ABSTRACT
Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) tests have been well-documented to predict reading abilities as well as a variety of neurobiological disorders (e.g., developmental dyslexia). Traditional measures of RAN tests only take into account the naming time and accuracy and cannot reflect temporal-spatial features during RAN tests. Although the eye tracking approach appears to be a promising tool for characterizing the essential temporal-spatial characteristics of RAN tests, no research has been conducted to investigate whether and how gender, age, and task-type alter those characteristics. Additionally, no study has examined eye movements during a Chinese adaptation of RAN in order to expand the applicability of RAN to developmental dyslexia in Chinese. To address the concerns stated above, this article recruited 408 children (206 males, aged 7-11 years) and adopted eight measures to quantify features of eye movements during a Chinese adaptation of RAN. Findings showed that: (1) eight eye-movement measures had the main effects of task-type and age, but only five of them had the main effect of gender (in particular, females outperformed males); (2) RAN abilities observed by eight eye-movement measures initially developed quickly before the age of 9, and then entered a relatively sluggish development phase; (3) non-alphanumeric RAN tasks generally required higher mental load (implying more fixation counts, saccade counts, and regression counts, smaller average saccade amplitude, fixation duration fluctuation and saccade amplitude fluctuation, and longer average fixation duration and total time of naming) than alphanumeric ones; (4) there were significant correlations between total time of naming (a widely-used behavioral parameter) and other eye-movement measures; and (5) there were significant correlation between eight eye-movement measures and three attention-related skills observed from a number cancellation task. The current study might offer some perspectives on the understanding of normative data of eye movements during RAN in Chinese school-aged children, as well as the applications (e.g., developmental dyslexia) associated with RAN.
ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the change in 25 hydroxyvitamin D[25 -(OH)D]level in school - aged children with orthostatic hypertension (OHT). Methods Nineteen cases of school - aged children with OHT confirmed diagnosis by head - up tilt table test at the Department of Pediatric Cardiovasology,Children′s Medical Center,the Second Xiangya Hospital,Central South University,from October 2014 to February 2017,were selected as OHT group, including 17 males and 2 females,and their ages were from 7 to 14(11. 21 ± 2. 70)years old. Nineteen healthy children including 17 males and 2 females and aged 8 to 14(11. 05 ± 2. 35)years old who had a healthy examination of child care at the hospital in the same period were selected as healthy control group. In two groups of children all possible basic diseases were eliminated,such as severe liver and kidney disease,abnormal thyroid function and metabolic bone disease and/ or the long - term use of 25 -(OH)D metabolism drugs,accepted the serum 25 -(OH)D detection. Results (1)There was no significant difference in age and gender between the OHT group and the healthy control group(t = 0. 559,P > 0. 05;χ2 = 0. 000,P > 0. 05). The 25 -(OH)D levels were significantly lower in the OHT group than those in the healthy control group [(39. 62 ± 10. 65)nmol/ L vs. (64. 83 ± 10. 28)nmol/ L,t = - 7. 422,P <0. 01]. (2)25 -(OH)D levels had no correlation with age,gender,height,body mass,systolic pressure,or diastolic blood pressure (r = 0. 254,0. 047,0. 195,0. 019,- 0. 191,- 0. 184,all P > 0. 05). Taking 25 -(OH)D level as dependent variable,age,gender,height,body mass,systolic pressure,diastolic blood pressure as independent variables, multiple stepwise regression equation to predict 25 -(OH)D level was not fit. Conclusion Lower level of 25 -(OH)D may be one of the mechanisms for the onset of the school - aged children with OHT.
