Haskins Laboratories

This study provides a comprehensive metabolomic and lipidomic analysis of various almond varieties (Monterey, Nonpareil, Independence) and their pasteurized and non-pasteurized forms, identifying 530 phytochemicals (metabolites and lipids), including 17 bioactive substances, six of which were previously unreported in almonds. Using LC-MS and advanced data processing techniques, we explored the impact of pasteurization on almond composition, revealing alterations in fatty acid profiles and increases in polyphenols and flavonoids. Pasteurization was found to enhance oxidative stability while affecting nutrient content, notably increasing the oleic/linolenic ratio. Consistent bioactive compounds such as Beta-Sitosterol and Isorhamnetin underscore the known health benefits of almonds, including cardiovascular and cognitive support. Overall, this research highlights the significant health-promoting properties of almonds and the influence of processing on their nutritional profile, suggesting their continued inclusion in health-conscious diets.

ABSTRACT Scalar implicatures, a type of pragmatic inference that relies on the evaluation of alternatives on a logical scale, have been extensively studied in the developmental literature, yet their developmental timeline remains hazy. Furthermore, debates continue over the contributions that potential supporting factors, such as Theory of Mind, executive functions, and language, make to the scalar implicature derivation process in adulthood and during development. We present a novel approach to address these issues: we tested 4- and 5-year-old children (majority white with college-educated mothers and slightly higher than average SES) and adults (undergraduate students) on scalar implicature and theory of mind tasks using spatial neuroimaging techniques (fNIRS). We find evidence that neural networks associated with Theory of Mind, executive functions, and language were active during scalar inference in adults and some preschool-aged children. Moreover, we find that children who pass the scalar inference task show activation of neural networks associated with Theory of Mind and language processing (specifically including the dmPFC and LIFG) during scalar inference and right temporoparietal junction activity during a Theory of Mind task, while children who do not pass the task do not show activation of these regions. This study provides the first exploration into neural correlates of scalar inference in 4- and 5-year-olds using spatial neuroimaging techniques.

Abstract Over the first years of life, the brain undergoes substantial organization in response to environmental stimulation. In a silent world, it may promote vision by (i) recruiting resources from the auditory cortex and (ii) making the visual cortex more efficient. It is unclear when such changes occur and how adaptive they are, questions that children with cochlear implants can help address. Here, we examined 7–18 years old children: 50 had cochlear implants, with delayed or age-appropriate language abilities, and 25 had typical hearing and language. High-density electroencephalography and functional near-infrared spectroscopy were used to evaluate cortical responses to a low-level visual task. Evidence for a ‘weaker visual cortex response’ and ‘less synchronized or less inhibitory activity of auditory association areas’ in the implanted children with language delays suggests that cross-modal reorganization can be maladaptive and does not necessarily strengthen the dominant visual sense.

The neurobiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is hypothetically related to the imbalance between neural excitation (E) and inhibition (I). Different studies have revealed that alpha-band (8-12Hz) activity in magneto- and electroencephalography (MEG and EEG) may reflect E and I processes and, thus, can be of particular interest in ASD research. Previous findings indicated alterations in event-related and baseline alpha activity in different cortical systems in individuals with ASD, and these abnormalities were associated with core and co-occurring conditions of ASD. However, the knowledge on auditory alpha oscillations in this population is limited. This MEG study investigated stimulus-induced (Event-Related Desynchronization, ERD) and baseline alpha-band activity (both periodic and aperiodic) in the auditory cortex and also the relationships between these neural activities and behavioral measures of children with ASD. Ninety amplitude-modulated tones were presented to two groups of children: 20 children with ASD (5 girls, Mage = 10.03, SD = 1.7) and 20 typically developing controls (9 girls, Mage = 9.11, SD = 1.3). Children with ASD had a bilateral reduction of alpha-band ERD, reduced baseline aperiodic-adjusted alpha power, and flattened aperiodic exponent in comparison to TD children. Moreover, lower raw baseline alpha power and aperiodic offset in the language-dominant left auditory cortex were associated with better language skills of children with ASD measured in formal assessment. The findings highlighted the alterations of E / I balance metrics in response to basic auditory stimuli in children with ASD and also provided evidence for the contribution of low-level processing to language difficulties in ASD.

Abstract Phonological awareness (PA) is an important predictor and outcome of reading. Yet, little is known about the reciprocal relation between PA and reading across development without consistent reading experience (e.g., as a result of limited access to quality education and late enrolment in school). We tested the hypothesis that variable reading experience in childhood influences neural activation in regions involved in language and reading processing—left frontal and temporoparietal cortex. Sixty‐nine primary‐school children (Mage = 10.4) from rural low‐literacy communities in Côte d'Ivoire completed a PA task while undergoing functional near‐infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging (fNIRS) neuroimaging and a reading battery. We observed differences in left inferior frontal and bilateral temporoparietal activation for younger versus older children with similar reading skills, suggesting neural activations for phonological processing depends on the age when children have reading experience. Without consistent access to quality education, children may miss out on reciprocal interactions between phonological processing and reading shaping language processing in the brain.

This article reports on jaw articulation, in connection with the segmental articulations of tongue tip and lips. The jaw is considered a syllable articulator as it opens and closes for each syllable, and the amount of jaw opening is related to syllable strength, given the same phonemic vowel. Here, we investigate the syllabic and the segmental articulations relationships to the acoustic segments. We analyze electromagnetic articulography data of 18 Southern Swedish speakers by testing hypotheses based on the Descriptive Approach to Segmental Articulations. In this approach, articulatory movements are divided into fast intervals and steady states, and the crucial ("primary") articulators' deceleration and acceleration peaks align with the acoustic segment boundaries. Previous findings on the lips and the tongue tip are confirmed. New results are the jaw as noncrucial ("nonprimary") does not align with the acoustic segment boundaries: Its steady states are shorter than consonant and vowel segments. Moreover, place of articulation of the coda affects the jaw cycle, while syllable type only affects jaw closing. No such effects are found on the edges of the jaw cycle, instead only gender affects jaw deceleration at syllable onset. The jaw is not crucial for the timing of the acoustic segment boundaries; also, syllable borders seem to not be affected by place of segmental articulation. The results strengthen the view of the jaw as syllable articulator providing a frame and the other articulators (e.g., lips and tongue tip) as the segmental articulators providing the content.

Rhotic sounds are some of the most challenging sounds for L2 learners to acquire. This study investigates the production of English rhotic sounds by Mandarin-English bilinguals with two English proficiency levels. The production of the English /ɹ/ by 17 Mandarin-English bilinguals was examined with ultrasound imaging and compared with the production of native English speakers. The ultrasound data show that bilinguals can produce native-like bunched and retroflex gestures, but the distributional pattern of tongue shapes in various contexts differs from that of native speakers. Acoustically, the English /ɹ/ produced by bilinguals had a higher F3 and F3-F2, as well as some frication noise in prevocalic /ɹ/, features similar to the Mandarin /ɹ/. Mandarin-English bilinguals did produce language-specific phonetic realizations for the English and Mandarin /ɹ/s. There was a positive correlation between language proficiency and English-specific characteristics of /ɹ/ by Mandarin-English bilinguals in both articulation and acoustics. Phonetic similarities facilitated rather than hindered L2 speech learning in production: Mandarin-English bilinguals showed better performance in producing the English /ɹ/ allophones that were more similar to the Mandarin /ɹ/ (syllabic and postvocalic /ɹ/s) than producing the English /ɹ/ allophone that was less similar to the Mandarin /ɹ/ (prevocalic /ɹ/). This study contributes to our understanding of the mechanism of speech production in late bilinguals.