Association between Salivary Alpha-Amylase and Executive Functioning in Healthy Children

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique F. Maldonado ◽  
Mari Nislin ◽  
Laura Marín ◽  
Ana Martín-Escribano ◽  
Alfredo Enguix ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Neuropsychological Testing ◽  
Salivary Flow ◽  
Alpha Amylase ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Salivary Alpha Amylase ◽  
Executive Performance ◽  
Trail Making ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe main aim of this study was to confirm the relationship between executive performance and salivary alpha-amylase (SAA) activity in a sample of 64 healthy children (39 boys), and compare it to the association of SAA output and salivary flow rate (SFR). Executive functioning was assessed via fluency, trail-making, rings and inhibition tasks from the Batería de Evaluación Neuropsicológica de la Función Ejecutiva en Niños [Battery of Neuropsychological Assessment for Executive Function in Children] (ENFEN), merged into an ENFEN total score. SAA activity, output, and SFR were measured at baseline, one minute before, and one minute after the end of a neuropsychological testing session. Our results confirmed a direct, linear and significant association between SAA activity and executive functioning, r(64) = .351, p < .05, and extended it to SAA output, r(64) =.431, p < .05. The mean level of SAA output was the best predictor of executive functioning (β = .431, p < .05) and explained 18.2 % of the variance in ENFEN total score. In sum, and compared to SAA activity, measuring SAA output may be a more precise and indirect marker to assess executive functioning in children.

Association of salivary alpha-amylase and salivary flow rate with working memory functioning in healthy children

Stress ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 670-678
Author(s):  
Enrique Francisco Maldonado ◽  
Mari Nislin ◽  
Ana Martínez-Escribano ◽  
Laura Marín ◽  
Alfredo Enguix ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Salivary Flow ◽  
Salivary Flow Rate ◽  
Alpha Amylase ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Salivary Alpha Amylase ◽  
Memory Functioning

scholarly journals Quédate Quieto Niño: Bilingualism and ADHD Presentation

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1248-1248
Author(s):  
S Del Corral Winder ◽  
A J Cook ◽  
M Poulakis
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Ethnic Differences ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Neuropsychological Testing ◽  
Past Research ◽  
White Children ◽  
Racial And Ethnic Differences ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objective This poster will focus on findings pertaining to the relationship between bilingualism and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a gap that currently exists in cultural neuropsychology. This poster will introduce the literature regarding bilingualism and the development of individuals’ executive functioning throughout their lifespan. Bilingual individuals often have enhanced executive functioning. This review will provide a foundation for the present study. Then, we will compare racial and ethnic differences in ADHD diagnosis and treatment. ADHD diagnoses tend to be higher for White children than for Hispanics raised in a non-English household. These findings suggest that bilingualism may affect the diagnosis and the expression of ADHD. Participants and Method This poster will consider the acquisition of executive control skills and language. Since ADHD and language develop before adolescence, this poster will focus on individuals between the ages of 3 and 12. This will allow us to better understand how language acquisition and the factors that surround language affect the expression of ADHD. Results The poster will present results from the literature review to better understand the results of bilingualism on ADHD. Bilinguals tend to outperform monolinguals in tasks related to reasoning and problem solving. However, bilinguals tend to struggle in tasks related to vocabulary retrieval. This is key because individuals with ADHD tend to perform worse on tasks related to executive functioning. The poster will display different methods used in past research in order to expand future implications. Conclusions ADHD appears to interrupt some skills that bilingual individuals possess. This interference may affect ADHD symptom expression and performance on neuropsychological testing. This may lead to misdiagnoses and a resulting lag in the provision of effective treatments for bilingual children. Thus, this poster will propose alternatives and implications for practice.

scholarly journals The relationship between the level of salivary alpha amylase activity and pain severity in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis

2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Ahmadi-Motamayel ◽  
Shahriar Shahriari ◽  
Mohammad Taghi Goodarzi ◽  
Abbas Moghimbeigi ◽  
Mina Jazaeri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amylase Activity ◽  
Pain Severity ◽  
Alpha Amylase ◽  
Salivary Alpha Amylase ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Irreversible Pulpitis

scholarly journals Perceived chronic stress influences the effect of acute stress on cognitive flexibility

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Knauft ◽  
Alexander Waldron ◽  
Mishali Mathur ◽  
Vrinda Kalia
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Alpha Amylase ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
Salivary Alpha Amylase ◽  
Perseverative Errors ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractExecutive functions are cognitive processes that facilitate goal-directed behavior by enabling us to direct and control our thoughts. Cognitive flexibility is an executive function characterized by the ability to mentally shift between rules, strategies, or tasks. Several studies have reported that acute (brief) stress impairs cognitive flexibility. Even though an individual’s perception of their chronic stress levels is shown to influence effects of future stressors, the interactive effect of acute and perceived chronic stress on cognitive flexibility is not known. We conducted two experiments to address this gap. In both studies, perceived chronic stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale. Acute stress was induced using the Cold Pressor Test. Number of perseverative errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test was used as an indicator of cognitive flexibility. In Study 2, we also measured salivary alpha amylase as a marker of the physiological stress response. Data from our two studies are consistent with the hypothesis that an individual’s perception of their chronic stress level may impact the effect of acute stress on perseveration. In Study 1, we observed a significant interaction between acute and perceived chronic stress on perseverative errors, such that only individuals who reported high levels of perceived chronic stress prior to acute stress exposure showed no change in perseveration following the acute stress manipulation. This effect did not differ based on participant sex. In Study 2, we found a similar interaction effect of acute and perceived chronic stress on perseverative errors in an all-woman sample. After identifying salivary alpha amylase responders and non-responders, we observed a strong, negative correlation between perceived chronic stress and perseverative errors amongst the responders only. Our data highlight the value in studying salivary alpha amylase in response to acute stress exposure. Additionally, perceived chronic stress emerged as a key variable in the relationship between acute stress and cognitive flexibility. Overall, our work suggests that future research interested in interrogating moderators in the relationship between acute stress and cognition would benefit from inclusion of measures of chronic stress.

scholarly journals Severity of Anxiety During COVID-19 Outbreak and Its Relationship with self-related skills of Executive Functions in Children

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
sakineh soltani ◽  
maryam bordbar ◽  
Somayeh Zarenejhad ◽  
Seyedeh Manizheh arabi
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Self Organization ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Situational Anxiety ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background: Some children experience a greater deal of anxiety during the outbreak of COVID-19. Behavioral dimensions of executive function appear to be linked to situational anxiety experience. Therefore, the primary aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between self-related skills of executive functions before the outbreak of COVID-19 and the level of physical and mental anxiety in children during this pandemic. Also, the secondary goal of this study is to predict the level of anxiety based on self-related skills of executive functions. Methods: Information were obtained from Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS), which was collected from 300 healthy children over two months before the COVID-19 outbreak. The children anxiety was measured based on parent’s reposes to an online anxiety scale when the disease outbreak. Results: The results showed that the total score of self-related skills of executive functions was negatively and significantly related to the anxiety level (r =- .53). In general, the results also demonstrated that self-related skills of executive functions can predict 28% of anxiety. The subscales of self-management (p<0.015, t= 5.56), self-regulation (p<0.011, t= 6.37), self-restraint (p<0.035, t = 4.29) and emotional self-organization (p <0.042, p=0.222) predicted coronavirus anxiety, except self-motivation (p<0.05, p = 0.894). Conclusions: Given that most subscales of executive function predict anxiety tied to critical situations such as the prevalence of coronavirus, it seems that greater attentions should be allocated to the fostering and development of children's executive functions by teaching such skills via playing.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document