Cognition, the brain, and atypical development
A symposium to celebrate the honorary doctorate of Prof. dr. Annette Karmiloff-Smith at the University of Amsterdam
Date: Thursday, January 7, 2010
Time: 13:00 - 16:45
Location: M1.01, Plantage Muidergracht 12, Amsterdam
Registration: Send an e-mail with your name and affiliation to info-csca@uva.nl
Registration deadline: January 4, 2010
The focus of the extensive research of Dr. Annette Karmiloff-Smith is on the understanding of cognitive dysfunction and on tracing its origins in early infancy. In addition, she explores the trajectories of atypical development under the different initial conditions provided by a variety of syndromes across a wide variety of cognitive domains. The ultimate goal is to devise remediation techniques usable in early infancy when the brain displays its maximum neocortical plasticity.
The symposium ‘Cognition, the brain, and atypical development' is held to celebrate the honorary doctorate of Dr. Annette Karmiloff-Smith at the University of Amsterdam. She will receive her honorary doctorate during the Dies Natalis celebration on January 8, 2010.
Programme:
13.00 - 13.45 Dr. Annette Karmiloff-Smith - Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
The importance of cross-syndrome comparisons: a Neuroconstructivist, domain-relevant approach
I will contrast domain-specific or domain-general approaches to what I call the neuroconstructivist, domain-relevant approach, taking examples from the FOXP2 gene, connectionist models of atypical developmental, the overlapping phenotypes of autism spectrum disorder and Williams syndrome, and the implications of these approaches for clinical intervention.
13.45 - 14.15 Dr. Willem Levelt - Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Neural modeling of language acquisition: How it all began
Charles Darwin boosted the study of language acquisition in 1877 by publishing the diary he had kept of his son William's first speech between 1839 and 1841. Three years earlier, Carl Wernicke had brilliantly published his neuropsychological diagrams of the language network in the brain. Such diagram making soon became an industry. Physiologist William Preyer absorbed both developments, the diary approach to early language acquisition and neuropsychological diagram making. In 1881 he published his classical Die Seele des Kindes, in which both approaches were combined in the construction of the very first neuropsychological model of language acquisition.
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14.30 - 15.00 Dr. Bert de Smedt - Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Are phonological processing abilities related to individual differences in arithmetic fact retrieval?
Although there is evidence for an association between the development of reading and arithmetic (and its disorders), little is known about the precise nature of this relationship. Findings from cognitive neuroscience research that point to shared neural correlates for phonological processing and arithmetic lead to the hypothesis that there exist a specific association between phonological processing and arithmetic fact retrieval. To address this issue, I will present data from typically developing children and from children and adults with dyslexia, who are known to have impairments in phonological processing.
Data in typically developing children indicate that phonological processing is uniquely related to single-digit arithmetic problems that have a high probability of being solved by retrieval but not to those typically associated with procedural problem-solving strategies.
Individuals with dyslexia appear to retrieve fewer facts from memory than controls. This reduced availability of arithmetic facts, particularly in multiplication, was explained by their weaker phonological skills. These data suggest that phonological processing abilities are specifically related to individual differences in arithmetic fact retrieval.
15.00 - 15.30 Dr. Annemie Ploeger - University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Autism and early embryological development
There is a small, but positive correlation between disturbances during early embryological development and autism. However, the causal mechanism behind this correlation is unknown. I propose that interactivity among body parts during a very early and specific stage of embryonic development - early organogenesis - can explain this association. In humans this stage is from day 20 to day 40 after fertilization. During this stage, a single mutation or environmental disturbance can have several phenotypic effects (i.e., pleiotropic effects). Disturbances during early organogenesis can lead to many different anomalies, including limb deformities, craniofacial malformations, brain pathology, and anomalies in other organs. I present a literature review that shows that the association between autism and different kinds of physical anomalies is common. The proposed mechanism integrates findings from a variety of studies on autism, including neurobiological studies, and studies on physical anomalies and prenatal influences on neurodevelopmental outcomes. The implication is that the origin of autism can be much earlier in embryological development than has been frequently reported.
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15.45 - 16.15 Melle van der Molen, M.Sc. - University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Profiling Fragile X Syndrome in males: a neuropsychological and psychophysiological approach
Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the most frequently reported inherited type of developmental disability in males, and is caused by silencing of the Fragile X Mental Retardation 1 (FMR-1) gene. As a single-gene syndrome, FXS has been of particular interest to study the effect of (abnormal) gene expression on brain development and its inherent neurocognitive manifestations. Over the years, research has enhanced our understanding of the function of the FMR-1 gene on a neurobiological, as well as a neurocognitive level. However, research is hampered by several important issues, which relate to the complex interplay between genes and environment, as well as more methodological complications. In this talk I will discuss these issues and present current work (and plans) on profiling FXS in males, by means of a neuropsychological and psychophysiological approach.
16.15 - 16.45 Dr. Gaia Scerif - Oxford University, UK
Attention across syndromes: Genetic and cognition at developmental crossroads
Developmental disorders of known genetic origin are often associated with a high incidence of attention deficits in childhood and later in adulthood. Investigating detailed profiles of attention and control, however, requires going beyond a common gross diagnostic label and understanding the developmental origins of these difficulties. The current seminar will examine striking differences and similarities in attentional processes over developmental time across Williams syndrome, Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome, as well as open questions and promise for future research.
drinks