Biology subjects

Peraza, J. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Peraza, J. A..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Task-based attentional and default mode connectivity associated with STEM anxiety profiles among university physics students

Attentional control theory (ACT) posits that elevated anxiety increases the probability of re-allocating cognitive resources needed to complete a task to processing anxiety-related stimuli. This process impairs processing efficiency and can lead to reduced performance effectiveness. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students frequently experience STEM-related anxiety, which can interfere with learning and performance and negatively impact student retention and graduation rates. The objective of this study was to extend the ACT framework to investigate the neurobiological associations between STEM-related anxiety and cognitive performance among 123 physics undergraduate students. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four profiles of student STEM-related anxiety, including two profiles that represented the majority of the sample (Low STEM Anxiety; 59.3% and High Math Anxiety; 21.9%) and two additional profiles that were not well represented (High STEM Anxiety; 6.5% and High Science Anxiety; 4.1%). Students underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session in which they performed two tasks involving physics cognition: the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) task and the Physics Knowledge (PK) task. No significant differences were observed in FCI or PK task performance between High Math Anxiety and Low STEM Anxiety students. During the three phases of the FCI task, we found no significant brain connectivity differences during scenario and question presentation, yet we observed significant differences during answer selection within and between the dorsal attention network (DAN), ventral attention network (VAN), and default mode network (DMN). Further, we found significant group differences during the PK task were limited to the DAN, including DAN-VAN and within-DAN connectivity. These results highlight the different cognitive processes required for physics conceptual reasoning compared to physics knowledge retrieval, provide new insight into the underlying brain dynamics associated with anxiety and physics cognition, and confirm the relevance of ACT theory for STEM-related anxiety.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Acculturative orientations among Hispanic/Latinx caregivers in the ABCD Study: Associations with caregiver and youth mental health and youth brain function

BackgroundPopulation-based neuroscience offers opportunities to examine important but understudied sociocultural factors, such as acculturation. Acculturation refers to the extent to which an individual retains their cultural heritage and / or adopts the receiving societys culture and is particularly salient among Hispanic/Latinx immigrants. Specific acculturative orientations have been linked to vulnerability to substance use, depression, and suicide and are known to influence family dynamics between caregivers and their children. MethodsWe investigated first- and second-generation Hispanic/Latinx caregivers in the ABCD Study and examined how caregivers acculturative orientation impacts their mental health, as well as the mental health of their children. In addition, we evaluated how caregiver orientation is associated with adolescent socio-affiliative neural function in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, insula, and temporoparietal junction. ResultsWe identified two caregiver acculturation profiles: bicultural (retains heritage culture while adopting US culture) and detached (discards heritage culture and rejects US culture). Bicultural caregivers exhibited fewer symptoms of depression, avoidant behaviors, and inattention compared to detached caregivers; further, youth exhibited similar internalizing effects across caregiver profiles. Moreover, youth with bicultural caregivers displayed increased resting-state brain activity in the left insula; however, differences in long-range functional connectivity were not significant. ConclusionsCaregiver acculturation is an important familial-environmental factor in Hispanic/Latinx families linked to significant differences in caregiver and youth mental health and youth insula activity. Future work should examine sociocultural and neurodevelopmental changes across adolescence to assess health outcomes and determine whether localized, corticolimbic brain effects are ultimately translated into long-range connectivity differences.

neuroscience↗