Browsing by Author "Corrigan, Kimberly"

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    Examining the Relationship Between Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms, Genetic Risk and Cortical Thickness in Youth
    (2019-09-04) Corrigan, Kimberly; Arnold, Paul Daniel; MacMaster, Frank P.; Harris, Ashley D.; Dimitropoulos, Gina
    Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling neuropsychiatric disorder that affects approximately 1-3% of the population worldwide. One-third to one-half of individuals with OCD have symptom onset before 15 years of age. The heterogeneous clinical expression of OCD has rendered inconsistent findings from structural imaging studies with small sample sizes. Large scale structural imaging studies are needed to better understand the complicated neurobiology of OCD in child and adolescent population. To assess brain structure, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used. FreeSurfer (Version 6.0) recon-all pathway was used to determine cortical thickness. The cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and insular cortex were selected as regions of interest. A candidate gene analysis of PTPRD SNP rs7856850 was performed using Illumina Multi-Ethnic Global microarray. Obsessive-compulsive symptom severity was determined using the Child Behaviour Checklist Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CBCL-OCS). A significant relationship was found between the current CBCL-OCS score and the right posterior cingulate. Increase in symptom severity on the current CBCL-OCS predicted an increase in cortical thickness of the right posterior cingulate. Rs7856850 genotype did not significantly modify the relationship between symptom severity and right posterior cingulate thickness. This a unique large scale pediatric imaging study investigating the association between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and cortical thickness with an additional exploration of a PTPRD SNP variant. The results support the concept that the posterior cingulate is involved in the pathophysiology of OCD. The candidate gene analysis was inconclusive but hopefully, this study will encourage more research in the neurobiology of youth OCD.
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    Investigating differences in student perceptions of school climate for English Language Learners and their peers
    (2021-08-25) Corrigan, Kimberly; Wilcox, Gabrielle; Domene, Jose; Roessingh, Hetty
    As Canada increases in cultural and linguistic diversity each year through immigration, school environments need to adapt to adequately support their increasingly diverse student population. Many high schools have students who are English Language Learners (ELL) who are working towards both gaining proficiency in English and demonstrating an understanding of academic subject matter in English. ELL students can face unique challenges at school such as adjusting to a new culture while trying to learn English and course curriculum. Unfortunately, high school ELL students typically have lower academic scores and lower rates of high school completion than their non-ELL peers. These findings suggest that schools may not be properly supporting ELL students for success. To better understand how ELL students experience their school environment compared to non-ELL peers, a measure of school climate was used. School climate measures perceptions of school culture and experience that are shaped by the norms and values of a school environment. In this study the Meriden School Climate Survey Student Version (MSCS-SV) was used to assess perspectives of school climate for ELL and non-ELL students. Differences in school climate perceptions between ELL and non-ELL high school students were investigated. School climate ratings relationship with GPA was investigated in both ELL and non-ELL student groups. A significant difference was found in overall ratings of school climate between ELL and non-ELL high school students. However, the differences with specific factors of school climate were non-significant. This suggests that there may be differences in perceptions of overall school climate for ELL and non-ELL students. Only two factors of the MSCS-SV were predictors of student GPA in the non-ELL group. Adult Support at Home and Academic Support at Home were positive predictors of GPA for non-ELL students. Our study did not find a significant relationship between any factors of MSCS-SV and GPA for ELL students.