INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 04 Program Schedule 02/15/2024 12:00 pm - 01:15 pm Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 04: Neuroimaging \| Neurostimulation/Neuromodulation \| Teleneuropsychology/Technology Final Abstract #17 Useful Field of View and Functional Brain Connectivity in Youth Tyler Busch, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States Nishta Amin, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States Hsuan-Wei Chen, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States Beth Slomine, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States Stacy Suskauer, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States Adrian Svingos, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States Category: Neurophysiology/EEG/ERP/fMRI Keyword 1: neuroimaging: functional connectivity Keyword 2: cognitive rehabilitation Keyword 3: sports-related neuropsychology Objective: Temporal synchrony among brain regions, or functional connectivity, is thought to be important for information processing. Functional connectivity within attention and control brain networks is related to Useful Field of View (UFOV) task performance in adults and predicts improvements in visual processing efficiency following UFOV cognitive training. However, it is unclear if similar relationships are observed in youth. To this end, we examined the association between functional connectivity and visual processing efficiency, assessed via the UFOV Selective Attention task, in a sample of typically developing youth. Participants and Methods: The sample included 14 typically developing adolescents (Mage=14.91, SD=1.99, Range=11-17; 64.29% Male; 85.71% White). 57.14% participated in at least one school or travel sport in their lifetime. Four participants (28.57%) had a history of concussion with full clinical recovery and clearance for return to all activities (Mdays since injury=426.5, SD=15.86, Rangedays=410–442). All participants completed two fMRI scans during a single study visit: one while staring at a crosshair and one during a finger-tapping task. We combined low-motion data from both scans (Mscan time=14.25 minutes, Rangescan time=6.54-15.50 minutes; Mframewise displacement=0.27 mm, Rangeframewise displacement=0.09-1.12 mm). Participants completed the UFOV Assessment outside of the scanner. During Selective Attention trials, participants are asked to identify which of two vehicles were briefly presented in the center of the screen, as well as identify the location of another vehicle presented simultaneously in the periphery among distractors. Threshold scores (ms) represent the shortest stimulus duration at which participants achieve 80% accuracy using an adaptive staircase algorithm. Correlations were explored between demographic variables, connectivity values (within-network connectivity for DMN, DAN, CON, and FPCN), and UFOV Selective Attention threshold scores. For non-normally distributed data, Spearman correlations were used. Results: Demographic variables were not associated with Selective Attention performance or within-network connectivity. Within-network connectivity for CON (rs(14)=-0.62, p=0.018), DAN (rs(14)=-0.67, p=0.009), and DMN (rs(14)=-0.62, p=0.017) were significantly negatively associated with Selective Attention scores. Youth with more efficient visual processing (lower threshold scores) showed stronger connectivity (temporal synchrony) within these networks. Conclusions: Consistent with previously reported findings in adults, youth with stronger synchrony within CON and DAN regions demonstrated better selective attention. The CON may support sustained attention and suppression of irrelevant stimuli, while the DAN may be important in phasic alertness and visual distractor suppression. In contrast to the adult UFOV literature, we did not observe a relationship between FPCN functional connectivity and selective attention; however, youth with stronger DMN functional connectivity also demonstrated better selective attention. Larger samples are needed to determine the source of these discrepancies between our youth sample and adults. These findings may reflect the unique needs and functioning of youth and people with a history of TBI. Of note, these results are specific to youth ages 11 and older, and future work is needed with younger children. In addition, future research should explore fMRI data collected in youth while only at rest or during an in-scanner UFOV task, as the concatenation of resting and finger-tapping fMRI data may also impact these findings.

Poster

02/15/2024
12:00 pm - 01:15 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 04: Neuroimaging | Neurostimulation/Neuromodulation | Teleneuropsychology/Technology

Final Abstract #17

Useful Field of View and Functional Brain Connectivity in Youth

Tyler Busch, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States
Nishta Amin, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States
Hsuan-Wei Chen, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States
Beth Slomine, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
Stacy Suskauer, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
Adrian Svingos, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States

Category: Neurophysiology/EEG/ERP/fMRI

Keyword 1: neuroimaging: functional connectivity
Keyword 2: cognitive rehabilitation
Keyword 3: sports-related neuropsychology

Objective:

Temporal synchrony among brain regions, or functional connectivity, is thought to be important for information processing. Functional connectivity within attention and control brain networks is related to Useful Field of View (UFOV) task performance in adults and predicts improvements in visual processing efficiency following UFOV cognitive training. However, it is unclear if similar relationships are observed in youth. To this end, we examined the association between functional connectivity and visual processing efficiency, assessed via the UFOV Selective Attention task, in a sample of typically developing youth.

Participants and Methods:

The sample included 14 typically developing adolescents (Mage=14.91, SD=1.99, Range=11-17; 64.29% Male; 85.71% White). 57.14% participated in at least one school or travel sport in their lifetime. Four participants (28.57%) had a history of concussion with full clinical recovery and clearance for return to all activities (Mdays since injury=426.5, SD=15.86, Rangedays=410–442).

All participants completed two fMRI scans during a single study visit: one while staring at a crosshair and one during a finger-tapping task. We combined low-motion data from both scans (Mscan time=14.25 minutes, Rangescan time=6.54-15.50 minutes; Mframewise displacement=0.27 mm, Rangeframewise displacement=0.09-1.12 mm). Participants completed the UFOV Assessment outside of the scanner. During Selective Attention trials, participants are asked to identify which of two vehicles were briefly presented in the center of the screen, as well as identify the location of another vehicle presented simultaneously in the periphery among distractors. Threshold scores (ms) represent the shortest stimulus duration at which participants achieve 80% accuracy using an adaptive staircase algorithm. Correlations were explored between demographic variables, connectivity values (within-network connectivity for DMN, DAN, CON, and FPCN), and UFOV Selective Attention threshold scores. For non-normally distributed data, Spearman correlations were used.

Results:

Demographic variables were not associated with Selective Attention performance or within-network connectivity. Within-network connectivity for CON (rs(14)=-0.62, p=0.018), DAN (rs(14)=-0.67, p=0.009), and DMN (rs(14)=-0.62, p=0.017) were significantly negatively associated with Selective Attention scores. Youth with more efficient visual processing (lower threshold scores) showed stronger connectivity (temporal synchrony) within these networks.

Conclusions:

Consistent with previously reported findings in adults, youth with stronger synchrony within CON and DAN regions demonstrated better selective attention. The CON may support sustained attention and suppression of irrelevant stimuli, while the DAN may be important in phasic alertness and visual distractor suppression. In contrast to the adult UFOV literature, we did not observe a relationship between FPCN functional connectivity and selective attention; however, youth with stronger DMN functional connectivity also demonstrated better selective attention. Larger samples are needed to determine the source of these discrepancies between our youth sample and adults. These findings may reflect the unique needs and functioning of youth and people with a history of TBI. Of note, these results are specific to youth ages 11 and older, and future work is needed with younger children. In addition, future research should explore fMRI data collected in youth while only at rest or during an in-scanner UFOV task, as the concatenation of resting and finger-tapping fMRI data may also impact these findings.