In a recent theoretical article, I proposed that the efficiency of mitochondrial functioning is the most fundamental biological mechanism contributing to individual differences in general intelligence ("g;" Geary, 2018). The hypothesis accommodates other contributing mechanisms at higher levels of analysis (e.g., brain networks), and is…

Although not a new phenomenon, the prevalence of student trauma has recently garnered national attention. This ongoing public health crisis hinders learning, connection, and the well-being of entire school communities. Often on the margins of conversations surrounding student needs or unable to access educational documents, music teachers seeking…

Largely inspired from clinical concepts like brain reserve, cognitive reserve, and neural compensation, here we review data showing how neural circuits reorganize in presymptomatic and early symptomatic hAPP mice to maintain memory intact. By informing on molecular alterations and compensatory adaptations which take place in the brain before mice…

Bullying victimization is a prevalent concern for neurodivergent (e.g., autistic, ADHD) youth. Bullying assessment methods vary widely and there is currently no questionnaire specific to neurodivergent youth. The "Assessment of Bullying Experiences" ("ABE") was created to fill this gap. The "ABE" questionnaire was…

Reducing sensory experiences during the period that immediately follows learning improves long-term memory retention in healthy humans, and even preserves memory in patients with amnesia. To date, it is entirely unclear why this is the case, and identifying the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning this effect requires suitable animal models,…

This article describes one family's experience in the Young Mother's Clinic (YMC), a medical clinic providing multidisciplinary care to adolescent mothers and their children. The authors highlight the neurodevelopmental changes that occur in the later adolescent period and explore related clinical implications for professionals working with these…

Effective science instruction requires knowledge of subject matter and scientific practices (Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), 2013), as well as the context within which learning occurs (Anthony, Hunter and Hunter 2014). For science teachers, there is often a tension between the efficiency of lecture and student engagement that comes with…

We examined interactions between baseline hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity in relation to executive functions (EF) in a sample (n = 1,005) of children in low wealth, nonurban communities at age 48 months. Salivary cortisol and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) represented baseline HPA…

Adolescence is a period of growing focus on social interactions and relationships. The peer context is one of the most significant developmental contexts in this transitional period and positive peer experiences contribute positively to adolescent well-being. Although negative peer influence on antisocial behaviour has received much attention, we…

Previous studies indicate that autobiographical memory is impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Successful recollection of information referring to one's own person requires the intact ability to re-activate representation of the past self. In the current fMRI study we investigated process of conscious reflection on the…

As we listen to speech, our ability to understand what was said requires us to retrieve and bind together individual word meanings into a coherent discourse representation. This so-called semantic unification is a fundamental cognitive skill, and its development relies on the integration of neural activity throughout widely distributed functional…

Atypical PKM, a persistently active form of atypical PKC, is proposed to be a molecular memory trace, but there have been few examinations of the role of PKMs generated from other PKCs. We demonstrate that inhibitors used to inhibit PKMs generated from atypical PKCs are also effective inhibitors of other PKMs. In contrast, we demonstrate that…

The aim was to evaluate the effects of a family-focused early intervention programme on the cognitive, motor, and language development of infants exposed to social and biological risks in the first year of life. Quasi-experimental randomized controlled trial (RBR-6ct969), with intervention (IG; n = 72) and control (CG; n = 170) groups. IG mothers…

The nucleus reuniens of the thalamus (RE) is a key component of an extensive network of hippocampal and cortical structures and is a fundamental substrate for cognition. A common misconception is that RE is a simple relay structure. Instead, a better conceptualization is that RE is a critical component of a canonical higher-order…

Infantile spasms (IS) is a rare epileptic disorder occurring in children under the age of one that can often lead to severe developmental delays throughout life. Though over 200 etiologies have been associated with this disorder, many cases remain unexplained. Research into the etiology of IS has implicated causes such as exposure to prenatal…