Michel Duyme

How much could we boost scholastic achievement and IQ scores? A direct answer from a French adoption study.

Abstract We observed 32 subjects whose biological parents were both unskilled workers. Abandoned at birth, the subjects had been placed at approximately 4 months of age into families spanning the top 13% of the socio-professional scale. The effects of this change in social class were estimated by comparisons with groups of children of unskilled workers observed in two large scale studies. An internal control group was also available for 20 of the 32 subjects: the biological half-siblings who had been reared in their ‘natural’ environment. The effects observed are an increase of 14 IQ points in the mean IQ score estimated with 2 tests and a reduction by a factor of 4 in the probability of repeating a grade. These are significant despite the small number of subjects; we have shown that the bulk of these effects cannot be attributed to methodological biases. Our observations thus provide a direct quantitative answer to the question posed by Jensen in 1969.

Severe preeclampsia is associated with high inhibin A levels and normal leptin levels at 7 to 13 weeks into pregnancy

OBJECTIVEnThe purpose of this study was to determine whether maternal serum inhibin A and leptin concentrations changed in the first trimester of pregnancy in patients in whom severe preeclampsia subsequently developed.nnnSTUDY DESIGNnBlood samples were collected prospectively from patients during the first trimester of prenatal care. Patients in whom severe preeclampsia with no evidence of glucose intolerance or gestational diabetes mellitus subsequently developed were identified (study group, 30 patients) and matched with control subjects in a 1:2 ratio (control group, 60 patients). Inhibin A and leptin concentrations were determined in these first-trimester serum samples for both the study and control groups.nnnRESULTSnLeptin levels were correlated highly with body mass index in both groups but were not correlated with the subsequent onset of preeclampsia. Serum inhibin A concentrations were significantly higher in women in whom preeclampsia subsequently developed than in women in whom it did not. With a specific cutoff value, the estimated odds for severe preeclampsia were almost five times higher in women with high inhibin A concentrations than in women with normal levels (odds ratio, 4.93; 95% CI, 1.83, 13.28).nnnCONCLUSIONnHigh serum inhibin A levels in the first trimester of pregnancy could be used as an early risk marker for preeclampsia.

Is There a Negative Correlation between Explicit Memory and Hippocampal Volume

The aim of this research was to study the relationship between explicit memory and hippocampal volume. Seventy healthy adults were administered one implicit memory test and one explicit memory (EM) test and underwent magnetic resonance imaging. The major finding was a negative correlation between the EM test and the right hippocampus/brain volume ratio (t = -0.25, P = 0.03) and the left hippocampus/brain volume ratio (t = -0.27, P = 0.02). This finding is not consistent with pathologic findings, which tend to show a relationship between decrease in memory performance and hippocampal atrophy. This discrepancy is discussed.

Perinatal mortality in twin pregnancies: a 3-year analysis in Seine Saint-Denis (France)

OBJECTIVESnOur purpose was to evaluate perinatal mortality in twins and to investigate factors associated with this mortality.nnnSTUDY DESIGNnA prospective study on the perinatal mortality was performed in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis. Out of all the perinatal deaths, we have retrospectively isolated those arising from twin pregnancies.nnnRESULTSnThere were 54 twin pregnancies complicated with perinatal death. The perinatal mortality rate in twin pregnancy was 78.0 per 1000 twin babies delivered. Out of 86 twin deaths, 38 (44.2%) were born before 28 weeks gestation and out of 82 twin perinatal deaths, 37 (45.1%) weighed less than 1000 g. Chorionicity was recorded in 44 twin pairs: 21 (47.7%) were dichorionic and 23 (52.3%) monochorionic. Finally, out of 48 twin sets there were four (8.3%) monoamniotic pregnancies.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe present data show that extreme prematurity represents nearly half of perinatal mortality in twins. This study indicates also a significant proportion of monochorionic placentation among twin pregnancies with poor outcome.

Relationship between attentional performance and corpus callosum morphometry in patients with Alzheimer’s disease

There has been considerable interest in cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimers disease (AD) and relationships between these impairments and specific cortical atrophies. Two previous studies [Neuropsychologia 28 (1990) 1197; Dementia 3 (1992) 350] have found that AD patients exhibit significant impairments in the attentional ID/ED set-shifting tasks of the CANTAB battery which involved attentional shifting abilities. But, at present, no study has examined the neural bases of these abilities in AD patients. In the present study, the relationship between performances on this attentional test and morphometry of the anterior and posterior corpus callosum is examined in AD patients in the mild to moderate stages of the disease (n=30, mean age=74.1+/-4.9 years, mean MMSE score=23.9+/-2.6). A control group is constituted (n=20, mean age=73.15+/-5.5 years) for comparison of cerebral measurements. The stepwise multiple regression analysis indicates that the relative contribution for the total callosal and the anterior CC areas of the simple discrimination subtest is significantly positive whereas for the posterior callosal areas the relative contribution of the more complex subtest is significantly positive. AD patients from the subgroup low, who failed to do the nine subtests of the attentional set-shifting tasks, exhibit smaller callosal areas than control subjects. There is no significant difference for all callosal measurements between AD patients from the subgroup high, who completely succeeded the test, and control subjects. Our findings suggest that the anterior corpus callosum would be related to attentional shifting abilities in AD patients. Moreover, these patients with probable AD seem heterogeneous for performances in the attentional test of the CANTAB and for callosal atrophies.

Foster Children: Risk Factors and Development at a Preschool Age.

The objective of this study was to describe the family backgrounds, health and developmental characteristics of 127 children from disadvantaged and deprived environments who were adopted after the age of 4. They had below‐average IQ scores. A second aim was to analyse the origins of IQ variations and the effects of peri and post‐natal variables on behaviour problems. Parental psychosocial antecedents, medical and health problems, and difficulties in infancy were more frequent in this group than in the general population. Forty‐eight percent of the children had emotional and/or behavioural problems. Despite the retrospective aspect of this research, the results are consistent with other epidemiological and longitudinal studies. Some risk factors were greater for maltreated children:maternal alcoholism and mental retardation (p<0.01 and p<0.05), family problems (p<0.001). Peri‐ and neo‐natal risk factors (pregnancy and delivery complications: p<0.05, respiratory distress: p<0.01) were accompanied by signifi...

Formative Assessment Based on an Audit and Feedback Improves Nuchal Translucency Ultrasound Image Quality

The purpose of this work was to study the impact of an audit and feedback on the quality of routine first‐trimester nuchal transparency ultrasound images.