Publications by authors named "Mary Desrocher"

Article Synopsis
  • Motor impairments are common after childhood arterial ischemic stroke (C-AIS), affecting the understanding of how these impairments relate to intellectual abilities in children.
  • A study of 34 children with C-AIS found that motor functioning in early recovery significantly correlates with various intellectual skills, including verbal and perceptual reasoning abilities.
  • The results suggest that early motor deficits may influence intellectual development due to neuroplastic changes after injury, while motor functions assessed closer to testing reflect recovery and improvement potentially aided by interventions.
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  • * A study at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children assessed 17 children with a history of childhood ICH, discovering that their average Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) is in the clinically average range but tends to be lower overall.
  • * About 50-60% of participants showed deficits in areas like verbal learning, verbal memory, and processing speed, indicating a need for thorough clinical evaluations of neuropsychological abilities in these youth.
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  • * This systematic review identified various neurodevelopmental assessment measures for infants and young children, compiling a database of 608 domain-specific tools.
  • * The review aimed to improve early assessments by establishing a preliminary framework and highlighted the need for better methods to support interventions during this crucial developmental period.
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Pediatric stroke can result in long-term impairments across attention, functional communication and motor domains. The current paper utilized parent reports of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children 2nd Edition and the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure to examine children's social skills and withdrawal behavior within a pediatric stroke population. Using the Canadian Pediatric Stroke Registry at The Hospital for Sick Children, data were analyzed for 312 children with ischemic stroke.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study analyzed how various factors like age at stroke, lesion size, and socioeconomic status affect neurocognitive functioning in young people who experienced pediatric strokes.
  • Results showed that larger lesion sizes and lower socioeconomic status were linked to poorer outcomes, particularly in areas like attention and executive functioning.
  • Overall, the findings emphasize the importance of understanding these predictors to help clinicians assess and develop better treatment plans for youth recovering from strokes.
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  • Children who have had a pediatric stroke are more likely to face behavioral issues, particularly elevated hyperactivity levels, as noted by parents in a study involving 210 children (average age 9).
  • The study utilized evaluations like the BASC-2 and BRIEF to assess externalizing behaviors and executive functions, finding no major differences between those who had perinatal versus childhood strokes.
  • While there was a correlation between externalizing behaviors and executive functions, female gender emerged as a predictor for increased hyperactivity, but ADHD diagnosis rates did not show significant gender differences.
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  • The study investigates how adolescents who have experienced a stroke adjust to their new reality by using interviews with 14 young stroke survivors aged 13 to 25.
  • Five key themes of adjustment were identified, including processing the stroke experience, facing loss and challenges, recognizing personal changes, finding keys to recovery, and achieving acceptance.
  • The findings indicate that mental health support is crucial for helping young people cope with their emotions and adaptations after a stroke, as they often face academic pressures and shifts in their personal interests and future plans.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aims to adapt an existing mental health intervention platform, I-InTERACT-North, to better serve parents and children with developmental conditions by using participatory action research and gathering input from parents and clinicians.
  • - In-depth interviews with 37 participants (21 parents and 16 clinicians) were conducted to gather feedback, leading to themes like acceptability, usability, recommendations, and highlighted areas of dissatisfaction with the original platform.
  • - Initial feedback indicated high satisfaction with the adapted platform, and future improvements will focus on addressing technical issues and content clarity based on user suggestions.
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The current study examined the utility of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P) in capturing emerging deficits in executive function in preschool children with a history of perinatal stroke. Parents and teachers of 55 clinically referred preschool children (3-5 years of age) provided ratings using the BRIEF-P. Both parent ( = 56.

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Objective: We examined feasibility and acceptability of an adapted telepsychological parent-child intervention to improve parenting skills and reduce emotional and behavioural difficulties in Canadian families of children at-risk for poor neurodevelopment given congenital or neonatal conditions. Preliminary program efficacy outcomes are also described.

Methods: Twenty-two families of children between the ages of 3-8 years with histories of neonatal stroke, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and serious congenital and neonatal conditions [(congenital heart disease (CHD) or prematurity)] consented to participate in an adapted telepsychological parenting skills training program (I-InTERACT-North).

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  • * This study examined mental health outcomes in 75 children who had a basal ganglia stroke, specifically focusing on the impact of post-stroke dystonia on anxiety and depression symptoms.
  • * Results showed that children with post-stroke dystonia had higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to those without dystonia, with motor and cognitive skills being largely independent from mental health outcomes.
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An important cause of acquired brain injury in children, pediatric ischemic stroke can cause sequelae across a wide range of cognitive domains, including verbal reasoning and processing speed. As a result, survivors are especially vulnerable to academic difficulties and face unique challenges compared to their peers. Despite this knowledge, pediatric stroke remains an understudied neurological condition, and its impact on school functioning poorly understood.

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Introduction: Current research suggests that pediatric stroke is associated with a reduction in intellectual functioning. However, less is known about academic achievement and the contribution of specific executive functions to math and literacy in this population. The current study investigates behavioral ratings of executive functioning and their relationship to math and spelling performance in children with a history of unilateral arterial ischemic stroke.

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There is a dearth of research examining working memory (WM) following pediatric arterial ischemic stroke (AIS). This study assesses the WM patterns of 32 children, aged 6 to 14 years, with a history of unilateral AIS and 32 controls using a paradigm based on Baddeley and Hitch's multi-component WM model. The results indicate compromised WM in children with AIS relative to controls and parent reports confirm higher rates of dysfunction.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study reviews how factors like age at stroke, lesion characteristics, and neurologic impairments interact to influence cognitive outcomes, highlighting specific significant interactions.
  • * Future research needs to focus on these interactions, as their effects on cognitive abilities can differ, emphasizing the complexity of recovery and the need for tailored interventions.
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  • * In a study with 50 men and 50 women using the Autobiographical Interview, women recalled more episodic details and showed more repetitions than men when retrieval support was high.
  • * No significant gender differences were observed in recalling semantic details, indicating that gender affects the way autobiographical memories are encoded and recalled.
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Circadian rhythm of seizure is underestimated in the study of focal epilepsies. A review of the current literature revealed a clear correlation between cortical epileptogenic focus and the circadian phase of seizure peak occurrence in adult patients. A single diurnal peak at 19:00 was found in seizures originating from the occipital lobe, between 5:00 and 7:00 in frontal lobe seizures, and between 16:00 and 17:00 h in temporal lobe seizures.

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Background: Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) show impairments in social functioning. However, the factors underlying these impairments are poorly understood. Recent evidence has shown that social problem solving is a critical component of effective social functioning.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Results showed that both types of memory improve with age, but episodic memory shows more significant enhancement than semantic memory, and females recall more episodic details than males.
  • * High retrieval support helps minimize the sex difference in episodic memory recall, and similar age and sex trends were observed in everyday memory skills, highlighting overall better performance in older participants and females.
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Conduct disorder (CD) represents the most common childhood psychiatric disorder found in community and mental health clinics. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the neurobiology of CD; specifically, neurological and neurochemical correlates. Converging evidence suggests that neurological profiles of individuals with CD, compared to peers, are characterized by reduced P300 brain wave amplitude, deactivation of the anterior cingulated cortex and reduced activation in the left amygdala in response to negative stimuli, and reduced right temporal lobe volume.

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Relationships between trauma variables, complex post-traumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD), affect dysregulation, dissociation, somatization, and alexithymia were studied in 70 women with early-onset sexual abuse treated in community-based private (n = 25) or clinic outpatient settings (n = 45). Measures were the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 and the Psychological Trauma Assessment Program. Compared with the community sample, the clinic sample (1) met diagnostic criteria for both lifetime and current complex PTSD; (2) showed correlations between current affect dysregulation, dissociation, and somatization with alexithymia; and (3) higher levels of alexithymia.

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Article Synopsis
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common and debilitating mental health condition that typically starts in childhood or adolescence, impacting individuals significantly over time.* -
  • The paper reviews neuroimaging studies to better understand OCD's brain mechanisms, focusing on specific brain regions related to executive dysfunction and modulatory control.* -
  • Findings varied across studies, highlighting the need for further research, and the paper suggests future directions to enhance treatment approaches for OCD.*
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  • The study evaluated how 20 older adults (aged 64-76) and 20 young adults (aged 18-35) performed on two orientation tasks: Intrapersonal (pointing to body parts) and Extrapersonal (navigating a route on a floor map).
  • Older adults were slower in completing both tasks, while their accuracy was similar to that of younger adults.
  • The findings suggest that older adults experience a speed-accuracy tradeoff that tends to increase with age, affecting their performance.
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Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is one of the most prevalent chronic health conditions in children under the age of 18 years. Complications of the disease include hypo- and hyperglycemia, which can have an impact on children's performance in assessment situations, in the clinic, and in school. Because there is no cure for this disease, there is a need to understand the cognitive deficits associated with some of its complications, as this knowledge will impact on the choice of treatment regimens as well as educational interventions.

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