Derek G Moore | University of Surrey (original) (raw)

Papers by Derek G Moore

Infant and child development, 2016

Recent work suggests that differences in functional brain development are already identifiable in... more Recent work suggests that differences in functional brain development are already identifiable in 6- to 9-month-old infants from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds. Investigation of early SES-related differences in neuro-cognitive functioning requires the recruitment of large and diverse samples of infants, yet it is often difficult to persuade low-SES parents to come to a university setting. One solution is to recruit infants through early intervention children's centres (CCs). These are often located in areas of high relative deprivation to support young children. Given the increasing portability of eye-tracking equipment, assessment of large clusters of infants could be undertaken in centres by suitably trained early intervention staff. Here, we report on a study involving 174 infants and their parents, carried out in partnership with CCs, exploring the feasibility of this approach. We report the processes of setting up the project and participant recruitment. We rep...

Learning and Individual Differences, 2016

Infant sleep undergoes significant re-organization throughout the first 12 months of life, with s... more Infant sleep undergoes significant re-organization throughout the first 12 months of life, with sleep quality having significant consequences for infant learning and cognitive development. While there has been great interest in the neural basis and developmental trajectories of infant sleep in general, relatively little is known about individual differences in infant sleep and the socio-economic and cultural sources of that variability. We investigated this using questionnaire sleep data in a large, unique multi-ethnic sample of 6-7 month-olds (n=174), with families from South Asian ethnic groups in the UK (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi) being especially well represented. Consistent with previous data from less variable samples, no effects of SES on sleep latency or nocturnal sleep duration emerged. However, perinatal risk factors and ethnic differences did predict daytime sleep, sleep fragmentation and sleep-onset time. While these results should be interpreted with caution due to several limitations, they likely demonstrate that even when socio-economic status and ethnicity are much less confounded than in previous studies, they have a surprisingly limited impact on individual differences in sleep patterns in young infants.

Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 2016

Recreational use of 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy, MDMA) is increasing worldwide. It... more Recreational use of 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy, MDMA) is increasing worldwide. Its use by pregnant women causes concern due to potentially harmful effects on the developing fetus. MDMA, an indirect monoaminergic agonist and reuptake inhibitor, affects the serotonin and dopamine systems. Preclinical studies of fetal exposure demonstrate effects on learning, motor behavior, and memory. In the first human studies, we found prenatal MDMA exposure related to poorer motor development in the first year of life. In the present study we assessed the effects of prenatal exposure to MDMA on the trajectory of child development through 2years of age. We hypothesized that exposure would be associated with poorer mental and motor outcomes. The DAISY (Drugs and Infancy Study, 2003-2008) employed a prospective longitudinal cohort design to assess recreational drug use during pregnancy and child outcomes in the United Kingdom. Examiners masked to drug exposures followed infants from birth to 4, 12, 18, and 24months of age. MDMA, cocaine, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and other drugs were quantified through a standardized clinical interview. The Bayley Scales (III) of Mental (MDI) and Motor (PDI) Development and the Behavior Rating Scales (BRS) were primary outcome measures. Statistical analyses included a repeated measures mixed model approach controlling for multiple confounders. Participants were pregnant women volunteers, primarily white, of middle class socioeconomic status, average IQ, with some college education, in stable partner relationships. Of 96 women enrolled, children of 93 had at least one follow-up assessment and 81 (87%) had ≥ two assessments. Heavier MDMA exposure (M=1.3±1.4 tablets per week) predicted lower PDI (p<.002), and poorer BRS motor quality from 4 to 24months of age, but did not affect MDI, orientation, or emotional regulation. Children with heavier exposure were twice as likely to demonstrate poorer motor quality as lighter and non-exposed children (O.R.=2.2, 95%, CI=1.02-4.70, p<.05). Infants whose mothers reported heavier MDMA use during pregnancy had motor delays from 4months to two years of age that were not attributable to other drug or lifestyle factors. Women of child bearing age should be cautioned about the use of MDMA and MDMA-exposed infants should be screened for motor delays and possible intervention.

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2015

Adolescents from areas of high deprivation are often assumed to have low aspirations for the futu... more Adolescents from areas of high deprivation are often assumed to have low aspirations for the future. However, recent research has suggested otherwise and there have been calls for more substantial investigation into the relationship between poverty and aspiration. This article reports levels and variation in aspiration from 1214 adolescents (49.5 % male; 50.5 % female) living in areas of high deprivation across 20 London boroughs. A strength of this study is our large and diverse population of low socio-economic status (SES) adolescents, comprising of white British (22 %), black African (21 %), black Caribbean (9 %), Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Other Asian (24 %), mixed ethnicity (9 %), and 15 % defining themselves as Other. Our measures indicated a high group level of reported aspiration with notable variations. Females reported higher educational (but not occupational) aspirations than males; white British students reported lower educational and occupational aspirations than other ethnic groups; and black African children reported the highest educational aspirations. Perceived parental support for education had the largest positive association with aspirations. In contrast to previous findings from studies carried out in the United States, aspirations were found to be negatively associated with perceptions of school and school peer environment. These measures explored feelings of safety, happiness and belonging within the school environment and school peer group. We discuss possible explanations for this unexpected finding within our population of adolescents from UK state schools and how it might affect future policy interventions. This study makes an important contribution to the literature on adolescent aspirations because of the unique nature of the data sample and the multiple domains of functioning and aspiration measured.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that impairments shown by children with autism in recog... more Background: Recent studies have suggested that impairments shown by children with autism in recognising emotions may be a consequence of cognitive problems, such as motion processing, rather than a result of a specific and widespread affective disorder. To our knowledge, the majority of studies investigating emotion recognition abilities in children with autism have done so by eliciting responses from children with static images of emotional faces. These studies have yielded somewhat conflicting results. In light of recent evidence that children with autism may have motion processing difficulties, and that when interacting with others in real-life situations, facial features and often the head are moving, it is important to investigate emotion recognition abilities in non-static stimuli. Objectives: We presented preliminary data at last year’s IMFAR conference (2008) showing that children with autism performed differentially when presented with emotions and vowels in faces moving at...

Background: There is an ongoing debate as to whether the deficits shown by children with autism i... more Background: There is an ongoing debate as to whether the deficits shown by children with autism in emotion recognition stem from a specific and widespread affective disorder (Hobson et al., 1986, 1988, 1989) or are a consequence of other cognitive problems. Objectives: Our studies extended the work of Gepner et al. (2001) and systematically investigated the extent to which problems in emotion recognition in faces and bodies in children with autism are predicted by cognitive factors including motion perception abilities, biological motion sensitivity and capacities for featural and configural processing of faces and non-faces. We wished to establish whether, once these factors are accounted for, children with autism continue to show impairments in emotion recognition in faces and bodies. Methods: Children with autism aged 8 to 14 years and verbally-matched typically developing children aged 4 to 7 years took part in this series of experiments. Children were asked to undertake three e...

Version 2.0 after revisions 7 th July 2010 2

Revista Síndrome de Down …, 2010

EN RESUMEN I Se ha prestado considerable atención al proceso de adquisición de las habilidades so... more EN RESUMEN I Se ha prestado considerable atención al proceso de adquisición de las habilidades socio-cognitivas en el desarrollo normal y en el autismo, mientras que al del síndrome de Down se ha prestado mucho menos. Los estudios iniciales de las décadas 1970 y 1980 hicieron importantes avances en el conocimiento de cómo surgían las habilidades cognitivas en los primeros años de vida de los niños, y recientemente se ha reavivado el interés en esta área, centrándose la investigación en un abanico más amplio de las habilidades y de las edades. Esta revisión analiza algunos de estos hallazgos más recientes, identifica las fallas más destacadas en nuestra actual comprensión, y subraya la importancia de que se desarrolle una teoría que haga avanzar la investigación y el conocimiento en este campo.

Human psychopharmacology, 2015

This paper aims to review findings from a longitudinal study of prenatal methylenedioxymethamphet... more This paper aims to review findings from a longitudinal study of prenatal methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") on infant development. In a prospective, longitudinal cohort design, we followed 28 MDMA-exposed and 68 non-MDMA-exposed infants from birth to 2 years of age. Women recruited voluntarily into a study of recreational drug use during pregnancy were interviewed to obtain type, frequency, and amount of recreational drug use. Their children were followed for a 2-year period after birth. A large number of drug and environmental covariates were controlled. Infants were seen at 1, 4, 12, 18, and 24 months using standardized normative tests of mental and motor development. There were no differences between MDMA-exposed and non-MDMA-exposed infants at birth except that MDMA-exposed infants were more likely to be male. Motor delays were evident in MDMA infants at each age and amount of MDMA exposure predicted motor deficits at 12 months in a dose-dependent fashion....

Early Development of Body Representations, 2011

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 2011

ABSTRACT

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 2011

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 2014

Conclusion Our results suggest that specific types of volitional activity (namely, leisure time p... more Conclusion Our results suggest that specific types of volitional activity (namely, leisure time physical activity and walking for leisure) are more beneficial for mental wellbeing in early old age than incidental free-living physical activity. Our finding of an association between walking and positive mental wellbeing provides further justification, alongside evidence of its positive impact on physical health and function, for its promotion among older adults.

Abstract: Children with Down's syndrome (DS) are often portrayed as being sociable and engag... more Abstract: Children with Down's syndrome (DS) are often portrayed as being sociable and engaging. This has led some to suggest that their social development is relatively spared in comparison to their cognitive development. This talk presents an overview of the ...

Infant and child development, 2016

Recent work suggests that differences in functional brain development are already identifiable in... more Recent work suggests that differences in functional brain development are already identifiable in 6- to 9-month-old infants from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds. Investigation of early SES-related differences in neuro-cognitive functioning requires the recruitment of large and diverse samples of infants, yet it is often difficult to persuade low-SES parents to come to a university setting. One solution is to recruit infants through early intervention children's centres (CCs). These are often located in areas of high relative deprivation to support young children. Given the increasing portability of eye-tracking equipment, assessment of large clusters of infants could be undertaken in centres by suitably trained early intervention staff. Here, we report on a study involving 174 infants and their parents, carried out in partnership with CCs, exploring the feasibility of this approach. We report the processes of setting up the project and participant recruitment. We rep...

Learning and Individual Differences, 2016

Infant sleep undergoes significant re-organization throughout the first 12 months of life, with s... more Infant sleep undergoes significant re-organization throughout the first 12 months of life, with sleep quality having significant consequences for infant learning and cognitive development. While there has been great interest in the neural basis and developmental trajectories of infant sleep in general, relatively little is known about individual differences in infant sleep and the socio-economic and cultural sources of that variability. We investigated this using questionnaire sleep data in a large, unique multi-ethnic sample of 6-7 month-olds (n=174), with families from South Asian ethnic groups in the UK (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi) being especially well represented. Consistent with previous data from less variable samples, no effects of SES on sleep latency or nocturnal sleep duration emerged. However, perinatal risk factors and ethnic differences did predict daytime sleep, sleep fragmentation and sleep-onset time. While these results should be interpreted with caution due to several limitations, they likely demonstrate that even when socio-economic status and ethnicity are much less confounded than in previous studies, they have a surprisingly limited impact on individual differences in sleep patterns in young infants.

Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 2016

Recreational use of 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy, MDMA) is increasing worldwide. It... more Recreational use of 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy, MDMA) is increasing worldwide. Its use by pregnant women causes concern due to potentially harmful effects on the developing fetus. MDMA, an indirect monoaminergic agonist and reuptake inhibitor, affects the serotonin and dopamine systems. Preclinical studies of fetal exposure demonstrate effects on learning, motor behavior, and memory. In the first human studies, we found prenatal MDMA exposure related to poorer motor development in the first year of life. In the present study we assessed the effects of prenatal exposure to MDMA on the trajectory of child development through 2years of age. We hypothesized that exposure would be associated with poorer mental and motor outcomes. The DAISY (Drugs and Infancy Study, 2003-2008) employed a prospective longitudinal cohort design to assess recreational drug use during pregnancy and child outcomes in the United Kingdom. Examiners masked to drug exposures followed infants from birth to 4, 12, 18, and 24months of age. MDMA, cocaine, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and other drugs were quantified through a standardized clinical interview. The Bayley Scales (III) of Mental (MDI) and Motor (PDI) Development and the Behavior Rating Scales (BRS) were primary outcome measures. Statistical analyses included a repeated measures mixed model approach controlling for multiple confounders. Participants were pregnant women volunteers, primarily white, of middle class socioeconomic status, average IQ, with some college education, in stable partner relationships. Of 96 women enrolled, children of 93 had at least one follow-up assessment and 81 (87%) had ≥ two assessments. Heavier MDMA exposure (M=1.3±1.4 tablets per week) predicted lower PDI (p<.002), and poorer BRS motor quality from 4 to 24months of age, but did not affect MDI, orientation, or emotional regulation. Children with heavier exposure were twice as likely to demonstrate poorer motor quality as lighter and non-exposed children (O.R.=2.2, 95%, CI=1.02-4.70, p<.05). Infants whose mothers reported heavier MDMA use during pregnancy had motor delays from 4months to two years of age that were not attributable to other drug or lifestyle factors. Women of child bearing age should be cautioned about the use of MDMA and MDMA-exposed infants should be screened for motor delays and possible intervention.

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2015

Adolescents from areas of high deprivation are often assumed to have low aspirations for the futu... more Adolescents from areas of high deprivation are often assumed to have low aspirations for the future. However, recent research has suggested otherwise and there have been calls for more substantial investigation into the relationship between poverty and aspiration. This article reports levels and variation in aspiration from 1214 adolescents (49.5 % male; 50.5 % female) living in areas of high deprivation across 20 London boroughs. A strength of this study is our large and diverse population of low socio-economic status (SES) adolescents, comprising of white British (22 %), black African (21 %), black Caribbean (9 %), Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Other Asian (24 %), mixed ethnicity (9 %), and 15 % defining themselves as Other. Our measures indicated a high group level of reported aspiration with notable variations. Females reported higher educational (but not occupational) aspirations than males; white British students reported lower educational and occupational aspirations than other ethnic groups; and black African children reported the highest educational aspirations. Perceived parental support for education had the largest positive association with aspirations. In contrast to previous findings from studies carried out in the United States, aspirations were found to be negatively associated with perceptions of school and school peer environment. These measures explored feelings of safety, happiness and belonging within the school environment and school peer group. We discuss possible explanations for this unexpected finding within our population of adolescents from UK state schools and how it might affect future policy interventions. This study makes an important contribution to the literature on adolescent aspirations because of the unique nature of the data sample and the multiple domains of functioning and aspiration measured.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that impairments shown by children with autism in recog... more Background: Recent studies have suggested that impairments shown by children with autism in recognising emotions may be a consequence of cognitive problems, such as motion processing, rather than a result of a specific and widespread affective disorder. To our knowledge, the majority of studies investigating emotion recognition abilities in children with autism have done so by eliciting responses from children with static images of emotional faces. These studies have yielded somewhat conflicting results. In light of recent evidence that children with autism may have motion processing difficulties, and that when interacting with others in real-life situations, facial features and often the head are moving, it is important to investigate emotion recognition abilities in non-static stimuli. Objectives: We presented preliminary data at last year’s IMFAR conference (2008) showing that children with autism performed differentially when presented with emotions and vowels in faces moving at...

Background: There is an ongoing debate as to whether the deficits shown by children with autism i... more Background: There is an ongoing debate as to whether the deficits shown by children with autism in emotion recognition stem from a specific and widespread affective disorder (Hobson et al., 1986, 1988, 1989) or are a consequence of other cognitive problems. Objectives: Our studies extended the work of Gepner et al. (2001) and systematically investigated the extent to which problems in emotion recognition in faces and bodies in children with autism are predicted by cognitive factors including motion perception abilities, biological motion sensitivity and capacities for featural and configural processing of faces and non-faces. We wished to establish whether, once these factors are accounted for, children with autism continue to show impairments in emotion recognition in faces and bodies. Methods: Children with autism aged 8 to 14 years and verbally-matched typically developing children aged 4 to 7 years took part in this series of experiments. Children were asked to undertake three e...

Version 2.0 after revisions 7 th July 2010 2

Revista Síndrome de Down …, 2010

EN RESUMEN I Se ha prestado considerable atención al proceso de adquisición de las habilidades so... more EN RESUMEN I Se ha prestado considerable atención al proceso de adquisición de las habilidades socio-cognitivas en el desarrollo normal y en el autismo, mientras que al del síndrome de Down se ha prestado mucho menos. Los estudios iniciales de las décadas 1970 y 1980 hicieron importantes avances en el conocimiento de cómo surgían las habilidades cognitivas en los primeros años de vida de los niños, y recientemente se ha reavivado el interés en esta área, centrándose la investigación en un abanico más amplio de las habilidades y de las edades. Esta revisión analiza algunos de estos hallazgos más recientes, identifica las fallas más destacadas en nuestra actual comprensión, y subraya la importancia de que se desarrolle una teoría que haga avanzar la investigación y el conocimiento en este campo.

Human psychopharmacology, 2015

This paper aims to review findings from a longitudinal study of prenatal methylenedioxymethamphet... more This paper aims to review findings from a longitudinal study of prenatal methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") on infant development. In a prospective, longitudinal cohort design, we followed 28 MDMA-exposed and 68 non-MDMA-exposed infants from birth to 2 years of age. Women recruited voluntarily into a study of recreational drug use during pregnancy were interviewed to obtain type, frequency, and amount of recreational drug use. Their children were followed for a 2-year period after birth. A large number of drug and environmental covariates were controlled. Infants were seen at 1, 4, 12, 18, and 24 months using standardized normative tests of mental and motor development. There were no differences between MDMA-exposed and non-MDMA-exposed infants at birth except that MDMA-exposed infants were more likely to be male. Motor delays were evident in MDMA infants at each age and amount of MDMA exposure predicted motor deficits at 12 months in a dose-dependent fashion....

Early Development of Body Representations, 2011

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 2011

ABSTRACT

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 2011

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 2014

Conclusion Our results suggest that specific types of volitional activity (namely, leisure time p... more Conclusion Our results suggest that specific types of volitional activity (namely, leisure time physical activity and walking for leisure) are more beneficial for mental wellbeing in early old age than incidental free-living physical activity. Our finding of an association between walking and positive mental wellbeing provides further justification, alongside evidence of its positive impact on physical health and function, for its promotion among older adults.

Abstract: Children with Down's syndrome (DS) are often portrayed as being sociable and engag... more Abstract: Children with Down's syndrome (DS) are often portrayed as being sociable and engaging. This has led some to suggest that their social development is relatively spared in comparison to their cognitive development. This talk presents an overview of the ...