Association of spermidine blood levels with microstructure of sleep-implications from a population-based study.

Deteriorations in slow wave sleep (SWS) have been linked to brain aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD), possibly due to its key role in clearance of amyloid-beta and tau (Aß/tau), two pathogenic hallmarks of AD. Spermidine administration has been shown to improve sleep quality in animal models. So far, the association between spermidine levels in humans and parameters of SWS physiology are unknown but may be valuable for therapeutic strategies. Data from 216 participants (age range 50-81 years) of the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania TREND were included in our analysis. We investigated associations between spermidine plasma levels, key parameters of sleep macroarchitecture and microarchitecture that were previously associated with AD pathology, and brain health measured via a marker of structural brain atrophy (AD score). Higher spermidine levels were significantly associated with lower coupling between slow oscillations and spindle activity. No association was evident for SWS, slow oscillatory, and spindle activity throughout non-rapid eye movement sleep. Furthermore, elevated spermidine blood levels were significantly associated with a higher AD score, while sleep markers revealed no association with AD score. The association between higher spermidine levels and brain health was not mediated by coupling between slow oscillations and spindle activity. We report that higher spermidine blood levels are associated not only with deteriorated brain health but also with less advantageous markers of sleep quality in older adults. Future studies need to evaluate whether sleep, spermidine, and Aß/tau deposition are interrelated and whether sleep may play a mediating role.

Different aspects of fraction understanding are associated selectively with performance on a fraction learning game.

Fraction understanding seems a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is an important predictor of later mathematical achievement. On the other hand, it is also one of the topics students struggle most in secondary math education. To complement traditional instruction, digital learning games were developed and found to successfully foster fraction understanding. However, so far, it is not known to what degree different aspects of fraction understanding (e.g., part-whole relations, fraction magnitude, fraction arithmetic) may be conveyed by such games. The current study evaluated selective associations of in-game performance of the fraction learning game Semideus with specific aspects of fraction understanding assessed using a comprehensive paper-pencil test. In Semideus, seventh graders (Mage=12.3years) from academic track secondary schools in Germany estimated the location of fractions on a number line and compared fractions according to their magnitude. Results replicated previous findings showing that in-game performance was significantly associated with mathematics achievement (i.e., math grades) and basic, whole number arithmetic skills. Moreover, we observed significant associations for aspects of fraction understanding closely matching mechanics of the learning game such as fraction number line estimation, fraction magnitude comparison and fraction ordering. These associations were observed for accuracy on the game's fraction learning tasks (e.g., estimation accuracy on the number line) but also generalized to game-based metrics such as virtual incentives (i.e., stars awarded in the game). This implies that the actual game mechanic may help to convey aspects of fraction understanding, substantiating ideas of intrinsic integration in game design.

The relevance of basic numerical skills for fraction processing: Evidence from cross-sectional data.

Recent research indicated that fraction understanding is an important predictor of later mathematical achievement. In the current study we investigated associations between basic numerical skills and students' fraction processing. We analyzed data of 939 German secondary school students (age range = 11.92 to 18.00 years) and evaluated the determinants of fraction processing considering basic numerical skills as predictors (i.e., number line estimation, basic arithmetic operations, non-symbolic magnitude comparison, etc.). Additionally, we controlled for general cognitive ability, grade level, and sex. We found that multiplication, subtraction, conceptual knowledge, number line estimation, and basic geometry were significantly associated with fraction processing beyond significant associations of general cognitive ability and sex. Moreover, relative weight analysis revealed that addition and approximate arithmetic should also be considered as relevant predictors for fraction processing. The current results provide food for thought that further research should focus on investigating whether recapitulating basic numerical content in secondary school mathematics education can be beneficial for acquiring more complex mathematical concepts such as fractions.

Association of spermidine plasma levels with brain aging in a population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Supplementation with spermidine may support healthy aging, but elevated spermidine tissue levels were shown to be an indicator of Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Data from 659 participants (age range: 21-81 years) of the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania TREND were included. We investigated the association between spermidine plasma levels and markers of brain aging (hippocampal volume, AD score, global cortical thickness [CT], and white matter hyperintensities [WMH]). RESULTS: Higher spermidine levels were significantly associated with lower hippocampal volume (ß = -0.076; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.13 to -0.02; q = 0.026), higher AD score (ß = 0.118; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.19; q = 0.006), lower global CT (ß = -0.104; 95% CI: -0.17 to -0.04; q = 0.014), but not WMH volume. Sensitivity analysis revealed no substantial changes after excluding participants with cancer, depression, or hemolysis. DISCUSSION: Elevated spermidine plasma levels are associated with advanced brain aging and might serve as potential early biomarker for AD and vascular brain pathology.

Gastrointestinal Hormones in Healthy Adults: Reliability of Repeated Assessments and Interrelations with Eating Habits and Physical Activity.

Background: Gastrointestinal hormones (GIHs) are crucial for the regulation of a variety of physiological functions and have been linked to hunger, satiety, and appetite control. Thus, they might constitute meaningful biomarkers in longitudinal and interventional studies on eating behavior and body weight control. However, little is known about the physiological levels of GIHs, their intra-individual stability over time, and their interaction with other metabolic and lifestyle-related parameters. Therefore, the aim of this pilot study is to investigate the intra-individual stability of GIHs in normal-weight adults over time. Methods: Plasma concentrations of ghrelin, leptin, GLP-1 (glucagon-like-peptide), and PP (pancreatic polypeptide) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 17 normal-weight, healthy adults in a longitudinal design at baseline and at follow-up six months later. The reliability of the measurements was estimated using intra-class correlation (ICC). In a second step, we considered the stability of GIH levels after controlling for changes in blood glucose and hemoglobin A1 (HbA1c) as well as self-reported physical activity and dietary habits. Results: We found excellent reliability for ghrelin, good reliability for GLP1 and PP, and moderate reliability for leptin. After considering glucose, HbA1c, physical activity, and dietary habits as co-variates, the reliability of ghrelin, GLP1, and PP did not change significantly; the reliability of leptin changed to poor reliability. Conclusions: The GIHs ghrelin, GLP1, and PP demonstrated good to excellent test-retest reliability in healthy individuals, a finding that was not modified after adjusting for glucose control, physical activity, or dietary habits. Leptin showed only moderate to poor reliability, which might be linked to weight fluctuations, albeit small, between baseline and follow-up assessment in our study sample. Together, these findings support that ghrelin, GLP1, and PP might be further examined as biomarkers in studies on weight control, with GLP1 and PP serving as anorexic markers and ghrelin as an orexigenic marker. Additional reliability studies in obese individuals are necessary to verify or refute our findings for this cohort.

Neurofunctional plasticity in fraction learning: An fMRI training study.

BACKGROUND: Fractions are known to be difficult for children and adults. Behavioral studies suggest that magnitude processing of fractions can be improved via number line estimation (NLE) trainings, but little is known about the neural correlates of fraction learning. METHOD: To examine the neuro-cognitive foundations of fraction learning, behavioral performance and neural correlates were measured before and after a five-day NLE training. RESULTS: In all evaluation tasks behavioral performance increased after training. We observed a fronto-parietal network associated with number magnitude processing to be recruited in all tasks as indicated by a numerical distance effect. For symbolic fractions, the distance effect on intraparietal activation was only observed after training. CONCLUSION: The absence of a distance effect of symbolic fractions before the training could indicate an initially less automatic access to their overall magnitude. NLE training facilitates processing of overall fraction magnitude as indicated by the distance effect in neural activation.

Time Reading in Middle and Secondary School Students: The Influence of Basic-Numerical Abilities.

Time reading skills are central for the management of personal and professional life. However, little is known about the differential influence of basic numerical abilities on analog and digital time reading in general and in middle and secondary school students in particular. The present study investigated the influence of basic numerical skills separately for analog and digital time reading in N = 709 students from 5th to 8th grade. The present findings suggest that the development of time reading skills is not completed by the end of primary school. Results indicated that aspects of magnitude manipulation and arithmetic fact knowledge predicted analog time reading significantly over and above the influence of age. Furthermore, results showed that spatial representations of number magnitude, magnitude manipulation, arithmetic fact knowledge, and conceptual knowledge were significant predictors of digital time reading beyond general cognitive ability and sex. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to show differential effects of basic numerical abilities on analog and digital time reading skills in middle and secondary school students. As time readings skills are crucial for everyday life, these results are highly relevant to better understand basic numerical processes underlying time reading.