Biology subjects

Lyons, K. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Lyons, K. M..

8 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

The Developmental Trajectory of the Social Brain: A Movie-Based Exploration from childhood to adolescence

In childhood and adolescence, functional brain networks go through different stages of development, and the levels of connectivity within and between these networks change with age. The developmental trajectory of these large-scale networks of the brain have been extensively investigated; however, many aspects of our social brain and its developmental patterns remain unclear. This study employed a cross-sectional design to investigate the brains of 753 children and adolescents (ages 5-15) while they watched a movie. This research investigates the functional distinctness and developmental synchronicity of brain areas implicated in social cognition, such as empathy and affective and cognitive theory of mind, across childhood and adolescence using generalized additive models and inter-region group analysis. Our findings suggest that social cognition components networks such as cognitive and affective theory of mind and empathy exhibit distinct developmental trajectories throughout childhood and adolescence. The findings support the theory that social cognitive networks are developmentally distinct from each other, even in the absence of task-specific paradigms.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Decoding the neural basis of sensory phenotypes in Autism

BackgroundDifferences in sensory processing are a defining characteristic of autism, affecting up to 87% of autistic individuals. These differences cause widespread perceptual changes that can negatively impact cognition, development, and daily functioning. Recent research identified five sensory processing phenotypes with varied behavioural presentations; however, their neural basis remains unclear. This study aims to ground these sensory phenotypes in unique patterns of functional connectivity. MethodsWe analyzed data from 146 autistic participants in the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Network. We classified participants into sensory phenotypes using k-means clustering of scores from the Short Sensory Profile. We then computed a connectivity matrix from 200 cortical and 32 subcortical regions and calculated graph-theoretic measures (betweenness centrality, strength, local efficiency, clustering coefficient) to assess information exchange between these regions. We then trained machine learning models to use these measures to classify between all pairs of sensory phenotypes. ResultsWe replicated that our sample of autistic participants was best categorized into five sensory phenotypes. The machine learning models distinguished 7/10 phenotype pairs using graph-theoretic measures (p < 0.005). Information exchange within and between the somatomotor network, orbitofrontal cortex, posterior parietal cortex, prefrontal cortex and subcortical areas were highly predictive of sensory phenotype. ConclusionsThis study shows that distinct sensory phenotypes in autism correspond with unique patterns of functional connectivity. Cortical, subcortical, and network-level connectivity all play a role in shaping distinct sensory processing styles in autism. These findings lay the groundwork for understanding these phenotypes and highlight opportunities to develop interventions in cases of maladaptive sensory processing.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

On the same wavelength: The relationship between neural synchrony and cognitive ability during movie watching in late childhood and early adolescence

Cognitive development in late childhood and adolescence occurs alongside increasingly complex environments. To examine how cognitive abilities relate to neural processing of naturalistic experiences, we analyzed fMRI data from 309 children and adolescents (ages 7-15; majority White) in the Healthy Brain Biobank. Participants watched a 10-minute clip of Despicable Me during scanning and completed the WISC. Intersubject correlation (ISC) was used to measure brain synchrony during viewing. Adolescents (11-15) with higher cognitive scores showed greater ISC in default mode and frontoparietal networks. In contrast, younger children (7-11) with high scores showed increased synchrony only in somatosensory regions. These findings suggest age- and cognition-related differences in how children and adolescents process complex, real-world stimuli.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

gp130/STAT3 signaling is required for homeostatic proliferation and anabolism in postnatal growth plate and articular chondrocytes

Growth of long bones and vertebrae is maintained postnatally by a long-lasting pool of progenitor cells. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate the output and maintenance of the cells that give rise to mature cartilage. Here we demonstrate that postnatal chondrocyte-specific deletion of a transcription factor Stat3 results in severely reduced proliferation coupled with increased hypertrophy, growth plate fusion, stunting and signs of progressive dysfunction of the articular cartilage. This effect is dimorphic, with females more strongly affected than males. Chondrocyte-specific deletion of the IL-6 family cytokine receptor gp130, which activates Stat3, phenocopied Stat3-deletion; deletion of Lifr, one of many co-receptors that signals through gp130, resulted in a milder phenotype. These data define a new molecular circuit that regulates chondrogenic cell maintenance and output and reveals a novel, hitherto unrecognized function of IL-6 cytokines in the skeletal system with direct implications for skeletal development and regeneration.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Simulations of flow over a bio-inspired undulated cylinder with dynamically morphing topography

Inspired by the geometric properties of seal whiskers, the addition of spanwise undulations on a cylinder have been shown to lower the mean and oscillatory forces and modify the frequency of flow-induced vibration when compared to smooth cylinders. Previously, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to characterize the hydrodynamic response with respect to specific geometric features. However simulations are time intensive due to complex three-dimensional meshing and computation time, limiting the number of geometric perturbations explored. A method is proposed in which the specific geometric features of this complex topography can be modified during a simulation thereby decreasing the time per geometric modification and removing the need for manual meshing of the complex structure. The surface of the seal whisker inspired geometry is parameterized into seven defining parameters, each of which is directly controlled in order to morph the surface into any realization within the defined parameter space. Once validated, the algorithm is used to explore the undulation amplitudes in the chord and thickness directions, by varying each independently from 0 to 0.3 thicknesses in increments of 0.05 at a Reynolds number of 500. The force and frequency response are examined for this matrix of geometric parameters, yielding detailed force trends not previously investigated. The impact of the bio-inspired morphing algorithm will allow for further optimization and development of force-mitigating underwater devices and other engineering applications in need of vibration suppression, frequency tuning, or force reduction.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2020

Longitudinal white matter changes associated with cognitive training

Improvements in behaviour are known to be accompanied by both structural and functional changes in the brain. However whether those changes lead to more general improvements, beyond the behaviour being trained, remains a contentious issue. We investigated whether training on one of two cognitive tasks would lead to either near transfer (that is, improvements on a quantifiably similar task) or far transfer (that is, improvements on a quantifiably different task), and furthermore, if such changes did occur, what the underlying neural mechanisms might be. Participants trained on either a verbal inhibitory control task or a visuospatial working memory task for four weeks, over the course of which they received five diffusion tensor imaging scans. Two additional tasks, a test of verbal reasoning and a test of spatial span, served as measures of near transfer for the inhibitory control task and spatial working memory task, respectively. These two tasks also served as measures of far transfer for the alternate training task. Behaviourally, participants improved on the task that they trained on, but did not improve on cognitively similar tests (near transfer), nor cognitively dissimilar tests (far transfer). Extensive changes to white matter microstructure were observed, with verbal inhibitory control training leading to changes in a left-lateralized network of fronto-temporal and occipito-frontal tracts, and visuospatial working memory training leading to changes in right-lateralized fronto-parietal tracts. Very little overlap was observed in changes between the two training groups. On the basis of these results, we suggest that near and far transfer were not observed because the changes in white matter tracts associated with training on each task are almost entirely non-overlapping with, and therefore afford no advantages for, the untrained tasks.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Flow over seal whiskers: significance of geometricfeatures on force and frequency response

The complex undulated geometry of seal whiskers has been shown to substantially modify the turbulent structures directly downstream, resulting in a reduction of hydrodynamic forces as well as modified vortex-induced-vibration response when compared with smooth whiskers. Although the unique hydrodynamic response has been well documented, an understanding of the fluid flow effects from each geometric feature remains incomplete. In this computational investigation, nondimensional geometric parameters of the seal whisker morphology are defined in terms of their hydrodynamic relevance, such that wavelength, aspect ratio, undulation amplitudes, symmetry and undulation off-set can be varied independently of one another. A two-factor fractional factorial design of experiments procedure is used to create 16 unique geometries, each of which dramatically amplifies or attenuates the geometric parameters compared with the baseline model. The flow over each unique topography is computed with a large-eddy simulation at a Reynolds number of 500 with respect to the mean whisker thickness and the effects on force and frequency are recorded. The results determine the specific fluid flow impact of each geometric feature which will inform both biologists and engineers who seek to understand the impact of whisker morphology or lay out a framework for biomimetic design of undulated structures.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2020

Examining the relationship between social cognition and neural synchrony during movies in children with and without autism

Children who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show a marked deficit in measures of social cognition. In autistic adults, measures of social cognition have been shown to relate to differences in brain synchronization (as measured by fMRI) when individuals are processing naturalistic stimuli, such as movies. However, whether children with social impairments, with or without a diagnosis of ASD, differ in their neural responses to movies has not yet been investigated. In the current study, neural synchrony, measured using fMRI, was examined in three groups of children aged 7 to 12, who differed with respect to scores on a measure of autistic traits associated with social impairment and whether or not they had been diagnosed with ASD. While watching the movie Despicable Me, those diagnosed with ASD had significantly less neural synchrony in areas that have been previously shown to be associated with social cognition (e.g. areas related to theory of mind), and plot following (e.g. the lateral prefrontal cortex), than those who did not have an ASD diagnosis. In contrast, two groups who differed in their degree of social impairment, but did not have a diagnosis of ASD, showed no significant differences in neural synchrony across the whole brain. These results shed some light on how autistic traits may contribute to an individuals conscious experience of the world, and how, for children with ASD, that experience may differ markedly from that of those without ASD.

neuroscience↗