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Group Differences (group + difference)
Kinds of Group Differences Selected AbstractsPortrayals of Violence and Group Difference in Newspaper Photographs: Nationalism and MediaJOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, Issue 1 2003Jessica M. Fishman The authors analyzed group membership of violent agents and types of violence in front-page photographs from 21 years of The New York Times. Using a trimodal definition of media violence, they confirmed the hypothesis that non-U.S. agents are represented as more explicitly violent than U.S. agents, and that the latter are associated with disguised modes of violence more often than the former. The recurring image of non-U.S. violence is that of order brutally ruptured or enforced. By contrast, images of U.S. violence are less alarming and suggest order without cruelty. The study showed how violent imagery is associated with in-group and out-group status stratification. [source] Using Dimensionality-Based DIF Analyses to Identify and Interpret Constructs That Elicit Group DifferencesEDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT: ISSUES AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2005Mark J. Gierl In this paper I describe and illustrate the Roussos-Stout (1996) multidimensionality-based DIF analysis paradigm, with emphasis on its implication for the selection of a matching and studied subtest for DIF analyses. Standard DIF practice encourages an exploratory search for matching subtest items based on purely statistical criteria, such as a failure to display DIF. By contrast, the multidimensional DIF paradigm emphasizes a substantively-informed selection of items for both the matching and studied subtest based on the dimensions suspected of underlying the test data. Using two examples, I demonstrate that these two approaches lead to different interpretations about the occurrence of DIF in a test. It is argued that selecting a matching and studied subtest, as identified using the DIF analysis paradigm, can lead to a more informed understanding of why DIF occurs. [source] Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Studies of the Development of Group Differences in Acoustic Features of Coo Calls in Two Groups of Japanese MacaquesETHOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Toshiaki Tanaka Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata, frequently utter coo calls to maintain vocal contact. Cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons were conducted on the acoustic features of coo vocalizations of two groups of M. fuscata, Yakushima and Ohirayama groups, to explore the possibility of vocal plasticity. These two groups derive from the same local population but have been separated for more than 34 yr. The Yakushima group is non-provisioned, while the Ohirayama group is provisioned. Initially, coo calls in the two groups were compared cross-sectionally in females ranging from 0 to 18 yr. Mean values of the four variables studied (start, end, maximum, and minimum frequencies) were consistently lower in all age groups of the Ohirayama individuals compared with the Yakushima individuals. Secondly, longitudinal comparisons were conducted on individuals in the 1,4 yr after birth. Mean values of the five frequency variables studied (start, end, maximum, minimum and average frequencies) were again consistently lower in all age groups of Ohirayama compared with Yakushima individuals, although mean values of both groups gradually declined with an increase in age. Inter-group differences were significant at all ages in minimum frequency and at the first, second and third years in start frequency. Longitudinal comparisons of individuals aged 4,11 mo were also conducted. Regarding the four variables that differed between the two groups in the cross-sectional study, the mean values of minimum and start frequency did not differ significantly between the two groups at 4,5 mo, but were significantly lower in Ohirayama individuals aged 7,8 and 9,11 mo. Although provisioning may have had an effect on the weight difference between the groups, and consequently on vocalization frequency, these results suggest that the inter-group differences in coo call features form approximately 6,7 mo after birth as a result of vocal plasticity. [source] Adding an Alcohol-Related Risk Score to an Existing Categorical Risk Classification for Older Adults: Sensitivity to Group DifferencesJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 3 2007Sandra R. Wilson PhD OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a new alcohol-related risk score for research use. DESIGN: Using data from a previously reported trial of a screening and education system for older adults (Computerized Alcohol-Related Problems Survey), secondary analyses were conducted comparing the ability of two different measures of risk to detect postintervention group differences: the original categorical outcome measure and a new, finely grained quantitative risk score based on the same research-based risk factors. SETTING: Three primary care group practices in southern California. PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred sixty-five patients aged 65 and older. MEASUREMENTS: A previously calculated, three-level categorical classification of alcohol-related risk and a newly developed quantitative risk score. RESULTS: Mean postintervention risk scores differed between the three experimental conditions: usual care, patient report, and combined report (P<.001). The difference between the combined report and usual care was significant (P<.001) and directly proportional to baseline risk. The three-level risk classification did not reveal approximately 57.3% of the intervention effect detected by the risk score. The risk score also was sufficiently sensitive to detect the intervention effect within the subset of hypertensive patients (n=112; P=.001). CONCLUSION: As an outcome measure in intervention trials, the finely grained risk score is more sensitive than the trinary risk classification. The additional clinical value of the risk score relative to the categorical measure needs to be determined. [source] Racial and Ethnic Group Differences in College Enrollment DecisionsNEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 107 2000Laura W. Perna This chapter reviews and synthesizes what is known from prior research about racial and ethnic group differences in college enrollment and identifies areas for intervention. This chapter is relevant to campus administrators, institutional researchers, and others who are interested in raising the share of African Americans and Hispanics who are enrolling in U.S. colleges and universities. [source] Relating psychiatric disorders, offender and offence characteristics in a sample of adolescent sex offenders and non-sex offendersCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 1 2007A.Ph. Van Wijk Introduction,Several studies have paid attention to the relationship between psychiatric disorders and adolescent offending but few have distinguished different types of offenders, especially within the category of youngsters who have committed sex offences. Aim,To test for relationships between psychiatric disorder and specific offence category among young male offenders. Method,Nationwide data were extracted from Dutch Forensic Psychiatric Services (FPD) files for five groups of offenders, as defined by their index offence: 308 violent sex offenders; 134 non-violent sex-offenders; 270 sex offenders against children; 3148 violent offenders and 1620 offenders charged with any crime other than interpersonal body contact crimes. They were compared on individual characteristics and psychiatric diagnoses according to DSM-IV criteria. Having a diagnosis of a paraphilia alone was exclusively associated with sex offending, therefore all such youths were excluded from further analyses. The OVERALS technique was used to explore possible relationships between offence, psychiatric diagnoses, sociodemographic and individual characteristics among the remaining young men for whom all pertinent data were available (n = 1894). Results,Sex offenders constituted a distinct group of juvenile delinquents. Developmental disorders were more common among non-violent sex offenders and child molesters. Violent offences were more typical of delinquents from immigrant backgrounds. Conclusion,Group differences in types of psychiatric diagnoses may reflect differences in aetiological factors for the various types of sexual and other delinquent behaviour, and this would be worthy of further study. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Eating problems at age 6 years in a whole population sample of extremely preterm childrenDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 2 2010MUTHANNA SAMARA Aim, The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of eating problems and their association with neurological and behavioural disabilities and growth among children born extremely preterm (EPC) at age 6 years. Method, A standard questionnaire about eating was completed by parents of 223 children (125 males [56.1%], 98 females [43.9%]) aged 6 years who were born at 25 weeks' gestation or earlier (mean 24.5wks, SD 0.7wks; mean birthweight 749.1g, SD 116.8g), and parents of 148 classmates born at term (66 males [44.6%], 82 females [55.4%]). All children underwent neurological, cognitive, and anthropometric assessment, and parents and teachers completed a behaviour scale. Results, Eating problems were more common among the EPC than the comparison group (odds ratio [OR] 3.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.1,6.3), including oral motor (OR 5.2, 95% CI 2.8,9.9), hypersensitivity (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.6,5.6), and behavioural (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.9,7.6) problems. Group differences were reduced after adjustment for cognitive impairment, neuromotor disability, and other behaviour problems. EPC with eating problems were shorter, lighter, and had lower mid-arm circumference and lower body mass index (BMI) even after adjusting for disabilities, gestational age, birthweight, and feeding problems at 30 months. Interpretation, Eating problems are still frequent in EPC at school age. They are only partly related to other disabilities but make an additional contribution to continued growth failure and may require early recognition and intervention. [source] Cognitive Skills in Children with Intractable Epilepsy: Comparison of Surgical and Nonsurgical CandidatesEPILEPSIA, Issue 6 2002Mary Lou Smith Summary: ,Purpose: To compare neuropsychological performance of two groups of children with intractable epilepsy: those who are surgical candidates, and those who are not. Methods: Intelligence, verbal memory, visual memory, academic skills, and sustained attention were measured in children aged 6,18 years. The effects of number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), seizure frequency, age at seizure onset, and duration of seizure disorder were examined. Results: Both groups had high rates of impairment. Group differences were found only on the verbal memory task. Children who experienced seizures in clusters had higher IQ, reading comprehension, and arithmetic scores. Age at seizure onset and proportion of life with seizures were related to IQ. Performance did not vary with AED monotherapy versus polytherapy. Conclusions: Few differences exist in cognitive performance between children with intractable seizures who are and those who are not surgical candidates. These findings suggest that children who are not surgical candidates can serve as good controls in studies on cognitive outcome of surgery. [source] Upper limb movement interruptions are correlated to freezing of gait in Parkinson's diseaseEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 7 2009Alice Nieuwboer Abstract Freezing of gait (FOG) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common problem of unknown origin, which possibly reflects a general motor control deficit. We investigated the relationship between the frequency of freezing episodes during gait and during a bimanual task in control and subjects with PD with and without FOG. Group differences in spatiotemporal characteristics were also examined as well as the effects of visual cueing. Twenty patients with PD in the off-phase of the medication cycle and five age-matched controls performed a repetitive drawing task in an anti-phase pattern on a digitizer tablet. The task was offered at two different speeds (comfortable and maximal) and two different amplitudes (small and large) with and without visual cueing. The results showed that freezing episodes in the upper limbs occurred in only 10.4% of patient trials and that their occurrence was correlated with FOG scores (Spearman's rho = 0.64). Overall, few spatiotemporal differences were found between freezers, non-freezers and controls, except for an overshooting of the target amplitude in controls. Effects of visual cueing were largely similar in all groups, except for the variability of relative phase, which decreased in non-freezers and controls, and was unaffected in freezers. Despite the fact that general motor differences between subgroups were small, freezing episodes were manifest during a bimanual repetitive upper limb task and were correlated to FOG. Further study into upper limb movement breakdown is warranted to understand the parallel deficits that lead up to FOG. [source] Comparison of biomechanical gait parameters of young children with haemophilia and those of age-matched peersHAEMOPHILIA, Issue 2 2009D. STEPHENSEN Summary., Quality of life for children with haemophilia has improved since the introduction of prophylaxis. The frequency of joint haemorrhages has reduced, but the consequences of reduced bleeding on the biomechanical parameters of walking are not well understood. This study explored the differences in sagittal plane biomechanics of walking between a control group (Group 1) of normal age-matched children and children with haemophilia (Group 2) with a target ankle joint. A motion capture system and two force platforms were used to collect sagittal plane kinematic, kinetic and temporal,spatial data during walking of 14 age-matched normal children and 14 children with haemophilia aged 7,13 years. Group differences in maximum and minimum flexion/extension angles and moments of the hip, knee and ankle joints, ground reaction forces and temporal,spatial gait cycle parameters were analysed using one-way anova. Significant changes (P < 0.05) in kinematic and kinetic parameters but not temporal,spatial parameters were found in children with haemophilia; greater flexion angles and external moments of force at the knee, greater ankle plantarflexion external moments and lower hip flexion external moments. These results suggest that early biomechanical changes are present in young haemophilic children with a history of a target ankle joint and imply that lower limb joint function is more impaired than current clinical evaluations indicate. Protocols and quantitative data on the biomechanical gait pattern of children with haemophilia reported in this study provide a baseline to evaluate lower limb joint function and clinical progression. [source] Prefrontal cortex activity is reduced in gambling and nongambling substance users during decision-making,HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 12 2007Jody Tanabe Abstract Objective: Poor decision-making is a hallmark of addiction, whether to substances or activities. Performance on a widely used test of decision-making, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), can discriminate controls from persons with ventral medial frontal lesions, substance-dependence, and pathological gambling. Positron emission tomography (PET) studies indicate that substance-dependent individuals show altered prefrontal activity on the task. Here we adapted the IGT to an fMRI setting to test the hypothesis that defects in ventral medial and prefrontal processing are associated with impaired decisions that involve risk but may differ depending on whether substance dependence is comorbid with gambling problems. Method: 18 controls, 14 substance-dependent individuals (SD), and 16 SD with gambling problems (SDPG) underwent fMRI while performing a modified version of the IGT. Result: Group differences were observed in ventral medial frontal, right frontopolar, and superior frontal cortex during decision-making. Controls showed the greatest activity, followed by SDPG, followed by SD. Conclusion: Our results support a hypothesis that defects in ventral medial frontal processing lead to impaired decisions that involve risk. Reductions in right prefrontal activity during decision-making appear to be modulated by the presence of gambling problems and may reflect impaired working memory, stimulus reward valuation, or cue reactivity in substance-dependent individuals. Hum Brain Mapp, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Exploring Youth Development With Diverse Children: Correlates of Risk, Health, and Thriving BehaviorsJOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN PEDIATRIC NURSING, Issue 1 2009Laureen H. Smith PURPOSE.,This study explored the relationships between internal and external assets, risk behaviors, health behaviors, and thriving behaviors in diverse children. DESIGN AND METHODS.,The strength of relationships existing between measures, differences between group means based on gender, grades earned, and school, and confidence interval (p , .05) were tested in a sample of 61 urban sixth graders. RESULTS.,Few assets were related to substance use. Assets were related to delinquency acts, health behaviors, and thriving indicators. Group differences between schools and gender and the total number of assets were noted. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS.,Supporting assets are important to consider when nurses perform assessments and design interventions to support youths in their maturation processes. [source] Retrospective accounts of recurrent parental physical abuse as a predictor of adult laboratory-induced aggressionAGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 3 2004Brian K. Moe Abstract Child abuse has been frequently associated with adult aggression in its many forms. The Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP) is a popular laboratory-based procedure derived from the retaliatory responses of participants engaged in a monetary-reinforced computer game. PSAP responses have been found to discriminate between participants with and without violent, antisocial, substance abuse, and even contact-sport athletic histories. The present study provided an initial test of the sensitivity of the PSAP and the Overt Aggression Scale (OAS) in discriminating between college students (n=28) with and without reported histories of recurrent physical abuse as defined by incidents of being pushed, shoved, struck, punched, or threatened with physical violence by a parent more than once every six weeks over 15 years of upbringing. PSAP responses were substantially higher (d=2.1) among participants reporting histories of recurrent parental physical abuse, with 46% (as opposed to 0% for controls) of these individuals generating PSAP responses in excess of 400 (average found for violent parolees). Group differences on the OAS were also considerable (>1 SD). Larger factorial designs examining relationships between a range of developmental variables (e.g., domestic abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, parental divorce, family climate, etc.) and adult PSAP responding may help advance present knowledge regarding the impact of childhood adversity on psychological development. Aggr. Behav. 30:217,228, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Rituals and compulsivity in Prader,Willi syndrome: profile and stabilityJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 6 2003M. Wigren Abstract Background Prader,Willi syndrome (PWS) is characterized by an increased risk for obsessive,compulsive disorder. This study investigated the nature of compulsive-like behaviours in the PWS. Method Parents of 50 individuals with PWS (aged 5,18 years) and 50 typically developing 4-year-old children completed the Childhood Routines Inventory. This instrument measures compulsive-like behaviours in normative childhood. Results Many childhood compulsive behaviours are prevalent among older children and adolescents with PWS. Group differences were observed in that the PWS group, independent of age, gender and cognitive dysfunctions, exhibited more intense compulsive behaviours related to insistence on sameness in many daily activities and social contexts. Findings also revealed an age-independent low-prevalent pattern of PWS compulsivity, probably related to other features in the PWS symptomatology. Conclusions Compulsions of childhood do not subside with age in adolescents with PWS. The findings indicate that the differentiation between delayed childhood rituals and pathological manifestations of compulsive features is complex in PWS populations. [source] Delay Discounting Behavior and White Matter Microstructure Abnormalities in Youth With a Family History of AlcoholismALCOHOLISM, Issue 9 2010Megan M. Herting Background:, Youth with family history of alcohol abuse have a greater risk of developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Brain and behavior differences may underlie this increased vulnerability. The current study examined delay discounting behavior and white matter microstructure in youth at high risk for alcohol abuse, as determined by a family history of alcoholism (FH+), and youth without such family history (FH,). Methods:, Thirty-three healthy youth (FH+ = 15, FH, = 18), ages 11 to 15 years, completed a delay discounting task and underwent diffusion tensor imaging. Tract-based spatial statistics (Smith et al., 2006), as well as follow-up region-of-interest analyses, were performed to compare fractional anisotropy (FA) between FH+ and FH, youth. Results:, FH+ youth showed a trend toward increased discounting behavior and had significantly slower reaction times (RTs) on the delay discounting paradigm compared to FH, youth. Group differences in FA were seen in several white matter tracts. Furthermore, lower FA in the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus and the right optic radiation statistically mediated the relationship between FH status and slower RTs on the delay discounting task. Conclusions:, Youth with a family history of substance abuse have disrupted white matter microstructure, which likely contributes to less efficient cortical processing and may act as an intrinsic risk factor contributing to an increased susceptibility of developing AUD. In addition, FHP youth showed a trend toward greater impulsive decision making, possibly representing an inherent personal characteristic that may facilitate substance use onset and abuse in high-risk youth. [source] Schedule-Induced Ethanol Self-Administration in DBA/2J and C57BL/6J MiceALCOHOLISM, Issue 6 2003Guy Mittleman Background: The purpose of these experiments was to provide an initial investigation into ethanol self-administration elicited in the schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) paradigm. Methods: Mature male mice were food deprived to between 80 and 85% of their baseline weight and received 20 daily 1 hr SIP test sessions in which a food pellet (20 mg) was delivered on a fixed-time 60 sec schedule. In different groups, the acquisition of drinking 5% (v/v) ethanol solution (experiment 1) or water (experiment 2) was recorded along with other behaviors that occurred in the test chambers. Results: Results indicated that C57BL/6J mice drank significantly more ethanol than DBA/2J mice and that C57 mice achieved blood alcohol concentrations as high as 300 mg/dl. Blood alcohol concentrations were consistently correlated with g/kg ethanol intake. The groups did not differ in consumption of water. SIP test sessions using higher concentrations of ethanol (10,20% v/v, experiment 1) or sucrose solutions (0.1,2% w/v, experiment 2) then were performed. Group differences in ethanol consumption were maintained at all ethanol concentrations. Although DBAs drank more of a low concentration of sucrose (0.1%), when expressed as g/kg, sucrose intake was equivalent in the two strains at all concentrations. Analysis of the time course of drinking clearly showed that this behavior was adjunctive in nature. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the effectiveness of this procedure in inducing ethanol self-administration and its utility for investigating the genetic bases of vulnerability toward excessive ethanol consumption. [source] Cultural Models and Fertility Timing among Cherokee and White Youth in Appalachia: Beyond the ModeAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 4 2009Ryan A. Brown ABSTRACT Much anthropological research and theory concerns how group differences in behavior, subjective experience, and ways of seeing the world (i.e., cultural differences) are created and maintained. Both within and outside the United States, there are dramatic group differences in fertility. In the United States, American Indian groups exhibit some of the highest and earliest fertility. We used ethnographic data as well as structured card-sort and questionnaire data to compare cultural models of childbearing among Cherokee and white youth in Appalachia. The critical difference between Cherokee and white youth was not a modal difference in ideal ages for first childbirth but, rather, the degree of latitude for the timing of having children vis-à-vis other major life events. Group differences in modal norms are often posited as the critical axis of group distinction. In many cases, group differences in the intrapopulation variability among multiple norms may play a more critical role. [source] Neuromuscular electrical stimulation and the treatment of lower urinary tract dysfunction in multiple sclerosis, A double blind, placebo controlled, randomised clinical trial,,NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 3 2008D. McClurg Abstract Aims Lower urinary tract dysfunction affects up to 75% of the multiple sclerosis population. Results from our recent Pilot Study (McClurg et al., 2006) indicated that a combined programme of pelvic floor muscle training, electromyography biofeedback and neuromuscular electrical stimulation modalities may alleviate some of the distressing symptoms within this population. This clinical trial aimed to evaluate further the efficacy of these interventions and to establish the benefit of neuromuscular electrical stimulation above and beyond that of EMG biofeedback and pelvic floor muscle training. Methods 74 multiple sclerosis patients who presented with lower urinary tract dysfunction were randomly allocated to one of two groups - Group 1 received Pelvic Floor Muscle Training, Electromyography Biofeedback and Placebo Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (n=37), and Group 2 which received Pelvic Floor Muscle Training, Electromyography Biofeedback, and Active Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (n=37). Treatment was for nine weeks with outcome measures recorded at weeks 0, 9, 16 and 24. The Primary Outcome Measure was the number of leakage episodes. Within group analysis was by Paired Samples t-test. Group differences were analysed using Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance and Post-hoc tests were used to determine the significance of differences between Groups at each time point. Results The mean number of incontinence episodes were reduced in Group 2 by 85% (p=0.001) whereas in Group 1 a lesser reduction of 47% (p=0.001) was observed. However, there was a statistically superior benefit in Group 2 when compared to Group 1 (p=0.0028). This superior benefit was evident in all other outcome measures. Conclusions The addition of Active Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to a programme of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training and Electromyography Biofeedback should be considered as a first-line option in alleviating some of the symptoms of lower urinary tract dysfunction associated with multiple sclerosis. Neurourol. Urodynam. 27:231,237, 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] RSA fluctuation in major depressive disorderPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 3 2007Jonathan Rottenberg Abstract Cardiac vagal control, as measured by indices of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), has been investigated as a marker of impaired self-regulation in mental disorders, including depression. Past work in depressed samples has focused on deficits in resting RSA levels, with mixed results. This study tested the hypothesis that depression involves abnormal RSA fluctuation. RSA was measured in depressed and healthy control participants during rest and during two reactivity tasks, each followed by a recovery period. Relative to controls, depressed persons exhibited lower resting RSA levels as well as less RSA fluctuation, primarily evidenced by a lack of task-related vagal suppression. Group differences in RSA fluctuation were not accounted for by differences in physical health or respiration, whereas group differences in resting RSA level did not survive covariate analyses. Depression may involve multiple deficits in cardiac vagal control. [source] MEG detection of delayed auditory evoked responses in autism spectrum disorders: towards an imaging biomarker for autismAUTISM RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010Timothy P.L. Roberts Abstract Motivated by auditory and speech deficits in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the frequency dependence of superior temporal gyrus (STG) 50,msec (M50) and 100,msec (M100) neuromagnetic auditory evoked field responses in children with ASD and typically developing controls were evaluated. Whole-cortex magnetoencephalography (MEG) was obtained from 17 typically developing children and 25 children with ASD. Subjects were presented tones with frequencies of 200, 300, 500, and 1,000,Hz, and left and right STG M50 and M100 STG activity was examined. No M50 latency or amplitude Group differences were observed. In the right hemisphere, a Group×Frequency ANOVA on M100 latency produced a main effect for Group (P=0.01), with an average M100 latency delay of 11,msec in children with ASD. In addition, only in the control group was the expected association of earlier M100 latencies in older than younger children observed. Group latency differences remained significant when hierarchical regression analyses partialed out M100 variance associated with age, IQ, and language ability (all P -values <0.05). Examining the right-hemisphere 500,Hz condition (where the largest latency differences were observed), a sensitivity of 75%, a specificity of 81%, and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 86% was obtained at a threshold of 116,msec. The M100 latency delay indicates disruption of encoding simple sensory information. Given similar findings in language impaired and nonlanguage impaired ASD subjects, a right-hemisphere M100 latency delay appears to be an electrophysiological endophenotype for autism. [source] Impairments on "open-ended" executive function tests in autismAUTISM RESEARCH, Issue 3 2009Sarah J. White Abstract The executive function (EF) theory of autism has received much support recently from a growing number of studies. However, executive impairments have not always been easy to identify consistently and so novel "ecologically valid" tests have been designed which tap into real-life scenarios that are relevant to and representative of everyday behavior. One characteristic of many of these tasks is that they present the participant with an "ill-structured" or "open-ended" situation. Here, we investigated the possibility that tasks with greater degrees of open-endedness might prove more sensitive to detecting executive impairment in autism. Forty-five children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were compared to 27 age- and IQ-matched control children on a range of cognitive tests of EF. Group differences were found on half of the tasks, with the greatest degree of impairment detected on the more open-ended tasks. The ASD group also performed more poorly on a simple control condition of a task. Detailed consideration of task performance suggested that the ASD group tended to create fewer spontaneous strategies and exhibit more idiosyncratic behavior, which particularly disadvantaged them on the more open-ended tasks. These kinds of behaviors have been reported in studies of neurological patients with frontal lobe involvement, prima facie suggesting a link between the scientific fields. However, we suggest that this behavior might equally result from a poor understanding of the implicit demands made by the experimenter in open-ended test situations, due to the socio-communicative difficulties of these children. [source] Middle-School-Age Outcomes in Children with Very Low BirthweightCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2000H. Gerry Taylor Most previous studies of children with birthweight <750 g have focused on early childhood sequelae. To evaluate later outcomes, a regional sample of 60 <750-g birthweight children was compared at middle school age (M= 11 years) to 55 children with birthweight 750 , 1,499 g and 49 term controls. The groups were matched on age, gender, and demographic variables at the time of an early-school-age assessment (mean age 7 years). The <750-g birthweight group fared less well at middle school age than the term group on measures of cognitive function, achievement, behavior, and academic performance. In many instances, outcomes were less favorable for the <750-g children than for the 750 to 1,499-g group. Children in the <750-g group who were free of neurosensory disorders and global cognitive impairment performed more poorly on several tests than their term counterparts. Group differences in this subsample on tests of motor skills, math, and the ability to copy and recall a complex drawing remained significant even after controlling for IQ. Disparities between the <750-g and term groups increased with age for some measures. Despite favorable outcomes for many children in the <750-g group, this population is at risk for long-term developmental problems. [source] Implications of family environment and language development: comparing typically developing children to those with spina bifidaCHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2009B. Vachha Abstract Introduction This study examines the effect of family environment on language performance in children with myelomeningocele compared with age- and education-matched controls selected from the same geographic region. Methods Seventy-five monolingual (English) speaking children with myelomeningocele [males: 30; ages: 7,16 years; mean age: 10 years 1 month, standard deviation (SD) 2 years 7 months] and 35 typically developing children (males: 16; ages 7,16 years; mean age: 10 years 9 months, SD 2 years 6 months) participated in the study. The Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (CASL) and the Wechsler tests of intelligence were administered individually to all participants. The CASL measures four subsystems: lexical, syntactic, supralinguistic and pragmatic. Parents completed the Family Environment Scale (FES) questionnaire and provided background demographic information. Standard independent sample t -tests, chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests were used to make simple comparisons between groups for age, socio-economic status, gender and ethnicity. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to detect associations between language and FES data. Group differences for the language and FES scores were analysed with a multivariate analysis of variance at a P -value of 0.05. Results For the myelomeningocele group, both Spearman correlation and partial correlation analyses revealed statistically significant positive relationships for the FES ,intellectual,cultural orientation' (ICO) variable and language performance in all subsystems (P < 0.01). For controls, positive associations were seen between: (1) ICO and lexical/semantic and syntactic subsystems; and (2) FES ,independence' and lexical/semantic and supralinguistic tasks. Conclusions The relationship between language performance and family environment appears statistically and intuitively sound. As in our previous study, the positive link between family focus on intellectually and culturally enhancing activities and language performance among children with myelomeningocele and shunted hydrocephalus remains robust. Knowledge of this relationship should assist parents and professionals in supporting language development through activities within the natural learning environment. [source] Facial emotion recognition and alexithymia in adults with somatoform disordersDEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 1 2009Francisco Pedrosa Gil M.D. Abstract Objective: The primary aim of this study was to investigate facial emotion recognition in patients with somatoform disorders (SFD). Also of interest was the extent to which concurrent alexithymia contributed to any changes in emotion recognition accuracy. Methods: Twenty patients with SFD and twenty healthy, age, sex and education matched, controls were assessed with the Facially Expressed Emotion Labelling Test of facial emotion recognition and the 26-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-26). Results: Patients with SFD exhibited elevated alexithymia symptoms relative to healthy controls. Patients with SFD also recognized significantly fewer emotional expressions than did the healthy controls. However, the group difference in emotion recognition accuracy became nonsignificant once the influence of alexithymia was controlled for statistically. Conclusions: This suggests that the deficit in facial emotion recognition observed in the patients with SFD was most likely a consequence of concurrent alexithymia. Impaired facial emotion recognition observed in the patients with SFD could plausibly have a negative influence on these individuals' social functioning. Depression and Anxiety, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Facial emotion recognition and alexithymia in adults with somatoform disordersDEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 11 2008Francisco Pedrosa Gil M.D. Abstract The primary aim of this study was to investigate facial emotion recognition (FER) in patients with somatoform disorders (SFD). Also of interest was the extent to which concurrent alexithymia contributed to any changes in emotion recognition accuracy. Twenty patients with SFD and 20 healthy, age, sex and education matched, controls were assessed with the Facially Expressed Emotion Labelling Test of FER and the 26-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Patients with SFD exhibited elevated alexithymia symptoms relative to healthy controls. Patients with SFD also recognized significantly fewer emotional expressions than did the healthy controls. However, the group difference in emotion recognition accuracy became nonsignificant once the influence of alexithymia was controlled for statistics. This suggests that the deficit in FER observed in the patients with SFD was most likely a consequence of concurrent alexithymia. It should be noted that neither depression nor anxiety was significantly related to emotion recognition accuracy, suggesting that these variables did not contribute the emotion recognition deficit. Impaired FER observed in the patients with SFD could plausibly have a negative influence on these individuals' social functioning. Depression and Anxiety, 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Exploring effects of different treadmill interventions on walking onset and gait patterns in infants with Down syndromeDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 11 2007Jianhua Wu PhD Two cohorts of participants were included to investigate the effects of different treadmill interventions on walking onset and gait patterns in infants with Down syndrome (DS). The first cohort included 30 infants with DS (17 males, 13 females; mean age 10mo [SD 1.9mo]) who were randomly assigned to either a lower-intensity-generalized (LG) training group, or a higher-intensity-individualized (HI) training group. A control (C) group from another study, who did not receive treadmill training, served as the control (eight males, seven females; mean age 10.4mo [SD 2.2mo]). Mean age at walking onset was 19.2, 21.4, and 23.9 months for the HI, LG, and C groups respectively. At walking onset the HI group was significantly younger than the C group (p=0.011). At the gait follow-up that was conducted between 1 and 3 months after walking onset, three groups significantly different in overall gait patterns (p=0.037) were examined by six basic gait parameters including average velocity, stride length, step width, stride time, stance time, and dynamic base. Post-hoc analyses demonstrated that stride length was the gait parameter largely contributing to this overall group difference (p=0.033), and the HI group produced a significantly longer stride length than the C group (p=0.030). In conclusion, the HI treadmill intervention significantly promoted earlier walking onset and elicited more advanced gait patterns (particularly in stride length) in infants with DS. [source] Corpus callosum and posterior fossa development in monozygotic females: a morphometric MRI study of Turner syndromeDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 5 2003Susannah L Fryer BA Previous neuroimaging research in Turner syndrome (TS) has indicated parietal lobe anomalies, while anomalies in other brain loci have been less well-substantiated. This study focused on potential cerebellar abnormalities and possible disruptions of interhemispheric (parietal) callosal connections in individuals with TS. Twenty-seven female children and adolescents with TS (mean age 13 years, SD 4 years 2 months) and 27 age-matched female control individuals (mean age 13 years 2 months, SD 4 years 1 month) underwent MRI. Age range of all participants was 7 to 20 years. Morphometric analyses of midline brain structures were conducted using standardized, reliable methods. When compared with control participants, females with TS showed reduced areas of the genu of the corpus callosum, the pons, and vermis lobules VI,VII, and an increased area of the fourth ventricle. No group difference in intracranial area measurements was observed. The reduced area of the genu in TS may reflect compromised connectivity between inferior parietal regions. Further, cerebellar vermis hypoplasia associated with TS agrees with literature that suggests the posterior fossa as a region prone to structural alterations in the face of early developmental insult. [source] Drugs and violent death: comparative toxicology of homicide and non-substance toxicity suicide victimsADDICTION, Issue 6 2009Shane Darke ABSTRACT Aims To determine the comparative toxicology of death by homicide and suicide by means other than substance toxicity. Design Cross-sectional (autopsy reports). Setting Sydney, Australia. Cases A total of 1723 cases of violent death were identified, comprising 478 homicide (HOM) cases and 1245 non-substance toxicity suicide (SUI) cases. Findings Substances were detected in 65.5% of cases, and multiple substances in 25.8%, with no group differences. Illicit drugs were detected in 23.9% of cases, and multiple illicit in 5.3%. HOM cases were significantly more likely to have an illicit drug [odds ratio (OR) 2.09] and multiple illicits (OR 2.94), detected, HOM cases being more likely to have cannabis (OR 2.39), opioids (OR 1.53) and psychostimulants (OR 1.59) present. HOM cases were, however, significantly less likely to have benzodiazepines (OR 0.53), antidepressants (OR 0.22) and antipsychotics (OR 0.23) present. Alcohol was present in 39.6% of cases (median blood alcohol concentration = 0.12), with no group difference in prevalence. Conclusions The role drugs play in premature death extends far beyond overdose and disease, with illicit drugs associated strongly with homicide. [source] Behavioral relevance of gamma-band activity for short-term memory-based auditory decision-makingEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 12 2008Jochen Kaiser Abstract Oscillatory activity in the gamma-band range has been established as a correlate of cognitive processes, including perception, attention and memory. Only a few studies, however, have provided evidence for an association between gamma-band activity (GBA) and measures of behavioral performance. Here we focused on the comparison between sample and test stimuli S1 and S2 during an auditory spatial short-term memory task. Applying statistical probability mapping to magnetoencephalographic recordings from 28 human subjects, we identified GBA components distinguishing nonidentical from identical S1,S2 pairs. This activity was found at frequencies between 65 and 90 Hz and was localized over posterior cortical regions contralateral to the hemifield in which the stimuli were presented. The 10 best task performers showed higher amplitudes of this GBA component than the 10 worst performers. This group difference was most pronounced between about 150 and 300 ms after stimulus onset. Apparently the decision about whether test stimuli matched the stored representation of previously presented sample sounds relied partly on the oscillatory activation of networks representing differences between both stimuli. This result could be replicated by reanalyzing the combined data from two previous studies assessing short-term memory for sound duration and sound lateralization, respectively. Similarly to our main study, GBA amplitudes to nonmatching vs. matching S1,S2 pairs were higher in good performers than poor performers. The present findings demonstrate the behavioral relevance of GBA. [source] Altered representation of expected value in the orbitofrontal cortex in maniaHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 7 2010Felix Bermpohl Abstract Objective: Increased responsiveness to appetitive and reduced responsiveness to aversive anticipatory cues may be associated with dysfunction of the brain reward system in mania. Here we studied neural correlates of gain and loss expectation in mania using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Method: Fifteen manic patients and 26 matched healthy control individuals performed a monetary incentive delay task, during which subjects anticipated to win or lose a varying amount of money. Varying both magnitude and valence (win, loss) of anticipatory cues allowed us to isolate the effects of magnitude, valence and expected value (magnitude-by-valence interaction). Results: Response times and total gain amount did not differ significantly between groups. FMRI data indicated that the ventral striatum responded according to cued incentive magnitude in both groups, and this effect did not significantly differ between groups. However, a significant group difference was observed for expected value representation in the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; BA 11 and 47). In this region, patients showed increasing BOLD responses during expectation of increasing gain and decreasing responses during expectation of increasing loss, while healthy subjects tended to show the inverse effect. In seven patients retested after remission OFC responses adapted to the response pattern of healthy controls. Conclusions: The observed alterations are consistent with a state-related affective processing bias during the expectation of gains and losses which may contribute to clinical features of mania, such as the enhanced motivation for seeking rewards and the underestimation of risks and potential punishments. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||