romantic partner and attitudes toward dating violence in women. Implications of our findings for the issue of dating violence are discussed

Beneficial effects of elevating cardiac preload on left-ventricular diastolic function and volume during heat stress:implications toward tolerance during a hemorrhagic insult

Volume loading normalizes tolerance to a simulated hemorrhagic challenge in heat-stressed individuals, relative to when these individuals are thermoneutral. The mechanism(s) by which this occurs is unknown. This project tested two unique hypotheses; that is, the elevation of central blood volume via volume loading while heat stressed would 1) increase indices of left ventricular diastolic function, and 2) preserve left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) during a subsequent simulated hemorrhagic challenge induced by lower-body negative pressure (LBNP). Indices of left ventricular diastolic function were evaluated in nine subjects during the following conditions: thermoneutral, heat stress, and heat stress after acute volume loading sufficient to return ventricular filling pressures toward thermoneutral levels. LVEDV was also measured in these subjects during the aforementioned conditions prior to and during a simulated hemorrhagic challenge. Heat stress did not change indices of diastolic function. Subsequent volume infusion elevated indices of diastolic function, specifically early diastolic mitral annular tissue velocity (E′) and early diastolic propagation velocity (E) relative to both thermoneutral and heat stress conditions (P < 0.05 for both). Heat stress reduced LVEDV (P < 0.05), while volume infusion returned LVEDV to thermoneutral levels. The reduction in LVEDV to LBNP was similar between thermoneutral and heat stress conditions, whereas the reduction after volume infusion was attenuated relative to both conditions (P < 0.05). Absolute LVEDV during LBNP after volume loading was appreciably greater relative to the same level of LBNP during heat stress alone. Thus, rapid volume infusion during heat stress increased indices of left ventricular diastolic function and attenuated the reduction in LVEDV during LBNP, both of which may serve as mechanisms by which volume loading improves tolerance to a combined hyperthermic and hemorrhagic challenge

Increased expression of the normal cellular isoform of prion protein in inclusion-body myositis, inflammatory myopathies and denervation atrophy

The cellular isoform of the prion protein (PrPc) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoprotein, normally expressed in neural and non-neural tissues, including skeletal muscle. In transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or prion diseases, PrPc, which is soluble in nondenaturing detergent and sensitive to proteinase K (PK)-treatment, represents the molecular substrate for the production of a detergent-insoluble and PK-resistant isoform, termed PrPSc. In human prion diseases, PrPSc accumulation occurs only in brain tissues, with the exception of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, where PrPSc is also detected in lymphoid tissues. Increased amounts of prion protein expression and deposition have been described in pathological muscle fibers of two human muscle disorders, called sporadic inclusion-body myositis (s-IBM) and hereditary inclusion-body myopathy, but it is unknown whether accumulated prion protein reflects normal PrPc or PrPSc. We investigated the biochemical characteristics of prion protein in normal human muscle, s-IBM, other inflammatory myopathies and denervation atrophy. We report that 1) both the glycoform profile and size of the normal muscle PrPc are different from those of human brain PrPc; 2) in addition to s-IBM, increased PrPc expression is seen in polymyositis, dermatomyositis and neurogenic muscle atrophy, but PrPc glycoforms are unchanged; 3) only the normal PrPc isoform, and not PrPSc, is detected in s-IBM. The present results exclude that s-IBM is a prion disease