Browsing by Author "Arnold, Paul D"

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    Feasibility and acceptability of implementing a transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy for children impacted by trauma within a residential treatment facility
    (Taylor and Francis Child & Youth Services, 2024-04-26) Lindenbach, David; Anderson, Alida; Wang, Emily; Heintz, Madison; Rowbotham, Melissa; Ehrenreich-May, Jill; Arnold, Paul D; Dimitropoulos, Gina
    The Unified Protocol (UP) is a flexible, transdiagnostic form of cognitive behavioural therapy that effectively treats diverse psychiatric conditions in children, adolescents and adults. However, the UP has not been rigorously evaluated among children who have experienced severe trauma and may have limited caregiver involvement. The present research project was a single arm, open trial examining the feasibility of utilizing the UP within a residential treatment facility for children involved with child welfare authorities who often have limited caregiver involvement. Children (n = 19; age 9-13) and their caregivers (n = 18; age 32-60) participated in 15 weekly therapy sessions of the UP for Children with minor structural and content modifications. Trauma exposure was high among children, especially physical neglect and emotional abuse (89% exposed to each). Fidelity to the manualized intervention was high (88% for children; 89% for caregivers), indicating the intervention was feasible to deliver and that the adaptations did not interfere with fidelity. All children and caregivers completed the intervention, suggesting high acceptability for recipients. Improvements over time in maladaptive cognitions and behaviours (among children and caregivers) provide preliminary evidence for efficacy. The present study provides support for the notion that the UP for Children can be utilized for children who live in residential care and/or those who have experienced high levels of trauma.
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    Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain activity during a mental flexibility task suggests some shared neurobiology in children with neurodevelopmental disorders
    (2019-08-19) Mogadam, Alexandra; Keller, Anne E; Arnold, Paul D; Schachar, Russell; Lerch, Jason P; Anagnostou, Evdokia; Pang, Elizabeth W
    Abstract Background Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) exhibit a shared phenotype that involves executive dysfunctions including impairments in mental flexibility (MF). It is of interest to understand if this phenotype stems from some shared neurobiology. Methods To investigate this possibility, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) neuroimaging to compare brain activity in children (n = 88; 8–15 years) with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as they completed a set-shifting/mental flexibility task. Results Neuroimaging results revealed a similar parietal activation profile across the NDD, groups suggesting a link to their shared phenotype. Differences in frontal activity differentiated the three clinical groups. Brain-behaviour analyses showed a link with repetitive behaviours suggesting shared dysfunction in the associative loop of the corticostriatal system. Conclusion Our study supports the notion that NDDs may exist along a complex phenotypic/biological continuum. All NDD groups showed a sustained parietal activity profile suggesting that they share a strong reliance on the posterior parietal cortices to complete the mental flexibility task; future studies could elucidate whether this is due to delayed brain development or compensatory functioning. The differences in frontal activity may play a role in differentiating the NDDs. The OCD group showed sustained prefrontal activity that may be reflective of hyperfrontality. The ASD group showed reduced frontal activation suggestive of frontal dysfunction and the ADHD group showed an extensive hypoactivity that included frontal and parietal regions. Brain-behaviour analyses showed a significant correlation with repetitive behaviours which may reflect dysfunction in the associative loop of the corticostriatal system, linked to inflexible behaviours.
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    Obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: distinct associations with DNA methylation and genetic variation
    (2020-08-16) Goodman, Sarah J; Burton, Christie L; Butcher, Darci T; Siu, Michelle T; Lemire, Mathieu; Chater-Diehl, Eric; Turinsky, Andrei L; Brudno, Michael; Soreni, Noam; Rosenberg, David; Fitzgerald, Kate D; Hanna, Gregory L; Anagnostou, Evdokia; Arnold, Paul D; Crosbie, Jennifer; Schachar, Russell; Weksberg, Rosanna
    Abstract Background A growing body of research has demonstrated associations between specific neurodevelopmental disorders and variation in DNA methylation (DNAm), implicating this molecular mark as a possible contributor to the molecular etiology of these disorders and/or as a novel disease biomarker. Furthermore, genetic risk variants of neurodevelopmental disorders have been found to be enriched at loci associated with DNAm patterns, referred to as methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTLs). Methods We conducted two epigenome-wide association studies in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (aged 4–18 years) using DNA extracted from saliva. DNAm data generated on the Illumina Human Methylation 450 K array were used to examine the interaction between genetic variation and DNAm patterns associated with these disorders. Results Using linear regression followed by principal component analysis, individuals with the most endorsed symptoms of ADHD or OCD were found to have significantly more distinct DNAm patterns from controls, as compared to all cases. This suggested that the phenotypic heterogeneity of these disorders is reflected in altered DNAm at specific sites. Further investigations of the DNAm sites associated with each disorder revealed that despite little overlap of these DNAm sites across the two disorders, both disorders were significantly enriched for mQTLs within our sample. Conclusions Our DNAm data provide insights into the regulatory changes associated with genetic variation, highlighting their potential utility both in directing GWAS and in elucidating the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders.