Neuro-science, Environmental factors on
Gene Expression, Executive Function and
School Reform
Ronald M. Bennett
EDD 1205 Critical Issues and Trends in PreK-16 Education
Dr. Louisa Kramer-Vida, Ed. D.
November 9, 2015
Definition:
• Executive Function – include the abilities
necessary to formulate goals and carry them
out effectively and further argued that the
construct consists of those capacities that
enable a person to engage successfully in
independent, purposive, self-serving behavior
EF skills include:
• Impulse control, working memory, and
cognitive flexibility. These skills are
influenced by environmental factors (Sripada,
2012).
Manifest variables cause the unseen latent variable
Monitor
MetaCognition
Organization
of Materials
Plan/Organize
Working Memory
Initiate
Principal Components
Informative measures
Emotional Control
Behavioral
Regulation
Shift
Inhibit
Red Owl, personal communication, February 10, 2015
BREIF ASSESSMENT
Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function
• The BRIEF consists of 2 rating forms-a parent
questionnaire and a teacher questionnairedesigned to assess executive functioning in the
home and school environments.
• Each questionnaire contains 86 items. The BRIEF
assesses 8 clinical scales that fall within 2 major
areas.
▫ Metacognition
▫ Behavioral Regulation
(Retrieved from http://www.therapro.com/Behavior-Rating-Inventory-ofExecutive-Function-BRIEF-P321854.aspx)
BREIF (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function)
• Metacognition – includes (cognitive skills, learning):
Working Memory, Planning, organization, initiation,
monitor (checking work).
• Behavioral Regulation - looks at the areas of EF that
affect behavior: emotional control and shifting (a
child's ability to be flexible, see other perspectives,
reason).
Increase in interest in Executive Function in children
due to increased technology and brain analysis.
• 5 articles in 1985
600
500
• 14 articles in 1995
• 501 articles in 2005
400
300
200
100
0
(Bernstein & Waber, 2007)
1985
1995
2005
Research Question and the Literature
• Is there a relationship between executive functions
and academic achievement?
• “Language and executive function-which encompass
impulse control, working memory, and cognitive
flexibility-are two important ways that
environmental influences become manifest in
thinking and behavior. In fact, executive functions
have been shown to correspond more strongly with
school readiness than intelligent quotient or entrylevel reading or math skills” (Diamond, Barnett,
Thomas, & Munro, 2007, p. 122).
Policy Organization and Implications
• Since there are more methods of ascertaining brain imaging,
neuro and psychological testing, there needs to be a change
on assessing best practices for increasing educational skills
in children.
• This especially is true of executive function and other
special educational modifications, “Policies for children
revolve around several fundamental themes, including the
promotion of physical health and high-quality
environments, intellectual and language skills, emotional
well-being, and interpersonal relationships” (Huston, 2002).
Environmental factors influences gene expression
• The article by Sripada (2012) states examples of how
environmental factors for children influence gene
expression, “The quality of early social interactions
and childhood environment influences the
experience-dependent shaping of high-level brain
circuits” (p. 122).
• “Language and executive function-which
encompasses impulse control, working memory, and
cognitive flexibility-are two important ways that
environmental influences become manifested in
thinking and behavior” (Sripada, 2012, p. 122).
•
•
•
•
•
Environment vs. Hereditary information (DNA)
Interactions in an individual’s environment affects
behavior.
Lawrence Kohlberg a famous psychologist, stated that
most research show a positive correlation between these
critical periods and an individual’s sensitivity to
environmental influences. Which I will explain in
further detail in a discussion of the coding within the
DNA molecule.
Kohlberg also mentions that a child’s cognitive structure
is fundamentally based on the external world view.
Example is imprinting like how ducks when their first
born they see the mother and follow her around. Time
lapse (1:32).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UIU9XH-mUI
Physiology of Genes and Protein Synthesis
• Genes are segments of DNA
that have the information
and control on the
production of proteins.
• In the nucleus during
Protein Synthesis, a
particular portion of the
DNA a (gene) separates its
nitrogenous bases and the
code on how to position
amino acids is transcribed
on to RNA (ribonucleic
acid) or messenger RNA.
DNA Transcription and Translation
Transcription- the code for a
trait or protein production
can now be read when DNA is
open
Translation – proteins (traits)
are built as per instructions
within the DNA
An Example of Gene Expression
caused by the change of Environmental
Conditions
• French biologists Francois Jacob, Jacques Monod and Andre Lwoff
discovered how the transcription of certain genes is controlled in E.
coli bacteria.
• The bacteria only produced the lactose-digesting enzyme (lactase)
when lactose is present. Enzyme (protein) production is “turned
on” and “off” depending on the needs of the cell (Prentice Hall,
1995, p. 536).
• If monozygotic twins have the same DNA why are there a
divergence in traits? This is due to gene expression, so genes are
“turned on” and some are “turned off”
An Example of Gene Expression caused by the
change of Environmental Conditions
• When lactose is present the
repressor changes shape so
it doesn’t bind to the
operator so gene becomes
able to be transcribed and
enzyme is made, gene is
“turned on.” lac operon
gene read  protein is
made.
• When lactose is absent
gene is “turned off” the
repressor binds onto
operator which stops
transcription.
So the mRNA does not
bind to the DNA, so gene
can not be read “off” and
enzyme which is a protein
can not be made, but
when operator is free
genes can be read “on”
An Example of Gene Expression caused
by change of Environmental Conditions
• The experiment with the Himalayan
rabbit, illustrate how environmental
conditions control gene expression,
cold temperatures turn on the gene
that controls the production of the
black pigment.
Epigenetics
• Ian Weaver is an Assistant Professor in Psychology
and Neuroscience, and Psychiatry at Dalhousie
University in Canada states, “Early life experiences
exert a profound and long-lasting influence on
physical and mental health throughout life.”
• Erick Erikson used this term to compose his theory
that we develop through an unfolding of our
personality in predetermined stages and our
environment and surrounding culture influences
how we progress.
Executive Function is an On-going process
• Executive functioning primarily begins in infancy
with growth spurts in their pre-school years and
continuing throughout the child's school career.
• Increased assessments and special education
policies need to conform to innovative research
practices and coordinating approaches to creating
and presenting policy recommendations (Sripada,
2012, p. 120).
Epigenetics
• Weaver also states “Understanding the mechanisms
involved in the initiation, maintenance, and
heritability of epigenetic states is thus an important
aspect of research in current biology, particularly in
the study of learning and memory, emotion, and
social behavior in humans. Moreover, epigenetics in
psychology provides a framework for understanding
how the expression of genes is influenced by
experiences and the environment to produce
individual differences in behavior, cognition,
personality, and mental health.”
Early Environmental Regulations of Gene
Expression and Brain Development
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkk9WGpCxto
Michael J. Meaney a Professor at McGil University specializing in
biological psychiatry, neurology, and neurosurgery, who is primarily
known for his research on stress, maternal care, and gene
expression.
• Correlation to why school reform need to offer all children a sound
economic basis and also an environment conducive for cognitive
development.
phenotype is an individual's observable
traits, such as height, eye color, and blood
type. The genetic contribution to the
phenotype is called the genotype. Some traits
are largely determined by the genotype,
while other traits are largely determined by
environmental factors (Prentice Hall, 1995,
p. 536).
Early Environmental Regulations of Gene
Expression and Brain Development
• Points of interest:
▫ 9:00-9:20 time lapse: Family history impacts social
development, and how we respond to specific
treatments whether it be pharmacological or
psychotherapy.
▫ 10:45 – 14:17 time lapse: Correlation to human
experience, when parental organisms are exposed to
adversity (nutrient deprivation or predation), there is an
alteration of a signal to the offspring, which is
applicable to human psychology, maternal expose to
adversity causes a change in the offspring phenotype.
Early Environmental Regulations of Gene
Expression and Brain Development
• Points of interest
• All cells in your body have the same nuclear DNA we
all come from one cell after fertilization, then why do
all the cells in your body perform different roles
(differentiation meaning expression of different genes
apart of the same long double helix of DNA)
• 15:40 remodeling DNA so that it is available for
transcription factors can bind and cause expression of
genes, (slide 11 and 13).
What effect does this research have on
closing the achievement gap in education
In a study by Blair and Raver (2014), “Recent advances in
neuroscience suggest that poverty related gaps in
achievement are accompanied by poverty-related
differences in brain structure and function and differences
in the regulation of attention, emotion, stress response
physiology, and executive functions important for early
learning” (p.1).
See article distributed for further physiological explanation
and relevance to executive function environmental
influences such as socio-economic barriers and policy
recommendations (Blair & Raver, 2014).
Activities to Enhance EF
Activity:
• Treating Executive Functioning Dysfunction with
Occupational Therapy
• http://www.gla-rehab.com/blog/treating-executivefunctioning-dysfunction-with-occupational-therapy/
• Site leads you to such sites indicated below
• https://www.lumosity.com/
Another site that involves various assessment tools
along with a vast amount of therapeutic products
• http://www.therapro.com/Behavior-RatingInventory-of-Executive-Function-BRIEFP321854.aspx
Computer Activity
• 1st go to luosity.com
• 2nd click on get started now
• 3rd Functions with various functions you can choose from
▫ 1. Memory
▫ 2. Attention
▫ 3. Speed
▫ 4. Flexibility
▫ 5. Problem Solving
• 4th Create an account
 Ronald Bennett
 [email protected]
 Password
Computer Activity
• 4.1 Training priorities
▫ 4.1.1 Start your fit test
▫ 4.1.1.1 Calibrate speed
 Determine whether the symbols match
Follow instructions from this point on.
5.0 Study and effectiveness - Researcher Julia Mayas
from National University of Distance Education in Madrid,
Spain found a significant reduction of distraction and an
increase of alertness controlling for all other variables 15
healthy adults were tested comparing to control group, after
20 one-hour training sessions using Lumosity. The authors
conclude that these results suggest neurocognitive
plasticity in the old human brain and hence increase
executive function.
References
• Bernstein, J. H., & Waber, D. P. (2007). Executive capacities from a
developmental perspective. In L. Meltzer (Ed.), Executive function in
education: from theory to practice (pp. 39–54). New York: The Guilford
Press.
• Blair, C., & Raver, C. C. (2014). Closing the achievement gap
through modification of neurocognitive and neuroendocrine
function: results from a cluster randomized controlled trial of an
innovative approach to the education of children in kindergarten.
Applied Psychology, 1-13.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0112393
• Diamond, A., Barnett, W. S., Thomas, J., & Munro. S. (2007). Preschool
program improves cognitive control. Science. 318, 1387-1388
References
• Engel de Abreu, P. M. J., Abreu, N., Nikaedo, C. C., Puglisi, M. L.,
Tourinho, C. J., Miranda, M. C., Martin, R. (2014). Executive functioning
and reading achievement in school: A study of brazilian children assessed
by their teachers as "poor readers". Frontiers in Psychology, 1-15.
• Huston, A. C. (2002). Reforms and child development. Future of children.
12, 59-78.
• Sripada, K. (2012). Neuroscience in the capital: linking brain research and
federal early childhood programs and policies. Early education and
development, 23, 120-130.