Anthony Steven Dick, Ph.D. - US grants

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The use of language and symbolic gesture are uniquely human capacities that allow people to communicate with each other. Despite the centrality of these capacities to human communication, there is no consensus concerning how language and gesture are organized in the brain or how they might reorganize following early brain injury. This application will use functional MRI to examine the systems-level functional neuroanatomy of language and gesture comprehension in individuals with prenatal or perinatal stroke, and their typically developing siblings. We will investigate how factors, such as lesion laterality and site, type, and size, affect the organization of language and gesture systems. To achieve these goals, we will not only take advantage of conventional methods of fMRI analysis, but will also use advanced methods of analysis of functional MRI data, which will allow us to focus on the organization of distributed networks following injury. This represents a departure from prior research, where the focus is on individual brain regions or differences in lateralization of language function. This study has several theoretical and applied implications directly relevant to public health. The investigation of developmental outcomes of early lesion will answer questions about the stability of functional deficits over time, and about the ways in which the human brain reacts to early damage. Information about how the brain organizes following early damage can inform future research, intervention, and treatment efforts. The study also attempts to answer the call for innovative research strategies by applying advanced methods of fMRI data analysis to populations with brain injury. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]

Project Summary Children?s early externalizing behavior problems, including symptoms of Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, are the most common reason for early childhood mental health referrals and occur in 10- 25% of preschoolers. Despite the successful development of evidence-based treatments for ADHD, early interventions have been shown to have little impact on children?s long- term academic and social impairment. A major barrier to understanding the long-term treatment impact on children with ADHD is that current definitions of the disorder rely solely on DSM-V symptom profiles. A simplistic classification system limits our understanding of the heterogeneity present in ADHD, particularly during the preschool and early elementary school years. The heterogeneity of the disorder suggests that the ADHD may be characterized by multiple subgroups with varying neuropsychological profiles, with the assumption is that these profiles reflect different underlying neurobiological substrates. However, an established understanding of the neurobiology of ADHD is lacking, in particular, in the executive function (EF) and emotion regulation (ER) domains. In accordance with the NIMH strategic plan (Strategy 1.4) we seek to overcome these limitations by identifying distinct ?biosignatures? derived from an integration of neurobiological (functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); functional MRI and diffusion-weighted MRI) and pathophysiological markers of EF and ER. This will aid in the early identification and tailored treatment of behavioral and neuropsychological phenotypes of ADHD. Additionally, we propose to examine the extent to which the identified ?biosignatures? predict children?s early intervention response. Understanding and better capturing the heterogeneity of EF and ER may lead to more targeted treatments to improve children with ADHD?s social and academic functioning.

Project Summary While the prevalence rates of pediatric obesity have plateaued in recent years, a staggering 35% of school age children remain classified as overweight or obese. Children from ethnic minority groups are at an even greater risk, with nearly 40% of Latino children so-classified by age 6. The physical and mental health risks and societal costs associated with pediatric obesity are well established. It is thus crucial for research efforts to focus on understanding early behavioral phenotypes that can explain individual variability in children?s regulation of energy balance and subsequent weight trajectory. Researchers have documented self-regulation (SR) and poor executive function (EF) as important mechanisms for understanding the development of pediatric obesity, as well as its shared co-morbidities with other mental health disorders (e.g., Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD]). Poor executive function (EF), emotion regulation and reactivity (ER), and reward sensitivity (RS) have variously emerged as critical underlying processes in terms of contributing to overeating and food preferences. However, there is a lack of 1) integration of these SR processes when examining weight outcomes, 2) longitudinal studies, which are needed to disentangle whether potential SR deficits are risk factors for the development of obesity or a consequence of it, 3) comprehensive measurement of these SR processes in terms of integrating behavioral measures, neuropsychological, and neurobiological markers, 4) studies examining the predictive association of SR processes as they relate to observed obesogenic mechanisms (e.g., SR of energy intake, healthy- habits) and 5) how environmental factors (e.g., parenting, home environment) can contribute to and moderate the link between SR phenotypes and weight outcomes. Consistent with PAR-18-105, we leverage the ongoing data collection as part of award R01MH112588 (PIs Graziano and Dick), which is measuring young children?s (ages 4 to 6) SR processes (EF, ER, and RS) at a behavioral, neuropsychological, and neurobiological level using MRI. The proposed ancillary study (n = 288) examines how SR phenotypes predict obesogenic mechanisms and subsequent obesity-related trajectories. The proposed sample offers a unique opportunity to examine health outcomes within a typically understudied, yet high-risk population for obesity (i.e., Hispanic/Latino) along with inclusion of a clinical group (i.e., children with ADHD).