Development Of Adaptive Behavior Research Articles

Neural oscillations suggest periodicity encoding during auditory beat processing in the premature brain.

When exposed to rhythmic patterns with temporal regularity, adults exhibit an inherent ability to extract and anticipate an underlying sequence of regularly spaced beats, which is internally constructed, as beats are experienced even when no events occur at beat positions (e.g., in the case of rests). Perception of rhythm and synchronization to periodicity is indispensable for development of cognitive functions, social interaction, and adaptive behavior. We evaluated neural oscillatory activity in premature newborns (n=19, mean age, 32±2.59weeks gestational age) during exposure to an auditory rhythmic sequence, aiming to identify early traces of periodicity encoding and rhythm processing through entrainment of neural oscillations at this stage of neurodevelopment. The rhythmic sequence elicited a systematic modulation of alpha power, synchronized to expected beat locations coinciding with both tones and rests, and independent of whether the beat was preceded by tone or rest. In addition, the periodic alpha-band fluctuations reached maximal power slightly before the corresponding beat onset times. Together, our results show neural encoding of periodicity in the premature brain involving neural oscillations in the alpha range that are much faster than the beat tempo, through alignment of alpha power to the beat tempo, consistent with observations in adults on predictive processing of temporal regularities in auditory rhythms. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: In response to the presented rhythmic pattern, systematic modulations of alpha power showed that the premature brain extracted the temporal regularity of the underlying beat. In contrast to evoked potentials, which are greatly reduced when there is no sounds event, the modulation of alpha power occurred for beats coinciding with both tones and rests in a predictive way. The findings provide the first evidence for the neural coding of periodicity in auditory rhythm perception before the age of term.

Study of Adaptive Behaviors in People with Mental Retardation

Coping with the pressures of life and acquiring personal and social skills have always been a part of the realities of human life and have been manifested in different forms in different periods of life. Conflicts do not show much in childhood, but with age and when facing the special difficulties of adolescence and youth, internal and environmental conflicts become more apparent. Therefore, if people master daily life skills and social responsibilities from childhood, they will perform well in stressful situations. The current research is designed to investigate adaptive behaviors in mentally retarded people. Because, the knowledge and awareness of educational specialists, parents and educators regarding the adaptive behaviors of children and also the use of different methods in facing problems and situations can be effective in dealing with them and forming adaptive behaviors and can affect different aspects of their lives. The present research is descriptive-analytical which was done in the form of a library. The tools for collecting information in this research are psychology books, research articles and reputable national and international scientific journals. Researches findings show, early assessment and interventions have a significant impact on the development of children's adaptive behaviors from an early age. This awareness can be a great help in planning and designing educational models for these children in the field of adaptive skills and problem solving.

Corporate sustainability, organizational resilience, and corporate purpose: a review of the academic traditions connecting them

AbstractThe increasing complexity of economic, environmental, and social systems causes crises, uncertainty and risk to become common global issues, and organizations that want to achieve long-term prosperity must pursue corporate sustainability, i.e., the joint pursuit of environmental, social, and economic goals, in order to successfully face the complex and uncertain environment in which these organizations find themselves. To achieve the above, organizational resilience would also seem to be critical, as it is a capacity which enables the organization to build a risk-aware culture that helps it better position itself to deal with the demands of high-impact events as well as to be able to find opportunities through uncertainty. Yet, both corporate sustainability and organizational resilience are organizational capabilities that can nourish (and/or be nurtured by) a corporate purpose that leads organizations to have a clear and inspiring sense of direction, fostering the development of strong responsible and adaptive behaviors. Nevertheless, the academic traditions that relate and explain “how” these concepts are related are non-existent. To bridge the above gap, we conducted a science mapping analysis and discovered that by 2022, a total of 34 documents had presented the relationship between sustainability, organizational resilience and corporate purpose. The analysis of these 34 papers yields five different academic traditions from which the relationship between these three concepts has been studied and reveals several gaps that future research should address to gain a holistic understanding of the interconnectedness of these three concepts to help organizations achieve long-term prosperity.

Maternal Parenting Styles and Middle Childhood Temperament Patterns: A Comparison Between Two Social Classes Residing in an Urban Community

Background: Parenting refers to the usual approaches that parents use in child rearing and is one of the many aspects that play a role in the development of both adaptive and maladaptive behavior in children and adolescents. Parenting styles may be authoritarian, authoritative, or permissive. Temperament refers to the stylistic aspect of behavior and individual differences in behavioral characteristics. This study aimed to compare maternal parenting styles and childhood temperamental patterns between two socioeconomic classes. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Sixty mothers from middle and lower socioeconomic status residing in an urban community in Hyderabad were chosen for the study. Data was collected from January to February 2020. Every participant was a mother of two children in the age group 6–12 years. A semi-structured intake proforma was used, along with the Temperament Measurement Schedule and Parental Styles Questionnaire. Factorial ANOVA was used to explore the differences among the different groups. Results: In 76% of the participants, the predominant parenting style was found to be authoritative. Statistically significant differences in parenting styles were seen between the middle and low socioeconomic status groups. Parenting styles differed with the gender of the child. The education of the mother influenced the parenting style. Illiterate participants and participants who did not have at least tenth-grade education had an authoritarian parenting style. Second-born children scored high on the sociability factor compared to firstborn children. The difference between first- and second-born children was statistically significant. Socioeconomic status and the gender of the child had a statistically significant association. Conclusions: Parenting is a complex phenomenon that is influenced by many factors, social class being one such factor.

230: Incorporating the ABAS (Adaptive Behavior Development System) to Follow Cognitive and Developmental Milestones of Patients after ECLS

230: Incorporating the ABAS (Adaptive Behavior Development System) to Follow Cognitive and Developmental Milestones of Patients after ECLS

Adaptive Behavior and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Differential Analysis of Demands and Needs With Neurotypical People

The presence of adaptive behaviors in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder are usually frequent. Generally, they are confused with the same disorders but, in reality, they occur as dysfunctional communications as a result of a lack of understanding in the environments and daily realities of these people, which explains many of their demands and needs. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the conceptualization and evaluation of adaptive behavior, as well as attention to behavioral disorders, increasingly evident in educational and experiential environments. This new situation greatly affects children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), so the educational community (and society in general) must offer responses to these needs and demands of both children ASD as well as those of their peers instead of creating warning signs and relating these difficulties to characteristics determined by the disorder itself. There are many families and education professionals who manifest their lack of training and knowledge about the needs and demands of these people, which greatly hinders their full inclusion in their education and life, generating frame works of co-existence that are difficult to accept for some and other people. Methods: A quasi-experimental study, with a retrospective cross-sectional design, is carried out by analyzing 209 subjects from Galicia (n=111 subjects with ASD and n=98 neurotypicals) to whom the ICAP Adaptive Behavior assessment test was applied between 2016 and 2021. Results: The skills of the participating subjects, evaluated through the ICAP, indicate risk factors in the regression analysis insofar as it affects the four dimensions evaluated between the two samples of people with ASD and without ASD. The identified risk factors are related to young age (OR=2.27, 95% CI=1.30-3.96) and being male (OR=2.67, 95% CI=1.41-4.68) relating them to the development of motor skills (OR=2.34, 95% CI=1.07-5.11), social and communication skills (OR=14.70, 95% CI=5.73-37.7), personal life skills (OR=3.93, 95% CI=1.73-8.92) and community living skills (OR=9.87, 95% CI=3.99-24.42). Conclusions: It is evident that disorders affect the development of adaptive behavior, it is not a matter of observing this relationship today, but it is about determining the needs and demands for support, being rigorous and making the right decisions for its development in the best way Possible. In this study, the impact on the development of communication and social skills of this disorder

Sensory Profiles in Relation to Later Adaptive Functioning Among Toddlers at High-Familial Likelihood for Autism.

This study investigated the extent to which sensory responsivity in infancy contributes to adaptive behavior development among toddlers at high-familial likelihood for autism. Prospective, longitudinal data were analyzed for 218 children, 58 of whom received an autism diagnosis. Results indicated that sensory profiles at age one year (hyperresponsivity, sensory seeking) were negatively associated with later adaptive behavior, particularly for socialization, at age 3 years regardless of diagnostic status. These results suggest that early differences in sensory responsivity may have downstream developmental consequences related to social development among young children with high-familial likelihood for autism.

Maternal and neonatal blood vitamin D status and neurodevelopment at 24months of age: a prospective birth cohort study.

This study aimed to explore the relationship of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in three trimesters and at birth with neurodevelopment at 24months of age. From 2013 to 2016, pregnant women from the Shanghai Birth Cohort in China were recruited for the study. Altogether, 649 mother-infant pairs were included. Serum 25(OH)D was measured with mass spectrometry in three trimesters, and cord blood was divided into deficiency (< 20 and < 12ng/mL, respectively), insufficiency (20-30 and 12-20ng/mL, respectively), and sufficiency (≥ 30 and ≥ 20ng/mL, respectively). Bayley-III scale was used to assess cognitive, language, motor, social-emotional, and adaptive behavior development at 24months of age. The Bayley-III scores were grouped into quartiles, and scores within the lowestquartilewere defined as suboptimal development. After adjusting for confounding factors, cord blood 25(OH)D in the sufficient group was positively correlated with cognitive [β = 11.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.65-17.22], language (β = 6.01, 95% CI = 1.67-10.3), and motor scores (β = 6.43, 95% CI = 1.73-11.1); cord blood 25(OH)D in the insufficient group was also positively correlated with cognitive scores (β = 9.42, 95% CI = 3.74-15.11). Additionally, sufficient vitamin D status in the four periods and persistent 25(OH)D ≥ 30ng/mL throughout pregnancy were associated with a lower risk of suboptimal cognitive development in adjusted models, although the effects were attenuated after applying the false discovery rate adjustment. Cord blood 25(OH)D ≥ 12ng/mL has a significant positive association with cognitive, language, and motor development at 24months of age. Sufficient vitamin D status in pregnancy might be a protective factor for suboptimal neurocognition development at 24months of age.

The development of adolescent trust behavior

Interpersonal trust shows developmental changes during adolescence. The current study used a longitudinal design to examine the development of trust behavior, the presence of gender differences in these developmental trajectories, and the association between individual differences in these developmental trajectories and perspective-taking abilities. The participants played a trust game with a hypothetical trustworthy partner and a trust game with a hypothetical untrustworthy partner in 3 consecutive years (Mage = 12.55 years, Mage = 13.54 years, and Mage = 14.54 years). Concerning the development of trust behavior, the results showed an age-related increase in initial trust behavior and indicated increasingly adaptive trust behavior with age during untrustworthy interactions, whereas no evidence was found for age-related changes in the adaptation of trust during trustworthy interactions. Gender differences were found for the development of initial trust behavior (with boys showing a stronger increase with age than girls), whereas no support was found for the presence of gender differences in the developmental trajectories of adaptive trust behavior during trustworthy and untrustworthy interactions. Furthermore, no evidence was found for perspective-taking abilities to explain individual differences in the development of initial trust behavior or in the development of adaptive trust behavior during trustworthy and untrustworthy interactions. The results provide evidence that, during adolescence initial trust behavior increased with age, more for boys than for girls, and that both boys and girls showed a stronger adaptive response to the untrustworthy partner but not to the trustworthy partner.

Adaptive behavior and mastery motivation in children with physical disabilities

ABSTRACT Background Adaptive behavior consists of conceptual, social, and practical skills and describes the ability of individuals to manage environmental demands, interact with others, and engage in activities to meet ones needs. Mastery motivation is an intrinsic characteristic that enables persistence when attempting to master a skill. Children with physical disabilities often demonstrate less effective adaptive behaviors and lower mastery motivation than their peers without disabilities, which may subsequently impact development and participation in daily activities. Therefore, it may be beneficial for pediatric rehabilitation practitioners to focus intentionally on facilitating effective adaptive behaviors in children with physical disabilities as they aim to support child development and function. Objective This perspective paper highlights the importance of adaptive behavior for children with physical disabilities, discusses methods of assessment, and illustrates intervention principles and strategies to support the development of appropriate adaptive behaviors across childhood. Key intervention principles include: 1) engage children and address motivation; 2) collaborate with others; 3) support real-life meaningful experiences; 4) scaffold the just-right challenge; and 5) guide children in discovering solutions.

7,10,13,16-Docosatetraenoic acid impairs neurobehavioral development by increasing reactive oxidative species production in Caenorhabditis elegans

AimsTo investigate human breast milk (HBM) lipids that may adversely affect infant neurodevelopment. Main methodsWe performed multivariate analyses that combined lipidomics and psychologic Bayley-III scales to identify which HBM lipids are involved in regulating infant neurodevelopment. We observed a significant moderate negative correlation between 7,10,13,16-docosatetraenoic acid (omega-6, C22H36O2, the common name adrenic acid, AdA) and adaptive behavioral development. We further studied the effects of AdA on neurodevelopment by using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model. Worms from larval stages L1 to L4 were supplemented with AdA at 5 nominal concentrations (0 μM [control], 0.1 μM, 1 μM, 10 μM, and 100 μM) and subjected to behavioral and mechanistic analyses. Key findingsSupplementation with AdA from larval stages L1 to L4 impaired neurobehavioral development, such as locomotive behaviors, foraging ability, chemotaxis behavior, and aggregation behavior. Furthermore, AdA upregulated the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species. AdA-induced oxidative stress blocked serotonin synthesis and serotoninergic neuron activity and inhibited expression of daf-16 and the daf-16–regulated genes mtl-1, mtl-2, sod-1, and sod-3, resulting in attenuation of the lifespan in C. elegans. SignificanceOur study reveals that AdA is a harmful HBM lipid that may have adverse effects on infant adaptive behavioral development. We believe this information may be critical for AdA administration guidance in children's health care.

Disentangling global and domain-level adaptive behavior trajectories among children with autism spectrum disorder.

Heterogeneity in adaptive behavior abilities among people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is expressed not only as uneven levels of impairment across domains, but also in the developmental trajectories of adaptive skills. We studied the question of whether, after accounting for global adaptive behavior development, we find evidence of heterogeneity in the trajectories of specific domains of adaptive behavior. A sample of 504 children with ASD was obtained by combining data from two independent natural history studies conducted in North America. We used a factor of curves model to explain growth between 36 and 138 months in Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition (VABS) age equivalents as a function of domain-specific and global growth processes. The domain-specific trajectories in all three domains (Communication, Daily Living Skills, and Socialization) reflected impairment relative to age expectations as well as slower-than-expected growth with age, and the parameters of these trajectories were moderately-to-strongly correlated across domains. The global adaptive behavior trajectory had an initial (36-41 months of age) developmental level of about 22 age-equivalent months, and eventually slowed after initially increasing by about 6months each year. The global trajectory accounted for the majority of variance in the domain-level processes; however, additional variance remained (14%-38%) in the domain-level intercepts, slopes, and quadratic processes. These results extend existing theoretical and empirical support for the hierarchical structure of adaptive behavior to include its development over time in clinical samples of children with ASD. A latent global trajectory may be sufficient to describe the growth of adaptive behavior in children with ASD; however, the remaining domain-specific variability after accounting for global adaptive behavior development allows for the possibility that differential effects of intervention on specific domains may be possible and detectable.

Zachowania prozdrowotne młodych dorosłych oraz zdolność regulacji emocji w dobie pandemii koronawirusa

The pandemic reality has a huge impact on the daily functioning of people around the world. Young adults have had to face new requirements and barriers both at school and at work. The prolonged lockdown was connected with passive observation and learning about the dynamics of changes which were taking place in front of our own eyes during the following months of the pandemic. After the initial reaction of shock and generalized peritraumatic anxiety, a gradual development of adaptive behaviour was observed. The article analysis data collected online at two-time points (April 2020 and November–December 2020). The main research question was to explore if there is a change in well-being among the group of young adults in response to the restrictions imposed by the government on the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Among women and men, statistically significant differences between the results in the declared attitudes regarding compliance with hygiene and social behavior at two-time points were confirmed. The captured differences may suggest a gradual reduction of generalized anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic threat. Originally increased results in the use of behaviors aimed at reducing the possibility of infection, in the second round were significantly lower, confirming the lessened negative emotions and normalization of behavior.

Epigenetic Mediation of Prenatal Tobacco and Alcohol Exposure and Infant Neurodevelopment in a South African Birth Cohort: A High-Dimensional Mediation Analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) have been associated with an increased risk of delayed neurodevelopment in children as well as differential newborn DNA methylation (DNAm). However, the biological mechanisms connecting PTE and PAE, DNAm, and neurodevelopment are largely unknown. Here we aim to determine whether differential DNAm in cord blood mediates the association between PTE and PAE and neurodevelopment in 113 children of 6 months of age from the South African Drakenstein Child Health Study. METHODS PTE and PAE were assessed antenatally using urine cotinine measurements and the ASSIST questionnaire, respectively. DNAm was measured from cord blood using the EPIC and 450K BeadChips. Neurodevelopment was measured at 6 months across five domains (cognitive, language, motor, adaptive behavior, socioemotional) using the Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition. We conducted a high-dimensional mediation analysis using a novel approach called the divide-aggregate composite null test (DACT), followed by causal mediation analysis to estimate the average causal mediation effects (ACME) and total effect (TE). RESULTS In this population, 35% of mothers actively smoked and 23% of mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy. We identified 31 CpG sites and 8 CpG sites to have a significant mediating effect (ACME and TE P &amp;#x3c;0.05) between PTE and cognitive and motor development, respectively. For PAE, 16 CpG sites and 1 CpG site had a significant mediating effect on motor and adaptive behavior development, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that changes in the methylome may in part explain the biological mechanisms underlying the relationship between PTE and PAE and infant neurodevelopment. The identification of significant CpG sites could provide novel insights for early detection of disease and potential prevention targets in translational research and community interventions in at-risk populations. KEYWORDS: epigenomics; mediation analysis; neurodevelopment; prenatal smoking; prenatal alcohol exposure

Determinants of adaptive behavior of a master's student of psychological and pedagogical education as a subject of scientific reflection

The article reveals the current views of the professional community on adaptive behavior, the ideas of transition to the development of a relatively stable personality structure of a master's student of psychological and pedagogical education. The data were obtained using the methods of psychological diagnostics: a multi-level personal questionnaire (MLO) "Adaptability", the questionnaire " SOP-2 "(Tendency to deviant behavior), the method "Depersonalization by professional systems", the analysis of educational activities with a focus on the method of cases, social assessments, individual conversations. Considering the current state, problems and diagnostic assessments, it can be reached the logical conclusion that the determinants of the formation and development of adaptive behavior are the dialectical laws of the development of matter, and the totality of indicators of individual personal adaptive potential, the tendency to deviate behavior, life satisfaction and educational effectiveness will determine the level of the studied behavior.

Motor Coordination and Global Development in Subjects with Down Syndrome: The Influence of Physical Activity.

Background: Many research studies have investigated motor impairments and delayed development in children with Down Syndrome (DS). However, very few studies detected these features in adults with DS. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between motor coordination and global development in subjects with DS, including adults. Furthermore, the second aim was to detect any differences in motor coordination and global development as a function of the practice of physical activity (PA) in this population. Methods: Twenty-five participants with DS (10 f, 15 m), with a chronological mean age of 27.24 years and development mean age of cognitive area of 4.93 years, were enrolled and divided into a physically active group (PA-G; n = 15) and a physically inactive group (PI-G; n = 10). All participants performed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) to assess fine and gross motor skills, while the Developmental Profile 3 (DP-3) checklist was administered to the parents in order to screen strengths and weaknesses of five developmental areas of their relatives with DS. Results: Our results showed positive correlations between the following variables: global motor coordination and global development, global motor coordination and adaptive behavior development area, aiming and catching skills and global development, aiming and catching skills and adaptive behavior development area. As for the practice of PA, PA-G showed higher scores than PI-G in all the tasks of both the M-ABC and the DP-3, though significant differences were found only for the global motor coordination, for the aiming and catching skills, as well as for the physical development area. Conclusions: The findings of this study reinforce the need to implement and encourage the practice of PA in order to promote well-being and social inclusion in subjects with DS.

Association between cord blood BPDE-DNA and neurodevelopment of children aged 0 and 2 years: A birth cohort study

Objective: To explore the effects of mothers' exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during pregnancy on their children's neurobehavioral development. Methods: In November 2009 to April 2010, a total of 221 pairs of mother-newborn pairs were recruited from two cooperative hospitals in Taiyuan, and their children were followed up at age two. High performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the level of BPDE-DNA in cord blood leukocytes. The Neonatal behavioral neurological assessment (NBNA) was used to assess the neurodevelopment of newborns, and the Gesell Development Scale was used to measure neurodevelopmental indexes of 2-year-old children. NBNA includes behavior, active and passive tone, primitive reflexes and general assessment, with a total score of 40 points. The Gesell Developmental Schedules consisted of four sub-scales: motor development, adaptive behavior development, language development and personal-social behavior development. We used mean and standard deviation to describe continuous variables with normal distribution, median (interquartile range) to describe continuous variables with skewed distribution, and frequency and proportion to describe categorical variables. Restricted cubic spline models were applied to assess the dose-response relationships between maternal prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure and children's neurobehavioral development at two years old. Generalized linear models were applied to evaluate the effect of exposure to maternal prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure on children's neurobehavioral development at 0 and two years old. Results: The NBNA score was 38.0±0.8, and the scores of 2-year-old children's motor, adaptive, language and personal-social were 111.6±15.0, 110.5±14.6, 108.8±17.2 and 111.7±14.5, respectively. After adjusting for confounding factors, there is no dose-response association between the cord blood BPDE of pregnant women and neonatal NBNA scores, but there were dose-response associations between BPDE and scores of 2-year-old children's motor, adaptive, language and personal-social. A unit increase in cord blood ln (BPDE-DNA), the score of motor, adaptive, language and personal-social of 2-year-old children decreased on average by 4.54、6.29、8.41 and 7.02 points. Conclusion: Maternal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during pregnancy is associated with decreased children's neurobehavioral development at two years old.

Impact of Intergenerational Patterns on Coaching Effectiveness

This exploratory study examined the influence of intergenerational family patterns and transgenerational transmissions on coaching effectiveness. It specifically focused on the potential impact of coaches’ intergenerational patterns on their countertransference risks and development of coaching resources. Fifteen executive coaches were socioanalytically interviewed with a focused genogram and a self-as-instrument approach to understand the impact of intergenerational patterns and underlying family dynamics on coaching effectiveness. Results indicated a relationship between these factors and coaching effectiveness. This was especially the case with regard to the development of functional and adaptive coping behaviour rather than transmitting dysfunctional, maladaptive behaviour only. Analysing and debriefing live coaching situations with a focus on potential countertransference reactions would further validate these findings in future research. Given the results of this study, it seems essential to integrate the reflection of intergenerational patterns and related countertransference risks into the training and supervision of coaches.

In-utero exposure to indoor air pollution or tobacco smoke and cognitive development in a South African birth cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIM: There is increasing evidence indicating that air pollution exposure is associated with neuronal damage. Since pregnancy is a critical window of vulnerability, air pollution exposure during this period could have adverse effects on neurodevelopment. This study aims 1) to analyze associations of prenatal exposure to indoor air pollution (particulate matter with diameters ≤10μm, PM10) and tobacco smoke on neurodevelopment and 2) to determine if these associations are mediated by deviations of epigenetic gestational age from chronological gestational age (ΔGA). METHODS: Data of 734 children from the South African Drakenstein Child Health Study were analyzed. Antenatal PM10 exposure was measured using devices placed in the families’ homes. Maternal smoking during pregnancy was determined by maternal urine cotinine measures. Bayley Scales of Infant Development were used to measure cognition, language, motor, and adaptive behavior development at two years of age. Overall composite scores were calculated as the average of the four sub-scores. Linear regression models adjusted for maternal age, gestational age, sex of child, ancestry, birth weight/length, and socioeconomic status were used to explore associations. A mediation analysis was conducted to analyze if the associations were mediated by ΔGA using DNA methylation measurements from cord blood. RESULTS:An increase of one interquartile range in PM10 (54.40μg/m3) was significantly associated with lower cognition sub-scores (β-estimate [95%-confidence interval]: -0.01 [-0.22, 0.00]). Maternal smoking was significantly associated with lower overall composite scores (-1.84 [-3.52, -0.16]) and lower adaptive behavior sub-scores (-3.39 [-5.63, -1.14]). Other scores were not associated with PM10 or smoking. Associations were not significantly mediated by ΔGA (e.g., for PM10 and cognition, proportion mediated [95%-confidence interval]: 1% [-18, -20%]). CONCLUSIONS:We found an association of prenatal exposure to indoor air pollution (PM10) and tobacco smoke on neurodevelopment at 2 years of age. Further research is needed to understand underlying biological mediators. KEYWORDS: Air pollution, Particulate matter, Neurodevelopmental outcomes, Environmental epidemiology, Epigenomics

The Perfect Cytokine Storm: How Peripheral Immune Challenges Impact Brain Plasticity & Memory Function in Aging.

Precipitous declines in cognitive function can occur in older individuals following a variety of peripheral immune insults, such as surgery, infection, injury, and unhealthy diet. Aging is associated with numerous changes to the immune system that shed some light on why this abrupt cognitive deterioration may occur. Normally, peripheral-to-brain immune signaling is tightly regulated and advantageous; communication between the two systems is bi-directional, via either humoral or neural routes. Following an immune challenge, production, secretion, and translocation of cytokines into the brain is critical to the development of adaptive sickness behaviors. However, aging is normally associated with neuroinflammatory priming, notably microglial sensitization. Microglia are the brain’s innate immune cells and become sensitized with advanced age, such that upon immune stimulation they will mount more exaggerated neuroimmune responses. The resultant elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, namely IL-1β, has profound effects on synaptic plasticity and, consequentially, cognition. In this review, we (1) investigate the processes which lead to aberrantly elevated inflammatory cytokine expression in the aged brain and (2) examine the impact of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β on brain plasticity mechanisms, including its effects on BDNF, AMPA and NMDA receptor-mediated long-term potentiation.