The state of evidence for social and emotional learning: A contemporary meta-analysis of universal school-based SEL interventions.

This article provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of the current evidence for universal school-based (USB) social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions for students in kindergarten through 12th grade available from 2008 through 2020. The sample includes 424 studies from 53 countries, reflecting 252 discrete USB SEL interventions, involving 575,361 students. Results endorsed that, compared to control conditions, students who participate in USB SEL interventions experienced significantly improved skills, attitudes, behaviors, school climate and safety, peer relationships, school functioning, and academic achievement. Significant heterogeneity in USB SEL content, intervention features, context, and implementation quality moderated student experiences and outcomes. Strengths and limitations of this evidence and implications for future USB SEL research, policy, and practice are discussed.

Infralimbic prefrontal cortex structural and functional connectivity with the limbic forebrain: a combined viral genetic and optogenetic analysis.

The medial prefrontal cortex is critical for contextual appraisal, executive function, and goal-directed behavior. Additionally, the infralimbic (IL) subregion of the prefrontal cortex has been implicated in stress responding, mood, and fear memory. However, the specific circuit mechanisms that mediate these effects are largely unknown. To date, IL output to the limbic forebrain has been examined largely qualitatively or within a restricted number of sites. To quantify IL presynaptic input to structures throughout the forebrain, we utilized a lentiviral construct expressing synaptophysin-mCherry. Thus, allowing quantification of IL efferents that are specifically synaptic, as opposed to fibers of passage. Additionally, this approach permitted the determination of IL innervation on a sub-structural level within the multiple heterogeneous limbic nuclei. To examine the functional output of the IL, optogenetic activation of IL projections was followed by quantification of neuronal activation throughout the limbic forebrain via fos-related antigen (Fra). Quantification of synaptophysin-mCherry indicated that the IL provides robust synaptic input to a number of regions within the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, with limited input to the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens. Furthermore, there was high concordance between structural connectivity and functional activation. Interestingly, some regions receiving substantial synaptic input did not exhibit significant increases in Fra-immunoreactivity. Collectively, these studies represent a step toward a comprehensive and quantitative analysis of output circuits. This large-scale efferent quantification or 'projectome' also opens the door for data-driven analyses of the downstream synaptic mechanisms that mediate the integrative aspects of cortico-limbic interactions.