Neurology Commons^™

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Post-Recovery Memory, Chelsea Mcnamara, Alison Mancuso

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for the covid-19 pandemic, has had profound effects on countries worldwide. As the pandemic progressed, clinical and patient data continued to mount. A subset of symptoms named “Long Covid Syndrome” persisted in patients after recovering from infection. One commonly reported but understudied symptom was a deficit in memory function. Although commonly reported, prevalence of ‘brain fog’ has yet to be characterized using patient data. Using Rowan Medicine electronic patient data, we were able to collect information on patients before and after the emergence of the coronavirus. Data was collected on reported memory-related symptoms as well as …

Nursing Considerations For Post-Traumatic Amnesia After A Traumatic Brain Injury, Hannah Grant

Senior Honors Theses

A period known as post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) often follows a traumatic brain injury (TBI). PTA is characterized by anterograde and retrograde amnesia, confusion, disorientation, and agitation. The duration and severity of PTA is a key indicator of the long-term prognosis after a TBI, so proper assessment and nursing care of a PTA patient is crucial. TBIs range from mild to severe, but primarily affect the fronto-temporal lobes. In PTA, both neural lesions and white matter damage within the parahippocampal region can cause PTA. A nurse must perform a thorough assessment of a TBI patient, but, since PTA is a key …

Longitudinal Cognitive Performance Of Alzheimer's Disease Neuropathological Subtypes, Madeline Uretsky, Laura E. Gibbons, Shubhabrata Mukherjee, Emily H. Trittschuh, David W. Fardo, Patricia A. Boyle, C. Dirk Keene, Andrew J. Saykin, Paul K. Crane, Julie A. Schneider, Jesse Mez

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathological subtypes (limbic predominant [lpAD], hippocampal sparing [HpSpAD], and typical [tAD]), defined by relative neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) burden in limbic and cortical regions, have not been studied in prospectively characterized epidemiological cohorts with robust cognitive assessments.

Methods: Two hundred ninety-two participants with neuropathologically confirmed AD from the Religious Orders Study and Memory and Aging Project were categorized by neuropathological subtype based on previously specified diagnostic criteria using quantitative regional NFT counts. Rates of cognitive decline were compared across subtypes using linear mixed-effects models that included subtype, time, and a subtype-time interaction as predictors and four cognitive …

Distinct Cortical Systems Reinstate The Content And Context Of Episodic Memories., James E. Kragel, Youssef Ezzyat, Bradley C. Lega, Michael R. Sperling, Gregory A. Worrell, Robert E. Gross, Barbara C. Jobst, Sameer A. Sheth, Kareem A. Zaghloul, Joel M. Stein, Michael J. Kahana

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Episodic recall depends upon the reinstatement of cortical activity present during the formation of a memory. Evidence from functional neuroimaging and invasive recordings in humans suggest that reinstatement organizes our memories by time or content, yet the neural systems involved in reinstating these unique types of information remain unclear. Here, combining computational modeling and intracranial recordings from 69 epilepsy patients, we show that two cortical systems uniquely reinstate the semantic content and temporal context of previously studied items during free recall. Examining either the posterior medial or anterior temporal networks, we find that forward encoding models trained on the brain's …

Functionally Distinct High And Low Theta Oscillations In The Human Hippocampus., Abhinav Goyal, Jonathan Miller, Salman E Qasim, Andrew J Watrous, Honghui Zhang, Joel M Stein, Cory S Inman, Robert E Gross, Jon T Willie, Bradley Lega, Jui-Jui Lin, Ashwini Sharan, Chengyuan Wu, Michael R Sperling, Sameer A Sheth, Guy M Mckhann, Elliot H Smith, Catherine Schevon, Joshua Jacobs

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Based on rodent models, researchers have theorized that the hippocampus supports episodic memory and navigation via the theta oscillation, a ~4-10 Hz rhythm that coordinates brain-wide neural activity. However, recordings from humans have indicated that hippocampal theta oscillations are lower in frequency and less prevalent than in rodents, suggesting interspecies differences in theta's function. To characterize human hippocampal theta, we examine the properties of theta oscillations throughout the anterior-posterior length of the hippocampus as neurosurgical subjects performed a virtual spatial navigation task. During virtual movement, we observe hippocampal oscillations at multiple frequencies from 2 to 14 Hz. The posterior hippocampus …

Brain Development: Why The Young Sleep Longer, Budhaditya Chowdhury, Orie T. Shafer

Advanced Science Research Center

From absorbing new languages to mastering musical instruments, young children are wired to learn in ways that adults are not (Johnson and Newport, 1989). This ability coincides with periods of intense brain plasticity during which neurons can easily remodel their connections (Hubel and Wiesel, 1970). Many children are also scandalously good sleepers, typically getting several more hours of sleep per night than their parents (Jenni and Carskadon, 2007). As sleep deprivation has negative effects on learning and memory, learning like a child likely requires sleeping like one (Diekelmann and Born, 2010). Yet, how the ability to sleep for longer is …

Prefrontal Corticotropin-Releasing Factor (Crf) Neurons Act Locally To Modulate Frontostriatal Cognition And Circuit Function., Sofiya Hupalo, Andrea J Martin, Rebecca K Green, David M Devilbiss, Craig W Berridge

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

The PFC and extended frontostriatal circuitry support higher cognitive processes that guide goal-directed behavior. PFC-dependent cognitive dysfunction is a core feature of multiple psychiatric disorders. Unfortunately, a major limiting factor in the development of treatments for PFC cognitive dysfunction is our limited understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying PFC-dependent cognition. We recently demonstrated that activation of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors in the caudal dorsomedial PFC (dmPFC) impairs higher cognitive function, as measured in a working memory task. Currently, there remains much unknown about CRF-dependent regulation of cognition, including the source of CRF for cognition-modulating receptors and the output pathways modulated …

Effect Of Minor Surgery Under Propofol Anaesthesia On Brain Bdnf And Cognition, Muhammad Rafiq, Zahid Mahmood, Sajed Ali, Laure Pain

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a brain protein implicated in learning, memory and other cognitive functions. Changes in cellular brain functions as well as cognitive defects have been observed the days following anaesthesia, even for short-duration anaesthesia with/without surgery. Despites the role of neurotrophic factors in cognition, no data are still available on brain effects after anaesthesia. Purpose: To study the effect of minor surgery under short duration anaesthesia on cognition by investigating BDNF levels in plasma, hippocampus and cortex. METHODS: Male rats received an intra-peritoneal injection of either 120 mg/kg of propofol or intralipids solution or minor surgery …

Word-List Intrusion Errors Predict Progression To Mild Cognitive Impairment, Kelsey R Thomas, Joel Eppig, Emily C Edmonds, Diane M Jacobs, David J Libon, Rhoda Au, David P Salmon, Mark W Bondi, Alzheimer’S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: Preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) defined by a positive AD biomarker in the presence of normal cognition is presumed to precede mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Subtle cognitive deficits and cognitive inefficiencies in preclinical AD may be detected through process and error scores on neuropsychological tests in those at risk for progression to MCI.

METHOD: Cognitively normal participants (n = 525) from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative were followed for up to 5 years and classified as either stable normal (n = 305) or progressed to MCI (n = 220). Cox regressions were used to determine whether baseline process scores on …

Assessing Working Memory In Mild Cognitive Impairment With Serial Order Recall., Sheina Emrani, David J Libon, Melissa Lamar, Catherine C Price, Angela L Jefferson, Katherine A Gifford, Timothy J Hohman, Daniel A Nation, Lisa Delano-Wood, Amy Jak, Katherine J Bangen, Mark W Bondi, Adam M Brickman, Jennifer Manly, Rodney Swenson, Rhoda Au, Consortium For Clinical And Epidemiological Neuropsychological Data Analysis (Cenda)

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Working memory (WM) is often assessed with serial order tests such as repeating digits backward. In prior dementia research using the Backward Digit Span Test (BDT), only aggregate test performance was examined.

OBJECTIVE: The current research tallied primacy/recency effects, out-of-sequence transposition errors, perseverations, and omissions to assess WM deficits in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

METHODS: Memory clinic patients (n = 66) were classified into three groups: single domain amnestic MCI (aMCI), combined mixed domain/dysexecutive MCI (mixed/dys MCI), and non-MCI where patients did not meet criteria for MCI. Serial order/WM ability was assessed by asking participants to repeat …

Widespread Theta Synchrony And High-Frequency Desynchronization Underlies Enhanced Cognition., E. A. Solomon, J. E. Kragel, Michael R. Sperling, Ashwini Sharan, G. Worrell, M. Kucewicz, C. S. Inman, B. Lega, K. A. Davis, J. M. Stein, B. C. Jobst, K. A. Zaghloul, S. A. Sheth, D. S. Rizzuto, M. J. Kahana

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

The idea that synchronous neural activity underlies cognition has driven an extensive body of research in human and animal neuroscience. Yet, insufficient data on intracranial electrical connectivity has precluded a direct test of this hypothesis in a whole-brain setting. Through the lens of memory encoding and retrieval processes, we construct whole-brain connectivity maps of fast gamma (30-100 Hz) and slow theta (3-8 Hz) spectral neural activity, based on data from 294 neurosurgical patients fitted with indwelling electrodes. Here we report that gamma networks desynchronize and theta networks synchronize during encoding and retrieval. Furthermore, for nearly all brain regions we studied, …

Acute Treatment With Doxorubicin Affects Glutamate Neurotransmission In The Mouse Frontal Cortex And Hippocampus, Theresa Currier Thomas, Joshua A. Beitchman, Francois Pomerleau, Teresa Noel, Paiboon Jungsuwadee, D. Allan Butterfield, Daret K. St. Clair, Mary Vore, Greg A. Gerhardt

Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center Faculty Publications

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a potent chemotherapeutic agent known to cause acute and long-term cognitive impairments in cancer patients. Cognitive function is presumed to be primarily mediated by neuronal circuitry in the frontal cortex (FC) and hippocampus, where glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter. Mice treated with DOX (25 mg/kg i.p.) were subjected to in vivo recordings under urethane anesthesia at 24h post-DOX injection or 5 consecutive days of cognitive testing (Morris Water Maze; MWM). Using novel glutamate-selective microelectrode arrays, amperometric recordings measured parameters of extracellular glutamate clearance and potassium-evoked release of glutamate within the medial FC and dentate gyrus (DG) …

Amyloid Β–Associated Cognitive Decline In The Absence Of Clinical Disease Progression And Systemic Illness, Karra Harrington, Yen Lim, David Ames, Jason Hassenstab, Simon Laws, Ralph Martins, Stephanie Rainey-Smith, Joanne Robertson, Christopher Rowe, Olivier Salvado, Vincent Dore, Victor Villemagne, Peter Snyder, Colin Masters, Paul Maruff, Aibl Research Group

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction

High levels of amyloid β (Aβ) are associated with cognitive decline in cognitively normal (CN) older adults. This study investigated the nature of cognitive decline in healthy individuals who did not progress to mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

Method

Cognition was measured over 72 months and compared between low (Aβ−) and high (Aβ+) CN older adults (n = 335) who did not progress to mild cognitive impairment or dementia and who remained free of severe or uncontrolled systemic illness.

Results

Compared to the Aβ− group, the Aβ+ group showed no cognitive impairment at baseline but showed substantial decline …

Aβ-Related Memory Decline In Apoe Ε4 Noncarriers: Implications For Alzheimer Disease, Yen Ying Lim, Simon Laws, Victor Villemagne, Robert Pietrzak, Tenielle Porter, David Ames, Christoher Fowler, Stephanie Rainey-Smith, Peter Snyder, Ralph Martins, Olivier Salvado, Pierrick Bourgeat, Christopher Rowe, Colin Masters, Paul Maruff

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective:

As the absence of Aβ-related memory decline in APOE ϵ4 noncarriers may be due to the relative brevity of previous studies, we aimed to characterize Aβ-related cognitive decline over 72 months in APOE ϵ4 carriers and noncarriers who were cognitively normal (CN).

Methods:

CN older adults (n 423) underwent Aβ imaging and APOE genotyping. Participants completed comprehensive neuropsychological testing at baseline 18-, 36-, 54-, and 72-month assessments.

Results:

Relative to Aβ- CN ϵ4 noncarriers, both Aβ+ CN ϵ4 carriers and noncarriers showed significantly increased decline in measures of memory, language, and executive function as well as higher rates of …

Novel Advances In Alzheimer's Disease, Jacob P. Naumann

The Downtown Review

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia in adults, is a progressive degenerative neurological disease that affects memory, cognition, and behavior. Dr. Alois Alzheimer discovered and diagnosed the irreversible disease in 1906 after documenting the famous case of Auguste Deter.¹ Since the discovery of the disease, numerous advances have made it possible to not only better understand the causal factors, but also to improve the medical diagnosis and preventative measures that healthcare providers can implement. For the first time since 1984, the National Institute on Aging (NIAA) and the Alzheimer’s Association (AA) proposed and published new diagnostic guideline …

Hippocampal Functional Connectivity Patterns During Spatial Working Memory Differ In Right Versus Left Temporal Lobe Epilepsy., Gaelle Eve Doucet, Karol Osipowicz, Ashwini Sharan Md, Michael R Sperling, Joseph I Tracy

Gaelle Eve Doucet

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), affecting the medial temporal lobe, is a disorder that affects not just episodic memory but also working memory (WM). However, the exact nature of hippocampal-related network activity in visuospatial WM remains unclear. To clarify this, we utilized a functional connectivity (FC) methodology to investigate hippocampal network involvement during the encoding phase of a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) visuospatial WM task in right and left TLE patients. Specifically, we assessed the relation between FC within right and left hippocampus-seeded networks, and patient performance (rate of correct responses) during the encoding phase of a block span WM …

Theta And High-Frequency Activity Mark Spontaneous Recall Of Episodic Memories., John F Burke, Ashwini D Sharan, Michael R Sperling, Ashwin G Ramayya, James J. Evans, M Karl Healey, Erin N Beck, Kathryn A Davis, Timothy H Lucas, Michael J Kahana

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Humans possess the remarkable ability to search their memory, allowing specific past episodes to be re-experienced spontaneously. Here, we administered a free recall test to 114 neurosurgical patients and used intracranial theta and high-frequency activity (HFA) to identify the spatiotemporal pattern of neural activity underlying spontaneous episodic retrieval. We found that retrieval evolved in three electrophysiological stages composed of: (1) early theta oscillations in the right temporal cortex, (2) increased HFA in the left hemisphere including the medial temporal lobe (MTL), left inferior frontal gyrus, as well as the ventrolateral temporal cortex, and (3) motor/language activation during vocalization of the …

Law And Neuroscience: Recommendations Submitted To The President's Bioethics Commission, Owen D. Jones, Richard J. Bonnie, B. J. Casey, Andre Davis, David L. Faigman, Morris Hoffman, Read Montague, Stephen J. Morse, Marcus E. Raichle, Jennifer A. Richeson, Elizabeth Scott, Laurence Steinberg, Kim Taylor-Thompson, Anthony Wagner, Gideon Yaffe

All Faculty Scholarship

President Obama charged the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues to identify a set of core ethical standards in the neuroscience domain, including the appropriate use of neuroscience in the criminal-justice system. The Commission, in turn, called for comments and recommendations. The MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience submitted a consensus statement, published here, containing 16 specific recommendations. These are organized within three main themes: 1) what steps should be taken to enhance the capacity of the criminal justice system to make sound decisions regarding the admissibility and weight of neuroscientific evidence?; 2) to what extent …

Hippocampal Functional Connectivity Patterns During Spatial Working Memory Differ In Right Versus Left Temporal Lobe Epilepsy., Gaelle Eve Doucet, Karol Osipowicz, Ashwini Sharan Md, Michael R Sperling, Joseph I Tracy

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), affecting the medial temporal lobe, is a disorder that affects not just episodic memory but also working memory (WM). However, the exact nature of hippocampal-related network activity in visuospatial WM remains unclear. To clarify this, we utilized a functional connectivity (FC) methodology to investigate hippocampal network involvement during the encoding phase of a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) visuospatial WM task in right and left TLE patients. Specifically, we assessed the relation between FC within right and left hippocampus-seeded networks, and patient performance (rate of correct responses) during the encoding phase of a block span WM …

Synchronous And Asynchronous Theta And Gamma Activity During Episodic Memory Formation., John F Burke, Kareem A Zaghloul, Joshua Jacobs, Ryan B Williams, Michael R Sperling, Ashwini D Sharan, Michael J Kahana

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

To test the hypothesis that neural oscillations synchronize to mediate memory encoding, we analyzed electrocorticographic recordings taken as 68 human neurosurgical patients studied and subsequently recalled lists of common words. To the extent that changes in spectral power reflect synchronous oscillations, we would expect those power changes to be accompanied by increases in phase synchrony between the region of interest and neighboring brain areas. Contrary to the hypothesized role of synchronous gamma oscillations in memory formation, we found that many key regions that showed power increases during successful memory encoding also exhibited decreases in global synchrony. Similarly, cortical theta activity …

The Long Road Called Goodbye (Excerpt), Charlotte A. Akin

Biography

Part clinical case study, part family journal, The Long Road Called Goodbye is a powerful and moving account of one family's thirteen-year struggle with Alzheimer's. This engaging informative book is a closely documented clinical study that reads like a novel, filled with all the feelings, crises, and conflicts experienced by patient and family. It is a story of love, loyalty, perseverance, strength, and dignity. The Long Road Called Goodbye makes a major contribution to the care of AD patients and their families. The book will be of interest to professionals who work with Alzheimer's patients, including physicians, staff at care-giving …