Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Dynamic Range Of Frontoparietal Functional Modulation Is Associated With Working Memory Capacity Limitations In Older Adults, Jonathan G. Hakun, Nathan F. Johnson

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Older adults tend to over-activate regions throughout frontoparietal cortices and exhibit a reduced range of functional modulation during WM task performance compared to younger adults. While recent evidence suggests that reduced functional modulation is associated with poorer task performance, it remains unclear whether reduced range of modulation is indicative of general WM capacity-limitations. In the current study, we examined whether the range of functional modulation observed over multiple levels of WM task difficulty (N-Back) predicts in-scanner task performance and out-of-scanner psychometric estimates of WM capacity. Within our sample (60–77 years of age), age was negatively associated with frontoparietal modulation range. …

Interleukin-6 (Il-6) Rs1800796 And Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor (Cdkn2a/Cdkn2b) Rs2383207 Are Associated With Ischemic Stroke In Indigenous West African Men, Rufus Akinyemi, Donna K. Arnett, Hemant K. Tiwari, Bruce Ovbiagele, Fred Sarfo, Vinodh Srinivasasainagendra, Marguerite Ryan Irvin, Abiodun Adeoye, Rodney T. Perry, Albert Akpalu, Carolyn Jenkins, Lukman Owolabi, Reginald Obiako, Kolawole Wahab, Emmanuel Sanya, Morenikeji Komolafe, Michael Fawale, Philip Adebayo, Godwin Osaigbovo, Taofiki Sunmonu, Paul Olowoyo, Innocent Chukwuonye, Yahaya Obiabo, Onoja Akpa, Sylvia Melikam, Raelle Saulson, Raj Kalaria, Adesola Ogunniyi, Mayowa Owolabi

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background—Inherited genetic variations offer a possible explanation for the observed peculiarities of stroke in sub – Saharan African populations. Interleukin–6 polymorphisms have been previously associated with ischemic stroke in some non-African populations.

Aim—Herein we investigated, for the first time, the association of genetic polymorphisms of IL-6 and CDKN2A- CDKN2B and other genes with ischemic stroke among indigenous West African participants in the Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network (SIREN) Study.

Methods—Twenty-three previously identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 14 genes of relevance to the neurobiology of ischemic stroke were investigated. Logistic regression models adjusting for known …

Cytomegalovirus Serostatus, Inflammation, And Antibody Response To Influenza Vaccination In Older Adults: The Moderating Effect Of Beta Blockade, Rebecca G. Reed, Richard N. Greenberg, Suzanne C. Segerstrom

Psychology Faculty Publications

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been implicated as a factor in immunosenescence, including poor antibody response to vaccination and higher immune activation and inflammation. Some people may be more or less vulnerable to the negative effects of CMV. The present investigation tested the effects of beta-blocker use and chronological age on the associations between CMV and immunity in adults aged 60–91 (N=98; 69% CMV seropositive) who were administered the trivalent influenza vaccine for up to 5 years. Peak antibody response, corrected for baseline, and spring (persistent) antibody response, corrected for peak, were assessed, as well as beta-2 microglobulin (β2μ) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). …

Safety And Improvement Of Movement Function After Stroke With Atomoxetine: A Pilot Randomized Trial, Andrea Ward, Cheryl Carrico, Elizabeth Powell, Philip M. Westgate, Laurie Nichols, Anne Fleischer, Lumy Sawaki

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Faculty Publications

Background: Intensive, task-oriented motor training has been associated with neuroplastic reorganization and improved upper extremity movement function after stroke. However, to optimize such training for people with moderate-to-severe movement impairment, pharmacological modulation of neuroplasticity may be needed as an adjuvant intervention.

Objective: Evaluate safety, as well as improvement in movement function, associated with motor training paired with a drug to upregulate neuroplasticity after stroke.

Methods: In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, 12 subjects with chronic stroke received either atomoxetine or placebo paired with motor training. Safety was assessed using vital signs. Upper extremity movement function was assessed using Fugl-Meyer Assessment, …

A Cognitive Electrophysiological Signature Differentiates Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment From Normal Aging, Juan Li, Lucas S. Broster, Gregory A. Jicha, Nancy B. Munro, Frederick A. Schmitt, Erin L. Abner, Richard J. Kryscio, Charles D. Smith, Yang Jiang

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background: Noninvasive and effective biomarkers for early detection of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) before measurable changes in behavioral performance remain scarce. Cognitive event-related potentials (ERPs) measure synchronized synaptic neural activity associated with a cognitive event. Loss of synapses is a hallmark of the neuropathology of early Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that ERP responses during working memory retrieval discriminate aMCI from cognitively normal controls (NC) matched in age and education.

Methods: Eighteen NC, 17 subjects with aMCI, and 13 subjects with AD performed a delayed match-to-sample task specially designed not only to be …