Cognitive Differences In Parkinson’S Disease With Amyloid Positivity And Negativity,
2024
California State University - San Bernardino
Cognitive Differences In Parkinson’S Disease With Amyloid Positivity And Negativity, Kenya Luna
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
In Parkinson’s Disease (PD), research has shifted to investigate how biomarkers commonly seen in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), such as amyloid beta (AB), may be associated with cognitive functioning in PD. AB is considered a reliable biomarker for AD pathology, however in PD there is a lacking biomarker that can accurately reflect severity of cognitive impairment. AD research has shown an association between low AB and cognitive decline, but the data in PD has mixed results. Most studies that analyze cognitive decline and biomarkers do not use a cutoff level and the few that do have a threshold vary greatly in …
Enhanced Subjective Perception: A Contrast Experiment,
2024
Western University
Enhanced Subjective Perception: A Contrast Experiment, Sarah Hardy Davidge
Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference
This study investigates the influence of emotional auditory stimuli on visual contrast perception, examining whether negative emotional sounds impact task performance more than neutral sounds. Previous research indicates that the effects of task-irrelevant stimuli (TIS) on task performance depend on the valence and modality of the stimulus, as well as the timing of the target stimulus. Specifically, while visual TIS can distract from visual tasks, auditory stimuli may function differently, potentially enhancing attention and perceptual sensitivity in specific spatial locations.
In this experiment, participants will view rapidly flashing Gabor patches on both sides of a screen while listening to a …
Processing Salient Sounds In A Virtual Reality Soundscape,
2024
Western University
Processing Salient Sounds In A Virtual Reality Soundscape, Sarah Hardy Davidge
Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference
This study investigates whether the emotional content of auditory stimuli influences spatial localization abilities, addressing the gap in understanding of how emotional sounds impact spatial processing. While visual emotional stimuli are known to modulate sensory processing through brain regions like the amygdala and locus coeruleus, the effects of emotional auditory stimuli remain less understood. Prior findings suggest emotional sounds may alert listeners to specific stimuli while distracting from others, yet the impact on spatial localization—critical for navigation in emotionally charged settings—has not been thoroughly examined.
Our primary objective is to determine if emotionally negative sounds improve localization accuracy and reaction …
Memory Modulation: Dominance Of Negative Visual Context Over Neutral Verbal Memory,
2024
Thomas Jefferson University
Memory Modulation: Dominance Of Negative Visual Context Over Neutral Verbal Memory, Stas Kozak, Noa Herz, Maya Tocker, Yair Bar-Haim, Nitzan Censor
Department of Neurology Faculty Papers
Neutral memories can be modulated via intentional memory control paradigms such as directed forgetting. In addition, previous studies have shown that neutral visual memories can be modulated indirectly, via remember and forget instructions towards competing verbal memories. Here we show that direct modulation of neutral verbal memory strength is impaired by negative visual context, and that negative visual context is resistant to indirect memory modulation. Participants were directly instructed to intentionally remember or forget newly encoded neutral verbal information. Importantly, this verbal information was interleaved with embedded negative visual context. Results showed that negative visual context eliminated the well-documented effect …
Robust And Generalizable Representations In The Hippocampus,
2024
Dartmouth College
Robust And Generalizable Representations In The Hippocampus, Hung-Tu Chen
Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations
An intelligent system must balance generalizing across similar experiences with maintaining the distinctiveness of each experience. This thesis explores how the hippocampus manages this balance through its neural representations to support adaptive behavior. In Chapter 1, I provide an overview of key hippocampal phenomena that contribute to this process, including remapping, splitter signal, and replay. In Chapter 2, I challenge the concept of random remapping by showing that it is possible to predict, better than chance, how a given experience will be encoded in the hippocampus across different subjects. This suggests that encoding of related experiences, which was previously thought …
Meconium: A Potential Means To Predicting Later-Life Cognition,
2024
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Meconium: A Potential Means To Predicting Later-Life Cognition, Leah Duran
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Maternal perinatal stress is a commonly experienced, yet chronically undiagnosed condition (CDC, 2010). Literature has suggested that perinatal stress exposure has long lasting implications of the developing child both physically and mentally (Behrman et al., 2007; Hobel et al., 2008; Bowman et al., 2004; Polanska et al., 2017; Van de Bergh et. al, 2020). The use of meconium in the clinical setting has become one that serves a purpose of detection in medical conditions like in utero drug exposure. Using meconium as a predictor for brain behavior, however, is still an emerging concept in the literature. It is quickly gaining …
Resting-State Eeg Microstate Features For Major Depressive Disorder Classification,
2024
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Resting-State Eeg Microstate Features For Major Depressive Disorder Classification, George M. V. Quinn
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Neuroimaging studies have revealed consistent abnormalities in functional connectivity within specific neural networks that may serve as biomarkers for major depressive disorder (MDD). It is important to find inexpensive, non-invasive techniques that target these biomarkers to make diagnosis easier and more objective. EEG microstates are quasi-stable potential topographies that are thought to reflect the quasi-stable network activity of the underlying neural generators. MDD has been shown to alter features of the four canonical EEG microstates (A, B, C, D) with some conflicting results. The most consistent network abnormalities in MDD are found in the anterior default mode network, and this …
Harnessing Implicit Learning To Support The Discovery Of Second Language Phoneme Patterns In Adult Learners,
2024
Western University
Harnessing Implicit Learning To Support The Discovery Of Second Language Phoneme Patterns In Adult Learners, Émilie R. Hoeppner
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Statistical learning studies have focused primarily on artificial languages, despite having an overall goal of providing insight into how we learn natural languages. Here, we investigate the impact of statistical learning on processing phonemic regularities within a second language in adult learners. Participants passively listened to Italian (L2 exposure group) or English (control group) podcasts for three weeks and completed a word rating task with ERP recorded before and after this listening period. Behaviourally, the L2 exposure group showed a nonsignificant trend towards increased sensitivity to phonotactic probability over the three weeks. At the ERP level, only the L2 group …
A Postexercise Executive Function Benefit From Passive And Active Exercise Does Not Extend To Mental Fatigue Mitigation,
2024
Western University
A Postexercise Executive Function Benefit From Passive And Active Exercise Does Not Extend To Mental Fatigue Mitigation, Gianna Jeyarajan
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
A single bout of aerobic exercise improves executive function (EF) and is a benefit, in part, attributed to an increase in cerebral blood flow (CBF). It is, however, unknown whether a postexercise EF benefit mitigates mental fatigue (MF). My thesis assessed EF prior to and following separate 20-min conditions of active and passive cycle ergometry and a non- exercise control. Subsequently, a 20-min psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) was employed to determine whether the exercise intervention(s) decreased susceptibility to MF. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound was used throughout the protocol to estimate exercise- and PVT-based changes in CBF. Both exercise conditions increased CBF …
High Fat Diet & Social Isolation: Interactive Effects On Pain, Cognition, & Neuroinflammation,
2024
Seattle Pacific University
High Fat Diet & Social Isolation: Interactive Effects On Pain, Cognition, & Neuroinflammation, Ian M. Campuzano
Research Psychology Theses
Prior research has established a role for both social isolation and exposure to high fat Western diets in altering a range of behaviors from reduced memory performance to increased depression-like behaviors. The present study scrutinizes the interplay among these variables during the peri-adolescent developmental phase, utilizing Long-Evans rats as the experimental model. Our overarching hypothesis is that rats exposed to either social isolation, a high-fat diet, or both will result in heightened pain sensitivity, diminished cognitive flexibility, and increased neuroinflammatory responses within brain regions implicated in sociability, cognition, memory, and pain processing. Behavioral flexibility will be assessed using a maze-based …
Modulation Of The Alpha Oscillation Associated With Semantic And Somatic Self-Referential Processing With Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation,
2024
Western University
Modulation Of The Alpha Oscillation Associated With Semantic And Somatic Self-Referential Processing With Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Zhongjie Bao
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Who am I? What am I? While philosophers have pondered existential questions such as these for centuries, neuroscientists are beginning to reveal neural correlates that may partly underlie our semantic (verbal, psychological) and somatic (non-verbal, physical) senses of ourselves. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) can then introduce exogenous electric fields over brain regions to modulate a person’s self-referential processing (SRP). Effective NIBS protocols can help establish causal connections between brain and self-experience, helping develop clinical interventions for mental health problems.
In this dissertation, I present a series of studies investigating the neuro-electrophysiology partially mediating SRP by combining electroencephalography (EEG) with NIBS. …
The Effect Of A Single Bout Of Sub-Symptom Threshold Aerobic Exercise On Executive Function During Early Sport-Related Concussion Recovery,
2024
Western University
The Effect Of A Single Bout Of Sub-Symptom Threshold Aerobic Exercise On Executive Function During Early Sport-Related Concussion Recovery, Alma Rahimidarabad
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Background: Impaired executive function (EF) is a primary sequela of sport-related concussion (SRC). Aerobic exercise below symptom exacerbation may improve post-SRC EF via increased cerebral blood flow (CBF). Objectives: To examine the impact of a single bout of sub-symptom threshold aerobic exercise on CBF and EF during SRC recovery. Methods: SRC participants (n = 16) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) completed 20-min of aerobic exercise at 80% of their heart rate threshold (HRt). Pre- and postexercise EF was assessed via antisaccades. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) estimated exercise-mediated CBF changes. Results: SRC and HC participants showed an exercise-mediated increase …
Investigating Synergistic Effects Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury And Reduced Cholinergic Tone On Attentional Deficits And Alzheimer's-Like Pathology In Haβ And Htau Mice,
2024
Western University
Investigating Synergistic Effects Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury And Reduced Cholinergic Tone On Attentional Deficits And Alzheimer's-Like Pathology In Haβ And Htau Mice, Elizabeth M. Teasell
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The early cholinergic decline in Alzheimer’s disease and cholinergic damage observed after TBI suggest a distinct role of this neural system in vulnerability to Alzheimer’s disease following TBI. This thesis evaluated the role of repetitive mTBI and cholinergic dysfunction in the development of cognitive deficits, specifically attentional deficits, and Alzheimer’s-related pathology in mice expressing humanized amyloid-beta and tau and a vesicular acetylcholine transporter knockdown to induce a mild cholinergic deficit. Using the rodent continuous performance test, it was shown that repetitive mTBI in the presence of an already vulnerable …
The Blessed Assembly: Irreplaceable Physical Co-Presence In Worship And Healthy Hybridity Reimagined After The Pandemic In The Digital Age,
2024
Southern Methodist University
The Blessed Assembly: Irreplaceable Physical Co-Presence In Worship And Healthy Hybridity Reimagined After The Pandemic In The Digital Age, Yvette, Ying Wai Lau
Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses
Because of the unprecedented and unexpected force of the pandemic since 2020, most churches around the world have experienced some online worship during the lockdown of their cities or the mandated closure of the church buildings. For many people, online worship seems to be an equivalent, if not better, alternative for gathering together—a physical co-presence in worship—even after the pandemic has ended. As necessary and vital as online worship experiences have been for Christians during the pandemic, the witness of the church from Pentecost throughout Christian history indicates that gathered worship in physical spaces is irreplaceable for faith formation and …
External And Internal Attribution In Human-Agent Interaction: Insights From Neuroscience And Virtual Reality,
2024
Pennsylvania State University
External And Internal Attribution In Human-Agent Interaction: Insights From Neuroscience And Virtual Reality, Nina Lauharatanahirun, Andrea Won, Angel Hsing-Chi Hwang
Human-Machine Communication
Agents are designed in the image of humans, both internally and externally. The internal systems of agents imitate the human brain, both at the levels of hardware (i.e., neuromorphic computing) and software (i.e., neural networks). Furthermore, the external appearance and behaviors of agents are designed by people and based on human data. Sometimes, these humanlike qualities of agents are purposely selected to increase their social influence over human users, and sometimes the human factors that influence perceptions of agents are hidden. Inspired by Blascovich’s “threshold of social influence’, a model designed to explain the effects of different methods of anthropomorphizing …
Cognitive Changes In Early Untreated Parkinson's Disease,
2024
Western University
Cognitive Changes In Early Untreated Parkinson's Disease, Kunj Patel
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Cognitive impairment is the most common non-motor symptom in Parkinson’s disease (PD), affecting up to one-third of early-stage patients. However, the cognitive profile in early PD remains unclear due to the use of heterogenous samples of disease severity, small sample sizes, and the inclusion of medication effects. This study aims to characterize cognitive deficits in early PD using a large, drug-naive sample. This study examined performance on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative dataset (n= 643 patients with PD; n= 240 healthy controls). Patients were restricted to …
Quantifying Resting-State Functional Connectivity In Critically Brain-Injured Patients: A Graph-Theoretical Approach With Fnirs,
2024
Western University
Quantifying Resting-State Functional Connectivity In Critically Brain-Injured Patients: A Graph-Theoretical Approach With Fnirs, Ira Gupta
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Assessment of consciousness in behaviourally unresponsive patients with critical brain injuries continues to be a challenge. There remains a need for robust tools that can accurately characterize preserved cortical function and predict patient outcomes. In the present study, functional near-infrared spectroscopy is employed in conjunction with graph theory and machine learning to quantify resting-state functional connectivity in 16 acutely brain-injured patients and 23 healthy controls. Results revealed significant channel-level differences between the groups for three graph metrics, including degree, clustering coefficient, and local efficiency. Further investigation using machine learning algorithms revealed that these metrics can be used to distinguish between …
The Impact Of Emotional Sounds On Arousal And Task Performance,
2024
Western University
The Impact Of Emotional Sounds On Arousal And Task Performance, Brian Wu
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
In times of emotional arousal, it is hypothesized that neural processes are triggered to “heighten” our senses to better respond to threatening stimuli. Some studies have tested this by exposing participants to emotional sounds to determine their impacts on visual acuity but have found mixed results. Previous studies have not investigated interactions between arousal induced by emotional sounds and visual acuity. Participants (N = 42) performed an orientation detection task while presented in silence or with sounds that varied in valence. Results displayed comparable accuracy across conditions but significantly faster response times during the presentation of negative sounds on the …
Embracing The Irreplaceable: The Role Of Neurodiversity In Cultivating Human-Ai Symbiosis In Education,
2024
Lindenwood University
Embracing The Irreplaceable: The Role Of Neurodiversity In Cultivating Human-Ai Symbiosis In Education, Piper Hutson
International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM
This study investigates the indispensable role of human skills—such as empathy, ethical judgment, and nuanced understanding—in the development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) within higher education, highlighting the unique contributions of neurodivergent perspectives in creating a symbiotic human-AI relationship. Drawing upon research that evidences the superior performance of diverse teams in creativity and innovation, the paper argues for the integration of neurodiversity into AI development as a means to address the philosophy of 'fearing the Other,' thereby mitigating biases and fostering ethical AI interactions. The technology sector's adoption of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, including biopsychosocial interventions and …
Flanker Task Performance In Young And Older Adults: A Behavioral And Erp Study,
2024
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Flanker Task Performance In Young And Older Adults: A Behavioral And Erp Study, Fatima Medrano
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Research suggests that as we get older, executive function abilities decline (Hasher & Zacks, 1988; Salthouse, 1996). One affected ability is that of inhibitory control, which aids in monitoring our responses to non-target stimuli or information. Current research on inhibition reveals inconsistencies across studies. Monitoring brain responses during the Flanker (used to measure inhibitory control) task may add valuable insight into the processes underlying group differences behaviorally, by studying the N200 and P300 event-related potentials which have been associated with inhibitory control processes. This study investigated whether there are differences between older and younger adults in inhibitory control and whether …