Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026
05:39
Dermoscopy Aids in the Diagnosis of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
Published on: May 16, 2025
586
Fronto-cerebellar features associate with cognitive dysfunction in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus
Hanne Van der Heijden1, Gabrielle Alonzi2, Amanda Cao1
1Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA.
Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism
|January 21, 2026
Summary
Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) patients show impaired cognitive function linked to fronto-cerebellar abnormalities. This study highlights brain differences in cSLE, impacting cognitive flexibility and working memory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Cognitive dysfunction (CD) is common in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE).
- Understanding the neurobehavioral basis of CD in cSLE is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neurobehavioral underpinnings of cognitive dysfunction in pediatric patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
- To identify neuroimaging correlates of cognitive deficits in cSLE.
Main Methods:
- 20 cSLE patients and 20 healthy controls (HCs) underwent neurocognitive testing, questionnaires, and neuroimaging (fNIRS, fMRI, structural MRI).
- Clinical status was monitored using Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 and laboratory markers.
- K-means clustering was used to identify subgroups within the cSLE cohort based on neuroimaging profiles.
Main Results:
- cSLE patients exhibited worse cognitive functioning, higher emotional distress, and more physical symptoms compared to HCs.
- Neuroimaging revealed altered prefrontal cortex and frontal cortex/cerebellum activity during cognitive tasks, and impaired fronto-cerebellar connectivity.
- Reduced gray matter in frontal and cerebellar regions and altered white matter connectivity were observed in cSLE patients.
Conclusions:
- Fronto-cerebellar abnormalities are associated with cognitive dysfunction in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus.
- These findings emphasize the need for multidisciplinary research to understand the neurobiology of CD in cSLE.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood
1.5K
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the role of thinking in a child's learning process, suggesting that children are naturally curious about their environment. His approach to development is discontinuous, proposing that cognitive abilities progress through distinct stages, each with unique characteristics. Central to Piaget's theory is schemata—mental structures that allow individuals to understand and interpret the world.
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge
1.5K
01:38Cognitive Dissonance
36.8K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
36.8K
01:21Association Areas of the Cortex
9.1K
Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
9.1K
01:27Associative Learning
1.3K
Associative learning is a fundamental concept in behavioral psychology, wherein a connection is established between two stimuli or events, leading to a learned response. This process is critical in understanding how behaviors are acquired and modified. Conditioning, the mechanism through which associations are formed, can be divided into two main types: classical conditioning and operant conditioning, each elucidating different aspects of associative learning.
Classical conditioning, also known...
Classical conditioning, also known...
1.3K
01:28Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Childhood
1.0K
Erik Erikson, a stage theorist, adapted Freud's theory to emphasize social factors in personality development throughout life, a concept known as psychosocial development. Unlike Freud, who focused on early childhood, Erikson believed that personality evolves across eight life stages, each marked by a specific challenge or "crisis." Successful resolution of each stage fosters competence, while failure may lead to feelings of inadequacy.
The first four of Erikson's eight...
The first four of Erikson's eight...
1.0K
01:18Second Order systems II
392
In an underdamped second-order system, where the damping ratio ζ is between 0 and 1, a unit-step input results in a transfer function that, when transformed using the inverse Laplace method, reveals the output response. The output exhibits a damped sinusoidal oscillation, and the difference between the input and output is termed the error signal. This error signal also demonstrates damped oscillatory behavior. Eventually, as the system reaches a steady state, the error diminishes to zero.
392