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Abstract Background The development of the zebrafish visual system is significantly influenced by exposure to monochromatic light, yet investigations into its effects during juvenile stages are lacking. This study evaluated the impacts of varying intensities and durations of red and blue monochromatic light on the visual system and dopamine pathways in juvenile zebrafish. Methods Juvenile zebrafish were exposed to red (650 nm) and blue (440 nm, 460 nm) monochromatic lights over four days at intensities ranging from 500 to 10,000 lx, for durations of 6, 10, and 14 h daily. A control group was maintained under standard laboratory conditions. Post-exposure assessments included the optokinetic response (OKR), retinal structural analysis, ocular dopamine levels, and the expression of genes related to dopamine pathways (Th, Dat, and Mao). Results (1) OKR enhancement was observed with increased 440 nm light intensity, while 460 nm and 650 nm light exposures showed initial improvements followed by declines at higher intensities. (2) Retinal thinning in the outer nuclear layer was observed under the most intense (10,000 lx for 14 h) light conditions in the 440 nm and 650 nm groups, while the 460 nm group remained unaffected. (3) Dopamine levels increased with higher intensities in the 440 nm group, whereas the 460 nm group exhibited initial increases followed by decreases. The 650 nm group displayed similar trends but were statistically insignificant compared to the control group. (4) Th expression increased with light intensity in the 440 nm group. Dat showed a rising and then declining pattern, and Mao expression significantly decreased. The 460 nm group exhibited similar patterns for Th and Dat to the behavioral observations, but an inverse pattern for Mao. The 650 nm group presented significant fluctuations in Th and Dat expressions, with pronounced variations in Mao. Conclusions Specific red and blue monochromatic light conditions promote visual system development in juvenile zebrafish. However, exceeding these optimal conditions may impair visual function, highlighting the critical role of dopamine pathway in modulating light-induced effects on the visual system.

Researchers have begun to investigate the relationship between eye movement characteristics of gaze patterns and cognitive abilities, and have attempted to use eye-tracking technology as a new method to evaluate cognitive abilities. Traditional eye movement analysis methods typically separate spatial and temporal information of eye movements, mostly analyze averaged data, and consider individual differences as noise. In addition, current eye movement studies on gaze patterns mostly involve adults, while research on infants and toddlers is limited with small sample sizes and narrow age ranges. It is still unknown whether the conclusions drawn from adult-based research can be applied to children. Consequently, eye movement research on gaze patterns in children is necessary. To address the concerns stated above, this study used the Hidden Markov machine learning method to model gaze patterns of 330 children aged 1–6 years while observing faces freely, and analyzed characteristics of eye movement gaze patterns. Additionally, we analyzed the correlation between gaze patterns of 31 toddlers aged 1–3 years and 37 preschoolers aged 4–6 years, and the different dimensions of cognitive abilities. The findings indicated that children exhibited holistic and analytic gaze patterns while observing different faces freely. More children adopted a holistic gaze pattern, and there were age-specific gaze pattern characteristics and regularities. Gaze patterns of toddlers may be correlated with their adaptive abilities and gaze patterns of preschoolers may be correlated with their visual space abilities. Specifically, toddlers aged 1–3 years showed a moderate negative correlation between the H-A scale and the adaptive dimension, while preschoolers aged 4–6 years showed a low negative correlation between the H-A scale and the visual space dimension. This study may provide new insights into the characteristics of children’s eye-movement gaze patterns during face observation, and potentially offer objective evidence for future research aimed at promoting the use of eye-tracking technology in the assessment of toddlers’ adaptive abilities and preschoolers’ visual space abilities in the field of face perception.

Highlights NRXN1 depletion induced anxiety-like behaviors and abnormal social phenotypes in rats. Knockdown of NRXN1 impaired neurite outgrowth in primary neurons. Downregulation of NRXN1 might downregulate the proteins associated with cell morphology and membrane structure

Abstract Severe asthma is the main reason for death and disability caused by asthma. However, effective biomarkers for severe asthma have not been identified. Here, we aimed to identify potential biomarkers in severe asthma. We identified 202 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between severe asthma and mild-moderate asthma after integrating the results from GSE69683 and GSE27011 datasets. The enrichment analysis indicated that 202 DEGs were associated with metabolism- and immune-related processes. 10 hub genes were identified by Cytoscape and five of these genes’ AUC (area under the curve) values were greater than 0.6 in GSE69683. The AUC value reached to 0.701 when combined SEC61A1 and ALDH18A1 expression. The expression of the five hub genes was verified in an external dataset. The network analysis revealed that transcription factor (TF) WT1, ZEB1, RERE, FOSL1, and miR-20a may be involved in the development of asthma. In addition, we found cyclosporine and acetaminophen could interact with these hub genes and may be negatively associated with most of the five hub genes according to previous reports. Overall, key genes were identified between mild-moderate and severe asthmatics, which contributed to the understanding of the development of asthma.

ObjectiveThis study primarily aimed to develop an orthographic knowledge awareness scale in Mandarin for children aged 6–12 years. Related factors affecting orthographic knowledge awareness in children were analyzed, and a basis for individualized intervention was provided to improve reading and writing.MethodsA conceptual framework for orthographic knowledge awareness in children aged 6–12 years was determined through a detailed reading of the literature on Chinese character orthography, combined with qualitative interviews of the target population and consultation with experts. The orthographic knowledge awareness scale initially consisted of three versions: for grades 1–2 (210 items), grades 3–4 (207 items), and grades 5–6 (220 items), accumulating a total of 637 items. The initial scale was then used for the study involving children aged 6–12 years in Maanshan City, Jiangsu Province. Various approaches to screening items were comprehensively used to determine the formal version of the orthographic knowledge awareness scale. The official scale was ultimately used to conduct the third round of surveys among 1,354 children aged 6–12 years in ordinary primary schools located in 5 cities in Jiangsu Province, namely, Changzhou, Lianyungang, Nantong, Xuzhou, and Yangzhou. The reliability, validity, and discriminating power of the formal scale were evaluated.ResultsA total of 360 items were included in the formal version of the orthographic knowledge awareness scale. The formal scale was divided into three versions for grades 1–2, 3–4, and 5–6. Each grade version consisted of 120 items. The scale was composed of the stroke awareness test, radical awareness test, and left–right reversal test. The cumulative variance contribution rates of grades 1–2, 3–4, and 5–6 were 82.47, 61.71, and 64.19%, respectively. The Cronbach's α coefficients of the three-grade version of the scale were 0.989, 0.946, and 0.938; the split-half reliability coefficients were 0.925, 0.766, and 0.847; and the test–retest reliability coefficients were 0.847, 0.895, and 0.8928, respectively.ConclusionThe proposed orthographic knowledge awareness scale for children aged 6–12 years exhibits good reliability and validity. The formal scale consisted of two dimensions: identification of left–right reversal at the stroke and radical levels and the left–right reversal at the whole character level. The two dimensions can more comprehensively reflect the ability of children to discriminate orthographic structures.

Abstract Background World Health Organisation (WHO) Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep for Children under 5 Years of Age were released in 2019. The aim of this study was to examine the proportion of Chinese kindergarten children who met each individual guideline and each combination of the guidelines and the associations with adiposity. Methods Participants were 254 kindergarten children aged 4.1–6.3 years recruited from three kindergartens in urban area of Beijing. Physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep duration were assessed using 24-h accelerometry over three consecutive days. Screen time was reported by parents. Weight and height were measured; and children were categorised into normal weight and overweight/obese groups according to the WHO age- and sex- specific criteria. Frequency analyses were performed to examine the proportion of children meeting individual and combination of these guidelines. Logistics regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between guideline compliance and adiposity. Results The proportion of children who met the physical activity (≥ 3 h daily physical activity, including ≥1 h daily moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA)), sedentary screen time (

Objective To evaluate the development level of children’s physiological hand shape indicators and their relationship with grip/pinch strength. Methods Hand shape and grip/pinch strength in 1255 Chinese children aged 5 to 13 years were prospectively measured. Development curves of physiological hand shape indicators and grip/pinch strength were constructed. Results The physiological hand shape indicators (full length, middle finger length, width, and wrist thickness) and grip/pinch strength of boys and girls increased with age and showed statistically significant differences at different ages. In most age groups, hand shape indicators and grip/pinch strength were larger in boys than in girls of the same age. After puberty, the physiological hand shape indicators and grip/pinch strength increased more rapidly in girls than in boys of the same age, and the differences gradually decreased thereafter. Moreover, a significant difference in pinch strength between the right and left hands was observed in most age groups. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the physiological hand shape indicators were significantly positively correlated with grip/pinch strength, height, weight, and body mass index. Conclusions This study revealed the relationship between physiological hand shape indicators and grip/pinch strength and provided reference ranges of physiological hand shape indicators and grip/pinch strength for children.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It may be accompanied by learning difficulties and working memory deficits. Few studies have examined the role of miRNAs in cognitive dysfunction in ADHD. This study investigated the effects of aberrant miR-384-5p expression on learning and memory in a widely used ADHD rat model. Lentiviral vectors were injected into the lateral ventricles of the rats to increase or decrease miR-384-5p level. To determine whether aberrant miR-384-5p expression affects learning and memory, spontaneous activity and cognitive function were assessed with the open field and Morris water maze tests. In the place navigation experiment of the Morris water maze test, time, and total swimming distance to reach the platform decreased compared to the control group when miR-384-5p was overexpressed, whereas down-regulation of miR-384-5p had the opposite effect. There were no obvious changes in brain tissue morphology following miR-384-5p overexpression or inhibition; however, dopamine (DA) receptor D1 (DRD1) level has decreased and increased, respectively, in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The luciferase activity of the wild-type DRD1 group has decreased in luciferase reporter assay. Cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation has increased, and DA transporter (DAT) level has decreased in the PFC of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) by miR-384-5p overexpression. On the other hand, miR-384-5p suppression increased DRD1 and decreased DAT and CREB protein levels relative to control rats. These findings suggest that miR-384-5p may play a critical role in learning and memory impairment in ADHD.

BACKGROUND:Handwriting ability is related to many neuronal functions, such as visual-perceptual skills, orthographic coding, motor planning and execution, kinesthetic feedback and visual-motor coordination. To date, there is no specific assessment tool for to assess preschool children's handwriting ability in Mainland China. Our study aimed to develop a tool to assess the handwriting ability of children aged 5-6 years old in Mainland China and to analyze its reliability and validity. METHODS:The investigation comprised three phases: 1) original tool generation, 2) tool revision, 3) reliability analysis (i.e., interrater, test-retest) and validity analysis (i.e., content, criterion). RESULTS:The sample included a total of 482 children. The internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) was 0.74. The test-retest correlation coefficients ranged from 0.38 to 0.80. As expected, our data showed an improving trend in handwriting, and differences in respect to age and gender. When compared with the 'handwriting difficulty' group, each subtest score of children in the 'normal' group showed significant differences (p < 0.05). The correlation validity, compared with the visual-motor integration development test (VMI), was 0.17-0.52. CONCLUSION:The Handwriting Test for Preschool Children (HT-PRE), which is a newly developed handwriting screening tool for preschool children aged 5-6 years old in Mainland China, has displayed a very good internal consistency, acceptable test-retest reproducibility, and good criterion-based validity, and has also shown good application prospects for handwriting difficulty screening in a clinical setting.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of auditory processing (AP) in preschool children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using the speech auditory brainstem response (speech-ABR), which provides insights into the AP of speech signals in the central auditory nervous system (CANS). Method: A total of 84 preschool children diagnosed with ADHD, aged 4-6 years, were matched with 84 typically developing (TD) children based on gender and age. All children underwent speech-ABR testing, cognitive assessment using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence--Fourth Edition or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Fourth Edition, and a continuous performance test. Results: Children with ADHD exhibited significantly longer latencies of speech-ABR waveforms V, A, and D compared to TD children. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the latencies of speech-ABR waves V, A, and D were affected by the presence of ADHD, but not by the full-scale intelligence quotient. Conclusions: This study revealed that preschool children with ADHD exhibited abnormal AP of speech signals in their CANS. The findings suggest that speech-ABR can be utilized as a reliable measure to evaluate AP ability in this population, as it remains unaffected by cognitive or attentional factors. The transient response (V, A) of speech-ABR was found to be a significant predictor of ADHD in a clinical setting. Early assessment of AP abnormalities via speech-ABR is recommended in preschool-age children to develop targeted interventions for ADHD.

The Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test is commonly used as a clinical visual-verbal ocular motor assessment tool to screen and diagnose reading problems at the onset. No established norm exists for using the DEM test with Mandarin Chinese-speaking Chinese children. This study aims to establish the normative values of the DEM test for the Mandarin Chinese-speaking population in China; it also aims to compare the values with three other published norms for English-, Spanish-, and Cantonese-speaking Chinese children. A random stratified sampling method was used to recruit children from eight kindergartens and eight primary schools in the main urban and suburban areas of Nanjing. A total of 1,425 Mandarin Chinese-speaking children aged 5 to 12 years took the DEM test in Mandarin Chinese. A digital recorder was used to record the process. All of the subjects completed a symptomatology survey, and their DEM scores were determined by a trained tester. The scores were computed using the formula in the DEM manual, except that the "vertical scores" were adjusted by taking the vertical errors into consideration. The results were compared with the three other published norms. In our subjects, a general decrease with age was observed for the four eye movement indexes: vertical score, adjusted horizontal score, ratio, and total error. For both the vertical and adjusted horizontal scores, the Mandarin Chinese-speaking children completed the tests much more quickly than the norms for English- and Spanish-speaking children. However, the same group completed the test slightly more slowly than the norms for Cantonese-speaking children. The differences in the means were significant (P0.05); compared with Spanish-speaking children, the scores were statistically significant (P0.05). DEM norms may be affected by differences in language, cultural, and educational systems among various ethnicities. The norms of the DEM test are proposed for use with Mandarin Chinese-speaking children in Nanjing and will be proposed for children throughout China.