Digital Commons Network^™

Alcohol Use And History Of Traumatic Brain Injury In College Students: An Analysis Of Neuropsychological And Behavioral Factors, Jessie Tibbs

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Approximately 69,000,000 individuals sustain TBIs each year worldwide. Alcohol use is a known risk factor for TBI. Nearly 50% of individuals with TBI endorse binge drinking, alcohol-related negative consequences, or meet criteria for AUDs. One of the most pressing issues within the alcohol-TBI literature is predicting post-TBI alcohol-related problems, as this results in poorer recovery, rehabilitation, and functioning. Evidence for TBIs causing post-injury alcohol use in those without pre-injury problematic alcohol use is mixed; not all TBI survivors experience alcohol-related problems post-injury. Evidence is mounting that one of the most robust predictors of post-injury alcohol problems is childhood or adolescent …

Cerebellum-Seeded Functional Connectivity Changes In Trait-Anxious Individuals Undergoing Attention Bias Modification Training, Katherine Elwell

All NMU Master's Theses

Anxiety and anxiety related disorders are increasing at a drastic rate in the past decade, with the NIMH reporting that 31.1% of U.S. adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. Anxiety is commonly characterized by increased attention bias to threat. Attention Bias Modification (ABM) is a new treatment used to reduce individual’s attention bias towards threat. The extent to which ABM leads to underlying neural changes is still unknown. The cerebellum is a neglected brain structure, with new research provides evidence that cerebellum’s functional connectivity and shared networks with threat processing regions has a direct …

T-Moca: A Valid Phone Screen For Cognitive Impairment In Diverse Community Samples, Mindy J. Katz, Cuiling Wang, Caroline O. Nester, Carol A. Derby, Molly E. Zimmerman, Richard B. Lipton, Martin J. Sliwinski, Laura A. Rabin

Publications and Research

Introduction: There is an urgent need to validate telephone versions of widely used general cognitive measures, such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA), for remote assessments.

Methods: In the Einstein Aging Study, a diverse community cohort (n = 428; mean age = 78.1; 66% female; 54% non-White), equivalence testing was used to examine concordance between the T-MoCA and the corresponding in-person MoCA assess- ment. Receiver operating characteristic analyses examined the diagnostic ability to dis- criminate between mild cognitive impairment and normal cognition. Conversion meth- ods from T-MoCA to the MoCA are presented.

Results: Education, race/ethnicity, gender, age, self-reported cognitive concerns, …

Golf Brain: A Neuropsychological Study Of Performance In Competition, Taylor S. Broughton

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Golf, as a sport, has been described by its masters as a mental game first and a technical skill second. Many players logged countless practice hours only to find suboptimal performance in tournaments; when it matters the most. I investigated the relationship between executive functioning specific to decision-making under anxious arousal and golfers’ performance under anxious arousal. I used a repeated measures design including variety of executive functioning tests to examine participants’ abilities. Participants were recruited from western Oregon including collegiate golfers and university students, and were grouped into non-golfers and golfer groups based on whether they played golf and …

The Roles Of Cardiovascular Disease And Depression In The Relationship Between Respiratory Disease And Neuropsychological Functioning In Older Adults, Alexander J. Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

The pathophysiology of severe respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), supports the theory that oxygen deprivation to the brain may impact the brain’s execution of cognitive functions. Imaging studies also suggest that neuroanatomical changes in areas of the brain responsible for cognitive processes may be associated with respiratory diseases. Research in this area has failed to conclude definitively, especially in an older adult population, which is more likely to experience comorbid depression and cardiovascular disease, universally acknowledged predictors of poorer cognitive performance, the extent of the relationship between respiratory illness and cognitive functioning. The current …

Psychological Effects Of Testosterone Replacement Therapy For Secondary Hypogonadism, Minerva Spurlock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hypogonadism negatively impacts various psychological aspects of a male’s life. Males under the age of 50 who experience symptoms of depression or a decreased sense of well-being may not be aware that secondary hypogonadism might be the underlying cause. A gap exists in the literature regarding the psychological effects of testosterone replacement therapy used to treat hypogonadism. The current research project was framed by Engel’s biopsychosocial theory, which encompasses the biological, psychological, and social aspects of a client’s life. The research objective was to determine the relationship between testosterone replacement therapy and the psychological effects of depression and quality of …

Executive Functioning And Purpose In Life Among Emerging Adults In College, Alexis Kaylyn Liberto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Executive functioning (EF) is a complex neurocognitive concept that grew from the field of neuropsychology and has been explored through various avenues. The most accepted theoretical organization of EF includes a three-factor model that is comprised of inhibition, updating, and shifting. The three-factor conceptualization can be measured through various objective EF neuropsychological assessments and self-reported levels of EF abilities. Goal-planning and organizing cognitive processes are another important facet of EF, as they involve self-regulation abilities. Individuals able to “regulate” themselves behaviorally and move towards goals tend to be more successful and move towards their purpose in life. A facet …

Neuropsychological Implications Of Nocturnal Hypoxemia In Sickle Cell Disease, Sheena Ram

Theses and Dissertations

Neuropsychological impairments have been observed in both individuals with sleep-disordered breathing and in individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD), but there has been little research on the potential effect of sleep-disordered breathing on neuropsychological function in individuals with SCD. This study aims to examine the effect nocturnal oxygen desaturations have on neuropsychological functioning in individuals with sickle cell disease when compared to those with non-sickle anemia and healthy controls. Thirty-four participants with SCD, 18 non-sickle anemia controls (ACTL), and 29 healthy controls (CTL), ages 9 to 63 years, participating in an IRB-approved Children’s Hospital Los Angeles study of cerebral blood …