Sex-specific white matter alterations in children exposed to high pregestational BMI.

Objective: This study investigated whether exposure to high pregestational BMI (≥ 25 kg/m) is associated with alterations in white matter microstructure in early childhood, explored sex-specific effects, and examined associations with cognitive performance.

Methods: A total of 90 children from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) cohort underwent diffusion tensor imaging between ages 2 and 7 years. Data were processed using ExploreDTI to obtain mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD).

Developmental Mismatch Across Brain Modalities in Young Children.

Brain development during the preschool period is complex and extensive and underlies ongoing behavioral and cognitive maturation. Increasing understanding of typical brain maturation during this time is critical to early identification of atypical development and could inform treatments and interventions. Previous studies have suggested mismatches between brain structural and functional development in later childhood and adolescence.

Maternal concentrations of perfluoroalkyl sulfonates and alterations in white matter microstructure in the developing brains of young children.

Background: Maternal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been linked to child neurodevelopmental difficulties. Neuroimaging research has linked these neurodevelopmental difficulties to white matter microstructure alterations, but the effects of PFAS on children's white matter microstructure remains unclear. We investigated associations between maternal blood concentrations of six common perfluoroalkyl sulfonates and white matter alterations in young children using longitudinal neuroimaging data.

Few sex differences in regional gray matter volume growth trajectories across early childhood.

Sex-specific developmental differences in brain structure have been documented in older children and adolescents, with females generally showing smaller overall brain volumes and earlier peak ages than males. However, sex differences in gray matter structural development in early childhood are less studied. We characterized sex-specific trajectories of gray matter volume development in children aged 2-8 years.

Investigating the impact of developmental coordination difficulties across home, school, and community settings: Findings from the Australian Impact for DCD survey.

Aim: To evaluate the participation difficulties experienced by children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) in home, school, and community environments.

Methods: The Impact for DCD survey was completed by primary caregivers of 4-18-year-old children with DCD (or synonymous diagnosis) (n = 429).

Outcomes And Results: The greatest participation difficulties experienced at home included dressing, eating with utensils, self-care tasks and drawing/writing reported by over 70% of families.

Psychosocial wellbeing, parental concerns, and familial impact of children with developmental coordination disorder.

Background: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental condition impacting motor skill acquisition and competence. While previous studies have identified adverse psychosocial outcomes in DCD, they are limited by small or population-screened, community-based samples.

Aims: To understand the psychosocial difficulties, parental concerns, and familial impacts of childhood DCD in a large population-based sample.

Arcuate fasciculus and pre-reading language development in children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

Introduction: Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) contributes to widespread neurodevelopmental challenges, including reading, and has been associated with altered white matter. Here, we aimed to investigate whether arcuate fasciculus (AF) development is associated with pre-reading language skills in young children with PAE.

Methods: A total of 51 children with confirmed PAE (25 males; 5.

Prenatal depressive symptoms and childhood development of brain limbic and default mode network structure.

Prenatal depressive symptoms are linked to negative child behavioral and cognitive outcomes and predict later psychopathology in adolescent children. Prior work links prenatal depressive symptoms to child brain structure in regions like the amygdala; however, the relationship between symptoms and the development of brain structure over time remains unclear. We measured maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy and acquired longitudinal T1-weighted and diffusion imaging data in children (n = 111; 60 females) between 2.

Multimodal brain features at 3 years of age and their relationship with pre-reading measures 1 year later.

Pre-reading language skills develop rapidly in early childhood and are related to brain structure and functional architecture in young children prior to formal education. However, the early neurobiological development that supports these skills is not well understood. Here we acquired anatomical, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) from 35 children at 3.

The effects of prenatal bisphenol A exposure on brain volume of children and young mice.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical used for the manufacturing of plastics, epoxy resin, and many personal care products. This ubiquitous endocrine disruptor is detectable in the urine of over 80% of North Americans. Although adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes have been observed in children with high gestational exposure to BPA, the effects of prenatal BPA on brain structure remain unclear.

Trajectories of brain white matter development in young children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with alterations to brain white matter microstructure. Previous studies of PAE have demonstrated different findings in young children compared to older children and adolescents, suggesting altered developmental trajectories and highlighting the need for longitudinal research. 122 datasets in 54 children with PAE (27 males) and 196 datasets in 89 children without PAE (45 males) were included in this analysis.

Characterising the Early Presentation of Motor Difficulties in Autistic Children.

This study aimed to explore the rates of motor difficulties in children from the Australian Autism Biobank, and how early motor concerns impacted on children functionally. Children with autism aged 2-7 years, including 441 with a Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS-II) motor subscale and 385 with a Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) fine motor subscale were included (n total = 514; 80% male). Approximately 60% of children on the MSEL and ~ 25% on the VABS-II had clinically significant motor impairments.

Tractography dissection variability: What happens when 42 groups dissect 14 white matter bundles on the same dataset?

White matter bundle segmentation using diffusion MRI fiber tractography has become the method of choice to identify white matter fiber pathways in vivo in human brains. However, like other analyses of complex data, there is considerable variability in segmentation protocols and techniques. This can result in different reconstructions of the same intended white matter pathways, which directly affects tractography results, quantification, and interpretation.

The longitudinal relationship between BOLD signal variability changes and white matter maturation during early childhood.

Intra-individual transient temporal fluctuations in brain signal, as measured by fMRI blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) variability, is increasingly considered an important signal rather than measurement noise. Evidence from computational and cognitive neuroscience suggests that signal variability is a good proxy-measure of brain functional integrity and information processing capacity. Here, we sought to explore across-participant and longitudinal relationships between BOLD variability, age, and white matter structure in early childhood.

The effects of JASPER intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review.

Naturalistic developmental behavioural interventions are promising approaches for young children with, or suspected of having, autism spectrum disorder. Joint attention, symbolic play, engagement and regulation intervention (JASPER) is a well-researched naturalistic developmental behavioural intervention but, to date, no reviews have specifically evaluated its effects. This systematic literature review examined the effects of JASPER intervention and its components on child, parent and educator outcomes.

Altered gray matter development in pre-reading children with a family history of reading disorder.

Reading disorders are common in children and can impact academic success, mental health, and career prospects. Reading is supported by network of interconnected left hemisphere brain regions, including temporo-parietal, occipito-temporal, and inferior-frontal circuits. Poor readers often show hypoactivation and reduced gray matter volumes in this reading network, with hyperactivation and increased volumes in the posterior right hemisphere.

Association between breastfeeding during infancy and white matter microstructure in early childhood.

Introduction: Associations between breastfeeding and brain development, in the context of child, perinatal, and sociodemographic variables, remain unclear. This study investigated whether exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and total duration of breastfeeding were associated with brain white matter microstructure in young children.

Methods: This study included 85 typically developing children (42 males) born to 83 mothers that were predominantly white, highly educated, and in high income households.

White matter alterations in young children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can lead to cognitive, behavioural, and social-emotional challenges. Previous neuroimaging research has identified structural brain alterations in newborns, older children, adolescents, and adults with PAE; however, little is known about brain structure in young children. Extensive brain development occurs during early childhood; therefore, understanding the neurological profiles of young children with PAE is critical for early identification and effective intervention.

The unmet clinical needs of children with developmental coordination disorder.

Background: The aim of this study was to understand the challenges experienced by families obtaining a diagnosis and therapy for developmental coordination disorder (DCD).

Methods: Parents of 435 children aged 4-18 years with persistent motor difficulties consistent with a diagnosis of DCD completed an online survey. Diagnostic timeline and diagnostic label/s received were examined, along with therapies accessed.

Amygdala-Prefrontal Structural Connectivity Mediates the Relationship between Prenatal Depression and Behavior in Preschool Boys.

Prenatal depression is common, underrecognized, and undertreated. It has negative consequences on child behavior and brain development, yet the relationships among prenatal depression, child behavior, and children's brain structure remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether altered brain connectivity mediates relationships between prenatal maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior.

Calgary Preschool magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) dataset.

The Calgary Preschool MRI Dataset in the Developmental Neuroimaging Lab at the University of Calgary uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to study brain structure and function in early childhood [1-3]. The dataset aims to characterise brain development in early childhood (2-8 years), and to understand links to cognitive and behavioral development, as well as provide a baseline from which to identify atypical development in children with diseases, disorders, or brain injuries. MRI data are provided for 126 children (61 males, 65 females).

White matter microstructure mediates the association between prenatal exposure to phthalates and behavior problems in preschool children.

Background: Previous research reports associations between prenatal exposure to phthalates and childhood behavior problems; however, the neural mechanisms that may underlie these associations are relatively unexplored.

Objective: This study examined microstructural white matter as a possible mediator of the associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and behavior problems in preschool-aged children.

Methods: Data are from a subsample of a prospective pregnancy cohort, the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study (n = 76).

Generalizing Deep Whole Brain Segmentation for Pediatric and Post- Contrast MRI with Augmented Transfer Learning.

Generalizability is an important problem in deep neural networks, especially in the context of the variability of data acquisition in clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Recently, the Spatially Localized Atlas Network Tiles (SLANT) approach has been shown to effectively segment whole brain non-contrast T1w MRI with 132 volumetric labels. Enhancing generalizability of SLANT would enable broader application of volumetric assessment in multi-site studies.

Prevalence of Motor Difficulties in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Analysis of a Population-Based Cohort.

Motor impairment is not currently included in the diagnostic criteria or evaluation of autism. This reflects the lack of large-scale studies demonstrating its prominence to advocate for change. We examined the prevalence of motor difficulties at the time of diagnosis in a large sample of children with autism utilizing standardized assessment, and the relationship between motor difficulties, core autism symptomology, and other prominent clinical features.