Reply to: New Meta- and Mega-analyses of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Schizophrenia: Do They Really Increase Our Knowledge About the Nature of the Disease Process?

This work was supported by National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Grant No. U54EB020403 (to the ENIGMA consortium)

Family Values, Social Capital and Contradictions of American Modernity

Contemporary American social and political discourses have integrated concerns about family values into the realm of debates about the associational life of social capital. In these discussions, theoretical and historical confusions about the relations between family and civil society run rampant. In this article, I first bring theoretical clarity to these social structures and the type of relations upon which they are predicated and, second, briefly historicize the relationships between an American idea of family and civil society. By tracing changes in popular understandings of family and civil society, I demonstrate that the modern family values movement spurns its Victorian roots by maintaining the nostalgic language for a life and family of old built around a Christian home, while embracing means and institutions, and even more importantly, a form of family, which belies the nostalgia. The family has now become an institution or association which can be sustained through instrumental interventions; it is no longer to do with the organic relations of sentiment remaining from some long-faded Gemeinschaft. The family and the Christian home ideal, which were at the center of American critiques of modernization, have ceased to be.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Cortical brain abnormalities in 4474 individuals with schizophrenia and 5098 control subjects via the enhancing neuro Imaging genetics through meta analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium

BACKGROUND: The profile of cortical neuroanatomical abnormalities in schizophrenia is not fully understood, despite hundreds of published structural brain imaging studies. This study presents the first meta-analysis of cortical thickness and surface area abnormalities in schizophrenia conducted by the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Schizophrenia Working Group. METHODS: The study included data from 4474 individuals with schizophrenia (mean age, 32.3 years; range, 11-78 years; 66% male) and 5098 healthy volunteers (mean age, 32.8 years; range, 10-87 years; 53% male) assessed with standardized methods at 39 centers worldwide. RESULTS: Compared with healthy volunteers, individuals with schizophrenia have widespread thinner cortex (left/right hemisphere: Cohen's d = -0.530/-0.516) and smaller surface area (left/right hemisphere: Cohen's d = -0.251/-0.254), with the largest effect sizes for both in frontal and temporal lobe regions. Regional group differences in cortical thickness remained significant when statistically controlling for global cortical thickness, suggesting regional specificity. In contrast, effects for cortical surface area appear global. Case-control, negative, cortical thickness effect sizes were two to three times larger in individuals receiving antipsychotic medication relative to unmedicated individuals. Negative correlations between age and bilateral temporal pole thickness were stronger in individuals with schizophrenia than in healthy volunteers. Regional cortical thickness showed significant negative correlations with normalized medication dose, symptom severity, and duration of illness and positive correlations with age at onset. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that the ENIGMA meta-analysis approach can achieve robust findings in clinical neuroscience studies; also, medication effects should be taken into account in future genetic association studies of cortical thickness in schizophrenia

Large-scale analysis of structural brain asymmetries in schizophrenia via the ENIGMA consortium

Left-right asymmetry is an important organizing feature of the healthy brain that may be altered in schizophrenia, but most studies have used relatively small samples and heterogeneous approaches, resulting in equivocal findings. We carried out the largest case-control study of structural brain asymmetries in schizophrenia, using MRI data from 5,080 affected individuals and 6,015 controls across 46 datasets in the ENIGMA consortium, using a single image analysis protocol. Asymmetry indexes were calculated for global and regional cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volume measures. Differences of asymmetry were calculated between affected individuals and controls per dataset, and effect sizes were meta-analyzed across datasets. Small average case-control differences were observed for thickness asymmetries of the rostral anterior cingulate and the middle temporal gyrus, both driven by thinner left-hemispheric cortices in schizophrenia. Analyses of these asymmetries with respect to the use of antipsychotic medication and other clinical variables did not show any significant associations. Assessment of age- and sex-specific effects revealed a stronger average leftward asymmetry of pallidum volume between older cases and controls. Case-control differences in a multivariate context were assessed in a subset of the data (N = 2,029), which revealed that 7% of the variance across all structural asymmetries was explained by case-control status. Subtle case-control differences of brain macro-structural asymmetry may reflect differences at the molecular, cytoarchitectonic or circuit levels that have functional relevance for the disorder. Reduced left middle temporal cortical thickness is consistent with altered left-hemisphere language network organization in schizophrenia

Accelerating the Evolution of Nonhuman Primate Neuroimaging

Nonhuman primate neuroimaging is on the cusp of a transformation, much in the same way its human counterpart was in 2010, when the Human Connectome Project was launched to accelerate progress. Inspired by an open data-sharing initiative, the global community recently met and, in this article, breaks through obstacles to define its ambitions

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Semantic priming in anomic aphasia: a focused investigation using cross-modal methodology

Background: Semantic priming in individuals with anomic aphasia has never been the primary focus of an investigation. To date, one study investigated the effects of semantic priming in individuals with fluent aphasia (including anomic aphasia), revealing an inconsistency in semantic priming in the anomic group. Parallels from Broca’s aphasia and Wernicke’s aphasia literature may be drawn. However, due to the heterogeneity of anomic aphasia, a focused investigation was necessary. Aims: Semantic priming effects were investigated using a cross-modal pairwise paradigm. It was hypothesised that participants with anomic aphasia would demonstrate priming patterns at a stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) of 500\ua0ms with slower overall reaction times (RTs) than the control participants. It was further hypothesised that the participants with anomic aphasia might show less inhibition effects than the control participants. Methods & Procedures: Participants with anomic aphasia (n\ua0=\ua011) and healthy control participants (n\ua0=\ua016) completed a lexical decision task where prime–target pairs were present in equal proportions (related, unrelated, and nonwords). A neutral prime condition was also incorporated. Using a cross-modal pairwise paradigm, participants heard a spoken word 500\ua0ms later, a written word appeared on screen (for 4000\ua0ms). Participants were required to make a decision as to whether the written word was real, and RTs were recorded. Outcomes & Results: Linear mixed model analysis was undertaken and revealed no significant two-way interaction effect, indicating both groups showed priming patterns. A main effect of group was evident, showing faster RTs by the control participant group, confirming our hypothesis that people with anomic aphasia primed at an SOA of 500\ua0ms in a similar manner to the control participants, with slower RTs. Conclusions: Semantic priming effects were present in anomic aphasia at relatively short SOAs and may be contributed to by automatic processes. Several parameters are proposed that should be adopted for further investigation into semantic priming in anomic aphasia including electrophysiological measures and manipulation of SOAs and relatedness proportions (RPs) to more precisely measure the effects of controlled versus automatic processes. Such investigation has the potential to inform new assessment and management techniques

Exploring the development of cultural awareness amongst post-graduate speech-language pathology students

PURPOSE: Speech-language pathology programs globally need to prepare graduates to work with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. This study explored the knowledge, perceptions and experiences related to development of cultural awareness of graduate-entry Master of Speech Pathology students at an Australian university. METHOD: Sixty students across both year-levels completed a cultural awareness survey at the beginning of the semester. To explore how clinical placement influenced students' knowledge and perceptions, year-2 students completed written reflections pre- and post-placement (n = 7) and participated in focus groups post-placement (n = 6). RESULT: Survey results showed student interest in working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations was high (over 80%) and confidence was moderate (over 50%). More than 80% of students reported awareness of their own cultural identities, stereotypes and prejudices. Content analysis of focus group and written reflection data identified key concepts comprising of: (1) context-university, and clinical placement site; (2) competencies-professional and individual; and (3) cultural implications-clients' and students' cultural backgrounds. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest clinical placement may positively influence cultural awareness development and students' own cultural backgrounds may influence this more. Further exploration of how students move along a continuum of cultural development is warranted

Living with Dysphagia in the Community: Caregivers "do whatever it takes."

The psychological and psychosocial impacts of dysphagia on patients are well documented, however, caregiver perspectives have received limited attention and findings have been predominantly in the head and neck cancer population. The aim of this study was to understand the experience of supporting a person with dysphagia of varying aetiologies in the community from the caregiver perspective. Using a qualitative descriptive approach grounded in phenomenology, caregivers of a person with dysphagia living at home were interviewed (n = 15). Thematic analysis revealed an overarching theme of "You do whatever it takes," describing the caregiver experience of supporting a family member/friend with dysphagia at home. This theme was underpinned by three subthemes where caregivers described (1) being a caregiver; (2) support networks; and (3) practicalities of living with dysphagia. Caregivers voiced a range of pertinent issues experienced when caring for a family member/friend with dysphagia including how personal attributes and life experience impact the caregiver role. Demonstrated through the practical and emotional supports caregivers provided, it was apparent they are instrumental in supporting a family member/friend with dysphagia to live at home and in the community successfully. Through understanding the caregiver experience, health professionals will be in a better position to involve and support caregivers who play a vital role in those living with dysphagia in the community. Incorporating caregivers as direct recipients of dysphagia services will ensure the practical and psychosocial needs of caregivers are addressed, enabling optimal care for people with dysphagia living at home