NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Functional changes in the cortical
semantic network in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Semantic memory impairment has been documented in older individuals with amnestic Mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), who are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), yet little is known about the neural basis of this breakdown. The main objective of this study was to investigate the brain mechanisms associated with semantic performance in patients with aMCI. Method: A group of aMCI patients and a group of healthy older controls carried out a semantic categorization task while their brain activity was recorded using magnetoencephalography (MEG). During the task, participants were shown famous faces and had to determine whether each famous person matched a given occupation. The main hypotheses were that: (i) semantic processing should be compromised for aMCI patients, and (ii) these deficits should be associated with cortical dysfunctions within specific areas of the semantic network. Results: Behavioural results showed that aMCI participants were significantly slower and less accurate than control participants at the semantic task, corroborating previous reports. Additionally, relative to controls, a significant pattern of hyperactivation was found in the aMCI group within specific regions of the semantic network, including the right anterior temporal lobe and inferior prefrontal cortex. Conclusions: Abnormal functional activation within key areas of the semantic network suggests that it is compromised early in the disease process. Moreover, this pattern of increased activation in aMCI was positively associated with grey matter integrity in specific areas, but was not associated with any specific pattern of atrophy, suggesting that functional hyperactivation may precede atrophy of the semantic network in aMCI.

Keyphrases: Semantic memory (SM), Famous faces, Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Magnetoencephalography (MEG), Cortical thickness (CT).
Creating and sustaining a library journal club at a French-language university

A library journal club was initiated at Université de Montréal (UdeM), a French-language university in the province of Quebec, with the objectives of improving librarians’ critical appraisal skills, integrating evidence into participants’ practice and creating a space for discussion and collaboration. An initial workshop session on critical appraisal was offered and five one-hour meetings were held during the 2016-17 academic year. Librarians working at the UdeM libraries have no faculty status and they are not required to keep current on published research nor engage in research and publication. Therefore, it was considered a success that there were at least 6 participants at each meeting and that the initial workshop was attended by 15 librarians. After one year of activities, a survey was sent to all UdeM’s librarians to measure the participants’ satisfaction and to determine how to improve the attendance at journal club meetings. Results of the survey, facilitators and barriers to the journal club success and impact of implemented changes during the second year will be presented.

Keyphrases: Lecture critique, Library Journal Club, Critical Appraisal, Bibliothèques universitaires francophones du Québec, French-language universities in Quebec, Club de lecture en sciences de l'information
Distinct trajectories of separation anxiety in the preschool years: persistence at school
entry and early-life associated factors

Background: Little is known about how children differ in the onset and evolution of separation anxiety (SA) symptoms during the preschool years, and how SA develops into separation anxiety disorder. In a large, representative population-based sample, we investigated the developmental trajectories of SA symptoms from infancy to school entry, their early associated risk factors, and their associations with teachers’ ratings of SA in kindergarten. Methods: Longitudinal assessment of SA trajectories and risk factors in a cohort of 1933 families between the ages of 1.5 and 6 years. Results: Analyses revealed a best-fitting, 4-trajectory solution, including a prevailing, unaffected Low-Persistent group (60.2%), and 3 smaller groups of distinct developmental course: a High-Increasing (6.9%), a High-Decreasing (10.8%) and a Low-Increasing group (22.1%). The High-Increasing group remained high throughout the preschool years and was the only trajectory linked to teacher-assessed SA in kindergarten. Except for the High-Increasing, all trajectories showed substantial reduction of symptom profile by age 6. The High-Increasing and High-Decreasing groups shared several early risk factors, but the former was uniquely associated with higher maternal depression, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and parental unemployment. Conclusions: Most children with high SA profile at age 1.5 years are expected to progressively recover by age 4-5. High SA at age 1.5 that persists over time deserves special attention, and may predict separation anxiety disorder. A host of child perinatal, parental, and family contextual risk factors were associated with the onset and developmental course of SA across the preschool years.

Keyphrases: Separation anxiety, Trajectories, Risk factors, Internalizing disorders, Development
Psychometric properties of the Mental Health and Social Inadaptation Assessment for Adolescents (MIA) in a population-based sample

We report on the psychometric properties of the Mental Health and Social Inadaptation Assessment for Adolescents (MIA), a self‐report instrument for quantifying the frequency of mental health and psychosocial adaptation problems using a dimensional approach and based on the DSM‐5. The instrument includes 113 questions, takes 20–25 minutes to answer, and covers the past 12 months. A population‐based cohort of adolescents (n = 1443, age = 15 years; 48% males) rated the frequency at which they experienced symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Depression, Generalized Anxiety, Social Phobia, Eating Disorders (i.e. DSM disorders), Self‐harm, Delinquency, Psychopathy as well as social adaptation problems (e.g. aggression). They also rated interference with functioning in four contexts (family, friends, school, daily life). Reliability analyses indicated good to excellent internal consistency for most scales (alpha = 0.70–0.97) except Psychopathy (alpha = 0.46). The hypothesized structure of the instrument showed acceptable fit according to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) [Chi‐square (4155) = 9776.2, p = 0.000; Chi‐square/DF = 2.35; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.031; Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.864], and good convergent and discriminant validity according to multitrait‐multimethods analysis. This initial study showed adequate internal validity and reliability of the MIA. Our findings open the way for further studies investigating other validity aspects, which are necessary before recommending the wide use of the MIA in research and clinical settings.

Keyphrases: Adolescent psychopathology, Assessment, Dimensional approach, Population‐based sample, Psychometrics
The intergenerational association between parents' problem gambling and impulsivity-hyperactivity/inattention behaviors in children

Despite the well-established association between problem gambling and ADHD core categories of impulsivity-hyperactivity and inattention, the link between parents’ problem gambling and impulsivity-hyperactivity/inattention (IH/I) behaviors in children has not been investigated. This study investigated the association between parents’ problem gambling and children’s IH/I behaviors while controlling for potential confounding variables. A population-based prospective cohort followed-up from kindergarten to age 30, the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children (QLSKC), provided data over three generations. Among 1358 participants at age 30, parents with a child aged 1 year or older (N=468; Mean age=4.65 years; SD=2.70) were selected. Generalized Linear Models included measures of grandparents’ and parents’ problem gambling, parents’ IH/I behaviors in childhood, and a host of risk factors and comorbidities to predict IH/I in children. Intergenerational bivariate associations were observed between grandparents’ problem gambling, parents’ IH/I in childhood and problem gambling at age 30, and between parents’ IH/I, problem gambling, and children’s IH/I behaviors. Parents’ problem gambling predicted children’s IH/I behaviors above and beyond the effects of covariates such as family and socioeconomic characteristics, alcohol and drug use, depression symptoms and parents’ gambling involvement. Parents’ IH/I behaviors in childhood also predicted children’s IH/I and had a moderating, enhancing effect on parents’ problem gambling association with their offspring’s IH/I behaviors. Problem gambling is a characteristic of parents’ mental health that is distinctively associated with children’s IH/I behaviors, above and beyond parents’ own history of IH/I and of typically related addictive, psychopathological or socioeconomic risk factors and comorbidities.

Keyphrases: Problem Gambling, Parents, Children, Impulsivity-hyperactivity, Inattention, Parental influence
School adjustment and substance use in early adolescent boys: association with paternal alcoholism with and without dad in the home

The present study examined the association of paternal alcoholism with early adolescent boys’ school adjustment and substance use, and its moderation by paternal absence, controlling for parents’ socioeconomic resources. A community sample of 653 urban, low socioeconomic status (SES) families from Montreal, Canada, was assessed and information collected from parents, teachers, and adolescents’ self-reports, and school records. Paternal alcoholism was significantly associated with boys’ lower academic performance, lower grades, higher frequency of tobacco, marijuana and hard drugs use, of getting drunk, and using a variety of hard drugs. However, the separation from the alcoholic father represented a significant factor of moderation in regard to boys’ substance use: Sons of alcoholic fathers living with their dad in intact families were more likely to use tobacco and marijuana, to get drunk, and to use a variety of hard drugs than their peers not living with their alcoholic father, whether in single-mother or stepfamilies.

Keyphrases: Children of alcoholics, Paternal alcoholism, Parental separation, Early adolescence, Psychopathology, School adjustment, Substance use
Variety of gambling activities from adolescence to age 30 and association with gambling problems: a 15‐year longitudinal study of a general population sample

Participants A mixed‐gender general population cohort assessed at ages 15 (n = 1882), 22 (n = 1785) and 30 (n = 1358).  Measurements Adolescent and adult versions of the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). Findings Group‐based trajectory analysis identified three distinct trajectories: a late‐onset low trajectory (26.7% of sample) initiating gambling at age 22, an early‐onset low trajectory (64.8% of sample), characterized by one to two different activities from age 15 onwards and a high trajectory (8.4% of sample), with an average of four to five different activities from age 15 to 30. Males (14.2%) were four times more likely to be on a high trajectory than females (3.5%) (P < 0.001). Preferred types of gambling activities were similar across the three trajectories. Participants on a high trajectory reported higher gambling frequency at ages 15 and 30, and were more likely to experience problem gambling at age 30: 3.09 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.66, 5.75] and 2.26 (95% CI = 1.27, 4.04) times more, respectively, than late‐onset low and early‐onset low participants, even when socio‐economic status (SES), frequency of gambling and problem gambling in adolescence, gender, age 30 education, SES and frequency of gambling were controlled.  Conclusions Engaging in several different types of gambling in early adulthood appears to be a risk factor for emergence of problem gambling.

Keyphrases: Adolescent gambling, Adult gambling, Development, Gambling participation, Gambling problems, Gambling variety, Longitudinal study
Comorbid development of disruptive behaviors from age 1½ to 5 years in a population birth-cohort and association with school adjustment in first grade

Comorbidity is frequent among disruptive behaviors (DB) and leads to mental health problems during adolescence and adulthood. However, the early developmental origins of this comorbidity have so far received little attention. This study investigated the developmental comorbidity of three DB categories during early childhood: hyperactivity-impulsivity, non-compliance, and physical aggression. Joint developmental trajectories of DB were identified based on annual mother interviews from age 1½ to 5 years, in a population-representative birth-cohort (N = 2045). A significant proportion of children (13 % to 21 %, depending on the type of DB) consistently displayed high levels of hyperactivity-impulsivity, non-compliance, or physical aggression from age 1½ to 5 years. Developmental comorbidity was frequent, especially for boys: 10 % of boys and 3.7 % of girls were on a stable trajectory with high levels of symptoms for the three categories of DB. Significant associations were observed between preschool joint-trajectories of DB and indicators of DB and school adjustment assessed by teachers in first grade. Preschoolers who maintained high levels of hyperactivity-impulsivity, non-compliance, and physical aggression, displayed the highest number of DB symptoms in first grade for all categories according to their teacher. They were also among the most disadvantaged of their class for school adjustment indicators. Thus, DB manifestations and developmental comorbidity of DB are highly prevalent in infancy. Early childhood appears to be a critical period to prevent persistent and comorbid DB that leads to impairment at the very beginning of school attendance and to long-term serious health and social adjustment problems.

Keyphrases: Disruptive behaviors, Trajectories, Comorbidity, Preschool years, School entry
Co-morbidity between gambling problems and depressive symptoms: A longitudinal perspective of risk and protective factors

In both adolescents and adults, gambling problems and depressive symptoms co-occur and share some common risk factors (e.g., impulsivity and socio-family risk). However, little is known about (1) the developmental course of the co-morbidity of these problems; (2) variables that may moderate the effect of these common risk factors on gambling problems and depressive symptoms. Of specific interest could be individuals' social relationships with significant others such as parents and friends, because research shows that they moderate the effect of other risk factors on gambling problems and depressive symptoms. The goals of this study were to: (a) identify developmental pathways for gambling problems and depressive symptoms, with a focus on co-morbidity; (b) assess the moderating effect of relationship quality with parents and friends on the link between common risk factors and the trajectories of gambling problems and depressive symptoms. Study participants were 878 males. Predictors were assessed during childhood and adolescence and gambling problems and depressive symptoms were assessed in late adolescence and young adulthood. Latent class analysis revealed four distinct joint trajectories of gambling problems and depressive symptoms. Subsequent logistic regression revealed that impulsivity predicted membership in all pathogenic trajectories, and quality of the relationship with parents predicted membership in depressogenic trajectories. In addition, we found that the membership in the comorbid trajectory can be predicted by an interaction between friendship quality and socio-family risk.

Keyphrases: Gambling problems, Depressive symptoms, Comorbidity, Impulsivity, Relation with parents, Relation with peers
Short-term heart rate variability in a population-based sample of 10-year-old children

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive quantitative marker of cardiac autonomic function derived from continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings. Normative HRV values and development factors have not been established in pediatric populations. The objective was to derive referent time- and frequency-domain HRV values for a population-based sample of children. Children aged 9-11 years (N = 1,036) participated in the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development cohort cardiovascular health screening. Registered nurses measured anthropometrics (height, weight) and children wore an ambulatory Holter monitor to continuously record an ECG signal. HRV variables included time (SDNN, pNN50, RMSSD, SDANN) and frequency (HF, LF, LF/HF ratio) domain variables. Normative HRV values, stratified by age, sex, and heart rate, are presented. Greater heart rate (β avg  = -0.60, R avg (2)  = 0.39), pubertal maturation (β avg = -0.11, R avg (2)  = 0.01), later ECG recording times (β avg = -0.19, R avg (2)  = 0.07), and higher diastolic blood pressure (β avg = -0.11, R avg (2)  = 0.01) were significantly associated with reduced HRV in 10-year-old children. The normative HRV values permit clinicians to monitor, describe, and establish pediatric nosologies in primary care and research settings, which may improve treatment of diseases associated with HRV in children. By better understanding existing values, the practical applicability of HRV among clinicians will be enhanced. Lastly, developmental (e.g., puberty) and procedural (e.g., recording time) factors were identified that will improve recording procedures and interpretation of results.

Keyphrases: Heart rate variability, Respiratory sinus arrhythmia, Vagal tone, Epidemiology, Children, Normative data
Who uses early childhood education and care services? Comparing socioeconomic selection across five western policy contexts

Growing evidence suggests that children’s participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC), especially center-based services, is associated with positive outcomes, particularly for children over one year of age and children of low socioeconomic backgrounds. This signals an important opportunity for reducing socioeconomic disparities in young children’s development. Many western countries have adopted policies to encourage maternal employment, facilitate ECEC service use, or both, often focusing on disadvantaged families. Yet few studies to date have tested the impact of these policies for reducing socioeconomic selection into ECEC. This study integrates data from five cohorts of children living in different western, high-income countries (UK, USA, Netherlands, Canada, and Norway; total N = 21,437). We compare participation rates and socioeconomic selection into ECEC across the different policy contexts in infancy (5–9 months) and early childhood (36–41 months). Policy environments where parents had access to at least 6 months of paid maternity/parental leave had lower ECEC participation in infancy but higher participation in early childhood. Higher participation rates were also associated with universal ECEC subsidies (i.e., not targeted to low-income families). In general, low income, low maternal education and having more than one child were associated with reduced use of ECEC. Selection effects related to low income and number of children were reduced in countries with universal ECEC subsidies when out-of-pocket fees were income-adjusted or reduced for subsequent children, respectively. Most socioeconomic selection effects were reduced in Norway, the only country to invest more than 1% of its GDP into early childhood. Nevertheless, low maternal education was consistently associated with reduced use of ECEC services across all countries. Among families using services however, there were few selection effects for the type of ECEC setting (center-based vs. non-center-based), particularly in early childhood. In sum, this comparative study suggests wide variations in ECEC participation that can be linked to the policy context, and highlights key policy elements which may reduce socioeconomic disparities in ECEC use.

Keyphrases: Early childhood education and care, Center-based child-care, Cross country analysis, Socioeconomic factors, Family policies
Longitudinal association between peer victimization and sleep problems in preschoolers: the moderating role of parenting

This study examined the moderating role of parental behaviors in the longitudinal link between peer victimization and sleep problems during preschool. The sample consisted of 1,181 children (594 girls) attending day care between the ages of 3 and 6 years. Participants were part of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a longitudinal study of child development led by the Institut de la Statistique du Quebec. Controlling for potential confounders, latent growth curve analyses revealed that the association between peer victimization and sleep problems varied depending on parents’ behaviors. Coercive parenting exacerbated the link between peer victimization and parasomnias. In contrast, positive parenting mitigated the link between peer victimization and insomnia. The findings suggest that persistent sleep problems at a young age may be an indicator of chronic peer victimization but that parents’ behaviors can play a key role in victimized children’s sleep problems.

Keyphrases: Peer victimization, Sleep problems, Parental behavior, Preschoolers
The role of the melanoma gene MC1R in Parkinson disease and REM sleep behavior disorder

The MC1R gene, suggested to be involved in Parkinson disease (PD) and melanoma, was sequenced in PD patients (n=539) and controls (n=265) from New-York, and PD patients (n=551), rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) patients (n=351) and controls (n=956) of European ancestry. Sixty-eight MC1R variants were identified, including 7 common variants with frequency>0.01. None of the common variants was associated with PD or RBD in the different regression models. In a meta-analysis with fixed-effect model, the p.R160W variant was associated with an increased risk for PD (OR=1.22, 95%CI 1.02-1.47, p=0.03) but with significant heterogeneity (p=0.048). Removing one study that introduced the heterogeneity resulted in nonsignificant association (OR=1.11, 95%CI 0.92-1.35, p=0.27, heterogeneity p=0.57). Rare variants had similar frequencies in patients and controls (10.54% and 10.15%, respectively, p=0.75), and no cumulative effect of carrying more than one MC1R variant was found. The current study does not support a role for the MC1R p.R160W and other variants in susceptibility for PD or RBD.

Keyphrases: Genetics, MC1R, Melanoma, Parkinson disease