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Assessment Of Neuropsychological Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury And Association With Early Orientation Performance, Christina Diblasio
Assessment Of Neuropsychological Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury And Association With Early Orientation Performance, Christina Diblasio
All ETDs from UAB
Moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of permanent disability, and cognition plays a critical role in overall function and life after TBI. Moderate-severe TBI often creates long-term deficits in the domains of attention, processing speed, memory, and executive function. Given the prevalence of cognitive deficits following injury and the debilitating effects these deficits can have on functioning, it is important to monitor cognition directly following injury and across recovery. Routine cognitive assessment is essential in order to identify deficits, track recovery, and better guide rehabilitation and educational efforts. It is also critical to identify accurate and feasible …
Novel Methods For Image Analysis To Evaluate Relationships Between Biomarkers In Alzheimer's Disease, Fabio Raman
Novel Methods For Image Analysis To Evaluate Relationships Between Biomarkers In Alzheimer's Disease, Fabio Raman
All ETDs from UAB
Neuroimaging biomarkers, including pathological amyloid and tau measured with positron emission tomography (PET) and neurodegeneration measured with magnetic res-onance (MR), are part of the research framework for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Abnormal brain amyloid is currently the earliest established phenotypic marker of AD, and other imaging biomarkers such as tau-PET become abnormal later in the progression of AD pathophysiology. The ability to measure amyloid and predict both tau status and cogni-tion using a single amyloid-PET study through a method readily employed in both re-search and clinical settings would provide a valuable tool in assessing AD. The first goal of this dissertation …
The Relationship Of Bedside Assessment Of Orientation And Cognition To Treatment Outcome In Moderate To Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Growth Curve Analysis, Amber Marie Fahey
The Relationship Of Bedside Assessment Of Orientation And Cognition To Treatment Outcome In Moderate To Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Growth Curve Analysis, Amber Marie Fahey
All ETDs from UAB
Disorientation and cognitive impairment are commonly experienced in acute moderate to severe TBI patients and deficits early in recovery are predictive of worse long-term outcome. Hence, tracking recovery over time is a significant aspect of rehabilitation research. The Orientation-Log (O-log) and Cognition-Log (Cog-log) are important clinical measures used to monitor cognitive progress during treatment and previous research has shown them to be predictive of long-term outcome. This study used two-level growth curve modeling to, 1) determine the growth trajectory of orientation and cognition in persons with moderate to severe TBI in acute rehabilitation, as determined by the O-log and Cog-log, …
The Relationship Between Cortical Excitability And Neuropsychological Functioning In Patients With Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsies (Iges), Lauren Bolden
All ETDs from UAB
Recent advances in neurostimulation and neuromodulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), may offer alternative treatment options to patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGEs). In a previous study, we utilized TMS to demonstrate a relationship between increased cortical excitability (i.e. hyperexcitability), attentional dysfunction, and mood disturbance in a sample of healthy adults. In general, patients with IGEs are found to exhibit cortical hyperexcitability, cognitive dysfunction, and mood problems; however, a relationship between these variables in IGEs has not yet been investigated. Importantly, patients with treatment-resistant IGEs (trIGEs) are shown to demonstrate greater cortical excitability, cognitive deficits, and mood problems …
Neurocognition In Patients With Primary Dystonia, Lindsay Niccolai
Neurocognition In Patients With Primary Dystonia, Lindsay Niccolai
All ETDs from UAB
Dystonia is defined as involuntary, sustained muscle contractions often causing twisting and repetitive movements. While dystonia is classified as a movement disorder with marked motor disturbance, there are also non-motor features associated with this disorder such as psychiatric, sensory, and neurocognitive deficits. This dissertation research focuses on the neurocognitive deficits found in patients with primary dystonia. Prior studies examining cognition in primary dystonia have often had the limitations of having small samples and lacking control groups. In addition, cognition is often assessed in deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgical candidacy evaluations, but neurocognitive deficits have not been studied as a predictor …
Driving Through The Fog: The Impact Of Traumatic Brain Injury On Mental Fog And Driving Performance, Tyler Reed Bell
Driving Through The Fog: The Impact Of Traumatic Brain Injury On Mental Fog And Driving Performance, Tyler Reed Bell
All ETDs from UAB
Every year, millions of people in the United States sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Subsequently, a subset of people with TBIs may incur roadway crashes due to poorer vehicle maneuvering and problems with higher-order driving skills such as speed control and lane maintenance. Research is needed to better understand what relates to driving aptitude following TBI. Previous research in individuals with TBI has focused on objective cognition, the set of mental abilities that help to process information for memory, planning, and action. TBIs can result in cognitive difficulties, which for some, may last months after mild cases and a …
The Relationship Of Cognitive Decline And Impairment To The Ad8 And Activities Of Living In The Regards Sample, Jesse S. Passler
The Relationship Of Cognitive Decline And Impairment To The Ad8 And Activities Of Living In The Regards Sample, Jesse S. Passler
All ETDs from UAB
The AD8 is a sensitive and specific screening measure of mild dementia, although less research exists pertaining to its use as a self-report measure and in non-clinical samples. This study examined the relationship of incident cognitive impairment and cognitive decline over a 10-year span to self-reported dementia symptoms and functional impairment in the national, population-based, longitudinal, and prospective REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) sample (N = 14,453). A validated cutoff of ≥ 2 symptoms endorsed on the AD8 was used for dementia status. Functional status was determined by 5 activities of daily living (ADL) and 7 …
The Role Of Klotho In Adult Neurogenesis, Ann Laszczyk
The Role Of Klotho In Adult Neurogenesis, Ann Laszczyk
All ETDs from UAB
Klotho is an anti-aging protein that when upregulated, extends lifespan and enhances cognition. Klotho knockout mice age prematurely and die by ~8 weeks of life after developing cognitive impairment. Klotho function outside of the brain is well established but the protein’s action within the brain remains unknown. As klotho regulates peripheral stem cell populations, I sought to determine whether klotho contributes to cognition through a role in the maintenance of the adult hippocampal neurogenic niche. I examined adult mouse neurogenesis using global klotho-deficiency or global klotho overexpression models. Klotho knockout brains show reduced progenitor proliferation and granule cell production while …
Modeling Mild And Repeated Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Induced Functional And Pathophysiological Alterations, Jessica Nicole Nichols
Modeling Mild And Repeated Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Induced Functional And Pathophysiological Alterations, Jessica Nicole Nichols
All ETDs from UAB
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a major health concern and accounts for over 75% of the 2.5 million brain injuries reported annually in the United States. Afflicted individuals typically experience a broad spectrum of physical, cognitive, and neuropsychological symptoms. Repeated mTBIs (rmTBIs) can further exacerbate these physiological alterations and negatively impact patient quality of life. Currently, there are no therapeutic agents that have successfully navigated clinical trials to be shown efficacious despite mounds of preclinical evidence suggesting to the contrary. This lack of translation exposes the dire need to design, characterize, and implement better and more relevant model systems …
Transcriptional Dysregulation In Interneurons Causes Altered Modulation Of Hippocampal Synaptic Transmission And Circuit Function By The Dopamine System, Lillian J. Brady
Transcriptional Dysregulation In Interneurons Causes Altered Modulation Of Hippocampal Synaptic Transmission And Circuit Function By The Dopamine System, Lillian J. Brady
All ETDs from UAB
Genetic deletion of the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α leads to transcriptional dysregulation in interneurons, and transcriptional dysregulation in interneurons lead to changes in hippocampal synaptic transmission and circuit function. Hippocampal circuit activity and synaptic transmission alterations have implications for symptoms of cognitive impairment in neurological disorders like schizophrenia. Modulation of dopamine receptor activity through pharmacologic application of haloperidol and the specific dopamine D4 receptor antagonist L-745,870 in PGC-1α-/- mice leads to altered effects on inhibitory/excitatory synaptic transmission balance, circuit function, and innate hippocampal dependent nesting behavior. These are key aspects underlying hippocampus dependent cognitive impairment. Specifically, bath application of haloperidol restores …
Meta-Analysis Of Cognitive Performance In Fibromyalgia, Tyler Reed Bell
Meta-Analysis Of Cognitive Performance In Fibromyalgia, Tyler Reed Bell
All ETDs from UAB
Fibromyalgia is a disease that encompasses difficulties with pain, physical function, and emotion, but is also characterized by complaints of poor cognition. Over the last two decades, a vast amount of literature has tested for cognitive differences between individuals with and without fibromyalgia. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a quantitative synthesis on these differences across multiple cognitive domains. After a systematic search of eligible studies, random-effect meta-analyses were conducted on effect sizes (Hedges’ g) derived from 37 cross-sectional studies covering domains of processing speed, memory and executive function. Participants included persons with fibromyalgia (total n = …
The Effects Of Estrogen On Learning And Memory, Carol Yvette Harden
The Effects Of Estrogen On Learning And Memory, Carol Yvette Harden
All ETDs from UAB
Learning is the process in which new information is acquired and requires cellular modifications that occur in the hippocampus. These cellular changes can be seen through behavioral modifications which indicate memorization of the previously learned material. Increases in phosphorylation of the extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK), a subfamily of MAPKs alters synaptic efficacy making it a correlate for learning and memory. Additionally, surges in plasma 17ß estradiol (E2) levels can increase synaptic plasticity, suggesting an importance for the role of E2 in cognition. Both human and animals studies have shown that elevated levels of estrogen correlated to an enhancement in …
Contribution Of Hyperactive Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (Gsk3) To Impaired Neurogenesis And Cognition In Mice, Margaret Kimbrough King
Contribution Of Hyperactive Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (Gsk3) To Impaired Neurogenesis And Cognition In Mice, Margaret Kimbrough King
All ETDs from UAB
The overall goals of this research were to examine the regulatory actions of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) in adult mouse hippocampal neurogenesis and in mouse cognitive functions in order to gain further insight regarding the function of GSK3 in the healthy and diseased central nervous system. Focusing on differences between male and female mice, we found that hippocampal neurogenesis was impaired by hyperactive GSK3 in both sexes, but was improved by environmental enrichment in male, but not female, mice. Chronic stress reduced neurogenesis in male mice, but not in female mice. Environmental enrichment and chronic stress inhibited, and activated, respectively, …
Predictors Of Falls Among Older Adults, Jaspreet Kaur
Predictors Of Falls Among Older Adults, Jaspreet Kaur
All ETDs from UAB
With an aging population, more attention has to be focused on the needs of older adults, especially regarding medical and psychological concerns. Thirty-three percent of older adults fall each year, and falling is one of the leading causes of accidental death nationwide. The objective of this study was to identify predictors of falls among sedentary community-dwelling older adults (age 65+). The study employed a secondary data analysis of measures collected in the Physical and Cognitive Exercise Study (PACES). Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate whether individual or composite measures of vision, cognition, and physical functioning were associated with an …
The Relationship Between Sunlight And Cerebrovascular Health, Shia T. Kent
The Relationship Between Sunlight And Cerebrovascular Health, Shia T. Kent
All ETDs from UAB
Sunlight radiation may be related to stroke risk through increased vitamin D production. The latter has been associated with a number of conditions including stroke, cognitive function and cardiovascular disease. We performed three sets of analyses to determine whether higher levels of sunlight radiation were associated with lower rates of stroke incidence, all-cause mortality, and cognitive decline. We explored these relationships using the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, a national longitudinal cohort of 30,239 participants. We merged the participants' residential histories with a ground and satellite-derived NASA dataset to characterize 15-year average sunlight radiation and …