Archive for October, 2006
Hand preference for writing and associations with selected demographic and behavioral variables in 255,100 subjects: the bbc internet study.
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Hand preference for writing and associations with selected demographic and behavioral variables in 255,100 subjects: the BBC internet study.
Brain Cogn. 2006 Nov;62(2):177-89
Authors: Peters M, Reimers S, Manning JT
In an Internet study unrelated to handedness, 134,317 female and 120,783 male participants answered a graded question as to which hand they preferred for writing. This allowed determination of hand preference patterns across 7 ethnic groups. Sex differences in left-handedness were found in 4 ethnic groups, favoring males, while no significant sex differences were found in three of the groups. Prevalence of left-handedness in the largest of the ethnic groups (self-labelled as “White”) was comparable to contemporary hand preference data for this group [Gilbert, A. N., & Wysocki, C. J. (1992). Hand preference and age in the United states. Neuropsychologia, 30, 601-608] but the prevalence of left-handedness in individuals >70 years of age was considerably higher in the present study. Individuals who indicated “either” hand for writing preference had significantly lower spatial performance (mental rotation task) and significantly higher prevalence of hyperactivity, dyslexia, asthma than individuals who had clear left or right hand preferences, in support of Crow et al. [Crow, T., Crow, L., Done, D., & Leask, S. (1998). Relative hand skill predicts academic ability: global deficits at the point of hemispheric indecision. Neuropsychologia, 36, 1275-1282]. Similarly, an association of writing hand preference and non-heterosexual orientation was clearest for individuals with “either” writing hand responses. We conclude that contradictions in the literature as to whether or not these variables are linked to handedness stem largely from different definitions of hand preference. Due to a lack of statistical power in most studies in the literature, the “either” hand writing preference group that yielded the most salient results in this study is not normally available for analysis.
PMID: 16797814 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
(Source: Brain and Cognition)
Original post by Brain and Cognition
No commentsAuditory processing deficits in dyslexia: task or stimulus related?
The nature of the fundamental deficit underlying reading disability is the subject of a long-standing debate. We previously found that dyslexics with additional learning difficulties (D-LDs) perform poorly in simple auditory tasks. We now tried to determine whether these deficits relate to stimulus or task complexity. We found that the degree of impairment was dependent on task rather than stimulus complexity. D-LDs could adequately detect and identify mild frequency changes in simple pure tones and minimal phonemic changes in complex speech sounds when task required only simple same–different discriminations. However, when task required the identification of the direction of frequency change or the ordinal position of a repeated tonal or speech stimulus, D-LDs’ performance substantially deteriorated. This behavioral pattern suggests that D-LDs suffer from a similar type of deficits when processing speech and nonspeech sounds. In both cases, the extent of difficulties is determined by the structure of the task rather than by stimulus composition or complexity. (Source: Cerebral Cortex)
Original post by Cerebral Cortex
No commentsThe national children’s study: a 21-year prospective study of 100 000 american children
Prospective, multiyear epidemiologic studies have proven to be highly effective in discovering preventable risk factors for chronic disease. Investigations such as the Framingham Heart Study have produced blueprints for disease prevention and saved millions of lives and billions of dollars. To discover preventable environmental risk factors for disease in children, the US Congress directed the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, through the Children’s Health Act of 2000, to conduct the National Children’s Study. The National Children’s Study is hypothesis-driven and will seek information on environmental risks and individual susceptibility factors for asthma, birth defects, dyslexia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, schizophrenia, and obesity, as well as for adverse birth outcomes. It will be conducted in a nationally representative, prospective cohort of 100000 US-born children. Children will be followed from conception to 21 years of age. Environmental exposures (chemical, physical, biological, and psychosocial) will be assessed repeatedly during pregnancy and throughout childhood in children’s homes, schools, and communities. Chemical assays will be performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and banks of biological and environmental samples will be established for future analyses. Genetic material will be collected on each mother and child and banked to permit study of gene-environment interactions. Recruitment is scheduled to begin in 2007 at 7 Vanguard Sites and will extend to 105 sites across the United States. The National Children’s Study will generate multiple satellite studies that explore methodologic issues, etiologic questions, and potential interventions. It will provide training for the next generation of researchers and practitioners in environmental pediatrics and will link to planned and ongoing prospective birth cohort studies in other nations. Data from the National Children’s Study will guide development of a comprehensive blueprint for disease prevention in children. (Source: PEDIATRICS)
Original post by PEDIATRICS
No commentsResearchers On Multicenter Team Linking Gene Mutation To Crohn’s Disease
The North American IBD Genetics Consortium has linked a gene mutation to the development of Crohn’s disease, a chronic, relapsing inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that affects 100 to 150 of every 100,000 people of European ancestry. The consortium is composed of IBD genetics research groups from seven centers in North America, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and this effort was led by teams at Yale University and the University of Pittsburgh. [click link for full article]
Original post by It’s My Life, People
No commentsGender And Family Size Influences IBS Symptoms In Children
Research presented at the 71st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology suggests that illness behavior, specifically complaints of recurrent abdominal pain, in girls with mothers who have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may be intensified in smaller families, where children have more one-on-one contact with their mothers. [click link for full article]
Original post by It’s My Life, People
No commentsFollow-up of an exercise-based treatment for children with reading difficulties
This study reports the results of a long-term follow-up of an exercise-based approach to dyslexia-related disorders (Reynolds, Nicolson, & Hambly, Dyslexia, 2003; 9(1): 48-71). In the initial study, children at risk of dyslexia were identified in 3 years of a junior school. One half then undertook a 6 month, home-based exercise programme. Evaluation after 6 months indicated that the exercise group improved significantly more than the controls on a range of cognitive and motor skills. Critics had suggested that the improvement might be attributable to artifactual issues including Hawthorne effects; an initial literacy imbalance between the groups; and inclusion of non-dyslexic participants. The present study evaluated the issue of whether the gains were maintained over the following 18 months, and whether they were in some sense artifactual as postulated by critics of the original study. Comparison of (age-adjusted) initial and follow-up performance indicated significant gains in motor skill, speech/language fluency, phonology, and working memory. Both dyslexic and non-dyslexic low achieving children benefited. There was also a highly significant reduction in the incidence of symptoms of inattention. Interestingly there were no significant changes in speeded tests of reading and spelling, but there was a significant improvement in (age-adjusted) reading (NFER). It is concluded that the gains were indeed long-lasting, and that the alternative hypotheses based on potential artifacts were untenable, and that the exercise treatment therefore achieved its applied purpose. Further research is needed to determine the underlying reasons for the benefits. Possible (and potentially synergistic) explanations include: improved cerebellar function (neural level); improved learning ability and/or attentional ability (cognitive level); improved self-esteem and self-efficacy (affective level); and improved parental/familial support (social level). Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (Source: Dyslexia)
Original post by Dyslexia
No commentsEli lilly and company: study suggests strattera(r) was effective in treating adhd in children and adolescents with adhd and reading disorders
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (MARKET WIRE) New data suggest that Strattera(R) (atomoxetine HCl) improved ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents who had both ADHD and a reading disorder, like dyslexia. Results were announced today at a meeting of child and adolescent psychiatrists. (Source: Market Wire – Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)
Original post by Market Wire – Pharmaceuticals and Biotech
No commentsMany Kids “Grow Out Of” Migraines As They Reach Adulthood
There’s good news for kids and teens with migraines. Nearly 40 percent of kids and teens with migraine no longer had headaches 10 years later, and another 20 percent developed less severe headaches, according to a new study published in the October 24, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.Kids with a family member with migraines were most likely to still have migraines 10 years later. [click link for full article]
Original post by It’s My Life, People
No commentsDeficient orthographic and phonological representations in children with dyslexia revealed by brain activation patterns
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Volume 47, Issue 10, Page 1041-1050, Nov 2006. (Source: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry)
Original post by Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
No commentsLink Between A Sound And A Reward Changes Brain And Behavior
If you’ve ever wondered how you recognize your mother’s voice without seeing her face or how you discern your cell phone’s ring in a crowded room, researchers may have another piece of the answer.Their work indicates that once you figure out your mother’s voice is a good thing – most days – fairly significant changes occur in the sensory cortex, the part of the brain that responds to sound. [click link for full article]
Original post by Allergy News From Medical News Today
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