De coronacrisis heeft een enorme impact gehad op het onderwijs. Nog nooit zaten kinderen zo lang thuis, volgden ze onderwijs aan de keukentafel, veelal via een scherm, en kregen ouders een grote... Show moreDe coronacrisis heeft een enorme impact gehad op het onderwijs. Nog nooit zaten kinderen zo lang thuis, volgden ze onderwijs aan de keukentafel, veelal via een scherm, en kregen ouders een grote rol in het onderwijs. Voor sommige leerlingen was dit een succes; zij kregen zogezegd ‘vleugels’. Andere leerlingenworstelden en kwamen niet tot werken. In een grootschalige studie deelden leerlingen uit groep 6, 7 en 8, ouders en leerkrachten hun ervaringen met het thuisonderwijs. Welke rol speelden leerkrachten en ouders in de motivatie en zelfregulatie van leerlingen tijdens het thuisonderwijs? Welke lessen kunnen we hieruit trekken voor onderwijs in de toekomst, bijvoorbeeld op het gebied van gelijkwaardig partnerschap en autonomie van leerlingen? Show less
Rosenberg-Lee, M.; Iuculano, T.; Bae, S.R.; Richardson, J.; Qin, S.; Jolles, D.D.; Menon, V. 2018
Functions that rely on dorsolateral prefrontal and parietal cortex, including working memory manipulation, are among the latest functions to mature. Yet, several behavioral studies have shown that... Show moreFunctions that rely on dorsolateral prefrontal and parietal cortex, including working memory manipulation, are among the latest functions to mature. Yet, several behavioral studies have shown that children may improve on these functions after extensive practice. In this pilot study, we examined whether children would be able to demonstrate increased frontoparietal brain activation after practice. Twelve-year-old children and young adults practiced for 6 weeks with a working memory manipulation task. Before and after practice, functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired. Both children and adults demonstrated better performance, lasting at least up to 6 months after the practice period. Before practice, children showed immature frontoparietal activation for manipulation of information in working memory relative to pure maintenance, specifically during the delay period of the task. After practice, the activation differences between children and adults were considerably reduced, suggesting that children may show increased frontoparietal activation if given extensive practice. These preliminary findings argue against the hypothesis that certain brain structures cannot be engaged because of immaturity. Yet, future studies with larger samples should further examine flexibility in the developing brain, and establish what can and cannot be expected of children across school-aged development. Show less
Jolles, D.D.; Buchem, M.A. van; Rombouts, S.A.R.B.; Crone, E.A. 2012
It is well known that complex mental abilities develop at least until late adolescence. Yet, there are also skills that children master perfectly, sometimes even better than adults. The goal of... Show moreIt is well known that complex mental abilities develop at least until late adolescence. Yet, there are also skills that children master perfectly, sometimes even better than adults. The goal of this thesis was to learn more about the possibilities of cognitive functioning in children and young adults, and the constraints set by the developing brain. An fMRI training approach was used to examine age- and experience-related effects in the development of working memory and resting-state functional connectivity. More specifically, we studied age differences on task performance and brain activation during a working memory task with various demands and difficulty levels, both before and after 6 weeks of practice with the task. In addition, to learn more about the interaction between different brain regions, we also examined age differences and practice effects on functional connectivity during resting-state. Show less
The ability to keep information active in working memory is one of the cornerstones of cognitive development. Prior studies have demonstrated that regions which are important for working memory... Show moreThe ability to keep information active in working memory is one of the cornerstones of cognitive development. Prior studies have demonstrated that regions which are important for working memory performance in adults, such as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), and superior parietal cortex, become increasingly engaged across school-aged development. The primary goal of the present functional MRI study was to investigate the involvement of these regions in the development of working memory manipulation relative to maintenance functions under different loads. We measured activation in DLPFC VLPFC, and superior parietal cortex during the delay period of a verbal working memory task in 11-13-year-old children and young adults. We found evidence for age-related behavioral improvements in working memory and functional changes within DLPFC and VLPFC activation patterns. Although activation profiles of DLPFC and VLPFC were,similar; group differences were most pronounced for right DLPFC. Consistent with prior studies, right DLPFC showed an interaction between age and condition (i.e. manipulation versus maintenance), specifically at the lower loads. This interaction was characterized by increased activation for manipulation relative to maintenance trials in adults compared to children. In contrast, we did not observe a significant age-dependent load sensitivity These results suggest that age-related differences in the right DLPFC are specific to working memory, manipulation and are not related to task difficulty and/or differences in short-term memory capacity Show less
Jolles, D.D.; Buchem, M.A. van; Crone, E.A.; Rombouts, S.A.R.B. 2011
Over the past decade, examination of functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging has become an important tool to investigate functional changes in patient populations,... Show moreOver the past decade, examination of functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging has become an important tool to investigate functional changes in patient populations, healthy aging, and recently also child development. Most prior developmental studies focused on functional connectivity between brain regions important for cognitive or emotional control and the so-called "default-mode network." In the present study, we investigated whole-brain functional connectivity in children (11-13 years; N = 19) and young adults (19-25 years; N = 29), without a priori restrictions to specific regions. We found similar patterns of functionally connected regions in children and young adults, but there were differences in the size of functionally connected regions (i.e., the number of voxels), as well as in the strength of functional connectivity (i.e., the correlation value) between brain regions. This indicates that functional connectivity continues to change during adolescence. Developmental differences were found across the whole brain, but the effects differed for functional connectivity patterns associated with higher cognitive or emotional functions and functional connectivity patterns associated with basic visual and sensorimotor functions. Finally, we showed that the majority of functional connectivity differences could not be explained on the basis of gray matter density alone. Show less
Jolles, D.D.; Buchem, M.A. van; Crone, E.A.; Rombouts, S.A.R.B. 2011
Over the past decade, examination of functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging has become an important tool to investigate functional changes in patient populations,... Show moreOver the past decade, examination of functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging has become an important tool to investigate functional changes in patient populations, healthy aging, and recently also child development. Most prior developmental studies focused on functional connectivity between brain regions important for cognitive or emotional control and the so-called "default-mode network." In the present study, we investigated whole-brain functional connectivity in children (11-13 years; N = 19) and young adults (19-25 years; N = 29), without a priori restrictions to specific regions. We found similar patterns of functionally connected regions in children and young adults, but there were differences in the size of functionally connected regions (i.e., the number of voxels), as well as in the strength of functional connectivity (i.e., the correlation value) between brain regions. This indicates that functional connectivity continues to change during adolescence. Developmental differences were found across the whole brain, but the effects differed for functional connectivity patterns associated with higher cognitive or emotional functions and functional connectivity patterns associated with basic visual and sensorimotor functions. Finally, we showed that the majority of functional connectivity differences could not be explained on the basis of gray matter density alone. Show less
Several studies have examined the neural effects of working memory practice, but due to different task demands, diverse patterns of neural changes have been reported. In the present study, we... Show moreSeveral studies have examined the neural effects of working memory practice, but due to different task demands, diverse patterns of neural changes have been reported. In the present study, we examined neural effects of practice using a task with different working memory demands within a single practice paradigm. Fifteen adults practiced during 6 weeks with a task that required maintenance and manipulation of information under low and high working memory loads. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) data were acquired in the first week and last week of the practice period. Results were compared with results of a control group who did not practice the task. We demonstrated that practice was beneficial for both working memory maintenance and manipulation processes but that these processes were supported by different neural changes. While maintenance trials showed increased activation (i.e., less deactivation) in default-mode regions after practice, manipulation trials experienced increased activation in the striatum. Changes were also observed in left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left superior parietal cortex (SPC). However, for bilateral DLPFC and left SPC, these changes were not specific to the practice group. These findings illustrate the importance of controlling for test-retest effects in training or intervention studies. Behavioral follow-up tests demonstrated that practice effects lasted over a 6-month period, but the absence of transfer effects indicated that the acquired skills were specific for the practiced working memory task. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Show less
