Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Neural Bases Of Phonological And Semantic Processing In Early Childhood, Avantika Mathur, Douglas H. Schultz, Yingying Wang Dr.

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

During the early period of reading development, children gain phonological (letter-to-sound mapping) and semantic knowledge (storage and retrieval of word meaning). Their reading ability changes rapidly, accompanied by learning-induced brain plasticity as they learn to read. This study aims at identifying the neural bases of phonological and semantic processing in early childhood by using a combination of univariate and multivariate pattern analysis. Nineteen typically developing children between the age of five and seven performed visual word-level phonological (rhyming) and semantic (related meaning) judgment tasks during functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Our multivariate analysis showed that young children with good reading …

Yoga Birds, Maddy Wagler

Zea E-Books Collection

Singing crows, diving swans, and preening peacocks join eagles in this fun, kid-friendly yoga book. Yoga brings together the mind and body, connecting breath with posture, presence, and play.

Yoga Birds is written by a certified yoga teacher with experience teaching a wide range of students—toddlers to octogenarians. The illustrator is an occasional yogi with a good eye for spotting birds.

This book is designed to be shared and read aloud by adults and children. The easy how-to pose guide includes Sanskrit, too. Young yoga students can develop language skills as they build strength, flexibility, and balance.

The journey of …

The Relationships Between The Home Food Environment And Weight Status Among Children And Adolescents, Ages 6-17 Years, Martha J. Nepper

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The home food environment is an important setting in regard to a child’s dietary intake and the development of obesity, since 65% to 72% of daily calories are consumed in the home. Research is beginning to explore how the home food environment may influence children’s weight status. It is suggested that homes with healthy weight children are more likely to have healthier food options available and limit access to unhealthy foods. Prior research on the influence of the home food environment on children and adolescent’s weight status is not clear, as some researchers have found that the home food environment …

A One-Hour Sleep Restriction Impacts Brain Processing In Young Children Across Tasks: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials, Dennis Molfese, Anna Ivanenko, Alexandra P.F. Key, Adrienne Roman, Victoria J. Molfese, Louise M. O'Brien, David Gozal, Srinivas Kota, Caitlin M. Hudac

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

The effect of mild sleep restriction on cognitive functioning in young children is unclear, yet sleep loss may impact children's abilities to attend to tasks with high processing demands. In a preliminary investigation, six children (6.6 - 8.3 years of age) with normal sleep patterns performed three tasks: attention (“Oddball”), speech perception (conconant-vowel syllables) and executive function (Directional Stroop). Event-related potentials (ERP) responses were recorded before (Control) and following one-week of 1-hour per day of sleep restriction. Brain activity across all tasks following Sleep Restriction differed from activity during Control Sleep, indicating that minor sleep restriction impacts children's neurocognitive functioning.

Sleep Hygiene And Problem Behaviors In Snoring And Non- Snoring School-Age Children, Lisa A. Witcher, David Gozal, Dennis L. Molfese, Scott M. Salathe, Karen Spruyt, Valerie Mclaughlin Crabtree

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Objectives—The effects of sleep-disordered breathing, sleep restriction, dyssomnias, and parasomnias on daytime behavior in children have been previously assessed. However, the potential relationship(s) between sleep hygiene and children’s daytime behavior remain to be explored. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between sleep hygiene and problematic behaviors in non-snoring and habitually snoring children.

Methods—Parents of 100 5- to 8-year-old children who were reported to snore “frequently” to “almost always,” and of 71 age-, gender-, and ethnicity-matched children who were reported to never snore participated in this study. As part of a larger, ongoing study, …

Preschool Children’S Willingness To Try And Preference For Docosahexaenoic Acid Omega-3 Foods, Bethany Joann Bettenhausen

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

During the preschool years, obesigenic eating habits are formed which are strongly associated with risk of developing chronic diseases later in life particularly cardiovascular disease. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) omega-3 fatty acid is a polyunsaturated fat with known benefits for heart health, brain cell structure, and retinal development. Current intakes of DHA are below recommended levels. United States (US) Midwestern children may be particularly at risk for suboptimal intakes of DHA. However, foods fortified with life’sDHA^TM, a product of Martek Biosciences and omega-3 eggs may provide culturally acceptable sources of DHA to Midwestern children.

Very little is known about …

Sleep Duration, Sleep Regularity, Body Weight, And Metabolic Homeostasis In School-Aged Children, Karen Spruyt, Dennis L. Molfese, David Gozal

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to explore the effects of duration and regularity of sleep schedules on BMI and the impact on metabolic regulation in children.

METHODS: Sleep patterns of 308 community-recruited children 4 to 10 years of age were assessed with wrist actigraphs for 1 week in a cross-sectional study, along with BMI assessment. Fasting morning plasma levels of glucose, insulin, lipids, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein also were measured for a subsample.

RESULTS: Children slept 8 hours per night, on average, regardless of their weight categorization. A nonlinear trend between sleep and weight emerged. For obese children, …

Audibility As A Predictor Of Speech Recognition And Listening Effort, Ryan W. Mccreery

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Two studies were conducted to evaluate how audibility influences speech recognition and measures of working memory in children with normal hearing. Specifically, audibility limitations related to background noise and limited bandwidth were analyzed, as these factors are characteristic of the listening conditions encountered by children with hearing loss who wear hearing aids.

In the first study, speech recognition was measured for 117 children and 18 adults with normal hearing. Stimulus bandwidth and the level of background noise were varied systematically in order to evaluate predictions of audibility based on the Speech Intelligibility Index. Results suggested that children with normal hearing …

A Current Examination Of Dietary Intakes Of Fiber, Calcium, Iron, And Zinc And Their Relationship To Blood Lead Levels In U.S. Children Aged 1-5 Years, Stephanie A. Melchert

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A CURRENT EXAMINATION OF DIETARY INTAKES OF FIBER, CALCIUM, IRON, AND ZINC AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO BLOOD LEAD LEVELS IN U.S. CHILDREN AGED 1-5 YEARS Stephanie Ann Melchert, M.S. University of Nebraska, 2010 Adviser: Kaye Stanek Krogstrand The effect of lead on the health and well-being of those exposed has been well documented and many efforts have been made to reduce exposure of lead to the United States population. Despite these efforts, many studies have documented cognitive impairments and behavioral problems in children with even low levels of lead in their blood. Previous studies have suggested that a proper diet …

Frequency And Spatial Characteristics Of Highfrequency Neuromagnetic Signals In Childhood Epilepsy, Jing Xiang, Yang Liu, Yingying Wang, Elijah G. Kirtman, Cincinnati Children’S Hospital Medical Center Kotecha, Yangmei Chen, Xiaolin Huo, Hisako Fujiwara, Nat Hemasilpin, Ki Lee, Francesco T. Mangano, James Leach, Blaise Jones, Ton Degrauw, Douglas Rose

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Purpose. Invasive intracranial recordings have suggested that high-frequency oscillation is involved in epileptogenesis and is highly localized to epileptogenic zones. The aim of the present study is to characterize the frequency and spatial patterns of high-frequency brain signals in childhood epilepsy using a non-invasive technology. Methods. Thirty children with clinically diagnosed epilepsy were studied using a whole head magnetoencephalography (MEG) system. MEG data were digitized at 4 000 Hz. The frequency and spatial characteristics of high-frequency neuromagnetic signals were analyzed using continuous wavelet transform and beamformer. Threedimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was obtained for each patient to localize magnetic sources. …

Parental Beliefs Regarding Developmental Benefits Of Childhood Injuries, Terri Lewis, David Dilillo, Lizette Peterson

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: To assess parental beliefs that minor childhood injuries play a beneficial role in the development of young children.
Methods: Mothers and fathers of 159 children, ages 15 to 40 months, completed the Injury Attitudes Questionnaire (IAQ), designed to assess parental beliefs that children "learn from" and "toughen up" as a result of experiencing minor injuries.
Results: A main effect for parent gender was found such that fathers endorsed stronger beliefs than did mothers regarding the developmental benefits of injuries.
Conclusions: The accuracy of these beliefs as well as their relevance to parental injury-prevention behaviors is discussed.

A Comparison Of Performance On The Towers Of London And Hanoi In Young Children, Rebecca Bull, Kimberly A. Espy, Theresa E. Senn

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory: Faculty and Staff Publications

The Towers of London (TOL) and Hanoi (TOH) have been viewed as equivalent measures of planning and/or problem solving, although recent evidence in adults suggests that the underlying measurement characteristics of these two tasks may differ. As tower tasks are one of the few instruments that can be used to assess executive functioning in young children, the cognitive demands for both tasks merit further examination. Methods: The relation among tower tasks and those of short-term memory, inhibition, and shifting ability were examined in a sample of 118 typically developing young children (M age = 4 years, 9 months, SD = …

Influence Of Information Related To Child Physical Abuse On Professional Ratings Of Adjustment And Prognosis, Virginia M. Deroma, David J. Hansen, Amy C. Tishelman, Peter D'Amico

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The study investigates the influence of access to information of a history of physical maltreatment on the evaluative responding of social service and clinical psychology professionals. Written vignettes were used in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design to manipulate the: (a) presence/absence of abuse history; (b) presence/absence of behavior problems; and (c) gender of the child. Professionals rated children presented in 12 case vignettes along five treatment-related dimensions: (a) overall adjustment; (b) predicted 6 month temporal stability of behavior; (c) likelihood of treatment referral; (d) expected home intervention success; and (e) expected school intervention success. Four dimensions related …