EEG Dynamics of Error Processing and Associated Behavioral Adjustments in Preschool Children.

Preschool children show neural responses and make behavioral adjustments immediately following an error. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding how neural responses to error predict subsequent behavioral adjustments during childhood. The aim of our study was to explore the neural dynamics of error processing and associated behavioral adjustments in preschool children from unsatisfied basic needs (UBN) homes. Using EEG recordings during a go/no-go task, we examined within-subject associations between the error-related negativity (ERN), frontal theta power, post-error slowing, and post-error accuracy. Post-error accuracy increased linearly with post-error slowing, and there was no association between the neural activity of error processing and post-error accuracy. However, during successful error recovery, the frontal theta power, but not the ERN amplitude, was associated positively with post-error slowing. These findings indicated that preschool children from UBN homes adjusted their behavior following an error in an adaptive form and that the error-related theta activity may be associated with the adaptive forms of post-error behavior. Furthermore, our data support the adaptive theory of post-error slowing and point to some degree of separation between the neural mechanisms represented by the ERN and theta.

Increased integration of functional connectivity after cognitive intervention in preschoolers from low socioeconomic status.

Cognitive interventions that involve executive functions (EF)-demanding activities are effective in changing task-related brain activity in children from homes with low socioeconomic status (SES). However, less is known about the efficiency of EF-based interventions in modifying segregation and integration properties of the functional neural organization during a resting state. Further, the consideration of the initial cognitive performance in the design of interventions and its role in the outcome of cognitive training has been poorly studied. The present study aimed to examine the impact of two individualized cognitive interventions with EF-demanding activities on brain connectivity in preschoolers (n = 79) from low-SES homes in Argentina using complex network analysis. At baseline, participants were classified as high- or low-performers based on their performance in an inhibitory control task, and then they were assigned into intervention and control groups within each performance level. Before and after the intervention, the neural activity of each child was recorded at rest using a mobile electroencephalogram device. We found significant intervention-related changes in global efficiency, global strength, and the strength of long-range connections in the θ frequency band in the intervention low-performing group. These findings support the idea that patterns of processing crucial information in the brain may be modified in children from low-SES homes through an EF-based intervention. Finally, these findings show different intervention-related effects on neural activity between children with low and high initial cognitive performance and add new evidence about the interaction between individual characteristics and intervention approaches. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Impact of an individualized and adaptive cognitive intervention on working memory, planning and fluid reasoning processing in preschoolers from poor homes.

Contemporary evidence shows that different intervention approaches can be effective in improving executive cognitive performance in preschoolers from poor homes. However, several aspects about the role of individual and contextual differences in intervention effects remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to explore the impact of a computerized executive cognitive intervention with lab-based tasks in preschoolers from Unsatisfied Basic Needs (UBN) homes. In the context of a randomized controlled design, different activities were administered to children according to their baseline performance in a variety of cognitive tasks tapping inhibitory control, working memory, and planning demands (i.e., high- and low-performance intervention and control groups). Results suggested that the impact of the intervention was shown preferentially by high-performers in Tower of London and K-Bit tasks, who increased their performances in the posttest assessment. This finding supports the importance of considering individual and contextual differences in the design of interventions aimed at changing the cognitive performance of children from poor homes.

Inteligencia, funciones ejecutivas y rendimiento académico de adolescentes de 13 y 14 años de Resistencia (Chaco, Argentina) / Intelligence, Executive Functions and Academic Achievement in Adolescents of 13 and 14 years old

Resumen El ámbito educativo, indudablemente, puede beneficiarse de los aportes de las neurociencias, enfoque desde el cual, en este estudio, se plantearon los objetivos de explorar la relación existente entre la capacidad intelectual (CI), las funciones ejecutivas (FE) y el rendimiento académico (RA) en adolescentes; analizar si la CI y las FE constituyen variables predictoras del RA, e indagar el funcionamiento ejecutivo de la muestra según la CI fuera baja o alta. Para ello, se realizó un estudio no experimental, transversal, descriptivo-correlacional, en el que participaron 36 sujetos de 13-14 años. Los instrumentos de evaluación utilizados fueron WISC-IV, BANFE-2 y el registro de calificaciones provisto por la institución educativa. Los datos obtenidos fueron sometidos a análisis descriptivos, de correlación y de regresión. Los resultados arrojaron correlación positiva significativa entre las variables CI y FE, y entre la prueba WISC-IV y RA, determinándose el CI como variable predictiva del RA, mientras que en relación con las FE evaluadas con BANFE-2 solo se encontró asociación estadísticamente significativa con las subpruebas correspondientes al área prefrontal anterior. Además se observaron diferencias significativas entre los grupos de alta y baja CI en las FE de planificación, memoria de trabajo (MT) y fluidez verbal, en favor del grupo de alto desempeño intelectual. La conclusión se centra en la importancia de involucrar los hallazgos sobre los diferentes procesos cognitivos en el diseño de las estrategias pedagógicas para favorecer al máximo el RA del estudiante. Finalmente, las limitaciones versaron en relación con el tamaño muestral, y se proponen futuras líneas de estudio que posibiliten generalizar los resultados.

Abstract The study of the relationship between executive functions, intellectual abilities, and academic achievement plays an important role in the field of cognitive neuroscience, particularly for their implications in the educational field. Intelligence has been linked to executive functions. In fact, core aspects of intelligence, such as reasoning, problem-solving and planning, are often included in the wide range of frontal lobe functions and over laps with the so-called higher-level executive functions. In addition, executive functioning abilities are associated with skills put in play when participating in learning activities at school. In this sense, different studies have demonstrated that a lower performance on executive function measures typically is associated with a lower performance across different academic areas. The aim of this work was focused on the relationship between intelligence and executive functions, and their ability to predict academic achievement. In the present study, a non-experimental, transversal and descriptive-correlational design was implemented to explore the relationship between intellectual abilities, executive functions, and academic performance in a sample of 37 adolescents (17 girls) aged 13-14 years. The information was collected through the school reports of participants, and their performance on tests BANFE-2 (neuropsychological battery of the executive functions and frontal lobes) and WISC-IV (Wechsler intelligence scale for children 4th Ed.). Also, adolescents were classified into two groups (high- and low performers) based on their performance on the general intelligence score. Participants with IQ scores below the median were assigned to the low-performing group, while participants with IQ scores above the median were assigned to the high-performing group. The data obtained were subjected to descriptive, correlation and regression analyses. Results showed a pattern of positive and significant correlations between executive functions variables (BANFE-2) and intelligence scores (WISC-IV). The 69 % of significant correlations indicated a moderate - strong degree of association (i. e., 49

Impact of an Individualized Cognitive Training Intervention in Preschoolers from Poor Homes.

Over the last few decades, different interventions were shown to be effective in changing cognitive performance in preschoolers from poor homes undertaking tasks with executive demands. However, this evidence also showed that not all children included in the intervention groups equally increased their performance levels, which could be related to individual and contextual variability. The present study aimed to explore the impact of a computerized cognitive training intervention with lab-based tasks in preschoolers from Unsatisfied Basic Needs (UBN) homes under the consideration of their baseline performance. In the context of a randomized controlled trial design, different interventions were administered to children according to their baseline performance in a variety of cognitive tasks (i.e., executive attention, inhibitory control, working memory, and planning demands). The results showed different patterns of impact on performance depending on the experimental group, supporting the importance of considering individual and contextual differences in the design of interventions aimed at optimizing executive functions in poverty-impacted sample populations in early stages of development.

Social neuroscience: undoing the schism between neurology and psychiatry.

Multiple disorders once jointly conceived as "nervous diseases" became segregated by the distinct institutional traditions forged in neurology and psychiatry. As a result, each field specialized in the study and treatment of a subset of such conditions. Here we propose new avenues for interdisciplinary interaction through a triangulation of both fields with social neuroscience. To this end, we review evidence from five relevant domains (facial emotion recognition, empathy, theory of mind, moral cognition, and social context assessment), highlighting their common disturbances across neurological and psychiatric conditions and discussing their multiple pathophysiological mechanisms. Our proposal is anchored in multidimensional evidence, including behavioral, neurocognitive, and genetic findings. From a clinical perspective, this work paves the way for dimensional and transdiagnostic approaches, new pharmacological treatments, and educational innovations rooted in a combined neuropsychiatric training. Research-wise, it fosters new models of the social brain and a novel platform to explore the interplay of cognitive and social functions. Finally, we identify new challenges for this synergistic framework.