Learning & the Brain Presentation: Martha Denckla

One of my favorite conferences is the Learning and the Brain Conference held at various locations several times a year. The most recent conference was held in Washington, D.C. in early May. I tried to play the role of on-the-spot-reporter and "tweeted" live from the conference.

As you read through these "tweets," keep in mind that I was posting the comments/ideas of the presenter. These do not necessarily represent my conclusions from the research.

Here are my posts from Martha Denckla's keynote:

• Martha Denckla is next presenter. Topic: “The Syndrome ADHD & the Symptom ‘Attention Deficit’ Overlap Only Partially.”
• Denckla is an M.D., director of developmental cognitive neurology at Kennedy Krieger Institute, part of Johns Hopkins.
• Going to use “MD” to indicate ideas/comments from Dr. Martha Denckla.
• MD: Major issue in ADHD: the executive function capacity.
• MD: Officially, ADHD (not ADD) with subtypes of inattentive and hyperactivity (or, in full-blown, both).
• MD: Is there really a “deficit” in ADHD—a quantitative lesser amount? (Denckla suggests
• that there is not.)
• MD: In testing for ADHD, a problem can occur in at least four different “steps” of testing process.
• MD: Many “disagreements” between ADHD scientists are due to differences in study population—not comparing the same elements.
• MD: “Frontal filtering,” or selective deficit, not “bottom up” processing, is associated with ADHD.
• MD: More anticipatory errors occur with ADHD, but not covert orienting attention.
• MD: ADHD children are more dependent on correct cueing. Some studies suggest ADHD deficits worse on left side (rt. hemisphere issue?).
• MD: ADHD child has intact “bottom up” orienting, but slow response to unexpected events—slower to reorient/re-direct attention.
• MD: LOTS of evidence for Attention ALLOCATION Deficit—more descriptive name for actual problem. Not a deficit of attention.
• MD: In ADHD, “distractability” is really “attractability.” Intrinsically rewarding activities are “attractive.”
• MD: Lack of inhibition when required task lacks “attractability,” cannot allocate attention appropriately.
• MD: Specific actions done by the nervous system require inhibition of other actions.
• MD: Inhibition is “other side of coin” of focused attention.
• MD: Suggested title: A-AD, Allocation-of-Attention Deficit. Impulsivity is shared across subtypes; hyperactivity is less common.
• MD: Cognitive impulsivity resembles inattention. ADHD is “radar sweep” attention but weak in “spotlight” attention.
• MD: Sweep of surroundings vs. narrow, steady, intense focus.
• MD: Right hemisphere more involved in “radar” attention; left hemisphere more involved in
• “spotlight” attention.
• MD: Triad of ADHD weaknesses: motor, cognitive, & emotional display control—all executive function issues.
• MD: Motor control in place around age 15; cognitive, around 25; emotional display, around 32—stages of maturity. Interesting minimal age for President of US: 35.
• MD: Motor control issues are often indicators of risk for developing ADHD.
• MD: Girls are typically a year ahead of boys in motor control development until puberty.
• MD: Example of motor control: finger sequencing on a single hand (not moving other hand in tandem).
• MD: Future research: relationship of emotional and cognitive regulation. Emotion plays role in focused attention.
• MD: “Real frontier”: adverse impact of adversity/stress—causes an “amygdala detour” in the brain.
• MD: So, as a child struggles in school, that stress can mimic ADHD when the child actually does not have ADHD.
• MD: “If you don;t have ADHD at age 7 you don’t suddenly develop it at age 9.” The “Oh-we-missed-the-ADHD” idea is usually wrong.

Learning & the Brain Presentation: Michael Posner

One of my favorite conferences is the Learning and the Brain Conference held at various locations several times a year. The most recent conference was held in Washington, D.C. in early May. I tried to play the role of on-the-spot-reporter and posted on Twitter live from the conference.

To provide readers with a sense of the conference, I'm going to post my Twitter stream from each presentation. These are the actual "tweets" I posted from the conference. I've cleaned them up a little, but other than a few corrected typos, they represent the raw ideas presented at the conference.

As you read through these "tweets," keep in mind that I was posting the comments/ideas of the presenter. These do not necessarily represent my conclusions from the research.

Here are my posts from the first keynote presenter, Michael Posner:

• First speaker is Michael Posner, topic: Brain’s Attention Networks. Will use initials (MP) to indicate speaker.
• Posner is from the University of Oregon and was recently honored by the President for his work in cognitive neuroscience.
• MP: Attention is a central topic for education. New tech giving us new insight into nature of attention.
• MP: Attention is a set of neural networks—at least 3: alerting, orienting, & executive. Each set associated w/different brain area.
• MP: At rest, two brain networks are active, “default state,” which alert brain to change.
• MP: Alerting deficits in early childhood later negatively affect the executive network.
• MP: There are both overt AND covert shifts in attention.
• MP: A deficit in orienting attention network correlates with some autistic behaviors.
• MP: Executive network is associated with conflicts in sensory data and self-regulation.
• Post on importance of self-regulation: http://is.gd/bXdb.
• MP: Effortful control of attention is one self-regulation element of the executive network.
• MP: The anterior cingulate is related to self-regulation; size & activity can predict self-regulation capacity.
• MP: Executive network deficiency is related to most cognitive disorders.
• MP: Individual differences in executive network functioning are wide-ranging.
• MP: For example, the speed in managing conflicts in sensory data correlate w/self-regulation capacity.
• MP: Separate white matter pathways deal with the three attention networks.
• MP: Recent study shows IBMT (form of meditation) actually influences those white matter pathways positively.
• MP: IBMT meditation influences brain state, which positively influences executive functions.
• MP: Differing neurotransmitters are also associated with each attention network. This can help guide gene research.
• MP: When does executive network begin to self-regulate individual? Evidence shows around 7-10 months of age.
• MP: Around 7 months, a child is aware of conflicts in sensory data—e.g., a scene different from expectation.
• MP: Anticipatory looking at 4-7 months correlates w/some self-regulation abilities at 4 years of age.
• MP: Connectivity of the executive network, however, develops slowly—present at age 9 but not fully connected.
• MP: Showing novel objects may help produce connectivity within executive attention networks.
• MP: Gene DRD4 present on a specific chromosone correlates with ADHD. (Genetic basis discovered?)
• MP: If gene is present AND parenting is poor, MAJOR ADHD impulsivity develops.
• MP: “True experts” have “highly elaborated semantic memory,” correlated w/activity in fusiform gyrus.
• MP: High levels of experience influence brain activity for specific areas. Fusiform gyrus active in chess, bird, & dog experts.
• Posner now taking questions from audience.
• MP: Alerting attention deficiency associates w/aging & ADHD disorders.
• MP: Orienting attention deficiency associates w/autism.
• MP: Executive attention deficiency associates w/Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, addiction, & others.
• MP: Parents not to blame for ADHD children; research shows correlation in extreme impulsivity.
• MP: With research subjects, parenting classes actually decreased children’s impulsivity.
• (As you can imagine, some resistance to these ideas. Posner: “Just sharing what research shows.”)
• MP: My research will be translated to classroom by educators, not me. I’m just a scientist. We need teachers to think this through.