Browsing by Author "Almagià, Atilio"
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Item Brain structural parameters correlate with University Selection Test outcomes in Chilean high school graduates(2022) Ivanovic, Daniza; Zamorano, Francisco; Soto-Icaza, Patricia; Rojas, Tatiana; Larraín, Cristián; Silva F., Claudio; Almagià, Atilio; Bustamante, Claudia; Arancibia, Violeta; Villagrán, Francisca; Valenzuela, Rodrigo; Barrera, Cynthia; Billeke, PabloHow well students learn and perform in academic contexts is a focus of interest for the students, their families, and the entire educational system. Although evidence has shown that several neurobiological factors are involved in scholastic achievement (SA), specific brain measures associated with academic outcomes and whether such associations are independent of other factors remain unclear. This study attempts to identify the relationship between brain structural parameters, and the Chilean national University Selection Test (PSU) results in high school graduates within a multidimensional approach that considers socio-economic, intellectual, nutritional, and demographic variables. To this end, the brain morphology of a sample of 102 students who took the PSU test was estimated using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Anthropometric parameters, intellectual ability (IA), and socioeconomic status (SES) were also measured. The results revealed that, independently of sex, IA, gray matter volume, right inferior frontal gyrus thickness, and SES were significantly associated with SA. These findings highlight the role of nutrition, health, and socioeconomic variables in academic successItem Docosahexaenoic acid levels in erythrocytes and their association with the University Selection Test Outcomes in Chile(2018) Valenzuela, Rodrigo; Barrera, Cynthia; Orellana, Yasna; Almagià, Atilio; Arancibia, Violeta; Larraín, Cristian; Silva, Claudio; Billeke, Pablo; Zamorano, Francisco; Martínez, Víctor; Valenzuela, Alfonso; Ivanovic, DanizaThe aim of this study was to quantitate the relative impact of DHA and AA levels in erythrocytes, anthropometric parameters and socio-economic status of school-age children, of both genders, graduated from high school in Chile, on the scholastic achievement in the University Selection Test (Prueba de Selección Universitaria, PSU) both language scholastic achievement (LSA) and mathematics scholastic achievement (MSA). A representative sample of 671 school-age young graduated from high school in 2013, 550 and 548 of them took the PSU for LSA and MSA, respectively. Only school-age young with high (n=91) and low (n=69) SA in both tests were considered. A total of 122 school-age children agreed to participate in the study and were divided as follows: Group 1: high PSU outcome (n=70; males n=48) and Group 2: low PSU outcome (n=52; males n=23). Data were analyzed by means of SAS software. Independently of gender, DHA, socio-economic status and head circumference-for-age Z-score were the most relevant parameters explaining both LSA (R2=0.650; p<0.0001) and MSA outcomes (R2=0.700; p<0.0001). These results can be useful for nutrition, health and education planning, in order to protect children starting from an early age and thus increase their school outcomes.