Dina E. Hill

Magnetic resonance imaging correlates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children.

This study compared magnetic resonance imaging size differences in several brain regions and neurocognitive function in a group of male and female children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with no comorbid learning disorders with a normal control group of children. The ADHD group demonstrated smaller total brain, superior prefrontal, and right superior prefrontal volumes, as well as significantly smaller areas for cerebellar lobules I-V and VIII-X, total corpus callosum area, and splenium. No group differences were observed for the inferior prefrontal, caudate, or cerebellar volumes, or for the area of cerebellar lobules VI-VII. In the ADHD group but not in the control group, greater right superior prefrontal volume predicted poorer performance on a test of sustained attention. Patterns of brain abnormality did not differ in male and female children with ADHD.

Community reinforcement and family training (CRAFT): engaging unmotivated drug users in treatment.

Although motivation for drug abuse treatment is a substantial problem, unilateral intervention through concerned significant others (CSOs) represents a promising method for engaging unmotivated individuals. The Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) program, based on principles of reinforcement was developed for this specific purpose. In Phase I, CSOs received the CRAFT intervention, whereby they were taught skills for modifying a loved ones drug-using behavior and for enhancing treatment engagement. CSOs were evaluated at 3 and 6 months. In Phase II, engaged drug users received treatment using the Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA). A total of 62 CSOs participated in this evaluation of the effectiveness of CRAFT. CSOs completed, on average, 87% of offered treatment sessions. During the 6-month study period, 74% succeeded in engaging their resistant loved one in treatment. Reported abstinence both from illicit drugs and alcohol increased significantly for drug users engaged in treatment, but not for unengaged cases. All CSOs showed significant reduction in depression, anxiety, anger, and physical symptoms, with average scores dropping into the normal range on all measures. CRAFT provides a promising alternative to confrontational and detachment approaches in counseling CSOs to help their loved ones.

Predictors of Treatment Outcome in Young Children with Autism A Retrospective Study

This study examined predictors of developmental outcomes in 17 children diagnosed with autism or PDD-NOS, who received generic treatment over a mean period of 37 months. Pre-treatment evaluations occurred at a mean age of 31 months with follow-up evaluations at a mean age of 69 months. Significantly different developmental trajectories were observed among the participants at follow-up, separating the participants into two distinct groups (high and low outcome). However, groups did not differ significantly in treatment intensity or other outcome prediction measures. Pre-treatment developmental intelligence levels between the two groups approached significance. The results raise questions regarding the effect of treatment intensity and type, family stress factors, and intelligence ability in very early childhood on, outcome.

Developmental Instability and Working Memory Ability in Children: A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Investigation

This study of children (ages 7 through 12) wishes to determine (a) whether variation in frontal lobe brain chemistry, determined from proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS), is related to performance on a working memory task in children, and (b) whether developmental instability (DI; the imprecise expression of the genetic plan for development due to several known genetic and environmental effects) underlies phenotypic variation in brain chemistry. 1H-MRS assessed neurometabolites in a right frontal white matter voxel. The Visual Two-Back test assessed working memory. A composite measure of DI was created from measures of minor physical anomalies, fluctuating asymmetry of body characteristics, and fluctuating asymmetry of dermatoglyphic features. Greater DI strongly predicted lower concentrations of creatine-phosphocreatine (Cre) and choline-containing compounds, whereas Cre and N-acetyl-aspartate positively correlated with working memory skills. Working memory skills thus seem related to frontal lobe energy metabolism, which in turn is related to DI.

MRI Morphometric and Neuropsychological Correlates of Long-Term Memory in Survivors of Childhood Leukemia {

Long‐term survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are reported to have post‐treatment neurological changes as well as neuropsychological changes. Few studies have investigated the relationship between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumetric measurements of brain regions of interest and cognitive functioning. This study examined the relationship between hippocampal volumes and long‐term memory abilities in survivors of ALL.

Executive Functions Contribute Uniquely to Reading Competence in Minority Youth

Competent reading requires various skills beyond those for basic word reading (i.e., core language skills, rapid naming, phonological processing). Contributing “higher-level” or domain-general processes include information processing speed and executive functions (working memory, strategic problem solving, attentional switching). Research in this area has relied on largely Caucasian samples, with limited representation of children from racial or ethnic minority groups. This study examined contributions of executive skills to reading competence in 761 children of minority backgrounds. Hierarchical linear regressions examined unique contributions of executive functions (EF) to word reading, fluency, and comprehension. EF contributed uniquely to reading performance, over and above reading-related language skills; working memory contributed uniquely to all components of reading; while attentional switching, but not problem solving, contributed to isolated and contextual word reading and reading fluency. Problem solving uniquely predicted comprehension, suggesting that this skill may be especially important for reading comprehension in minority youth. Attentional switching may play a unique role in development of reading fluency in minority youth, perhaps as a result of the increased demand for switching between spoken versus written dialects. Findings have implications for educational and clinical practice with regard to reading instruction, remedial reading intervention, and assessment of individuals with reading difficulty.

Reading-Related Causal Attributions for Success and Failure: Dynamic Links with Reading Skill.

The present study investigated the relation among reading skills and attributions, naming speed, and phonological awareness across a wide range of reading skill. Participants were 1,105 school-age children and youths from two understudied populations: African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Individual assessments of children ranging in age from 8 to 15 years were conducted for reading outcomes, cognitive and linguistic predictors of reading, and attributions for success and failure in reading situations. Quantile regressions were formulated to estimate these relations across the full skill span of each outcome. Reading-related attributions predicted contextual word recognition, sight word and decoding fluency, and comprehension skills. Attributions to ability in success situations were positively related to each outcome across the full span. On three reading outcomes, this relation strengthened at higher skill levels. Attributions to effort in success situations were consistently and negatively related to all reading outcomes. The results provide evidence that the strength of the relation between reading and attributions varies according to reading skill levels, with the strongest evidence for ability-based attributions in situations of reading success.

Causal Attribution Profiles as a Function of Reading Skills, Hyperactivity, and Inattention

ABSTRACT The causes that individuals attribute to reading outcomes shape future behaviors, including engagement or persistence with learning tasks. Although previous reading motivation research has examined differences between typical and struggling readers, there may be unique dynamics related to varying levels of reading and attention skills. Using latent profile analysis, we found 4 groups informed by internal attributions to ability and effort. Reading skills, inattention, and hyperactivity/impulsivity were investigated as functional correlates of attribution profiles. Participants were 1,312 youth (8–15 years of age) of predominantly African American and Hispanic racial/ethnic heritage. More adaptive attribution profiles had greater reading performance and lower inattention. The reverse was found for the least adaptive profile with associations to greater reading and attention difficulties. Distinct attribution profiles also existed across similar-achieving groups. Understanding reading-related attributions may inform instructional efforts in reading. Promoting adaptive attributions may foster engagement with texts despite learning difficulties and, in turn, support reading achievement.

Multivariate genome-wide association study of rapid automatized naming and rapid alternating stimulus in Hispanic and African American youth.

Reading disability is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by difficulties in reading despite educational opportunity and normal intelligence. Rapid automatized naming (RAN) and rapid alternating stimulus (RAS) are reliable predictors of reading outcome and involve the integration of different neural and cognitive processes required in a mature reading brain. Most studies examining the genetic basis of RAN and RAS have focused on pedigree-based analyses in samples of European descent, with limited representation of groups with Hispanic or African ancestry. In the present study, we conducted a multivariate genome-wide association analysis to identify shared genetic factors that contribute to performance across RAN Objects, RAN Letters, and RAS Letters/Numbers in a sample of Hispanic and African American youth. We then tested whether they also contribute to variance in reading fluency and word reading. Genome-wide significant, pleiotropic, effects across RAN Objects, RAN Letters, and RAS Letters/Numbers were observed for SNPs located on chromosome 10q23.31, which also showed significant association with reading fluency and word reading performance. Bioinformatic analysis of this region using extant epigenetic data from the NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Mapping Consortium indicates functionality in the brain. Neuroimaging genetic analysis showed that rs1555839, the top associated SNP, was also associated with cortical volume in the right inferior parietal cortex—a region of the brain that processes numerical information and that is activated in reading disabled individuals performing reading tasks. This study provides support for a novel locus on chromosome 10q23.31 associated with RAN, RAS, and reading-related performance. AUTHOR SUMMARY Reading disability has a strong genetic component that is explained by multiple genes and genetic factors. The complex genetic architecture along with diverse cognitive impairments associated with reading disability, poses challenges in identifying novel genes and variants that confer risk. One method to parse out genetic and neurobiological mechanisms that contribute to reading disability is to take advantage of the high correlation among reading-related cognitive traits like rapid automatized naming (RAN) and rapid alternating stimulus (RAS) to identify shared genetic factors that contribute to common biological mechanisms. In the present study, we used a multivariate genome-wide analysis approach that identified a region of chromosome 10q23.31 associated with variation in RAN Objects, RAN Letters, and RAS Letters/Numbers performance in a sample of Hispanic and African American youth. Genetic variants in this region were also associated with reading fluency and differences in brain structures implicated in reading disability. The gene, RNLS, is located within the implicated region of chromosome 10q23.31 and plays a role in breaking down a class of chemical messengers known to affect attention, learning, and memory in the brain. These findings provide a basis to inform our understanding of the biological basis of reading disability.

Adolescent Self-Reported Alcohol/Other Drug Use Consequences: Moderators of Self- and Parent Agreement

Although the reliability of assessment instruments designed for use with adults is well established, much less is known about the adequacy of these instruments for adolescent substance abusers. As part of a comprehensive intake evaluation, the Inventory of Drug Use Consequences (InDUC) was administered to 40 adolescents assigned to a probationary substance abuse treatment program and to one of their parents. The correlation was statistically significant between parent and adolescent InDUC score(s), but the interrater reliability was relatively low. IQ scores and level of substance use were considered as moderator variables, but neither showed a significant effect. History of head injury, however, significantly moderated this relationship; those adolescents reporting no history of head injury showed little correspondence with parent InDUC score(s), whereas those adolescents with a history of head injury showed significant correlations with parent InDUC scores. This suggests that a history of head injury may affect the way in which adolescents perceive substance-related consequences.