Causes and consequences of infant neuromotor development: The Generation R Study

Due to the complexity of the brain, and the many genetic and environmental determinants, there are endless ways in which the brain can develop, leading to at least as many possibilities in the expression of these variations in behaviours or cognitive functioning. Although the study of the brain is as old as science itself, it is just until recently that we have begun to understand more about how the brain works. Historically, scientists who dedicated their work to understanding the central nervous system came from different disciplines: medicine, biology, psychology, physics, chemistry, mathematics. However, the study of the brain has been revolutionized when an interdisciplinary approach was taken, yielding a new synthesized perspective. Similarly, existing knowledge on infant neurological development has increased during the past decades. It is based on insights generated by paediatrics (developmental neurology), movement science and neuropsychology. Currently, neuromotor development is an accepted means of measuring the maturity and intactness of an infant’s central nervous system. Impaired development of the central nervous system in the first year of life is mainly expressed in deviances in neuromotor development

Screening for autism spectrum disorders with the brief infant-toddler social and emotional assessment

Objective: Using parent-completed questionnaires in (preventive) child health care can facilitate the early detection of psychosocial problems and psychopathology, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A promising questionnaire for this purpose is the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA). The screening accuracy with regard to ASD of the BITSEA Problem and Competence scales and a newly calculated Autism score were evaluated. Method: Data, that was collected between April 2010 and April 2011, from a community sample of 2-year-olds (N = 3127), was combined with a sample of preschool children diagnosed with ASD (N = 159). For the total population and for subgroups by child's gender, area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was examined, and across a range of BITSEA Problem, Competence and Autism scores, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio's, diagnostic odds ratio and Youden's index were reported. Results: The area under the ROC curve (95% confidence interval, [95%CI]) of the Problem scale was 0.90(0.87-0.92), of the Competence scale 0.93(0.91-0.95), and of the Autism score 0.95(0.93-0.97). For the total population, the screening accuracy of the Autism score was significantly better, compared to the Problem scale. The screening accuracy of the Competence scale was significantly better for girls (AUC = 0.97; 95%CI = 0.95-0.98) than for boys (AUC = 0.91; 95%CI = 0.88-0.94). Conclusion: The results indicate that the BITSEA scales and newly calculated Autism score have good discriminative power to differentiate children with and without ASD. Therefore, the BITSEA may be helpful in the early detection of ASD, which could have beneficial effects on the child's development

Behavioural correlates of energy drink consumption among adolescents: A review of the literature

Despite regulatory measures on the labelling of energy drinks (EDs), their consumption among adolescents continues to grow in popularity, but teachers increasingly report significant behavioural concerns among students who disclose habitual ED consumption. A review of papers published between January 2010 and October 2016 was undertaken to determine whether an association between adverse behaviour and consumption of ED exists. Findings indicate that ED consumption among adolescents is associated with alcohol and substance use, risky behaviours and psychological states including sensation seeking, depression and anxiety symptoms. ED consumption impacts negatively on executive functions and increases hyperactivity/inattention symptoms among adolescents. An inverse association between ED consumption and sleep duration exists. The findings highlight the need for greater awareness of the potential risk of ED consumption among adolescents

Executive Functions of Six-Year-Old Boys with Normal Birth Weight and Gestational Age

Impaired fetal development, reflected by low birth weight or prematurity, predicts an increased risk for psychopathology, especially attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Such effects cut across the normal range of birth weight and gestation. Despite the strength of existing epidemiological data, cognitive pathways that link fetal development to mental health are largely unknown. In this study we examined the relation of birth weight (>2500 g) and gestational age (37–41 weeks) within the normal range with specific executive functions in 195 Singaporean six-year-old boys of Chinese ethnicity. Birth weight adjusted for gestational age was used as indicator of fetal growth while gestational age was indicative of fetal maturity. Linear regression revealed that increased fetal growth within the normal range is associated with an improved ability to learn rules during the intra/extra-dimensional shift task and to retain visual information for short period of time during the delayed matching to sample task. Moreover, faster and consistent reaction times during the stop-signal task were observed among boys born at term, but with higher gestational age. Hence, even among boys born at term with normal birth weight, variations in fetal growth and maturity showed distinct effects on specific executive functions

The Generation R Study: design and cohort update 2010

The Generation R Study is a population-based prospective cohort study from fetal life until young adulthood. The study is designed to identify early environmental and genetic causes of normal and abnormal growth, development and health during fetal life, childhood and adulthood. The study focuses on four primary areas of research: (1) growth and physical development; (2) behavioural and cognitive development; (3) diseases in childhood; and (4) health and healthcare for pregnant women and children. In total, 9,778 mothers with a delivery date from April 2002 until January 2006 were enrolled in the study. General follow-up rates until the age of 4 years exceed 75%. Data collection in mothers, fathers and preschool children included questionnaires, detailed physical and ultrasound examinations, behavioural observations, and biological samples. A genome wide association screen is available in the participating children. Regular detailed hands on assessment are performed from the age of 5 years onwards. Eventually, results forthcoming from the Generation R Study have to contribute to the development of strategies for optimizing health and healthcare for pregnant women and children

Early adolescents' and their parents' mental imagery in relation to perceived reading competence

Development Psychopathology in context: clinical setting

The potential adverse effect of energy drinks on executive functions in early adolescence

Introduction: Manufacturers of energy drinks (EDs) claim their products improve cognitive performance. Young adolescents are in a critical developmental phase. The impact of ED intake on their development is not yet clear. Therefore, we studied the associations of both caffeine intake and ED consumption with executive functions (EFs), and the role of pubertal status and sleeping problems. Methods: A sample of 509 participants (mean age: 13.1 years, SD 0.85; age range: 11-16 years) participated in the study. The level of pubertal development was classified in five pubertal status categories. Participants were asked to report their caffeine (for example coffee) and ED consumption for each day of the week. In addition, they indicated sleep quality by reporting problems falling asleep or waking up and/or interrupted sleep. EFs were assessed by self- and parent reports of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). Results: Consuming on average one or more ED(s) a day was associated with more problems in self-reported behavior regulation and metacognition, and with more problems in parent-reported metacognition. Only high caffeine consumption (two or more cups a day) was associated with parent-reported problems with metacognition. The sum of caffeine and ED use was associated with a higher amount of problems with self-reported metacognition and parent reported behavior regulation. The effect estimates for the association between caffeine and ED use combined and EFs did not exceed those of EDs or caffeine separately. Adjusting for pubertal status, gender, educational level, number of sleeping problems and hours of sleep did not change the effect estimates substantially. Conclusion: The observed associations between ED consumption and EFs suggest that regular consumption of EDs-even in moderate amounts-may have a negative impact on daily life behaviors related to EF in young adolescents. © 2014 Van Batenburg-Eddes, Lee, Weeda, Krabbendam and Huizinga

Regional variations in use of pharmaceuticals

The report is part of the theme 'Region and Accessibility' as part of the Public Health Status and Forecast 2002 produced by the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands. In this report an extensive analysis has been made of regional differences in the costs and usage of pharmaceuticals. The regional differences are pictured in 31 regions. The research only regards to pharmaceuticals delivered by pharmacists. In the year 2000 pharmacists delivered for more then 2,5 milliard euros on pharmaceuticals, being the costs almost 131 million prescriptions that year. An analysis has been made of regional differences in costs, volume and price for all types of pharmaceuticals and for six groups of pharmaceuticals (pharmaceuticals for stomach disorders, statines, antibiotics, benzodiazepines, antidepressants and pharmaceuticals for astma/COPD). The study shows that regional differences in pharmaceutical costs are mainly caused by differences in volume and not by substantial regional differences in preferences for more or less expensive pharmaceuticals.Het rapport vormt een onderdeel van het thema 'Regio en Toegankelijkheid' in het kader van de Volksgezondheid en Toekomst Verkenning 2002 van het RIVM. In dit rapport wordt een uitgebreide analyse gemaakt van regionale verschillen in de kosten en het gebruik van geneesmiddelen. De regionale verschillen zijn weergegeven in 31 regio's. Het onderzoek heeft betrekking op de geneesmiddelen die bij de openbare apotheek zijn afgehaald. In 2000 werd er voor ruim 2,5 miljard euro aan geneesmiddelen afgeleverd door de openbare apotheken. Het aantal voorschriften via de apotheek bedroeg bijna 131 miljoen in dat jaar. Er is een analyse gemaakt van de regionale verschillen in kosten, volume en prijs bij alle geneesmiddelen tezamen en bij zes geneesmiddelengroepen (maagmiddelen, cholesterolverlagers, antibiotica, benzodiazepines, antidepressiva en middelen bij astma/COPD). Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat regionale verschillen in geneesmiddelenkosten vooral zijn toe te schrijven aan volumeverschillen en niet aan grote regionale verschillen in voorkeuren voor duurdere dan wel goedkopere geneesmiddele

Regional variations in use of pharmaceuticals

Het rapport vormt een onderdeel van het thema 'Regio en Toegankelijkheid' in het kader van de Volksgezondheid en Toekomst Verkenning 2002 van het RIVM. In dit rapport wordt een uitgebreide analyse gemaakt van regionale verschillen in de kosten en het gebruik van geneesmiddelen. De regionale verschillen zijn weergegeven in 31 regio's. Het onderzoek heeft betrekking op de geneesmiddelen die bij de openbare apotheek zijn afgehaald. In 2000 werd er voor ruim 2,5 miljard euro aan geneesmiddelen afgeleverd door de openbare apotheken. Het aantal voorschriften via de apotheek bedroeg bijna 131 miljoen in dat jaar. Er is een analyse gemaakt van de regionale verschillen in kosten, volume en prijs bij alle geneesmiddelen tezamen en bij zes geneesmiddelengroepen (maagmiddelen, cholesterolverlagers, antibiotica, benzodiazepines, antidepressiva en middelen bij astma/COPD). Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat regionale verschillen in geneesmiddelenkosten vooral zijn toe te schrijven aan volumeverschillen en niet aan grote regionale verschillen in voorkeuren voor duurdere dan wel goedkopere geneesmiddelenThe report is part of the theme 'Region and Accessibility' as part of the Public Health Status and Forecast 2002 produced by the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands. In this report an extensive analysis has been made of regional differences in the costs and usage of pharmaceuticals. The regional differences are pictured in 31 regions. The research only regards to pharmaceuticals delivered by pharmacists. In the year 2000 pharmacists delivered for more then 2,5 milliard euros on pharmaceuticals, being the costs almost 131 million prescriptions that year. An analysis has been made of regional differences in costs, volume and price for all types of pharmaceuticals and for six groups of pharmaceuticals (pharmaceuticals for stomach disorders, statines, antibiotics, benzodiazepines, antidepressants and pharmaceuticals for astma/COPD). The study shows that regional differences in pharmaceutical costs are mainly caused by differences in volume and not by substantial regional differences in preferences for more or less expensive pharmaceuticals.VW