Children's Networks Research Articles

An Analysis of Participation, Identity Conversations, and Social Networking Affordances on an Online Social Network for Children

In this study, we explore the behaviors of children ages 7 to 12 years on our custom social network, KidGab, to understand the activities that increase participation and identity-related conversation. We specifically study the effects of two social networking affordances provided by KidGab: a suite of personality quizzes and a badge-based participatory reward system. Both affordances harness the preadolescent’s internal focus on identity exploration. We analyzed KidGab’s activity logs in an attempt to understand the relationships between activities on these affordances and other engagement measured on the site (e.g., the total posts authored on KidGab per day, total comments authored per day, likes per day, etc.). We also investigate the amount of conversation relating to identity that accompanies quizzes and badges. We found that taking quizzes and posting results had a higher positive correlation with online participation on KidGab than attempting to earn badges. Our results suggest that, though youth are interested in self-reflecting via textual compositions, on a daily basis they partake more in personality-quiz-style activities that provide them instant feedback and shared experiences with other users.

An Abnormal Cerebellar Network in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Morphometric Study

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by poor social abilities, communication deficiency and restricted behavioural patterns. Recently, scholars started to consider the possibility of detecting biological markers for better and faster diagnosing autism. This problem has been approached from different perspectives considering biochemical, neurophysiological, and neuroanatomical markers. Following this perspective, our intent was to investigate whether a structural brain signature of autism can be detected in children by using a whole brain morphological analysis. To this aim, we selected 43 male children with autistic spectrum disorder and 46 male controls, matched for age. Structural brain images (T1 image), intelligence scores (Full IQ, Verbal IQ, Performance IQ), and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) scores were considered for analyses. Source-Based Morphometry, a multivariate method based on Independent Component Analysis to detect maximally independent cortical networks of gray matter differences was applied to autistic and control brains. Results showed a statistically different network between ASD children and controls, including several cerebellar regions (Inferior Semi-lunar lobule, Tuble, Uvula, Pyramis, Declive, Cerebellar Tonsil) and the Fusiform Gyrus, confirming, but, also expanding previous results. In addition, separate temporal, frontal, and parietal networks were found to be significantly correlated with the Stereotyped Behaviour ADOS scores. These morphologic differences may be particularly useful in paving the way for future objective methods to diagnose autism.

Childhood peer network characteristics: genetic influences and links with early mental health trajectories.

Peer relationships are important for children's mental health, yet little is known of their etiological underpinnings. Here, we explore the genetic influences on childhood peer network characteristics in three different networks defined by rejection, acceptance, and prosocial behavior. We further examine the impact of early externalizing and internalizing trajectories on these same peer network characteristics. Participants were 1,288 children from the Dutch 'Generation R' birth cohort. At age 7, we mapped out children's classroom peer networks for peer rejection, acceptance, and prosocial behavior using mutual peer nominations. In each network, genetic influences were estimated for children's degree centrality, closeness centrality and link reciprocity from DNA using Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysis. Preschool externalizing and internalizing trajectories were computed using parental ratings at ages 1.5, 3, and 5years. Of the three network properties examined, closeness centrality emerged as significantly heritable across all networks. Preschool externalizing problems predicted unfavorable positions within peer rejection networks and having fewer mutual friendships. In contrast, children with preschool-internalizing problems were not actively rejected by their peers, but were less well-connected within their social support network. Our finding of significant heritability for closeness centrality should be taken as preliminary evidence that requires replication. Nevertheless, it can orient us to the role of genes in shaping a child's position within peer networks. Additionally, social network perspectives offer rich insights into how early life mental health trajectories impact a child's later functioning within peer networks.

Childhood with Bourdieu By LeenaAlanen, LizBrooker, BerryMayall. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015 ISBN 978‐1‐137‐38473‐7, 215 pp, £60.00 (hb)

The compiled volume Childhood with Bourdieu, published in the Palgrave series ‘Studies in Childhood and Youth’, sets out to contribute to the literature in the field of sociology of childhood, pursuing the genuinely sociological concern of relating ‘private troubles’ and ‘public issues’. The introduction by the book's editors laying out Bourdieu's main concepts is followed by nine chapters written by authors from a variety of different backgrounds. This purposeful mix is one of the great strengths of this collection, as the array of perspectives makes for an interesting and inspiring read. That the chapter authors read and commented on each other's writings, as opposed to only the editors commenting, makes it an example of a rather rare collaborative, and more than usually equitable, working style. The studies presented in these chapters cover different corners of the world and explore a broad range of themes related to children and young people such as early childhood education, children's support networks, the commuting trajectories of adolescents and welfare services for children. The case studies focus narrowly on the application of Bourdieu's concepts in an affirmative manner, that is their usefulness is confirmed as opposed to being discussed or examined. Three chapters of the collection present themselves as particularly worthwhile reading: Brooker's exploration of UK government policy aimed at alleviating inequality by means of targeted intervention, and of possible reasons for the reproduction of inequality in spite of them, is one of these. Her special interests are differences in cultural capital and their relationship with inequality. She also raises important questions about measuring cultural capital adequately, taking a stance in favour of ethnographic approaches. Another study deserving particular mentioning is Vuorisalo and Alanen's microscopic view of power relationships among preschool children in Finland, focussing on child–child and child–teacher interaction. Conversation is considered as both a relevant practice and as a particular type of capital which, combined, contribute significantly to structuring the social hierarchy in the setting. The authors suggest that this has repercussions on the habitus the children develop and a knock-on effect on how they will navigate life beyond and after the preschool. The merit of this chapter is that it makes existing power relationships visible among children who do not normally receive much attention. André and Hilgers’ chapter on children working in artisanal mining in sub-Saharan Africa asks how children are conceptualised in development discourses, whether these understandings are sensitive in the respective specific environment, and what kind of repercussions these conceptualisations have on the ground. The main theoretical concept supporting the analysis of mechanisms of domination is symbolic violence. The relevance of this chapter lies in its contributions to discussions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which it can certainly enrich. That Bourdieu's complex theoretical framework and its main concepts are well explained makes the book accessible to readers who have little or no prior knowledge of this particular sociological theory. However, a perhaps inevitable limitation of a compiled volume in this format is the partial overlaps and repetitions, as extensive explanations are provided in the introduction and then again by chapter authors, although with slight variations. This might have been prevented by including a separate section setting out theoretical concepts, to which chapter authors then referred. A by-product of this strategy would have been that authors had more space at their disposal for presenting their data material and developing their arguments. Notwithstanding this criticism, this collection of articles is long overdue, since the writings of Reay and Connolly have already demonstrated that Bourdieu's concepts can be useful analytical tools to achieve a better understanding of children's lifeworlds and lived experiences. The content of some of the chapters is particularly relevant for those working with children and young people, and two of the chapters should be particularly appealing to the staff of NGOs operating in the context of childhood and development. However, the overall writing style and wording confirm that academics are the main target audience. The book will appeal to scholars with a primary interest in Bourdieu and the theoretical framework he developed, as well as those seeking to explore the broader circumstances in which children and young people live and interact. It is worth mentioning that in spite of the book's title suggesting a narrow focus on childhood, it can speak to scholars in both childhood and youth studies. Postgraduate students intending to use Bourdieu's concepts to frame their first major pieces of empirical work will find excellent examples in some of the chapters of how to intertwine data material and theoretical concepts in a lively, readable manner, as well as helpful indications for further reading.

H-EQPE Model and L-Checkpoint Algorithm

The authors propose a Hypoglycemic Expert Query Parametric Estimation (H-EQPE) model and a Linear Checkpoint (L-Checkpoint) algorithm to detect hypoglycemia of diabetes patients. The proposed approach combines the strengths of both domain-knowledge-based and machine-learning-based approaches to learn the optimal decision parameter over time series for monitoring the symptoms, in which the objective function (i.e., the maximal number of detections of hypoglycemia) is dependent on the optimal time point from which the parameter is learned. To evaluate the approach, the authors conducted an experiment on a dataset from the Diabetes Research in Children Network group. The L-Checkpoint algorithm learned the optimal monitoring decision parameter, 99 mg/dL, and achieved the maximal number of detections of hypoglycemic symptoms. The experiment shows that the proposed approach produces the results that are superior to those of the domain-knowledge-based and the machine-learning-based approaches, resulting in a 99.2% accuracy, 100% sensitivity, and 98.8% specificity.

Simultaneous Electroencephalography and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and the Identification of Epileptic Networks in Children.

EEG/fMRI takes advantage of the high temporal resolution of EEG in combination with the high spatial resolution of fMRI. These features make it particularly applicable to the study of epilepsy in which the event duration (e.g., interictal epileptiform discharges) is short, typically less than 200 milliseconds. Interictal or ictal discharges can be identified on EEG and be used for source localization in fMRI analyses. The acquisition of simultaneous EEG/fMRI involves the use of specialized EEG hardware that is safe in the MR environment and comfortable to the participant. Advanced data analysis approaches such as independent component analysis conducted alone or sometimes combined with other, e.g., Granger Causality or "sliding window" analyses are currently thought to be most appropriate for EEG/fMRI data. These approaches make it possible to identify networks of brain regions associated with ictal and/or interictal events allowing examination of the mechanisms critical for generation and propagation through these networks. After initial evaluation in adults, EEG/fMRI has been applied to the examination of the pediatric epilepsy syndromes including Childhood Absence Epilepsy, Benign Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (BECTS), Dravet Syndrome, and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. Results of EEG/fMRI studies suggest that the hemodynamic response measured by fMRI may have a different shape in response to epileptic events compared to the response to external stimuli; this may be especially true in the developing brain. Thus, the main goal of this review is to provide an overview of the pediatric applications of EEG/fMRI and its associated findings up until this point.

Sweet promises: Candy advertising to children and implications for industry self-regulation

Candy advertising illustrates limitations of the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) self-regulatory program to improve food marketing to children. Participating companies pledge to not advertise candy in child-directed media. Yet independent analyses show that children viewed 65% more candy ads on U.S. television in 2011 than in 2007, before CFBAI implementation. The present research corroborates these findings, characterizes the increase, and examines how CFBAI-participating and non-participating companies use child-targeted techniques and media placement to advertise candy on U.S. television. Content analysis identified child-targeted messages and techniques in 2011 television candy ads, and Nielsen data (2008–2011) quantified candy advertising viewed on children's and other types of television programming. Differences between brands according to CFBAI status and use of child-targeted techniques in ads are evaluated. Data were obtained and analyzed in 2013. CFBAI-company non-approved brands represented 65% of candy ads viewed by children in 2011, up from 45% in 2008, and 77% of these ads contained child-targeted techniques. Although CFBAI companies only placed ads for approved brands on children's networks, 31% of ads viewed by children for CFBAI non-approved brands appeared on networks with higher-than-average youth audiences. CFBAI non-participating companies placed child-targeted candy ads primarily on children's networks. Despite CFBAI pledges, companies continue to advertise candy during programming with large youth audiences utilizing techniques that appeal to children. Both increased CFBAI participation and a more effective definition of “child-directed advertising” are required to reduce children's exposure to targeted advertising for foods that can harm their health.

Network of care of children with special health care needs

This is a qualitative study that aimed to describe the care network of children with special health care needs in different levels of the health care system, during the follow-up after discharge. The data were produced through the development of the dynamics of creativity and sensitivity, the speaking map and the creative and sensitive method, involving five children's families between 2009 and 2011. The caregivers' discourse pointed out that these children's care network comprises the institutional and familial dimensions. The first showed to be broad and diverse but scattered, comprising various health and education professionals. The second consists of members of the close female relatives, such as mothers and grandmothers, showing an exclusively familial care. The expansion and consolidation of multiprofessional care networks is recommended to facilitate the access to health care and quality of life for these children and their family caregivers.

Functional Neuroimaging Abnormalities in Youth With Psychosis Spectrum Symptoms

The continuum view of the psychosis spectrum (PS) implies that, in population-based samples, PS symptoms should be associated with neural abnormalities similar to those found in help-seeking clinical risk individuals and in schizophrenia. To our knowledge, functional neuroimaging has not previously been applied in large population-based PS samples and can help us understand the neural architecture of psychosis more broadly and identify brain phenotypes beyond symptoms that are associated with the extended psychosis phenotype. To examine the categorical and dimensional relationships of PS symptoms to prefrontal hypoactivation during working memory and to amygdala hyperactivation during threat emotion processing. The Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort is a genotyped, prospectively accrued, population-based sample of almost 10,000 youths who received a structured psychiatric evaluation and a computerized neurocognitive battery. The study was conducted at an academic and children's hospital health care network, between November 1, 2009 to November 30, 2011. A subsample of 1445 youths underwent neuroimaging, including functional magnetic resonance imaging tasks examined herein. Participants were youth aged 11 to 22 years old identified through structured interview as having PS features (PS group) (n = 260) and typically developing (TD) comparison youth without significant psychopathology (TD group) (n = 220). Two functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigms were used: a fractal n-back working memory task probing executive system function and an emotion identification task probing amygdala responses to threatening faces. In the n-back task, working memory evoked lower activation in the PS group than the TD group throughout the executive control circuitry, including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (cluster-corrected P < .05). Within the PS group, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation correlated with cognitive deficits (r = .32, P < .001), but no correlation was found with positive symptom severity. During emotion identification, PS demonstrated elevated responses to threatening facial expressions in amygdala, as well as left fusiform cortex and right middle frontal gyrus (cluster-corrected P < .05). The response in the amygdala correlated with positive symptom severity (r = .16, P = .01) but not with cognitive deficits. The pattern of functional abnormalities observed in the PS group is similar to that previously found in schizophrenia and help-seeking risk samples. Specific circuit dysfunction during cognitive and emotion-processing tasks is present early in the development of psychopathology and herein could not be attributed to chronic illness or medication confounds. Hypoactivation in executive circuitry and limbic hyperactivation to threat could reflect partly independent risk factors for PS symptoms, with the former relating to cognitive deficits that increase the risk for developing psychotic symptoms and the latter contributing directly to positive psychotic symptoms.

Female-partnered and single women's contact motivations and experiences with donor-linked families.

What are female-partnered and single mothers' motivations and experiences at one donor insemination (DI) program with regard to contacting other families who share the same sperm donor? By and large, women reported seeking contact to obtain (i) support for their children and/or themselves, and (ii) information about shared traits and medical problems, ultimately describing a range of contact experiences, both positive (e.g. special bond created) and negative (e.g. uncomfortable encounters). There is a growing phenomenon of donor insemination families-parents and/or offspring-seeking others who share their donor (i.e. are 'donor-linked'). There is limited understanding about parental motivations and experiences-especially in the presence of a second parent-due to the methodological constraints of previous quantitative studies. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 50 donor insemination mothers (14 single, 36 female-partnered). Participants were recruited by email invitation to parent members of a family-matching service at one donor insemination program in the USA. The criterion for inclusion was having matched to at least one donor-linked family. Among the 50 mothers interviewed, all had at least one child conceived via donor insemination, who was between ages 0 and 15 years at first contact. Families matched with a median of three donor-linked families (range 1-10). Interview data were analyzed through qualitative (i.e. thematic) analysis. Overarching themes emerged of seeking contact to obtain (i) support and (ii) information about children's shared physical and psychological traits. Some wanted to increase their child's family network, through adding a sibling, but more often as extended family. Data, from partnered parents especially, revealed the challenges of balancing the boundaries of family formed without the genetic link with the perceived benefits of exploring the child's donor origins. Interviews focused on openness and information-sharing were conducted with parents from one American donor insemination program. Findings are limited to individuals who were open enough to share their experiences and able to take the time to do so. As donor-linking services become established independently (e.g. donor insemination program registries) or by the government (e.g. Victoria, Australia's Voluntary Register), these findings provide evidence that linking services are valued by individuals affected by donor conception. Caution is warranted, however, in that some participants reported mismatched expectations, both across donor-linked families and within families (e.g. between partners), suggesting the need for information and guidance both during and after matching. Overall, the range and balance of reported positives and negatives indicate that donor-linking can provide individuals with support and donor origins information-which are particularly important when these are not available elsewhere. Clark University provided support. No competing interests.

Targeting the young food consumer

Purpose – A large number of food advertisements are broadcast during children ' s programs which influence their food consumption habits. Globally, consumption of these foods is linked to increased incidence of obesity and other health-related disorders in children. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the nature and extent of food advertising directed at Indian children. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected by recording programs and advertisements aired on five popular children ' s networks from 9:00 am until 9:00 pm for ten weekdays and weekends each. On an average, total recording of 242 hours for both weekdays and weekends was done. All data were screened and both program and non-program content (advertisements) were identified and analyzed. Data were further analyzed through descriptive statistics. Findings – Out of 4,219 and 4,750 television advertisements broadcast on children ' s networks during weekdays and weekends, 43.33 and 47.62 percent are food advertisements, respectively. “Confectionery” and “sugared and salty snacks” comprise half of total foods advertised during weekdays. Whereas, advertisements for “health drinks and supplements” are most frequently aired during children ' s programs on weekends. A classification of all food advertisements into healthy and unhealthy categories according to “Food Pyramid” given by National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), India in 2010 shows that almost all the advertised foods are unhealthy. Practical implications – This study will benefit the parents by helping them understand the media content (food advertisements) offered to their children. They may then control television viewing by children, monitor food purchase behavior and take some mealtime actions to control eating habits of their children. Such awareness is critical to force the food marketers to recognize the need to self-regulate food advertising directed at children. Government may also feel the need to formulate a suitable policy for placing time and content restrictions for advertising foods to children. Originality/value – As no such study has already been conducted in India (to the best of researcher ' s knowledge), this study potentially helps in abridging gaps in literature.

Il riconoscimento del progetto migratorio del minore e la valorizzazione della rete parentale nell'accoglienza dei minori stranieri non accompagnati: l'evoluzione della presa in carico nel comune di Cremona (2005 - 2011)

Il fenomeno dei minori stranieri non accompagnati fu gestito a Cremona, fino all'anno 2007, unicamente tramite l'accoglienza in strutture residenziali. Tale pratica dovette però confrontarsi con la criticità (anche di tipo economico) rappresentata dalla massiccia crescita degli arrivi di minorenni stranieri dichiaranti essere "non accompagnati", verificatasi negli anni 2006 e 2007. La frequente presenza di reti parentali dei minori nelle provincie limitrofe, indusse a ritenere che il percorso migratorio dei MSNA giunti a Cremona fosse il risultato di una strategia messa a punto da adulti di riferimento, i quali indirizzavano il giovane verso quei territori dove le pratiche d'accoglienza apparivano più efficaci riguardo all'acquisizione del titolo di soggiorno. Ciò che emerge è la correlazione intercorrente tra modalità di accoglienza e strategia migratoria. A partire dall'anno 2008, il riconoscimento del carattere "famigliare" del progetto migratorio del minore, e della sua rete parentale come risorsa per una più efficace e sostenibile presa in carico, portò all'identificazione di una strategia di accoglienza incentrata sull'affidamento famigliare.

Increased Connectivity between the Sensorimotor Cortex and Dorsal Attention Network in Children after Mild to Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (S11.006)

Increased Connectivity between the Sensorimotor Cortex and Dorsal Attention Network in Children after Mild to Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (S11.006)

Small-World Brain Functional Networks in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Revealed by EEG Synchrony

We investigated the topologic properties of human brain attention-related functional networks associated with Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) performance using electroencephalography (EEG). Data were obtained from 13 children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 13 normal control children. Functional connectivity between all pairwise combinations of EEG channels was established by calculating synchronization likelihood (SL). The cluster coefficients and path lengths were computed as a function of degree K. The results showed that brain attention functional networks of normal control subjects had efficient small-world topologic properties, whereas these topologic properties were altered in ADHD. In particular, increased local characteristics combined with decreased global characteristics in ADHD led to a disorder-related shift of the network topologic structure toward ordered networks. These findings are consistent with a hypothesis of dysfunctional segregation and integration of the brain in ADHD, and enhance our understanding of the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism of this illness.

Neurocognitive Growth Charting in Psychosis Spectrum Youths

Psychosis-risk studies have examined help-seeking adolescents and young adults. Population-based studies evaluating psychotic symptoms and neurocognitive performance across childhood are needed for "growth charting" cognitive development. We hypothesized that psychosis spectrum youths have delayed neurocognitive age relative to chronological age. We expected larger lags with increased symptom severity and in late adolescence and early adulthood. To examine neurocognitive age and compare typically developing participants with psychosis spectrum participants. The Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort is a genotyped sample, with electronic medical records, enrolled in the study of brain behavior. In an academic and children's hospital health care network, a structured psychiatric evaluation was performed and a computerized neurocognitive battery administered to evaluate performance in several domains. From 18,344 youths in the recruitment pool who were aged 8 to 21 years, physically and cognitively capable of participating, and proficient in English, participants were randomly selected with stratification for age, sex, and ethnicity. A total of 9138 participants were enrolled in the study between November 1, 2009, and November 30, 2011, and 2321 endorsed psychotic symptoms: 1423 significant (psychosis spectrum) and 898 limited (psychosis limited). They had no comorbid medical conditions. They were compared with 981 participants endorsing significant other psychiatric symptoms and with 1963 typically developing children with no psychiatric or medical disorders. The computerized neurocognitive battery provides accuracy and speed measures on 12 tests and speed measures alone on 2, yielding 26 measures used in a regression analysis to predict chronological age. Prediction was performed on the entire set and separately for each domain (executive, episodic memory, complex cognition, social cognition, and sensorimotor speed). Throughout childhood and adolescence, the psychosis spectrum group had lower predicted age compared with the typically developing group and the group with other psychiatric symptoms. The psychosis spectrum group had a greater developmental lag than the psychosis limited group. The lags were most pronounced for complex cognition and social cognition and were smallest for sensorimotor speed. Individuals who endorse psychotic symptoms are neurocognitively delayed across the age range; this delay relates to symptom severity and is not prominent in other psychiatric disorders. Combined clinical and neurocognitive assessment can facilitate early detection and targeted intervention to delay or ameliorate disease progression.

Graph analysis of semantic word association among children, adults, and the elderly

This study used graph analysis to investigate how age differences modify the structure of semantic word association networks of children and adults and if the networks present a small-world structure and a scale-free distribution which are typical of natural languages. Three age groups of Brazilian Portuguese speakers (children, adults and elderly people) participated in the experiment. Quantitative and qualitative measures suggested that adults and elderly speakers have similar network structures. Children's network showed fewer nodes, connections and clusters, and longer inter-node distances. All networks presented a small-world structure, but they did not show entirely scale-free distributions. These results suggest that from childhood to adulthood, there is an increase not only in the number of words semantically linked to a target but also an increase in the connectivity of the network.

Brain MRI in Children With Type 1 Diabetes: Snapshot or Road Map of Developmental Changes?

The impact of diabetes on the developing brain is a complex subject. From the perspective of children and parents, potential harm to the brain can be a frightening but elusive topic. Many factors can affect a child’s well-being and mental development. The challenge is to disentangle potential consequences of diabetes from all these other factors. For health care workers the topic may be no less elusive. There is quite an abundance of literature on the potential adverse effects of type 1 diabetes on the brain in children, but it is difficult to translate the available data into clinically meaningful information that can be applied to the day-to-day care for an individual child. In this issue, Marzelli et al. (1), on behalf of the Diabetes Research in Children Network, present an important study that answers several questions on the impact of diabetes on the developing brain, but also generates new ones. It is well established that development of diabetes early in life can have consequences for cognitive functioning (2,3). Several studies have shown that—on average—children with diabetes perform worse on several cognitive domains than children without diabetes (4). Among children with diabetes, cognitive decrements are most marked for children with an early diabetes onset—usually defined as an onset within the first 4–7 years of life (2,4). These decrements tend to evolve slowly over time, mounting up …

Centrality in children's best friend networks: The role of social behaviour

Centrality is an indicator of an individual's relative importance within a social group. Predictors of centrality in best friendship networks were examined in 146 children (70 boys and 76 girls, Mage =9.95). Children completed measures of social confidence, social desirability, friendship quality, school liking, and loneliness and nominated their best friends from within their class at two time points, 3months apart. Multigroup path analysis revealed gender differences in the antecedents of centrality. Social confidence, social desirability, and friendship quality predicted changes in the indicators of centrality in best friend networks over time. Boys' social behaviour positively predicted changes in centrality, whereas girls' social behaviour negatively predicted changes in centrality. Together, these findings suggest that some aspects of social behaviour are influential for centrality in best friend groups.

Resting State Functional Connectivity of the Ventral Attention Network in Children With a History of Depression or Anxiety

We examined whether depression and anxiety disorders in early childhood were associated with changes in resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) of the ventral attention network (VAN), and whether RSFC in the VAN was associated with alterations in attention specific to these disorders. Important clinical features of these illnesses, including changes in attention toward novel stimuli and changes in attention to stimuli of negative valence (threat/sad bias), indirectly implicate the VAN. We collected resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data in children aged 8 to 12 years. Data were volume censored to reduce artifact from submillimeter movement, resulting in analyzable data from 30 children with a history of depression and/or anxiety and 42 children with no psychiatric history. We compared pairwise RSFC among the following VAN regions: right ventro-lateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), right posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG), and right ventral supramarginal gyrus (vSMG). We also collected measures of threat bias and current clinical symptoms. Children with a history of depression and/or anxiety had reduced RSFC among the regions of the VAN compared to children with no psychiatric history. The magnitude of VAN RSFC was correlated with measures of attention bias toward threat but not with current depressive, internalizing, or externalizing symptoms. No RSFC changes were detected between groups among homotopic left hemisphere regions. Disruption in the VAN may be an early feature of depression and anxiety disorders. VAN changes were associated with attention bias and clinical history but not with current symptoms of depression and anxiety.

High success rates of sedation-free brain MRI scanning in young children using simple subject preparation protocols with and without a commercial mock scanner–the Diabetes Research in Children Network (DirecNet) experience

The ability to lie still in an MRI scanner is essential for obtaining usable image data. To reduce motion, young children are often sedated, adding significant cost and risk. We assessed the feasibility of using a simple and affordable behavioral desensitization program to yield high-quality brain MRI scans in sedation-free children. 222 children (4-9.9years), 147 with type 1 diabetes and 75 age-matched non-diabetic controls, participated in a multi-site study focused on effects of type 1 diabetes on the developing brain. T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) MRI scans were performed. All children underwent behavioral training and practice MRI sessions using either a commercial MRI simulator or an inexpensive mock scanner consisting of a toy tunnel, vibrating mat, and video player to simulate the sounds and feel of the MRI scanner. 205 children (92.3%), mean age 7 ± 1.7years had high-quality T1-W scans and 174 (78.4%) had high-quality diffusion-weighted scans after the first scan session. With a second scan session, success rates were 100% and 92.5% for T1-and diffusion-weighted scans, respectively. Success rates did not differ between children with type 1 diabetes and children without diabetes, or between centers using a commercial MRI scan simulator and those using the inexpensive mock scanner. Behavioral training can lead to a high success rate for obtaining high-quality T1-and diffusion-weighted brain images from a young population without sedation.