Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Practice Effects In A Longitudinal, Multi-Center Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Clinical Trial, Erin L. Abner, Brandon C. Dennis, Melissa J. Mathews, Marta S. Mendiondo, Allison Caban-Holt, Richard J. Kryscio, Frederick A. Schmitt, John J. Crowley

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Practice effects are a known threat to reliability and validity in clinical trials. Few studies have investigated the potential influence of practice on repeated screening measures in longitudinal clinical trials with a focus on dementia prevention. The current study investigates whether practice effects exist on a screening measure commonly used in aging research, the Memory Impairment Screen (MIS).

METHODS: The PREADViSE trial is a clinical intervention study evaluating the efficacy of vitamin E and selenium for Alzheimer's disease prevention. Participants are screened annually for incident dementia with the MIS. Participants with baseline and three consecutive follow-ups who made less …

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 …

Health Disparities Experienced By People With Disabilities In The Us: A Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Study, Jennifer Renee Pharr, Timothy J. Bungum

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

The Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990; since then research has shown that people with disabilities continue to experience barriers to health care. The purpose of this study was to compare utilization of preventive services, chronic disease rates, and engagement in health risk behaviors of participants with differing severities of disabilities to those without disabilities. This study was a secondary analysis of 2010 data collected in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System national survey in the United States. Rao Chi square test and logistic regression were employed. Participants with disabilities had significantly higher adjusted odds ratios for all …

Perceptual Fluency Can Be Used As A Cue For Categorization Decisions., Sarah J Miles, John Paul Minda

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Learning in the prototype distortion task is thought to involve perceptual learning in which category members experience an enhanced visual response (Ashby & Maddox. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 149-178, 2005). This response likely leads to more-efficient processing, which in turn may result in a feeling of perceptual fluency for category members. We examined the perceptual-fluency hypothesis by manipulating fluency independently from category membership. We predicted that when perceptual fluency was induced using subliminal priming, this fluency would be misattributed to category membership and would affect categorization decisions. In a prototype distortion task, the participants were more likely to judge …

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Plasticity: A Comparative Perspective., T J Stevenson, T P Hahn, S A Macdougall-Shackleton, G F Ball

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone 1 (GnRH1) is a key regulator of the reproductive neuroendocrine system in vertebrates. Recent developments have suggested that GnRH1 neurons exhibit far greater plasticity at the cellular and molecular levels than previously thought. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that sub-populations of GnRH1 neurons in the preoptic area are highly responsive to specific environmental and hormonal conditions. In this paper we discuss findings that reveal large variation in GnRH1 mRNA and protein expression that are regulated by social cues, photoperiod, and hormonal feedback. We draw upon studies using histochemistry and immediate early genes (e.g., c-FOS/ZENK) to illustrate that specific …

Multivoxel Patterns In Face-Sensitive Temporal Regions Reveal An Encoding Schema Based On Detecting Life In A Face, Christine E. Looser, Jyothi S. Guntupalli, Thalia Wheatley

Dartmouth Scholarship

More than a decade of research has demonstrated that faces evoke prioritized processing in a ‘core face network’ of three brain regions. However, whether these regions prioritize the detection of global facial form (shared by humans and mannequins) or the detection of life in a face has remained unclear. Here, we dissociate form-based and animacy-based encoding of faces by using animate and inanimate faces with human form (humans, mannequins) and dog form (real dogs, toy dogs). We used multivariate pattern analysis of BOLD responses to uncover the representational similarity space for each area in the core face network. Here, we …

Resilience In The Face Of Disaster: Prevalence And Longitudinal Course Of Mental Disorders Following Hurricane Ike, Robert H. Pietrzak, Melissa Tracy, Sandro Galea, Dean G. Kilpatrick, Kenneth J. Ruggiero, Jessica L. Hamblen, Steven M. Southwick, Fran H. Norris

Dartmouth Scholarship

Objectives: Natural disasters may increase risk for a broad range of psychiatric disorders, both in the short- and in the medium-term. We sought to determine the prevalence and longitudinal course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), depression, and suicidality in the first 18 months after Hurricane Ike.

Methods: Six hundred fifty-eight adults representative of Galveston and Chambers Counties, Texas participated in a random, population-based survey. The initial assessment was conducted 2 to 5 months after Hurricane Ike struck Galveston Bay on September 13, 2008. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 5 to 9 and 14 …

Resting-State Connectivity Identifies Distinct Functional Networks In Macaque Cingulate Cortex., R Matthew Hutchison, Thilo Womelsdorf, Joseph S Gati, L Stan Leung, Ravi S Menon, Stefan Everling

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Subregions of the cingulate cortex represent prominent intersections in the structural networks of the primate brain. The relevance of the cingulate to the structure and dynamics of large-scale networks ultimately requires a link to functional connectivity. Here, we map fine-grained functional connectivity across the complete extent of the macaque (Macaca fascicularis) cingulate cortex and delineate subdivisions pertaining to distinct identifiable networks. In particular, we identified 4 primary networks representing the functional spectrum of the cingulate: somatomotor, attention-orienting, executive, and limbic. The cingulate nodes of these networks originated from separable subfields along the rostral-to-caudal axis and were characterized by positive and …

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 …

Unfakeable Facial Configurations Affect Strategic Choices In Trust Games With Or Without Information About Past Behavior, Constantin Rezlescu, Brad Duchaine, Christopher Y. Olivola, Nick Chater

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Many human interactions are built on trust, so widespread confidence in first impressions generally favors individuals with trustworthy-looking appearances. However, few studies have explicitly examined: 1) the contribution of unfakeable facial features to trust-based decisions, and 2) how these cues are integrated with information about past behavior.

Methodology/Principal Findings:

Using highly controlled stimuli and an improved experimental procedure, we show that unfakeable facial features associated with the appearance of trustworthiness attract higher investments in trust games. The facial trustworthiness premium is large for decisions based solely on faces, with trustworthy identities attracting 42% more money (Study 1), and remains …

Polymorphic Male Color Morphs Visualized With Steroids In Monomorphic Females: A Tool For Designing Analysis Of Sex-Limited Trait Inheritance, Mats M. Olsson, Mo Healey, Mark Wilson, Michael Tobler

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

In diploid animals, males and females share most of the genome (except sex-specific elements, such as sex chromosome genes), yet despite sharing the underlying genes that hard-wire traits, males and females may differ in their phenotypes when traits are controlled by proximate mechanisms, such as hormones. In color polymorphic species where coloration is only expressed in one sex, the design of studies of the inheritance of color and coevolved morph-specific traits (e.g. territorial vs sneaker strategies, skewed energetic investment in territorial defense vs sperm production, etc.) is compromised as the expression of morph-coding genes is only visualized in one sex. …

Conformational Altered P53 As An Early Marker Of Oxidative Stress In Alzheimer's Disease, Laura Buizza, Giovanna Cenini, Cristina Lanni, Giulia Ferrari-Toninelli, Chiara Prandelli, Stefano Govoni, Erica Buoso, Marco Racchi, Maria Barcikowska, Maria Styczynska, Aleksandra Szybinska, D. Allan Butterfield, Maurizio Memo, Daniela Uberti

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

In order to study oxidative stress in peripheral cells of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, immortalized lymphocytes derived from two peculiar cohorts of patients, referring to early onset AD (EOSAD) and subjects harboured AD related mutation (ADmut), were used. Oxidative stress was evaluated measuring i) the typical oxidative markers, such as HNE Michel adducts, 3 Nitro-Tyrosine residues and protein carbonyl on protein extracts, ii) and the antioxidant capacity, following the enzymatic kinetic of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GRD). We found that the signs of oxidative stress, measured as oxidative marker levels, were evident only in ADmut …

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 …

Problem Behaviours, Traditional Bullying And Cyberbullying Among Adolescents: Longitudinal Analyses, Leanne Lester, Donna Cross, Therese Shaw

Research outputs 2012

Problem Behaviour Theory suggests that young people's problem behaviours tend to cluster. This study examined the relationship between traditional bullying, cyberbullying and engagement in problem behaviours using longitudinal data from approximately 1500 students. Levels of traditional victimisation and perpetration at the beginning of secondary school (grade 8, age 12) predicted levels of engagement in problem behaviours at the end of grade 9 (age 14). Levels of victimisation and perpetration were found to moderate each other's associations with engagement in problem behaviours. Cyberbullying did not represent an independent risk factor over and above levels of traditional victimisation and perpetration for higher …

Effects Of Two Contrast Training Programs On Jump Performance In Rugby Union Players During A Competition Phase, C K Argus, N D Gill, J W Keogh, Michael Mcguigan, W G Hopkins

Research outputs 2012

Purpose: There is little literature comparing contrast training programs typically performed by team-sport athletes within a competitive phase. We compared the effects of two contrast training programs on a range of measures in high-level rugby union players during the competition season. Methods: The programs consisted of a higher volume-load (strength-power) or lower volume-load (speed-power) resistance training; each included a tapering of loading (higher force early in the week, higher velocity later in the week) and was performed twice a week for 4 wk. Eighteen players were assessed for peak power during a bodyweight countermovement jump (BWCMJ), bodyweight squat jump (BWSJ), …

Age And Premorbid Intelligence Suppress Complaint-Performance Congruency In Raw Score Measures Of Memory, Matthew Merema, Craig Speelman, Elizabeth Kaczmarek, Jonathan Foster

Research outputs 2012

Background: We aimed to examine the role of age and premorbid intelligence (IQ) in suppressing the relationship between subjective memory complaints (SMCs) and raw score memory performance. Methods: We used a community sample of older adults aged 66"90 years (N = 121) to test whether the inclusion of age and a premorbid IQ measure in multiple regression analyses increased semipartial correlations of raw score memory performance in predicting SMCs. Rank contrast correlations were also carried out to observe how age and premorbid IQ are related to complaint"performance congruency. Measures utilized in the study included the Memory Functioning Questionnaire (for SMCs), …