Although individuals born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW; < 1,000 g) are the most vulnerable of all preterm survivors, their risk for mental health problems across the life span has not been systematically reviewed. The primary objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to ascertain whether the risk for mental health problems is greater for ELBW survivors than their normal birth weight (NBW) peers in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Forty-one studies assessing 2,712 ELBW children, adolescents, and adults and 11,127 NBW controls were reviewed. Group differences in mental health outcomes were assessed using random effects meta-analyses. The impacts of birthplace, birth era, and neurosensory impairment on mental health outcomes were assessed in subgroup analyses. Children born at ELBW were reported by parents and teachers to be at significantly greater risk than NBW controls for inattention and hyperactivity, internalizing, and externalizing symptoms. ELBW children were also at greater risk for conduct and oppositional disorders, autistic symptoms, and social difficulties. Risks for parent-reported inattention and hyperactivity, internalizing, and social problems were greater in adolescents born at ELBW. In contrast, ELBW teens self-reported lower inattention, hyperactivity, and oppositional behavior levels than their NBW peers. Depression, anxiety, and social difficulties were elevated in ELBW survivors in adulthood. Group differences were robust to region of birth, era of birth, and the presence of neurosensory impairments. The complex needs faced by children born at ELBW continue throughout development, with long-term consequences for psychological and social well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record

When two masked, to-be-attended targets are presented within approximately 500 msec of each other, accurate report of the second target (T2) suffers more than when targets are presented farther apart in time--an attentional blink (AB). In the present study, the AB was found to be larger when taboo words were presented as a first target (T1), as compared with the AB found when emotionally neutral, negative, or positive words were presented as T1, suggesting that taboo words received preferential attentional processing. Comparable results were also obtained when taboo words were presented as to-be-ignored distractors in single-target rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP). Arousal, but not valence, ratings of the emotional words predicted accuracy on subsequent targets in both dual- and single-task RSVP. Recognition memory for taboo words accounted fully for the negative relationships between arousal ratings and accuracy on subsequent targets, suggesting that arousal-triggered changes in attentional allocation influenced encoding of taboo words at the time they were encountered.

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For decades, electroencephalography (EEG) has been a useful tool for investigating the neural mechanisms underlying human psychological processes. However, the amount of time needed to gather EEG data means that most laboratory studies use relatively small sample sizes. Using the Muse, a portable and wireless four-channel EEG headband, we obtained EEG recordings from 6029 subjects 18–88 years in age while they completed a category exemplar task followed by a meditation exercise. Here, we report age-related changes in EEG power at a fine chronological scale for δ, θ, α, and β bands, as well as peak α frequency and α asymmetry measures for both frontal and temporoparietal sites. We found that EEG power changed as a function of age, and that the age-related changes depended on sex and frequency band. We found an overall age-related shift in band power from lower to higher frequencies, especially for females. We also found a gradual, year-by-year slowing of the peak α frequency with increasing age. Finally, our analysis of α asymmetry revealed greater relative right frontal activity. Our results replicate several previous age- and sex-related findings and show how some previously observed changes during childhood extend throughout the lifespan. Unlike previous age-related EEG studies that were limited by sample size and restricted age ranges, our work highlights the advantage of using large, representative samples to address questions about developmental brain changes. We discuss our findings in terms of their relevance to attentional processes and brain-based models of emotional well-being and aging.