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Articles 1 - 11 of 11
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
The Relationship Between Thalamic Morphology And Behavioral Features In Amnestic And Aphasic Variants Of Alzheimer's Disease, Holly Rochelle Winiarski
The Relationship Between Thalamic Morphology And Behavioral Features In Amnestic And Aphasic Variants Of Alzheimer's Disease, Holly Rochelle Winiarski
Theses and Dissertations
Background: The presence of AD pathology can result in diverse behavioral phenotypes, including the typical amnestic variant characterized by memory deficits, and an atypical aphasic variant characterized by language deficits. Previous research has identified unique cortical atrophy patterns in each phenotype, though less focus has been drawn to subcortical involvement. The current study sought to dissociate these behavioral phenotypes by characterizing their thalamic volume and shape features using high-dimensional brain mapping procedures. Relationships between brain metrics and specific language and memory deficits were also investigated in aphasic AD and amnestic AD, respectively. Method: Thalamic integrity was examined in aphasic AD …
How And With Whom You Spend Your Time Matters: An Examination Of Familial Relationships, Leisure Activities, And Dementia Development, Erika Cooksey Mcdaniel
How And With Whom You Spend Your Time Matters: An Examination Of Familial Relationships, Leisure Activities, And Dementia Development, Erika Cooksey Mcdaniel
Theses and Dissertations
Dementia is an interminable disorder characterized by a decrease in cognitive functioning behavioral and emotional changes, and an overall diminishment in quality of life that usually affects the older population. In the coming decades, scientists estimate that the number of sufferers will reach over 100 million worldwide. Though there is currently no cure for any form of dementia, the theory of cognitive reserve posits certain lifestyle characteristics (i.e., educational attainment, SES, and/or career path) can mitigate the risk of dementia by improving cognitive resilience over an individual’s lifetime. The current study sought to discover what, if any, effects familial relationships, …
Examining The Mental Health Of Older Hispanic/Latino Adults: Relationship Between Psycho-Social-Cultural Factors And Depressive Symptomatology, Anna Prado
Theses and Dissertations
The most prevalent disorders affecting the older adult population worldwide are dementia and depression. Ethnic minorities are disproportionately more likely to be affected by these two distressing and debilitating conditions. Hispanic/Latino older adults encounter numerous psycho-social-cultural factors that influence health behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs in positive and negative ways. Presently, research on the influence of these factors on Hispanic/Latino mental health is highly inconsistent. The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between selected psycho-social-cultural factors and the mental health of older Hispanic/Latino adults. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, the association between the Hispanic/Latino …
A Novel Cognitive Stress Test For The Detection Of Early Alzheimer’S Disease In African Americans, Kimberly Capp
A Novel Cognitive Stress Test For The Detection Of Early Alzheimer’S Disease In African Americans, Kimberly Capp
Theses and Dissertations
The U.S. population is currently undergoing a major demographic transition, with increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the older adult population. As the growing population of older adults advances in age, memory complaints are projected to increase in prevalence particularly among African Americans and present a challenge to clinicians who must differentiate between normal aging and progressive neurocognitive conditions (Celsis, 2000; Sherwin, 2000). As targeted therapeutic interventions and emerging therapies for AD are much more likely to be effective in the earlier stages of the disease (Loewenstein, Curiel, Duara & Buschke, 2017), early assessment and detection of AD, especially in …
Association Between Behavioral And Psychological Symptoms In Persons With Alzheimer's Disease And Depression In Caregivers From Low Income Families, Weizhou Tang
Theses and Dissertations
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease and is a leading cause of dementia. Behavioral and psychological symptoms (BPS) represent a heterogeneous group of non-cognitive symptoms and behaviors occurring in persons with Alzheimer’s disease (PwAD), and they are often associated with negative outcomes for AD caregivers. Evidence indicates differences in caregivers’ mental health across race/ethnic groups. However, there is a lack of research that compares racial differences in the association between BPS in PwAD and caregiver depression. The aims of this dissertation, which are grounded in the Stress Process Model, include: 1) To compare racial differences in BPS …
Memory-Based Viewing: A Potential Marker Of Pathological Aging, Jenna Blujus
Memory-Based Viewing: A Potential Marker Of Pathological Aging, Jenna Blujus
Theses and Dissertations
Markers of cognitive impairment are needed to distinguish normal from pathological aging prior to the onset of clinical symptomology to improve Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment or prevention efforts. AD pathology is believed to develop years or even decades prior to diagnosis in medial temporal lobe subregions that provide input to the hippocampus (Braak & Braak, 1991), disrupting the ability of the hippocampus to bind individual elements of an experience to form cohesive memory representations. Eye movement behavior is a sensitive index of learning and effects of memory on eye movements have been shown to emerge rapidly (within 500-750ms of stimuli …
Memory-Based Viewing: A Potential Marker Of Pathological Aging, Jenna Blujus
Memory-Based Viewing: A Potential Marker Of Pathological Aging, Jenna Blujus
Theses and Dissertations
Markers of cognitive impairment are needed to distinguish normal from pathological aging prior to the onset of clinical symptomology to improve Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment or prevention efforts. AD pathology is believed to develop years or even decades prior to diagnosis in medial temporal lobe subregions that provide input to the hippocampus (Braak & Braak, 1991), disrupting the ability of the hippocampus to bind individual elements of an experience to form cohesive memory representations. Eye movement behavior is a sensitive index of learning and effects of memory on eye movements have been shown to emerge rapidly (within 500-750ms of stimuli …
Alzheimer's Disease And Diabetes: A Transgenic Mouse Model In Behavior, Mri, And Cells, Kevin Sage Steed
Alzheimer's Disease And Diabetes: A Transgenic Mouse Model In Behavior, Mri, And Cells, Kevin Sage Steed
Theses and Dissertations
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, afflicting almost 5 million patients in the US, and impacting millions more, financially, physically and emotionally. Coming in as the 6th leading cause of death in the US, and showing no signs of slowing its annually increasing rates, the world is in desperate need of improved understanding of the disease's multifaceted pathogenesis and progression, more accurate forms of detection and diagnosis, and more effective prevention and treatment. While many are focused on the noble pursuit of understanding the genetic contributions to the appearance of the pathological amyloid beta (Aβ)) plaques …
Structural And Functional Brain Connectivity In Middle-Aged Carriers Of Risk Alleles For Alzheimer's Disease, Laura Korthauer
Structural And Functional Brain Connectivity In Middle-Aged Carriers Of Risk Alleles For Alzheimer's Disease, Laura Korthauer
Theses and Dissertations
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in APOE, COMT, BDNF, and KIBRA have been associated with age-related memory performance and executive functioning as well as risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The purpose of the present investigation was to characterize differences in brain functional and structural integrity associated with these SNPs as potential endophenotypes of age-related cognitive decline. I focused my investigation on healthy, cognitively normal middle-aged adults, as disentangling the early effects of healthy versus pathological aging in this group may aid early detection and prevention of AD. The aims of the study were 1) to characterize SNP-related differences in functional connectivity …
Association Between Latent Toxoplasma Gondii Infection And Alzheimer's Disease, Cynthia Elizabeth Wyman
Association Between Latent Toxoplasma Gondii Infection And Alzheimer's Disease, Cynthia Elizabeth Wyman
Theses and Dissertations
Introduction: Many studies have found an association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and behavioral and cognitive changes in animal models and in humans. In addition, early findings have suggested an association between T. gondii seropositivity and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We sought to determine whether there is an association between T. gondii seropositivity and AD as well as cognitive functioning (including memory, working memory, processing speed, language functioning, executive functioning) in a large, well-characterized sample of subjects with AD and matched controls without dementia. Method: Using ELISA assays, we determined anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titers in 114 control subjects and in 105 …
Sex Differences In Cognitive Decline In Mild Cognitive Impairment And Alzheimer's Disease, Juliann Thompson
Sex Differences In Cognitive Decline In Mild Cognitive Impairment And Alzheimer's Disease, Juliann Thompson
Theses and Dissertations
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and results in progressive cognitive decline, particularly in regards to memory (National Institute on Aging, 2012). Prior research has shown sex differences in brain-atrophy rates of AD patients, with women experiencing a higher rate of progression in volume reduction (Skup et al., 2011). This suggests that there may also be differences in cognitive functioning between sexes, particularly in the rate of cognitive decline with a more rapid disease progression for dementing females compared to dementing males. The current study monitored memory function longitudinally in approximately 200 total participants, 100 with …