Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Screening For Adult Adhd In Ontario: A Cross-Sectional Study Examining Sex Differences, Mental Health Correlates And Substance Use, Deanne Daigle

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The vast majority of studies on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are based on samples with inherent age, sex, and referral biases. Therefore, the current study used population-based data to 1) estimate the prevalence of adult ADHD (as well as previous diagnosis and medication use using an ADHD screener) and co-occurring psychiatric distress and substance use in Ontario 2) examine the sex differences in ADHD screening status and co-occurring psychiatric distress and substance use and 3) model ADHD screening status as a risk factor for psychiatric distress using the 2011 cycle of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Monitor. A positive …

Male Gender Promotes An Increased Inflammatory Response To Lipopolysaccharide In Umbilical Vein Blood., Shunaha Kim-Fine, Timothy Regnault, James S Lee, Sarah A Gimbel, Jill A Greenspoon, Jonathan Fairbairn, Kelly Summers, Barbra De Vrijer

Paediatrics Publications

OBJECTIVES: To establish gender-specific differences in maternal and fetal immune response in healthy human fetuses at term.

METHODS: Forty-five women with elective caesarean sections for uncomplicated singleton pregnancies were recruited for two studies. Using a multiplex biomarker immunoassay system, unstimulated maternal and fetal plasma concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-1ra, IL-6, IL-8, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were measured from one study population. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cytokine response was measured in a second study.

RESULTS: There were no significant gender differences in either maternal or fetal unstimulated plasma cytokine concentrations, but concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and …

Expanding The Basic Science Debate: The Role Of Physics Knowledge In Interpreting Clinical Findings., Mark Goldszmidt, John Paul Minda, Sarah L Devantier, Aimee L Skye, Nicole N Woods

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Current research suggests a role for biomedical knowledge in learning and retaining concepts related to medical diagnosis. However, learning may be influenced by other, non-biomedical knowledge. We explored this idea using an experimental design and examined the effects of causal knowledge on the learning, retention, and interpretation of medical information. Participants studied a handout about several respiratory disorders and how to interpret respiratory exam findings. The control group received the information in standard "textbook" format and the experimental group was presented with the same information as well as a causal explanation about how sound travels through lungs in both the …

Greater Benefits Of Multisensory Integration During Complex Sensorimotor Transformations., Verena N Buchholz, Samanthi C Goonetilleke, W Pieter Medendorp, Brian D Corneil

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Multisensory integration enables rapid and accurate behavior. To orient in space, sensory information registered initially in different reference frames has to be integrated with the current postural information to produce an appropriate motor response. In some postures, multisensory integration requires convergence of sensory evidence across hemispheres, which would presumably lessen or hinder integration. Here, we examined orienting gaze shifts in humans to visual, tactile, or visuotactile stimuli when the hands were either in a default uncrossed posture or a crossed posture requiring convergence across hemispheres. Surprisingly, we observed the greatest benefits of multisensory integration in the crossed posture, as indexed …

Encoding Of Sensory Prediction Errors In The Human Cerebellum., John Schlerf, Richard B Ivry, Jörn Diedrichsen

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

A central tenet of motor neuroscience is that the cerebellum learns from sensory prediction errors. Surprisingly, neuroimaging studies have not revealed definitive signatures of error processing in the cerebellum. Furthermore, neurophysiologic studies suggest an asymmetry, such that the cerebellum may encode errors arising from unexpected sensory events, but not errors reflecting the omission of expected stimuli. We conducted an imaging study to compare the cerebellar response to these two types of errors. Participants made fast out-and-back reaching movements, aiming either for an object that delivered a force pulse if intersected or for a gap between two objects, either of which …

Vitamin D And Brain Imaging In The Elderly: Should We Expect Some Lesions Specifically Related To Hypovitaminosis D?, Cédric Annweiler, Manuel Montero-Odasso, Susan W Muir, Olivier Beauchet

Physical Therapy Publications

Hypovitaminosis D is associated with cognitive decline in the elderly, but the issue of causality remains unresolved. Definitive evidence would include the visualization of brain lesions resulting from hypovitaminosis D. The aim of the present article is to determine, through a literature review, the location and nature of possible brain disorders in hypovitaminosis D. We found limited brain-imaging data, which reported ischemic infarcts and white matter hyperintensities in hypovitaminosis D, though did not provide their specific location or report any focal atrophy. Based on the finding of executive dysfunctions (i.e., mental shifting and information updating impairments) in the presence of …

Discriminating Famous From Fictional Names Based On Lifetime Experience: Evidence In Support Of A Signal-Detection Model Based On Finite Mixture Distributions., Ben Bowles, Iain M Harlow, Melissa M Meeking, Stefan Köhler

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

It is widely accepted that signal-detection mechanisms contribute to item-recognition memory decisions that involve discriminations between targets and lures based on a controlled laboratory study episode. Here, the authors employed mathematical modeling of receiver operating characteristics (ROC) to determine whether and how a signal-detection mechanism contributes to discriminations between moderately famous and fictional names based on lifetime experience. Unique to fame judgments is a lack of control over participants' previous exposure to the stimuli deemed "targets" by the experimenter; specifically, if they pertain to moderately famous individuals, participants may have had no prior exposure to a substantial proportion of the …

The Long And Short Of It: The Role Of Telomeres In Fetal Origins Of Adult Disease., Stephanie E Hallows, Timothy Regnault, Dean H Betts

Paediatrics Publications

Placental insufficiency, maternal malnutrition, and other causes of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) can significantly affect short-term growth and long-term health. Following IUGR, there is an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes. The etiology of these diseases is beginning to be elucidated, and premature aging or cellular senescence through increased oxidative stress and DNA damage to telomeric ends may be initiators of these disease processes. This paper will explore the areas where telomere and telomerase biology can have significant effects on various tissues in the body in IUGR outcomes.