Julie B Schweitzer

University of California, Davis | UCD · UC Davis MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Prevalence of autism diagnosis has historically differed by demographic factors. Using data from 8224 participants drawn from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, we examined relationships between demographic factors and parent‐reported autism‐related traits as captured by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS; T sco...

Purpose Our goals were to: 1) examine the occurrence of behavioral and emotional symptoms in children on the autism spectrum in a large national sample, stratifying by sex, and 2) evaluate whether children with increased autism-related social communication deficits also experience more behavioral and emotional problems. Methods Participants (n = 7...

Many people, and particularly individuals with Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (AD(H)D), find it difficult to maintain attention during classroom learning. However, traditional paradigms used to evaluate attention do not capture the complexity and dynamic nature of real-life classrooms. Using a novel Virtual Reality platform, coupled wit...

Many people, and particularly individuals with Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (AD(H)D), find it difficult to maintain attention during classroom learning. However, traditional paradigms used to evaluate attention do not capture the complexity and dynamic nature of real-life classrooms. Using a novel Virtual Reality platform, coupled wit...

Background While neighborhood conditions have previously been shown to have substantial effects on later occupational, educational and health outcomes, this is the first study to examine the relation between neighborhood factors and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children with autism and developmental delays. Methods C...

This study examined the association between prenatal cannabis exposure and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses and traits. A total sample of 11,570 children (ages 1–18; 53% male; 25% Hispanic; 60% White) from 34 cohorts of the National Institutes of Health‐funded environmental influences on child health outcomes consortium were included in ana...

Introduction Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder where hyperactivity often manifests as fidgeting, a non-goal-directed motoric action. Many studies demonstrate fidgeting varies under different conditions as a self-regulating mechanism for attention and alertness during cognitively demanding tasks. Fidget...

Using pooled vaginal microbiota data from pregnancy cohorts (N = 683 participants) in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, we analyzed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequences to identify clinical and demographic host factors that associate with vaginal microbiota structure in pregnancy both within and across diverse cohort...

Background Early-life exposure to phthalates alters behaviors in animals. However, epidemiological evidence on childhood phthalate exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) behaviors is limited. Methods This study included 243 children from the ReCHARGE (Revisiting Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment) study, who...

Many people, and particularly individuals with Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (AD(H)D), find it difficult to maintain attention during classroom learning. However, traditional paradigms used to evaluate attention do not capture the complexity and dynamic nature of real-life classrooms. Using a novel Virtual Reality platform, coupled wit...

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder in children and adolescents characterized by elevated hyperactivity and impulsivity, and deficits in attentiveness. While irritability is not a diagnostic symptom of ADHD, temper outbursts and irritable moods are common in individuals with ADHD. Irritability is defined...

Background: Behavioural parenting interventions are evidence-based programs for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Gaining insight into individual differences in the pathways leading to intervention effects may contribute to a better understanding of how such interventions work and help personalise interventions. Therefo...

Importance Evidence suggests that living near green space supports mental health, but studies examining the association of green space with early mental health symptoms among children are rare. Objective To evaluate the association between residential green space and early internalizing (eg, anxiety and depression) and externalizing (eg, aggressio...

Limited analyses based on national samples have assessed whether early attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms predict later internalizing and externalizing symptoms in youth and the influence of sex and pubertal timing on subsequent psychiatric symptoms. This study analyzed data (n = 2818) from the Environmental influences on Chil...

Background A growing body of literature investigated childhood exposure to environmental chemicals in association with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, but limited studies considered urinary mixtures of multiple chemical classes. This study examined associations of concurrent exposure to non-persistent chemicals with ADHD s...

A large body of research has established a relation between maternal education and children’s neurocognitive functions, such as executive function and language. However, most studies have focused on early childhood and relatively few studies have examined associations with changes in maternal education over time. Consequently, it remains unclear if...

Multiple pathway models propose that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) arises from dysfunction in separate systems comprised of a "cool" or cognitive pathway versus a “hot” or emotional/reward pathway. Interactions between these pathways and the degree of maturation may further determine functional outcomes for adolescents ranging fro...

We conducted a literature review to identify commonly used recruitment and retention strategies in research among adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors 15-39 years of age and examine the effectiveness of these strategies based on the reported recruitment and retention rates. We identified 18 publications published after 2010, including...

There has been slow progress in the development of interventions that prevent and/or reduce mental-health morbidity and mortality. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) launched an experimental-therapeutics initiative with the goal of accelerating the development of effective interventions. The emphasis is on interventions designed to enga...

Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent childhood and adult behavioral disorder. Internet searches for ADHD information are rising, particularly for diagnosis and treatment. Despite effective ADHD treatments, research suggests that there are delays in seeking help for ADHD. Identifying ways to shorten delays...

Importance: Few population-based studies in the US collected individual-level data from families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: To examine differences in COVID-19 pandemic-related experiences in a large sociodemographically diverse sample of children and caregivers. Design, setting, and participants: The Environmental influences on C...

Objective Ongoing pediatric cohort studies offer opportunities to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's health. With well-characterized data from tens of thousands of US children, the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program offers such an opportunity. Methods ECHO enrolled children and their caregiv...

Computer-based cognitive tasks aimed at assessing attention and executive function are used regularly-for both clinical and research purposes-with the belief that they provide an objective assessment of symptoms associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As rates of the diagnosis of ADHD appear to be exploding, particularly si...

Objectives: To predict behavioral disruptions in middle childhood, we identified latent classes of prenatal substance use. Study design: As part of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, we harmonized prenatal substance use data and child behavior outcomes from 2,195 women and their 6- to 11-year-old children acros...

Objective: In this cohort study, we assessed perinatal factors known to be related to maternal and neonatal inflammation and hypothesized several would be associated with emotional, cognitive, and behavioral dysregulation in youth. Method: The Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes is a research consortium of 69 pediatric longitudinal...

BACKGROUND Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent childhood and adult behavioral disorder. Increasingly, individuals search online for information about ADHD, particularly if they are trying to determine if they have the disorder and treatments for it. OBJECTIVE Although a great deal of information regarding ADHD is...

Background A growing body of literature investigated childhood exposure to environmental chemicals in association with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, but limited studies considered urinary mixtures of multiple chemical classes. This study examined associations of concurrent exposure to non-persistent chemicals with ADHD s...

This pilot study assessed the feasibility and potential effectiveness of a single-session workshop in modifying parental beliefs/knowledge about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and impact on treatment acceptance/utilization. Concerns raised by school professionals about lack of treatment follow-through after ADHD diagnos...

Background Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are shown to have neurotoxic effects on animals, but epidemiological evidence for associations between childhood PFAS exposure and neurodevelopment is inconclusive. We examined if childhood PFAS concentrations are associated with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental delay...

This pilot study sought to identify potential markers of improvement from pre-post treatment in response to computerized working memory (WM) training for youth (ages 8–18) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and comorbid intellectual disability (ID) in a single arm, pre-post design. Participants included 26 children with ASD and 18 with comorbid AS...

Background: Societal changes during the COVID-19 pandemic may affect children's health behaviors and exacerbate disparities. This study aimed to describe children's health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, how they vary by sociodemographic characteristics, and the extent to which parent coping strategies mitigate the impact of pandemic-relate...

Objective: Distractions inordinately impair attention in children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) but examining this behavior under real-life conditions poses a challenge for researchers and clinicians. Virtual reality (VR) technologies may mitigate the limitations of traditional laboratory methods by providing a more ecologic...

Objective To determine if higher exposures measured in early childhood to environmental phenols, phthalates, pesticides, and/or trace elements, are associated with increased odds of having a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Developmental Delay (DD), or Other Early Concerns (OEC) compared to typically developing children (TD). Methods T...

Objective Irritability is a common characteristic in ADHD. We examined whether dysfunction in neural connections supporting threat and reward processing was related to irritability in adolescents and young adults with ADHD. Method We used resting-state fMRI to assess connectivity of amygdala and nucleus accumbens seeds in those with ADHD ( n = 34)...

Background Impulsivity is a defining characteristic of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which has been associated with substance use disorders, higher accident rates, and lower educational and occupational outcomes. The meso- and nigro-striatal pathways of the dopamine system are hypothesized to be functionally heterogeneous, suppor...

Working memory (WM) deficits are key in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Nevertheless, WM is not universally impaired in ADHD. Additionally, the neural basis for WM deficits in ADHD has not been conclusively established, with regions including the prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and caudate being implicated. These contradictions may...

Objective Behavioral interventions are well established treatments for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, insight into moderators of treatment outcome is limited. Method We conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis [IPDMA], including data of randomized controlled behavioral intervention trials for...

Background: Misconceptions about ADHD stigmatize affected people, reduce credibility of providers, and prevent/delay treatment. To challenge misconceptions, we curated findings with strong evidence base. Methods: We reviewed studies with more than 2,000 participants or meta-analyses from five or more studies or 2,000 or more participants. We exclu...

Irritability is common in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but little is known about whether irritability predicts the course of ADHD symptoms over time. Adolescence is a dynamic period of emotional development as well as shifts in ADHD symptoms; an important goal is to identify youth at risk of increasing or persisting symptoms. We...

Children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) exhibit deficits in a variety of cognitive processes within the executive function domain. As working memory (WM) is known to support a wide range of cognitive, learning and adaptive functions, WM computer-based training programs have the potential to benefit people with FXS and other forms of intellectual and...

Formal mentoring programs are increasingly recognized as critical for faculty career development. We describe a mentoring academy (MA) developed for faculty across tracks (i.e., researchers, clinicians, educators) within a “school of health” encompassing schools of medicine and nursing. The program is anchored dually in a clinical and translational...

Background Individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS) typically demonstrate profound executive function (EF) deficits that interfere with learning, socialization, and emotion regulation. We completed the first large, non-pharmacological controlled trial for FXS, designed to evaluate the efficacy of Cogmed, a computer/tablet-based working memory (WM)...

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: To identify the most frequently reported barriers/constraints and resources by junior faculty in achieving their goals at a large medical school in the Western United States. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We reviewed 222 individual development plans (IDPs) from 26 departments in an academic medical center for content regarding...

Large individual differences exist in the ability to delay gratification for the sake of satisfying longer-term goals. These individual differences are commonly assayed by studying intertemporal preferences, as revealed by choices between immediate and delayed rewards. In the brain, reward-based and goal-oriented decisions are believed to rely on t...

Background Researchers are increasingly interested in testing and developing computerized cognitive training interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder due to the limited accessibility of treatments for this disorder. Understanding the feasibility of testing cognitive interventions for this population is critical, especially for in...

Objective: Behavioral therapies are first-line for preschoolers with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Studies support yoga for school-aged children with ADHD; this study evaluated yoga in preschoolers on parent- and teacher-rated attention/challenging behaviors, attentional control (Kinder Test of Attentional Performance [KiTAP]),...

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) represents a powerful tool with which to examine brain functioning and development in typically developing pediatric groups as well as children and adolescents with clinical disorders. However, fMRI data can be highly susceptible to misinterpretation due to the effects of excessive levels of noise, often...

Background: Attention deficits in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not well understood. This study sought to determine: 1) the prevalence of ADHD symptoms in young children with ASD, typical development (TD), and developmental delay (DD) and 2) the association between ADHD symptoms and cognitive and behavioral functioning in...

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) represents a powerful tool with which to examine brain functioning and development in typically developing pediatric groups as well as children and adolescents with clinical disorders. However, fMRI data can be highly susceptible to misinterpretation due to the effects of excessive levels of noise, often...

The relative impact of chronic vs acute cocaine on dependence-related variability in reward processing in cocaine-dependent individuals (CD) is not well understood, despite the relevance of such effects to long-term outcomes. To dissociate these effects, CD (N=15) and healthy controls (HC; N=15) underwent MRI twice while performing a monetary incen...

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder with a worldwide prevalence of about 5% in school-age children. This review is intended to assist primary care providers (PCPs) in diagnosing and treating ADHD in adolescents. PubMed, PsychInfo, and Science Citation Index databases were searched from March 1990...

Introduction: Care (i.e., evaluation and intervention) delivered through technology is used in many areas of mental health services, including for persons with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Technology can facilitate care for individuals with ADHD, their parents, and their care providers. The adoption of technological tools for A...

Individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are two times more likely to drop out of high school, as compared to those with any other childhood psychiatric disorder (other than conduct disorder, with which it is often comorbid). Academic performance is undoubtedly linked to brain functioning, but its precise neural correlates a...

Significance Compared with children and adults, teens and young adults often exhibit greater impulsivity and corresponding increases in emergency room visits, accidents from drug or alcohol use, and increased mortality risk. However, it remains poorly understood how increased impulsivity during adolescence may be explained in terms of brain and cog...

Hyperactivity is a key symptom and the most observable manifestation of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The over-activity associated with ADHD can cause specific challenges in academic settings, extracurricular activities and social relationships. Cognitive control challenges are also well established in ADHD. The current study inc...

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with different impairment profiles in the symptom domains of hyperactivity/impulsivity and/or inattention. An additional symptom domain of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) has also been proposed. Although there is a degree of correlation between the SCT symptom domain and inattention, it h...

The persistence of effects of prenatal drug exposure (PDE) on brain functioning during adolescence is poorly understood. We explored neural activation to a visuospatial working memory (VSWM) versus a control task using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in adolescents with PDE and a community comparison group (CC) of non-exposed adolescen...

Individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS) often present with an array of neurocognitive deficits, particularly in working memory (WM) and other executive functions. Evidence is accumulating that WM training can be effective in certain clinical populations in improving WM abilities and decreasing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. We...

Large individual differences exist in the ability to delay gratification for the sake of satisfying longer-term goals. These individual differences are commonly assayed by studying intertemporal preferences, as revealed by choices between immediate and delayed rewards. In the brain, reward-based and goal-oriented decisions are believed to rely on t...

We identify a novel contextual variable that alters the evaluation of delayed rewards in healthy participants and those diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). When intertemporal choices are constructed of monetary outcomes with rounded values (e.g., $25.00), discount rates are greater than when the rewards have nonzero deci...

Cocaine dependence impacts drug-related, dopamine-dependent reward processing, yet its influence on non-drug reward processing is unclear. Here, we investigated cocaine-mediated effects on reward learning using a natural food reinforcer. Cocaine-dependent subjects (N=14) and healthy controls (N=14) learned to associate a visual cue with a juice rew...

A neurobiological-based classification of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subtypes has thus far remained elusive. The aim of this study was to use oscillatory changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) related to informative cue processing, motor preparation, and top-down control to investigate neurophysiological differences between...