Neuroscience Research Australia Research Articles

Study protocol for development and validation of a single tool to assess risks of stroke, diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction and dementia: DemNCD-Risk

IntroductionCurrent efforts to reduce dementia focus on prevention and risk reduction by targeting modifiable risk factors. As dementia and cardiometabolic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) share risk factors, a single risk-estimating tool...

TWIN-10: protocol for a 10-year longitudinal twin study of the neuroscience of mental well-being and resilience

IntroductionMental well-being is a core component of mental health, and resilience is a key process of positive adaptive recovery following adversity. However, we lack an understanding of the neural mechanisms...

Is there a causal relationship between acute stage sensorimotor cortex activity and the development of chronic low back pain? a protocol and statistical analysis plan

IntroductionWhy some people develop chronic pain following an acute episode of low back pain is unknown. Recent cross-sectional studies have suggested a relationship between aberrant sensorimotor cortex activity and pain...

The effect of paired corticospinal-motoneuronal stimulation on maximal voluntary elbow flexion in cervical spinal cord injury: an experimental study.

Randomised, controlled, crossover study. Paired corticospinal-motoneuronal stimulation (PCMS) involves repeatedly pairing stimuli to corticospinal neurones and motoneurones to induce changes in corticospinal transmission. Here, we examined whether PCMS could enhance maximal voluntary elbow flexion in people with cervical spinal cord injury. Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia. PCMS comprised 100 pairs of transcranial magnetic and electrical peripheral nerve stimulation (0.1 Hz), timed so corticospinal potentials arrived at corticospinal-motoneuronal synapses 1.5 ms before antidromic motoneuronal potentials. On two separate days, sets of five maximal elbow flexions were performed by 11 individuals with weak elbow flexors post C4 or C5 spinal cord injury before and after PCMS or control (100 peripheral nerve stimuli) conditioning. During contractions, supramaximal biceps brachii stimulation elicited superimposed twitches, which were expressed as a proportion of resting twitches to give maximal voluntary activation. Maximal torque and electromyographic activity were also assessed. Baseline median (range) maximal torque was 11 Nm (6-41 Nm) and voluntary activation was 92% (62-99%). Linear mixed modelling revealed no significant differences between PCMS and control protocols after conditioning (maximal torque: p = 0.87, superimposed twitch: p = 0.87, resting twitch: p = 0.44, voluntary activation: p = 0.36, biceps EMG: p = 0.25, brachioradialis EMG: 0.67). Possible explanations for the lack of effect include a potential ceiling effect for voluntary activation, or that PCMS may be less effective for elbow flexors than distal muscles. Despite results, previous studies suggest that PCMS is worthy of further investigation.

Do sensorimotor cortex activity, an individual’s capacity for neuroplasticity, and psychological features during an episode of acute low back pain predict outcome at 6 months: a protocol for an Australian, multisite prospective, longitudinal cohort study

IntroductionLow back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with prevalence doubling in the past 14 years. To date, prognostic screening tools display poor discrimination and offer no...

The neural correlates and clinical characteristics of psychosis in the frontotemporal dementia continuum and the C9orf72 expansion.

ObjectiveThis present study aims to address the gap in the literature regarding the severity and underlying neural correlates of psychotic symptoms in frontotemporal dementia with and without the C9orf72 gene expansion.MethodsFifty-six patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (20 with concomitant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and 23 healthy controls underwent neuropsychological assessments, detailed clinical interview for assessment of psychosis symptoms, brain MRI and genetic testing. Carers underwent a clinical interview based upon the neuropsychiatric inventory. Patients were assessed at ForeFront, the Frontotemporal Dementia Research Group at Neuroscience Research Australia or at the Brain and Mind Centre, between January 2008 and December 2013.An index of psychosis was calculated, taking into account the degree and severity of psychosis in each case. Voxel-based morphometry analyses were used to explore relationships between the psychosis index and grey matter changes.ResultsThirty-four percent of frontotemporal dementia patients showed psychotic features. C9orf72 expansion cases were more likely to exhibit psychotic symptoms than non-carriers (64% vs. 26%; p = 0.006), which were also more severe (psychotic index 23.1 vs. 8.1; p = 0.002). Delusions comprised persecutory, somatic, jealous and grandiose types and were present in 57% of C9orf72 carriers and 19% of non-carriers (p = 0.006). Auditory, visual or tactile hallucinations were present in 36% of C9orf72 carriers and 17% of non-carriers (p = 0.13). Increased psychotic symptoms in C9orf72 expansion carriers correlated with atrophy in a distributed cortical and subcortical network that included discrete regions of the frontal, temporal and occipital cortices, as well as the thalamus, striatum and cerebellum.ConclusionsThis study underlines the need to consider and assess for psychotic symptoms in the frontotemporal dementia-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis continuum particularly in those with C9orf72 gene expansions. The network of brain regions identified in this study is strikingly similar to that identified in other psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, which suggests that treatment strategies in psychiatry may be beneficial for the management of psychotic symptoms in frontotemporal dementia.

Cognitive Subtypes of Schizophrenia Characterized by Differential Brain Volumetric Reductions and Cognitive Decline

Cognitively distinct subgroups of schizophrenia have been defined based on premorbid and current IQ, but little is known about the neuroanatomical differences among these cognitive subgroups. To confirm previous findings related to IQ-based subgroups of patients with schizophrenia in an independent sample and extend those findings to determine the extent to which brain volumetric differences correspond to the IQ-based subgroups. A total of 183 participants were assessed at the outpatient settings of Neuroscience Research Australia and Lyell McEwin Hospital from September 22, 2009, to August 1, 2012. Patients were classified using cluster analysis on the basis of current and premorbid IQ differences. Regional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain volumes were compared among the IQ-based subgroups using analysis of covariance with intracranial volume and age as covariates. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, third edition, scores; Wechsler Test of Adult Reading scores; Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores; and MRI brain volumes. Ninety-six outpatients (mean [SD] age, 35.7 [8.4] years; age range, 18-51 years; 59 men) with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 87 healthy controls (mean [SD] age, 31.9 [8.4] years; age range, 20-50 years; 46 men) were studied. Sixty-two patients and 67 healthy controls underwent structural MRI of the brain. Cluster analyses revealed 25 putatively preserved patients (26%), 33 moderately deteriorated patients (34%), 27 severely deteriorated patients (28%), and 11 compromised patients (12%). Negative symptom scores were significantly worse in the severely deteriorated group relative to the putatively preserved group (F2,82 = 13.8, P < .001, effect size [ES] = 1.40). Patient subgroups analyzed revealed significantly reduced inferior parietal volume relative to controls (F3,113 = 9.7, P < .001, ES = 0.85-1.24). The severely deteriorated group had significantly reduced total hippocampal (mean [SEM], 8309.6 [175.0] vs 9024.0 [145.5]; P = .01), lingual gyrus (mean [SEM], 11 996.0 [531.5] vs 13 838.1 [441.9]; P = .05), and superior temporal sulcus (mean [SEM], 4697.8 [192.0] vs 5446.0 [159.6]; P = .05) gray matter volumes relative to the putatively preserved group (ES = 0.91-1.10). Using an independent sample, we obtained proportions in each IQ-based subgroup that were similar to our previous work. Inferior parietal volume reduction was characteristic of schizophrenia relative to controls, and the severely deteriorated IQ group had widespread volumetric reductions. Classifying cognitive heterogeneity in schizophrenia provides a platform to better characterize the neurobiological underpinnings of the illness and its treatment.

Supraspinal projections: origins and their terminals in the mouse spinal cord

Event Abstract Back to Event Supraspinal projections: origins and their terminals in the mouse spinal cord Huazheng Liang1, 2*, Emma Schofield1 and George Paxinos1, 2 1 Neuroscience Research Australia, Brain Structure and Function Group, Australia 2 The University of New South Wales, School of Medical Sciences, Australia The present study explored the origins of supraspinal projections in the mouse by injecting FG into the cervical cord. The majority of FG labelled cell groups were similar to those found in large mammals. The precuneiform and the epirubrospinal nuclei were found to project to the spinal cord for the first time. Next, we investigated the vestibulospinal projections arising from the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVe). FG labeled neurons at the caudal level of LVe formed two clusters. The boundary between LVe and MVe was tentatively defined. BDA injections into LVe led to the revelation of vestibulospinal fibers mainly in laminae 6-9 with an ipsilateral predominance. In the lumbar and sacral cord, collaterals extended from the ipsilateral to the contralateral side and mainly terminated in laminae 6-8. Next, termination pattern of raphespinal fibers arising from the hindbrain raphe nuclei was studied. These fibers terminate in both the dorsal and ventral horns in addition to lamina 10. There was a shift of fibers in the ventral horn towards the dorsal and lateral part of the gray matter. Fibers from the adjacent gigantocellular reticular nuclei show similar termination pattern as those from the raphe nuclei with slight difference. CLARITY experiments revealed that serotoninergic fibers are present in all laminae and form bundles regularly in a short distance along the rostrocaudal axis in the medial part of the ventral horn and extend towards the lateral motor neuron column. Keywords: Dorsal horn, ventral horn, Supraspinal projection, raphespinal fibers, vestibulospinal fibers Conference: 14th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 27 Aug - 30 Aug, 2016. Presentation Type: YIC06: Young Investigator Colloquium 6 Topic: 14th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry Citation: Liang H, Schofield E and Paxinos G (2016). Supraspinal projections: origins and their terminals in the mouse spinal cord. Conference Abstract: 14th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry. doi: 10.3389/conf.fncel.2016.36.00075 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 04 Aug 2016; Published Online: 11 Aug 2016. * Correspondence: Dr. Huazheng Liang, Neuroscience Research Australia, Brain Structure and Function Group, Randwick, NSW, Australia, h.liang@neura.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Huazheng Liang Emma Schofield George Paxinos Google Huazheng Liang Emma Schofield George Paxinos Google Scholar Huazheng Liang Emma Schofield George Paxinos PubMed Huazheng Liang Emma Schofield George Paxinos Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

The differentiation of progressive supranuclear palsy.

The Department of Aged Care, St George & Calvary Hospitals, 3 Chapel Street, Kogarah NSW 2217, Sydney, Australia Neuroscience Research Australia & University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia *Author for correspondence: Tel.: +612 9113 2183; Fax: +612 9113 3979; Nicholas.Cordato@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au

THE FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIAS: A NEUROPSYCHIATRIC PERSPECTIVE

Professor John Hodges MD, FRCP, FRACP, F Med Sci John is Professor of Cognitive Neurology at the University of New South Wales based at the Neuroscience Research Australia where he...

Our Panel of Experts Highlight the Most Important Research Articles Across the Spectrum of Topics Relevant to the Field of Neurodegenerative Disease Management

Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia School of Medical Sciences, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, Australia London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE, UK *Author for correspondence: f.kumfor@neura.edu.au Landqvist Waldo M, Gustafson L, Passant U, Englund E. Psychotic symptoms in frontotemporal dementia: a diagnostic dilemma? Int. Psychogeriatr. doi:10.1017/S1041610214002580 (2014) (Epub ahead of print). Early diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) remains difficult despite an accumulation of research in recent years. Given the clinical and pathological heterogeneity, misdiagnosis is not uncommon and has implications for the management of these patients. In this study published in International Psychogeriatrics, Waldo and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of 97 patients with pathological confirmation of FTD and reviewed the presence of psychotic symptoms, initial diagnosis and family history for psychiatric disorders. They found that fewer than 15% of patients were initially diagnosed with FTD and 25% never received a correct diagnosis in life. At presentation, 41 patients were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder and 33 with another dementia. Patients diagnosed with psychiatric disorders were significantly younger than the other patients. Psychotic symptomatology was present in 31 patients (∼33%) and was strongly associated with right-sided brain atrophy. In addition, over 75% of cases with psychotic symptoms were found to have non-tau pathology, predominantly TDP-43 protein deposition. This study confirms the difficulty in establishing an early diagnosis of FTD, particularly in young individuals who are more likely to be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. Importantly, presence of psychotic symptoms in FTD patients appears to provide clues to the underlying pathology (i.e., non-tau). While genetic status of the patients was not provided, frequency of psychotic features is in line with recent investigations of FTD patients with the C9orf72 gene expansion, who also show abnormal TDP-43 protein deposition. These findings provide further support to consider psychotic symptoms as part of the diagnostic criteria for FTD. – Written by Olivier Piguet

Tudents’ experiences and perceptions of clinical prediction rules

G.M. Knox1,2, S.J. Snodgrass 1, T.R. Stanton3,4, D.H. Kelly 5, B. Vicenzino6, B.M. Wand7, D.A. Rivett 1 1 The University of Newcastle, School of Health Sciences, Newcastle, Australia; 2 Kempsey District Hospital, Physiotherapy, Kempsey, Australia; 3 The University of South Australia, School of Health Sciences, Adelaide, Australia; 4 Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia; 5 The University of Melbourne, School of Health Sciences, Melbourne, Australia; 6 The University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Brisbane, Australia; 7 The University of Notre Dame Australia, School of Physiotherapy, Fremantle, Australia

Minimally-supervised exercise is effective and cost-saving in reducing falls in people with mild, but not more severe Parkinson's disease

C.G. Canning 1, I. Farag 2, C. Sherrington 2,3, S.R. Lord 4,5, J.C.T. Close 4,5, K. Howard 6, S. Heritier 3,7, G.Z. Heller 2,8, A. Hayes 6, N.E. Allen 1, M.D. Latt 9, S.M. Murray 1, S.D. O’Rourke 1, S.S. Paul 2,3, J. Song 1, V.S.C. Fung 3,10 1 The University of Sydney, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sydney, Australia; 2 The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia; 3 Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 4 Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), Sydney, Australia; 5 University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; 6 The University of Sydney, Sydney School of Public Health, Sydney, Australia; 7 Monash University, Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Melbourne, Australia; 8 Macquarie University, Department of Statistics, Sydney, Australia; 9 Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Department of Aged Care, Sydney, Australia; 10 Westmead Hospital, Movement Disorders Unit, Sydney, Australia

A systematic review of the measurement properties and usage of the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDRO) scale

A.M. Moseley 1, T.M. Szikszay2, C.-W.C. Lin 1, S. Mathieson1, M.R. Elkins 3, R.D. Herbert 4, C.G. Maher 1, C. Sherrington1 1 The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 2 Osnabruck University of Applied Sciences, Manual Therapy Department, Osnabruck, Germany; 3 Respiratory Medicine Department, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia; 4 Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia

Empathy in young people: change in patterns of eye gaze and brain activity with the manipulation of visual attention to emotional faces.

Event Abstract Back to Event Empathy in young people: change in patterns of eye gaze and brain activity with the manipulation of visual attention to emotional faces. Jason M. Bruggemann1*, Karen Burton1, Kristin Laurens2, Vaughan Macefield3, Mark Dadds4, Melissa Green2 and Rhoshel Lenroot1 1 University of New South Wales, School of Psychiatry & Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia 2 University of New South Wales, School of Psychiatry, Australia 3 University of New South Wales, Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia 4 University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Australia Background and aims: Understanding the emotional state of others is fundamental to effective social interaction and the development of empathy. Critical information is conveyed via the eyes, and reduced attention to the eyes is associated with poorer emotion recognition and empathic deficits in individuals with disorders affecting social cognition such as autism or some types of conduct problems. Deliberately redirecting attention to the eyes may be a way of improving behaviour. However, the effects of directing attention on brain activity during emotional processing has not been studied previously. Our aim was to determine whether manipulation of visual attention in youths affects their eye gaze patterns and brain responses to expression of emotions in others. Method: Eighteen typically developing male youths aged 8-16 performed an implicit facial emotion processing task while viewing different facial expressions (fearful, neutral, happy), presented in three separate blocks under three different instructions: undirected, eye-gaze and mouth-gaze. Eye tracking (dwell time) and functional-MRI data were acquired concurrently as measures of visual attention and brain response, respectively. Results: Eye tracking indicated that the youths attended more to the eyes than the mouth in the undirected condition. Redirecting attention to the eyes and mouth significantly increased attention to these areas. Compared to undirected, directing attention to the fearful eyes also produced a greater increase in attention than neutral eyes. Attention directed to eyes elicited greater brain activity in frontal regions than undirected attention. Conclusions: The undirected eye gaze patterns indicate natural orienting to eyes in healthy youths, which can be effectively altered with instruction. Directing attention to fearful eyes engaged attention relatively longer than neutral, consistent with the threat value of fearful faces. These data also demonstrate that manipulation of visual attention modulates activity in frontal regions, perhaps reflecting greater engagement of executive function due to attentional demands. Understanding attentional manipulation effects in a healthy sample will inform ongoing work addressing potentially perturbed response patterns in a conduct problem cohort. Keywords: Attention, emotion, face processing, Empathy, Conduct Disorder, fMRI, eye tracking, Dwell time Conference: ASP2015 - 25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Sydney, Australia, 2 Dec - 4 Dec, 2015. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Psychophysiology Citation: Bruggemann JM, Burton K, Laurens K, Macefield V, Dadds M, Green M and Lenroot R (2015). Empathy in young people: change in patterns of eye gaze and brain activity with the manipulation of visual attention to emotional faces.. Conference Abstract: ASP2015 - 25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.219.00011 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 01 Nov 2015; Published Online: 30 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: Dr. Jason M Bruggemann, University of New South Wales, School of Psychiatry & Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia, j.bruggemann@unsw.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Jason M Bruggemann Karen Burton Kristin Laurens Vaughan Macefield Mark Dadds Melissa Green Rhoshel Lenroot Google Jason M Bruggemann Karen Burton Kristin Laurens Vaughan Macefield Mark Dadds Melissa Green Rhoshel Lenroot Google Scholar Jason M Bruggemann Karen Burton Kristin Laurens Vaughan Macefield Mark Dadds Melissa Green Rhoshel Lenroot PubMed Jason M Bruggemann Karen Burton Kristin Laurens Vaughan Macefield Mark Dadds Melissa Green Rhoshel Lenroot Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Quantifying the Eating Abnormalities in Frontotemporal Dementia

Presence of eating abnormalities is one of the core criteria for the diagnosis of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), yet their occurrence in other subtypes of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and effect on metabolic health is not known. To define and quantify patterns of eating behavior and energy, sugar, carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake, as well as indices of metabolic health in patients with bvFTD and semantic dementia (SD) compared with patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and healthy control participants. Prospective case-controlled study involving patient and caregiver completion of surveys. Seventy-five participants with dementia (21 with bvFTD, 26 with SD, and 28 with AD) and 18 age- and education-matched healthy controls were recruited from FRONTIER, the FTD research clinic at Neuroscience Research Australia in Sydney. Caregivers of patients with FTD and AD completed validated questionnaires on appetite, eating behaviors, energy consumption, and dietary macronutrient composition. All participants completed surveys on hunger and satiety. Body mass index and weight measurements were prospectively collected. The bvFTD group had significant abnormalities in the domains of appetite (U = 111.0, z = 2.7, P = .007), eating habits (U = 69.5, z = 3.8, P = .001), food preferences (U = 57.0, z = 4.1, P = .001), swallowing (U = 109.0, z = 3.0, P = .003), and other oral behaviors (U = 141.0, z = 2.6, P = .009) compared with the AD group. The bvFTD and SD groups tended to have increased energy consumption. Compared with controls, the bvFTD group had significantly increased carbohydrate intake (251 vs 170 g/d; P = .05) and the SD group had significantly increased sugar intake (114 vs 76 g/d; P = .049). No significant differences in total fat or protein intake between the groups were found. Despite similar energy intake, the SD group had lower hunger and satiety scores compared with the bvFTD group. In contrast, hunger and satiety scores did not differ between the bvFTD group and controls. The abnormal eating behavior was found in the 2 groups (bvFTD and SD) with the highest body mass index (F = 4.2, P = .008) and waist circumference (F = 6.4, P = .001). Abnormal eating behaviors are prominent in patients with bvFTD and those with SD and are not limited to increased appetite. The observed higher intake of sugar and carbohydrates was found in patients with the FTD subtypes and those with higher body mass index and waist circumference and was not explained simply by increased hunger or lower satiety.

C9ORF72 familial motor neuron disease − frontotemporal dementia associated with lung adenocarcinoma and anti‐Ma2/Ta antibodies: a chance association?

European Journal of NeurologyVolume 21, Issue 4 p. e31-e33 Letter to the Editor C9ORF72 familial motor neuron disease − frontotemporal dementia associated with lung adenocarcinoma and anti-Ma2/Ta antibodies: a chance association? N. Geevasinga, N. Geevasinga Western Clinical School, University of Sydney, Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Royal North Shore Hospital and University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorJ. R. Burrell, J. R. Burrell Neuroscience Research Australia and University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorM. Hibbert, M. Hibbert Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital and University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorS. Vucic, S. Vucic Western Clinical School, University of Sydney, Westmead, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorK. Ng, Corresponding Author K. Ng Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Royal North Shore Hospital and University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaCorrespondence: Dr Karl Ng, Department of Neurology, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia (tel.: +61 2 94631833; fax: +61 2 94631058; e-mail: Karl.Ng@health.nsw.gov.au).Search for more papers by this author N. Geevasinga, N. Geevasinga Western Clinical School, University of Sydney, Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Royal North Shore Hospital and University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorJ. R. Burrell, J. R. Burrell Neuroscience Research Australia and University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorM. Hibbert, M. Hibbert Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital and University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorS. Vucic, S. Vucic Western Clinical School, University of Sydney, Westmead, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorK. Ng, Corresponding Author K. Ng Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Royal North Shore Hospital and University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaCorrespondence: Dr Karl Ng, Department of Neurology, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia (tel.: +61 2 94631833; fax: +61 2 94631058; e-mail: Karl.Ng@health.nsw.gov.au).Search for more papers by this author First published: 13 March 2014 https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.12347Citations: 5Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume21, Issue4April 2014Pages e31-e33 RelatedInformation

Modelling the effects of individual, family and community level characteristics on executive functioning.

Event Abstract Back to Event Modelling the effects of individual, family and community level characteristics on executive functioning. Emily Hindman1, 2*, Jeff Nelson1, 2, Tony Broe1, 2 and John Hodges1, 2 1 University of New South Wales, Faculty of Medicine, Australia 2 Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia Introduction: This study investigates the nature of the relationship between early life experience and performance on executive functioning tasks. The degree to which performance data fit to an established executive functioning model will inform whether environment-related performance differences can be explained in qualitative terms. Associations between observed individual, family and community level characteristics and executive functioning were also quantified. Method: One hundred and one participants (age: 13 - 25 years) from primarily disadvantaged environments completed a demographic interview and a battery of tasks associated with the measurement of executive functioning. Structural equation modelling was used to fit performance data to an executive functioning model. Multilevel modelling was used to quantify the effect of individual, family and community level characteristics on performance. Results: Model fit statistics indicated that the data fit a three-factor model (switching, updating, inhibition) better than any two or one-factor alternatives. This is consistent with previous results. Multilevel modelling results indicated significant family-level, but not community-level, effects on task performance. Individual level characteristics differentially influenced executive functioning performance. Conclusion: Replicating an established model of executive functioning supports the view that the effects of growing up in a disadvantaged environment does not affect cognitive development qualitatively. Rather, the results suggest that early life experience imposes a scaling effect that may be related to views about education and access to resources. Keywords: executive functioning, Socioeconomic Factors, Modelling of Behaviour, multlevel modelling, stuctural equation modelling, Intelligence Conference: Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Inc, Coffs Harbour, Australia, 26 Nov - 28 Nov, 2014. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: Psychophysiology Citation: Hindman E, Nelson J, Broe T and Hodges J (2014). Modelling the effects of individual, family and community level characteristics on executive functioning.. Conference Abstract: Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Inc. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2014.216.00005 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 09 Nov 2014; Published Online: 02 Dec 2014. * Correspondence: Ms. Emily Hindman, University of New South Wales, Faculty of Medicine, Sydney, NSW, Australia, e.hindman@neura.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Emily Hindman Jeff Nelson Tony Broe John Hodges Google Emily Hindman Jeff Nelson Tony Broe John Hodges Google Scholar Emily Hindman Jeff Nelson Tony Broe John Hodges PubMed Emily Hindman Jeff Nelson Tony Broe John Hodges Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Internal maps of the hand are mislocated in space and affected by posture and vision.

Event Abstract Back to Event Internal maps of the hand are mislocated in space and affected by posture and vision. Lee D. Walsh1, 2* 1 Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia 2 University of New South Wales, Australia Aims: The brain’s internal maps of the hand are distorted (e.g. 1). The hand is perceived to be shorter and wider than it actually is. However, only measures of hand width and length have been reported, the perceived position of the hand and digits relative to actual position is unknown. This study measured the brain’s internal map of the position of the hand and its digits and the effect of hand posture and vision on these maps. Methods: Ten naïve healthy human subjects sat with their left hand resting on a table. A second table was placed over the hand removing it from view. The task was to point to the tip of each finger and each metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint of the left hand. Each landmark was pointed to 5 times in random order. I compared perceived landmark position to actual position using a 2x2x5 factorial design. Factors were vision (eyes open or closed), posture (left palm up or palm down) and digit. Results: On average subjects perceived their fingers to be 19.4 [22.3,16.5] mm (mean [95% confidence interval]) shorter and their left hand to be 15.3 [6.29, 24.3] mm wider than reality. Subjects perceived their hand to be displaced proximally (MCP joints: 27.2 [33.2,21.2] mm, finger tips: 46.6 [52.2,40.9] mm). When the hand was palm down subjects perceived it to be displaced by 16.7 [12.1, 21.3] mm toward the ulna. There was minimal displacement with the palm up. With closed eyes the perceived proximal shift of the MCP joints reduced by ~12 mm (F(1,9)=12.36, p=0.0006) and the perceived location of the hand shifted towards the midline of the body by ~30 mm (MCP joints: F(1,9) = 63.06, p<0.0001, finger tips: F(1,9)=40.45, p<0.0001). Conclusions: The internal map of the hand is not only distorted in shape, but is mislocated in space. Removing vision reduces the proximal mislocation and increases the medio-lateral mislocation showing that even uninformative vision influences the perceived location of the hand. Perception of the palmar surface of the hand shows a distorted shape similar to the hand dorsum, but is more spatially accurate. Importantly, this work shows that multiple dissociated elements of proprioception can be measured in one simple task.

Matthew Kiernan: bringing hope to patients with ALS

Matthew Kiernan: bringing hope to patients with ALS