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A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 24243

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Lauren Raine

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Guest Editor

Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
Interests: childhood; health; wellness; brain; cognition; behavior; neuroscience

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Childhood is a time when children learn about and discover the world, as well as a time of rapid change and growth in their behavior and psychophysiology. Behavior develops throughout childhood, often with great individual variability and uneven growth. In the context of this Special Issue, behavior may encompass a wide range of topics, including aggression, anxiety and depression, brain, autism, emotions, hyperactivity and inattention, mental health, temperament, cognition, academic performance, and attention. While research on behavior is interesting and informative, it may not tell the entire story regarding brain development or biological changes that occur during childhood. For this, researchers frequently turn to psychophysiological data, another rapidly changing field of study. Psychophysiology serves as a way to non-invasively measure biological signals in response to psychological manipulation, which is particularly important when studying children. Psychophysiological data can include brain activity, heart rate, and hormones, among others. The study of childhood behavior and psychophysiology is both interesting and challenging, as we are frequently measuring a moving target.

This Special Issue aims to capture an informative snapshot of ongoing, cutting-edge research across childhood concerning behavior and/or psychophysiology. This Special Issue will highlight important topics in childhood behavior and psychophysiology. Such topics can include healthy and typical childhoods, as well as atypical or disordered childhoods, investigations involving prediction and treatment, as well as novel techniques to measure behavior and psychophysiology during childhood.

Prof. Dr. Lauren Raine
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

childhood
pediatric
behavior
psychophysiology
healthy
development
brain
cognition

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1111 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Six-Minute Walking Test Performance Relates to Neurocognitive Abilities in Preschoolers

by Shelby A. Keye, Anne M. Walk, Corinne N. Cannavale, Samantha Iwinski, Gabriella M. McLoughlin, Linda G. Steinberg and Naiman A. Khan

J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10(4), 584; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10040584 - 4 Feb 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5333

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between six-minute walking test (6MWT) distance walked and preschool-aged children’s academic abilities, and behavioral and event-related potentials (ERP) indices of cognitive control. There were 59 children (25 females; age: 5.0 ± 0.6 years) who completed a 6MWT (mean distance: 449.6 ± 82.0 m) to estimate cardiorespiratory fitness. The Woodcock Johnson Early Cognitive and Academic Development Test evaluated academic abilities. A modified Eriksen flanker, hearts and flowers task, and auditory oddball task eliciting ERPs (N2, P3) assessed cognitive control. After adjusting for adiposity, diet, and demographics, linear regressions resulted in positive relationships between 6MWT distance and General Intellectual Ability (β = 0.25, Adj R² = 0.04, p = 0.04) and Expressive Language (β = 0.30, Adj R² = 0.13, p = 0.02). 6MWT distance was positively correlated with congruent accuracy (β = 0.29, Adj R² = 0.18, p < 0.01) and negatively with incongruent reaction time (β = −0.26, Adj R² = 0.05, p = 0.04) during the flanker task, and positively with homogeneous (β = 0.23, Adj R² = 0.21, p = 0.04) and heterogeneous (β = 0.26, Adj R² = 0.40, p = 0.02) accuracy on the hearts and flowers task. Higher fit children showed faster N2 latencies and greater P3 amplitudes to target stimuli; however, these were at the trend level following the adjustment of covariates. These findings indicate that the positive influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on cognitive function is evident in 4–6-year-olds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children Behavior and Psychophysiology)

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15 pages, 684 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cardiorespiratory Functioning in Youth with Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms: A Pilot Study

by Aliyah Snyder, Christopher Sheridan, Alexandra Tanner, Kevin Bickart, Molly Sullan, Michelle Craske, Meeryo Choe, Talin Babikian, Christopher Giza and Robert Asarnow

J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10(4), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10040561 - 3 Feb 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2905

Abstract

Dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) may play an important role in the development and maintenance of persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS). Post-injury breathing dysfunction, which is influenced by the ANS, has not been well-studied in youth. This study evaluated cardiorespiratory functioning at baseline in youth patients with PPCS and examined the relationship of cardiorespiratory variables with neurobehavioral outcomes. Participants were between the ages of 13–25 in two groups: (1) Patients with PPCS (concussion within the past 2–16 months; n = 13) and (2) non-injured controls (n = 12). Capnometry was used to obtain end-tidal CO₂ (EtCO₂), oxygen saturation (SaO₂), respiration rate (RR), and pulse rate (PR) at seated rest. PPCS participants exhibited a reduced mean value of EtCO₂ in exhaled breath (M = 36.3 mmHg, SD = 2.86 mmHg) and an altered inter-correlation between EtCO₂ and RR compared to controls. Neurobehavioral outcomes including depression, severity of self-reported concussion symptoms, cognitive catastrophizing, and psychomotor processing speed were correlated with cardiorespiratory variables when the groups were combined. Overall, results from this study suggest that breathing dynamics may be altered in youth with PPCS and that cardiorespiratory outcomes could be related to a dimension of neurobehavioral outcomes associated with poorer recovery from concussion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children Behavior and Psychophysiology)

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18 pages, 4312 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Family History of Neurodegenerative Disease on Adolescent Concussion Outcomes

by Colt A. Coffman, Adam T. Harrison, Jacob J. M. Kay, Jeffrey P. Holloway, Michael F. LaFountaine and Robert Davis Moore

J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10(3), 528; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10030528 - 2 Feb 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2240

Abstract

Evidence suggests that factors associated with a family history of neurodegenerative disease (fhNDD) may influence outcomes following a concussion. However, the relevance of these findings in adolescent populations has not been fully explored. Therefore, the present study sought to evaluate the relationship between fhNDD and neurological outcomes following an adolescent concussion. Data from a local pediatric concussion clinic were used to compare adolescents with (n = 22) and without (n = 44) an fhNDD. Clinical symptom burden, emotional health, cardio-autonomic function, and cognitive performance were assessed at initial (~2 weeks) and follow-up (~5 weeks) post-injury evaluations. Cardio-autonomic function was assessed at rest and during isometric handgrip contraction (IHGC). Results indicated no significant group differences in emotional health or cognitive performance. Across evaluations, those with an fhNDD exhibited greater somatic symptom severity, alterations in HRV at rest, and early blunted cardio-autonomic reactivity during IHGC compared to those without an fhNDD. These findings suggest that positive fhNDD is negatively associated with clinical symptomology and cardio-autonomic functioning following an adolescent concussion. Further, these findings encourage clinicians to utilize a comprehensive neurological evaluation to monitor concussion recovery. Future studies should look into exploring the role of specific neurodegenerative processes and conditions on concussion outcomes in adolescents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children Behavior and Psychophysiology)

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17 pages, 792 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Predictive Value of Subacute Heart Rate Variability for Determining Outcome Following Adolescent Concussion

by Colt A. Coffman, Jacob J. M. Kay, Kat M. Saba, Adam T. Harrison, Jeffrey P. Holloway, Michael F. LaFountaine and Robert Davis Moore

J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10(1), 161; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10010161 - 5 Jan 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2884

Abstract

Objective assessments of concussion recovery are crucial for facilitating effective clinical management. However, predictive tools for determining adolescent concussion outcomes are currently limited. Research suggests that heart rate variability (HRV) represents an indirect and objective marker of central and peripheral nervous system integration. Therefore, it may effectively identify underlying deficits and reliably predict the symptomology following concussion. Thus, the present study sought to evaluate the relationship between HRV and adolescent concussion outcomes. Furthermore, we sought to examine its predictive value for assessing outcomes. Fifty-five concussed adolescents (12–17 years old) recruited from a local sports medicine clinic were assessed during the initial subacute evaluation (within 15 days postinjury) and instructed to follow up for a post-acute evaluation. Self-reported clinical and depressive symptoms, neurobehavioral function, and cognitive performance were collected at each timepoint. Short-term HRV metrics via photoplethysmography were obtained under resting conditions and physiological stress. Regression analyses demonstrated significant associations between HRV metrics, clinical symptoms, neurobehavioral function, and cognitive performance at the subacute evaluation. Importantly, the analyses illustrated that subacute HRV metrics significantly predicted diminished post-acute neurobehavioral function and cognitive performance. These findings indicate that subacute HRV metrics may serve as a viable predictive biomarker for identifying underlying neurological dysfunction following concussion and predict late cognitive outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children Behavior and Psychophysiology)

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13 pages, 3108 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Scholastic Performance in Preadolescent Children: A Data-Driven Multivoxel Pattern Analysis (MVPA)

by Daniel R. Westfall, Sheeba A. Anteraper, Laura Chaddock-Heyman, Eric S. Drollette, Lauren B. Raine, Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli, Arthur F. Kramer and Charles H. Hillman

J. Clin. Med. 2020, 9(10), 3198; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9103198 - 2 Oct 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3152

Abstract

Scholastic performance is the key metric by which schools measure student’s academic success, and it is important to understand the neural-correlates associated with greater scholastic performance. This study examines resting-state functional connectivity (RsFc) associated with scholastic performance (reading and mathematics) in preadolescent children (7–9 years) using an unbiased whole-brain connectome-wide multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA). MVPA revealed four clusters associated with reading composite score, these clusters were then used for whole-brain seed-based RsFc analysis. However, no such clusters were found for mathematics composite score. Post hoc analysis found robust associations between reading and RsFc dynamics with areas involved with the somatomotor, dorsal attention, ventral attention, limbic, frontoparietal, and default mode networks. These findings indicate that reading ability may be associated with a wide range of RsFc networks. Of particular interest, anticorrelations were observed between the default mode network and the somatomotor, dorsal attention, ventral attention, and frontoparietal networks. Previous research has demonstrated the importance of anticorrelations between the default mode network and frontoparietal network associated with cognition. These results extend the current literature exploring the role of network connectivity in scholastic performance of children. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children Behavior and Psychophysiology)

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12 pages, 1376 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Baseline Cognitive Performance Moderates the Effects of Physical Activity on Executive Functions in Children

by Toru Ishihara, Eric S. Drollette, Sebastian Ludyga, Charles H. Hillman and Keita Kamijo

J. Clin. Med. 2020, 9(7), 2071; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9072071 - 1 Jul 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 7106

Abstract

Findings regarding the effects of regular physical activity on cognition in children have been inconsistent due to a number of demographic factors and experimental considerations. The present study was designed to examine baseline cognitive performance and executive function demands, as possible factors underlying the lack of consensus in the literature, by investigating the moderating role of those factors on the effects of physical activity on cognition. We reanalyzed data from three randomized controlled trials, in which the effects of regular physical activity intervention on cognition were examined using executive function tasks that included at least two task conditions requiring variable executive function demands, with a cumulative total of 292 participants (9–13 years). The results indicate that cognitive improvements resulting from physical activity intervention were greater in children with lower baseline cognitive performance. The main analysis revealed that beneficial effects of physical activity intervention on cognitive performance were generally observed across executive function conditions. However, secondary analyses indicated that these general effects were moderated by baseline performance, with disproportionately greater effects for task conditions with higher executive function demands. These findings suggest that baseline cognitive performance is an individual difference variable that moderates the beneficial effects of physical activity on executive functions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children Behavior and Psychophysiology)

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