Sex differences in functional cortical organization reflect differences in network topology rather than cortical morphometry.

Differences in brain size between the sexes are consistently reported. However, the consequences of this anatomical difference on sex differences in intrinsic brain function remain unclear. In the current study, we investigate whether sex differences in intrinsic cortical functional organization may be associated with differences in cortical morphometry, namely different measures of brain size, microstructure, and the geodesic distance of connectivity profiles.

Notes from Beethoven's genome.

Rapid advances over the last decade in DNA sequencing and statistical genetics enable us to investigate the genomic makeup of individuals throughout history. In a recent notable study, Begg et al. used Ludwig van Beethoven's hair strands for genome sequencing and explored genetic predispositions for some of his documented medical issues.

Genetic effects on variability in visual aesthetic evaluations are partially shared across visual domains.

The aesthetic values that individuals place on visual images are formed and shaped over a lifetime. However, whether the formation of visual aesthetic value is solely influenced by environmental exposure is still a matter of debate. Here, we considered differences in aesthetic value emerging across three visual domains: abstract images, scenes, and faces.

Sex differences in intrinsic functional cortical organization reflect differences in network topology rather than cortical morphometry.

Brain size robustly differs between sexes. However, the consequences of this anatomical dimorphism on sex differences in intrinsic brain function remain unclear. We investigated the extent to which sex differences in intrinsic cortical functional organization may be explained by differences in cortical morphometry, namely brain size, microstructure, and the geodesic distances of connectivity profiles.

The shared genetic architecture and evolution of human language and musical rhythm.

Rhythm and language-related traits are phenotypically correlated, but their genetic overlap is largely unknown. Here, we leveraged two large-scale genome-wide association studies performed to shed light on the shared genetics of rhythm (N=606,825) and dyslexia (N=1,138,870). Our results reveal an intricate shared genetic and neurobiological architecture, and lay groundwork for resolving longstanding debates about the potential co-evolution of human language and musical traits.

Parental socioeconomic status weakly predicts specific cognitive and academic skills beyond general cognitive ability.

Parental socioeconomic status (SES) is a well-established predictor of children's neurocognitive development. Several theories propose that specific cognitive skills are particularly vulnerable. However, this can be challenging to test, because cognitive assessments are not pure measures of distinct neurocognitive processes, and scores across different tests are often highly correlated.

Self-Relevance Predicts the Aesthetic Appeal of Real and Synthetic Artworks Generated via Neural Style Transfer.

What determines the aesthetic appeal of artworks? Recent work suggests that aesthetic appeal can, to some extent, be predicted from a visual artwork's image features. Yet a large fraction of variance in aesthetic ratings remains unexplained and may relate to individual preferences. We hypothesized that an artwork's aesthetic appeal depends strongly on self-relevance.

War trauma impacts in Ukrainian combat and civilian populations: Moral injury and associated mental health symptoms.

This is the first study to compare active-duty soldiers and student civilian samples during the first three months of the Ukrainian-Russian war in relation to moral injury and its association with PTSD, anxiety and depression. A total of 350 participants, including 191 active-duty soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Force (UAF), who were on the frontline during the full-scale invasion of Russian troops in February 2022, and 159 students from different HEIs in Volyn oblast, were recruited into the study through their attendance at the Ukrainian Psychotrauma Center. Prior to the in-person group-intervention program of psychosocial support for military and civil populations at the Ukrainian Psychotrauma Center, moral injury, PTSD, depression, and anxiety were assessed.

Direct and indirect links between children's socio-economic status and education: pathways via mental health, attitude, and cognition.

Unlabelled: A child's socio-economic environment can profoundly affect their development. While existing literature focusses on simplified metrics and pair-wise relations between few variables, we aimed to capture complex interrelationships between several relevant domains using a broad assessment of 519 children aged 7-9 years. Our analyses comprised three multivariate techniques that complimented each other, and worked at different levels of granularity.

Can a Brief Interaction With Online, Digital Art Improve Wellbeing? A Comparative Study of the Impact of Online Art and Culture Presentations on Mood, State-Anxiety, Subjective Wellbeing, and Loneliness.

When experienced in-person, engagement with art has been associated-in a growing body of evidence-with positive outcomes in wellbeing and mental health. This represents an exciting new field for psychology, curation, and health interventions, suggesting a widely-accessible, cost-effective, and non-pharmaceutical means of regulating factors such as mood or anxiety. However, can similar impacts be found with online presentations? If so, this would open up positive outcomes to an even-wider population-a trend accelerating due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

On the etiology of aesthetic chills: a behavioral genetic study.

Aesthetic chills, broadly defined as a somatic marker of peak emotional-hedonic responses, are experienced by individuals across a variety of human cultures. Yet individuals vary widely in the propensity of feeling them. These individual differences have been studied in relation to demographics, personality, and neurobiological and physiological factors, but no study to date has explored the genetic etiological sources of variation.

Testing the specificity of environmental risk factors for developmental outcomes.

Developmental theories often assume that specific environmental risks affect specific outcomes. Canonical Correlation Analysis was used to test whether 28 developmental outcomes (measured at 11-15 years) share the same early environmental risk factors (measured at 0-3 years), or whether specific outcomes are associated with specific risks. We used data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (N = 10,376, 51% Female, 84% White) collected between 2001 and 2016.

Longitudinal increases in childhood depression symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Objective: There has been widespread concern that so-called lockdown measures, including social distancing and school closures, could negatively impact children's mental health. However, there has been little direct evidence of any association due to the paucity of longitudinal studies reporting mental health before and during the lockdown. This present study provides the first longitudinal examination of changes in childhood mental health, a key component of an urgently needed evidence base that can inform policy and practice surrounding the continuing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The differential power of extraneous influences to modify aesthetic judgments of biological and artifactual stimuli.

We addressed the question of the extent to which external information is capable of modifying aesthetic ratings given to two different categories of stimuli-images of faces (which belong to the biological category) and those of abstract paintings with no recognizable objects (which sit in the artifactual category). A total of 51 participants of different national origins rated the beauty of both sets of stimuli, indicating the certainty of their rating; they then re-rated them after being exposed to the opinions of others on their aesthetic status. Of these 51 participants, 42 who met our criteria were selected to complete the experiment.

Collecting big data with small screens: Group tests of children's cognition with touchscreen tablets are reliable and valid.

Collecting experimental cognitive data with young children usually requires undertaking one-on-one assessments, which can be both expensive and time-consuming. In addition, there is increasing acknowledgement of the importance of collecting larger samples for improving statistical power Button et al. (Nature Reviews Neuroscience 14(5), 365-376, 2013), and reproducing exploratory findings Open Science Collaboration (Science, 349(6251), aac4716-aac4716 2015).

Impact of calorie labelling in worksite cafeterias: a stepped wedge randomised controlled pilot trial.

Background: For working adults, about one-third of energy is consumed in the workplace making this an important context in which to reduce energy intake to tackle obesity. The aims of the current study were first, to identify barriers to the feasibility and acceptability of implementing calorie labelling in preparation for a larger trial, and second, to estimate the potential impact of calorie labelling on energy purchased in worksite cafeterias.

Methods: Six worksite cafeterias were randomised to the intervention starting at one of six fortnightly periods, using a stepped wedge design.

Information-based cues at point of choice to change selection and consumption of food, alcohol and tobacco products: a systematic review.

Background: Reducing harmful consumption of food, alcohol, and tobacco products would prevent many cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Placing information-based cues in the environments in which we select and consume these products has the potential to contribute to changing these behaviours.

Methods: In this review, information-based cues are defined as those which comprise any combination of words, symbols, numbers or pictures that convey information about a product or its use.

Nutritional labelling for healthier food or non-alcoholic drink purchasing and consumption.

Background: Nutritional labelling is advocated as a means to promote healthier food purchasing and consumption, including lower energy intake. Internationally, many different nutritional labelling schemes have been introduced. There is no consensus on whether such labelling is effective in promoting healthier behaviour.

Reactions on Twitter to updated alcohol guidelines in the UK: a content analysis.

Objectives: In January 2016, the 4 UK Chief Medical Officers released a public consultation regarding updated guidelines for low-risk alcohol consumption. This study aimed to assess responses to the updated guidelines using comments made on Twitter.

Methods: Tweets containing the hashtag #alcoholguidelines made during 1 week following the announcement of the updated guidelines were retrieved using the Twitter Archiver tool.

Executive Function Mediates the Relations between Parental Behaviors and Children's Early Academic Ability.

The past decade has witnessed a growth of interest in parental influences on individual differences in children's executive function (EF) on the one hand and in the academic consequences of variation in children's EF on the other hand. The primary aim of this longitudinal study was to examine whether children's EF mediated the relation between three distinct aspects of parental behavior (i.e.