NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Genetic markers of Restless Legs Syndrome in Parkinson disease

INTRODUCTION:  Several studies proposed that Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and Parkinson disease (PD) may be clinically and/or etiologically related. To examine this hypothesis, we aimed to determine whether the known RLS genetic markers may be associated with PD risk, as well as with PD subtype. METHODS:  Two case-control cohorts from Tel-Aviv and New-York, including 1133 PD patients and 867 controls were genotyped for four RLS-related SNPs in the genes MEIS1, BTBD9, PTPRD and MAP2K5/SKOR1. The association between genotype, PD risk and phenotype was tested using multivariate regression models. RESULTS:  None of the tested SNPs was significantly associated with PD risk, neither in any individual cohort nor in the combined analysis after correction for multiple comparisons. The MAP2K5/SKOR1 marker rs12593813 was associated with higher frequency of tremor in the Tel-Aviv cohort (61.0% vs. 46.5%, p = 0.001, dominant model). However, the risk allele for tremor in this gene has been associated with reduced RLS risk. Moreover, this association did not replicate in Tremor-dominant PD patients from New-York. CONCLUSION:  RLS genetic risk markers are not associated with increased PD risk or subtype in the current study. Together with previous genetic, neuropathological and epidemiologic studies, our results further strengthen the notion that RLS and PD are likely to be distinct entities.

Keyphrases: Genetics, Parkinson disease, Restless Legs Syndrome
Validation of an adapted procedure to collect hair for cortisol determination in adolescents

Introduction  In the last decades, cortisol has been extensively studied in association to early exposure to adversity as well as in the etiology of a number of physical and mental problems. While saliva and blood samples allow the measurement of acute changes in cortisol secretion, hair samples are thought to provide a valid retrospective measure of chronic cortisol secretion over an extended period of time. Nevertheless, the existing protocol for hair collection involves considerable financial and logistical challenges when performed in large epidemiological studies.   Objective  This study aimed to validate an adapted collection protocol asking participants to sample their hair at home and to send it back to our laboratory by regular mail.   Methods  Participants were 34 teenagers between 17 and 18 years of age. They participated in two hair collections: (a) at home, with the help of someone they know, and (b) in our laboratory, with a trained research assistant.   Results  We noted a strong correlation between cortisol ascertained from hair collected at home and at the laboratory. No mean difference in cortisol levels could be detected between the two protocols. Moreover, we showed that a wide range of hair-related, sociodemographic, lifestyle factors that may be associated with hair cortisol levels did not affect the association between cortisol measures derived from each protocol.   Conclusion  Our study provides initial support that reliable measures of chronic cortisol secretion could be obtained by asking adolescents to collect a sample of their hair at home and send them to the laboratory by regular mail. This adapted protocol has considerable financial and logistical advantages in large epidemiological studies.

Keyphrases: Hair cortisol, Collection protocol, Chronic stress, HPA axis, Epidemiological studies
Twin’s birth-order differences in height and body mass index from birth to old age: a pooled study of 26 twin cohorts participated in the CODATwins project

We analyzed birth order differences in means and variances of height and body mass index (BMI) in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins from infancy to old age. The data were derived from the international CODATwins database. The total number of height and BMI measures from 0.5 to 79.5 years of age was 397,466. As expected, first-born twins had greater birth weight than second-born twins. With respect to height, first-born twins were slightly taller than second-born twins in childhood. After adjusting the results for birth weight, the birth order differences decreased and were not statistically significant anymore. First-born twins had greater BMI than the second-born twins over childhood and adolescence. After adjusting the results for birth weight, birth order was still associated with BMI until 12 years of age. No interaction effect between birth order and zygosity was found. Only limited evidence was found that birth order influenced variances of height or BMI. The results were similar among boys and girls and also in MZ and DZ twins. Overall, the differences in height and BMI between first and second born twins were modest even in early childhood, while adjustment for birth weight reduced the birth order differences but did not remove them for BMI.

Keyphrases: Birth order, BMI, Height, Zygosity
Associations between daily mood states and brain gray matter volume, resting-state functional connectivity and task-based activity in healthy adults

Numerous studies have shown differences in the functioning in the areas of the frontal-limbic circuitry between depressed patients and controls. However, current knowledge on frontal-limbic neural substrates of individual differences in mood states in everyday life in healthy individuals is scarce. The present study investigates anatomical, resting-state, and functional neural correlates of daily mood states in healthy individuals. We expected to observe associations between mood and the frontal-limbic circuitry and the default-mode network (DMN). A total of 42 healthy adults (19 men, 23 women; 34 ± 1.2 years) regularly followed for behavior and psychosocial functioning since age of 6, underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan, and completed a daily diary of mood states and related cognitions for 5 consecutive days. Results showed that individuals with smaller left hippocampal gray matter volumes experienced more negative mood and rumination in their daily life. Greater resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) within the DMN, namely between posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and medial prefrontal cortex regions as well as between PCC and precuneus, was associated with both greater negative and positive mood states in daily life. These rsFC results could be indicative of the role of the DMN regional functioning in emotional arousal, irrespective of valence. Lastly, greater daily positive mood was associated with greater activation in response to negative emotional stimuli in the precentral gyri, previously linked to emotional interference on cognitive control. Altogether, present findings might reflect neural mechanisms underlying daily affect and cognition among healthy individuals.

Keyphrases: Daily mood, FMRI, Left hippocampus, Default-mode network, Emotion
Organizing time banks: Lessons from matching markets

A time bank is a group of people that set up a common platform to trade services among themselves. There are several well-known problems associated with this type of time banking, e.g., high overhead costs and difficulties to identify feasible trades. This paper constructs a non-manipulable mechanism that selects an individually rational and time-balanced allocation which maximizes exchanges among the members of the time bank (and those allocations are efficient). The mechanism works on a domain of preferences where agents classify services as unacceptable and acceptable (and for those services agents have specific upper quotas representing their maximum needs).

Keyphrases: Market design, Time banking, Priority mechanism, Non-manipulability
Trousse d'accompagnement en CRRC : synthèse des enjeux de conduite responsable en recherche-création et proposition d'outils réflexifs

De par sa singularité dans le paysage universitaire, la recherche-création (RC) soulève une série d’enjeux de conduite responsable en recherche (CRR), particulièrement au niveau des conflits d’intérêts et d’engagements, de la diffusion des résultats et de toutes ses formes d’évaluation. Premier projet de recherche à se concentrer sur le croisement entre la RC et la CRR – que nous avons appelé « conduite responsable en recherche-création », ou CRRC – nous avons voulu explorer ces enjeux et en déterminer les spécificités du point de vue de la RC en ayant recours à une variété de méthodes. Nos recherches démontrent que la CRR peine à prendre en compte les spécificités des pratiques de RC dans son application et, inversement, que les réflexions éthiques sur la recherche produites par la communauté de RC mobilisent peu – ou indirectement – les concepts de CRR. Cependant, de nombreux points de chevauchement et un désir de collaboration de la part des acteurs de la CRR et de la RC ont été relevés, soulignant la nécessité de poursuivre et d’intensifier le dialogue instauré entre ces deux communautés lors de ce projet de recherche.   La Trousse d’accompagnement en CRRC, développée dans le cadre de ce projet, propose une vision nuancée et axée sur la pratique de la CRRC dans des contextes spécifiques de RC. Visant la sensibilisation mutuelle et la facilitation du dialogue entre les communautés de CRR et RC, cette trousse est composée d’un Guide d’accompagnement à la CRRC, ainsi que de plusieurs outils aux contenus et aux objectifs spécifiques, pouvant être utilisés seuls ou en complémentarité avec la trousse :   ● Outil 1 : Aide-mémoire pour une CRRC - propose des questions et des considérations pratiques pour les chercheurs-créateurs afin de favoriser la CRRC ;  ● Outil 2:  Synthèse des recommandations institutionnelles pour favoriser une CRRC - présente des recommandations institutionnelles pour une CRRC ;  ● Outil 3 - Études de cas en CRRC - illustrent et exemplifient les principaux manquements à la CRR à travers des pratiques spécifiques de RC ;  ● Outil 4: Balado-discussion sur les CI et les CE en RC - aborde les conflits d’intérêts et d’engagements rencontrés par les chercheurs-créateurs en contexte académique.

Keyphrases: Recherche-création, Conduite responsable en recherche, Conduite responsable en recherche-création, Manquements à la conduite responsable en recherche-création, Bonnes pratiques en conduite responsable en recherche-création, Autorat, Conflits d’intérêts, Conflits d’engagements, Diffusion, Évaluation, Études de cas, Éthique, Gestion des données
A longitudinal twin study of callous-unemotional traits during childhood

Previous research indicates that genetic factors largely account for the stability of callous-unemotional (CU) traits in adolescence. However, the genetic-environmental etiology of the development of CU traits has not been extensively investigated in childhood, despite work showing the reliable measurement and stability of CU traits from a young age. The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal pattern of genetic and environmental etiology of CU traits across primary school, from school entry (7 years) to middle (9 and 10 years) and late childhood (12 years). Data were collected in a population sample of twins composed of 662 twin pairs (Quebec Newborn Twin Study). CU traits were reported by teachers and analyzed using a biometric latent growth curve model and a Cholesky decomposition model. Latent growth curve analyses revealed that genetic factors explain most of the variance in the intercept of CU traits. Individual differences in change over time were not significant. The Cholesky model revealed that genetic factors at 7 years had enduring contributions to CU traits at 9, 10, and 12 years. New, modest genetic contributions appeared at 9 and 10 years. Nonshared environmental contributions were generally age-specific. No shared environmental contributions were detected. In sum, both modeling approaches showed that genetic factors underlie CU traits during childhood. Initial and new genetic contributions arise during this period. Environments have substantial contributions, over and above genetic factors. Future research should investigate the source of genetic risk associated with CU traits.

Keyphrases: Callous-unemotional traits, Genetic-environmental aetiology, Cholesky decomposition, Linear latent growth curve model, Twin studies
The expression of genetic risk for aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behavior is moderated by peer group

Numerous studies have shown that aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behaviors are important precursors of later adjustment problems. There is also strong empirical evidence that both types of antisocial behavior are partially influenced by genetic factors. However, despite its important theoretical and practical implications, no study has examined the question whether environmental factors differentially moderate the expression of genetic influences on the two types of antisocial behavior. Using a genetically informed design based on 266 monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs, this study examined whether the expression of genetic risk for aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behavior varies depending on the peer group’s injunctive norms (i.e., the degree of acceptability) of each type of antisocial behavior. Self-reported aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behavior and classroom-based sociometric nominations were collected when participants were 10 years old. Multivariate genetic analyses revealed some common genetic factors influencing both types of antisocial behavior (i.e., general antisocial behavior) as well as genetic influences specific to non-aggressive antisocial behavior. However, genetic influences on general antisocial behavior, as well as specific genetic influences on non-aggressive antisocial behavior, vary depending on the injunctive classroom norms regarding these behaviors. These findings speak to the power of peer group norms in shaping aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behavior. They also contribute further to understanding the distinctive development of both types of antisocial behavior. Finally, they may have important implications for prevention purposes.

Keyphrases: Antisocial behavior, Behavior genetics, Twins, Group norms, Gene-environment interaction, Pre-adolescents
Les collections Baby et Melzack de Canadiana de l'Université de Montréal

Il existe au Qué­bec plu­sieurs mil­liers de biblio­thèques de tous genres ayant un carac­tère public ou semi-public. Les biblio­thèques pré­sen­tées dans ce livre sortent de l’ordinaire. Elles ont vécu une his­toire ori­gi­nale. Elles assument une mis­sion spé­ciale. Elles conservent des col­lec­tions rares ou uniques. Elles pos­sèdent des tré­sors peu com­muns. Elles entre­tiennent avec leur milieu une rela­tion unique. Elles innovent de manière ima­gi­na­tive. En un mot, elles sont remarquables.

Keyphrases: Collection Baby, Collection Melzack, Louis-François-Georges Baby, Louis Melzack, Collections particulières, Bibliothèque des livres rares et collections spéciales, Université de Montréal
Friendship experiences and anxiety among children : a genetically informed study

This study examined (a) whether, in line with a gene-environment correlation (rGE), a genetic disposition for anxiety puts children at risk of having anxious friends or having no reciprocal friends; (b) to what extent these friendship experiences are related to anxiety symptoms, when controlling for sex and genetic disposition for this trait; and (c) the additive and interactive predictive links of the reciprocal best friend's anxiety symptoms and of friendship quality with children's anxiety symptoms. Using a genetically informed design based on 521 monozygotic and ic twins (264 girls; 87% of European descent) assessed in Grade 4 (M age = 10.04 years, SD = .26), anxiety symptoms and perceived friendship quality were measured with self-report questionnaires. Results indicated that, in line with rGE, children with a strong genetic disposition for anxiety were more likely to have anxious friends than nonanxious friends. Moreover, controlling for their genetic risk for anxiety, children with anxious friends showed higher levels of anxiety symptoms than children with nonanxious friends but did not differ from those without reciprocal friends. Additional analyses suggested a possible contagion of anxiety symptoms between reciprocal best friends when perceived negative features of friendship were high. These results underline the importance of teaching strategies such as problem solving that enhance friendship quality to limit the potential social contagion of anxiety symptoms.

Keyphrases: Gene-environment correlation, Anxiety, Social contagion, Friendship quality
Links between friends' physical aggression and adolescents' physical aggression : what happens if gene-environment correlations are controlled?

Exposure to deviant friends has been found to be a powerful source of influence on children’s and adolescents’ aggressive behavior. However, the contribution of deviant friends may have been overestimated because of a possible non-accounted gene-environment correlation (rGE). In this study, we used a cross-lagged design to test whether friends’ physical aggression at age 10 predicts an increase in participants’ physical aggression from age 10 to age 13 years. Participants were 201 pairs of monozygotic twins who are part of the Quebec Longitudinal Twin Study. We performed two sets of analyses. In the first set of analyses, using twins as singletons, we found that teacher-rated friends’ physical aggression predicted an increase in each twin’s self-reported physical aggression from age 10 to age 13, above and beyond auto-regressive and concurrent links. Second, we used within-pair differences in regard to friends’ physical aggression to predict an increase in within-pair differences in physical aggression, thus accounting for family-wide influences, including a likely rGE at age 10. No significant association was found, however. These results suggest that part of the influence attributed to friends in past studies may have been due to common underlying genetic effects on both physical aggression and association with physically aggressive friends

Keyphrases: Aggressive behavior, Antisocial behavior, Longitudinal study, Pre-adolescents
Developmental associations between conduct problems and expressive language in early childhood : a population-based study

Conduct problems have been associated with poor language development, however the direction of this association in early childhood remains unclear. This study examined the longitudinal directional associations between conduct problems and expressive language ability. Children enrolled in the UK Millennium Cohort Study (N = 14, 004; 50.3 % boys) were assessed at 3 and 5 years of age. Parent reports of conduct problems and standardised assessments of expressive language were analyzed using cross-lagged modeling. Conduct problems at 3 years was associated with poorer expressive language at 5 years and poorer expressive language at 3 years was associated with increased conduct problems by 5 years. The results support reciprocal associations, rather than a specific unidirectional path, which is commonly found with samples of older children. The emergence of problems in either domain can thus negatively impact upon the other over time, albeit the effects were modest. Studies examining the effects of intervention targeting conduct problems and language acquisition prior to school entry may be warranted in testing the efficacy of prevention programmes related to conduct problems and poor language ability early in childhood.

Keyphrases: Conduct problems, Early childhood, Expressive language, Millennium Cohort Study
Developmental origins of chronic physical aggression: an international perspective on using singletons, twins and epigenetics

This chapter takes an international and historical perspective to discuss the present state of knowledge on the developmental origins of physical aggression and its implications for the prevention of chronic physical aggression. An increasing number of longitudinal studies of singleton and twins initiated at birth or during the first few years of life are showing that physical aggressions are more frequent in early childhood than at any other time during the life-span. Because chronic physical aggression generally starts in early childhood, preventive interventions during this period are much more likely to be effective and substantially decrease the costs of criminal behavior during adolescence and early adulthood. Unfortunately, most criminological studies on physical aggression development and prevention target the adolescent and adulthood periods and do not take into account gene-environment contributions. Early childhood studies are needed to identify early bio-psycho-social mechanisms that put individuals on a chronic trajectory of physical aggression from early childhood to adulthood. These studies can also help identify the preventive interventions that are most effective in preventing a life-course of crime and misery. Developmental criminology needs to take a bio-psycho-social intergenerational and life-span perspective as well as focus more systematically on females as the key target for intergenerational prevention of chronic physical aggression.

Keyphrases: Early childhood, Children, Adolescents, Adults, Life-span, Physical aggression, Crime, Delinquents, Criminals, Prevention, Bio-psycho-social mechanisms, Genetics, Environment, Epigenetics, Development, Trajectories
Une bibliothèque de médecine à travers le temps : la collection du Dr Jean-Guy Provost : catalogue de l'exposition

Catalogue de l'exposition présentée du 18 février au 18 août 2013 à la Bibliothèque des livres rares et collections spéciales de l'Université de Montréal.

Keyphrases: Patrimoine documentaire, Bibliothèque des livres rares et collections spéciales, Université de Montréal, Collection Jean-Guy-Provost, Provost, Jean-Guy, Médecine
Les processus inférentiels impliqués dans la compréhension de courtes histoires

A partir des données récentes sur les schèmes, la présente expérience tente par l’évaluation de trois catégories d’inférences: logique, structurelle, pragmatique et de trois degrés de distance : proche, intermédiaire, éloignée, d’approfondir la question du râle de la formation d’inférences dans la compréhension verbale. La création d’inférences au moment de la lecture rend compte en effet des processus constructifs maintes fois observés dans les rappels d’histoires. Cependant nos résultats indiquent que le type et la distance des inférences exercent un effet “modulateur” sur l’élaboration ou du moins la compréhension des inférences et évitent de ce fait des surcharges mnémoniques. Les lecteurs reconnaissent en effet à tort les inférences logiques et structurelles de même que les inférences proches de l’information textuelle dans un plus fort pourcentage que les inférences pragmatiques et éloignées. De plus les données descriptives au niveau du temps de jugement indiquent que les inférences logiques et structurel les proches obtiennent des moyennes de temps de jugement plus courtes que celles des inférences pragmatiques éloignées. Par ailleurs, le fait que les trois catégories d’inférences suscitent des fausses reconnaissances apporte du nouveau sur la nature et l’organisation des schèmes. On peut supposer qu’au niveau de la représentation cognitive, coexistent différents types de schèmes dont ceux logique, structurel et pragmatique lesquels par établissement de rapports d’inclusion, de séquentialité et de plausibilité, concourent à donner l’interprétation appropriée du moment.

Keyphrases: Psychologie