Digital Commons Network^™

Repeated Concussions And Spreading Depolarizations Are Associated With Acute Behavioral Deficits, Natalie J. Pinkowski, Betty Fish, Carissa J. Mehos, Russel A. Morton

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

It is estimated that more than 42 million individuals have a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury every year. These injuries are accompanied by acute symptoms including disorientation, impaired motor coordination, and altered mental state. These symptoms are attributed to neurological impairment caused by disruptions in ion gradients and neurotransmitters. Recently, spreading depolarizations (SDs) have been shown to occur in concussion model injuries. SDs are massive waves of chemical and electrical changes that spread slowly in a unique way through grey matter of the brain. Our previous work found that an SD is sufficient to produce the acute symptoms of …

Participation In Echo Is Associated With Expanding Buprenorphine Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder In Rural Primary Care, Julie Salvador, Snehal Bhatt, Vanessa Jacobsohn, Larissa Lindsey, Heidi Rishel Brakey, Rana Alkhafaji, Jesus Fuentes, Magdalena Mcwethy, Laura Rombach, Rachel Abeyta, Julia Martinez, Andrew Sussman, Orrin Myers

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Context: Access to medications for opioid use disorders (MOUD) is limited, especially in rural communities. Documented barriers limit integration of treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) in primary care settings, inhibiting provider training and delivery of treatment. Innovative delivery mechanisms are needed to enhance integration of services.

Objective: Examine impact of participation in the Extensions for Community Healthcare Outcomes model (ECHO) intervention on expansion of OUD treatment using buprenorphine among rural primary care providers.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental single group design to assess achievement of benchmark measures related MOUD expansion.

Analysis: We estimated the strength of the …

Progressive Endothelial S1pr1 Disruption And Bbb Dysfunction In Cerebral Microvasculature Induced By Chronic Hypoxic Hypoperfusion, Y Yang, J Thompson, K Duval, S Hobson, K Santacruz, M Griego

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Background: Clinical and neuroimaging studies suggested a fundamental role of BBB leakage in the progressive development of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) pathology. The capillary barrier and survival are regulated by sphingosine-1-phoshate (S1P) and its receptor isoforms (S1PRs). Disruption of endothelial S1P signalling leads to capillary dysfunction, BBB breakdown, and perivascular inflammation.

Aim: To test the hypothesis that chronic hypoxic hypoperfusion down-regulates capillary endothelial S1P receptor 1 (S1PR1), compromising BBB integrity and leading to neuroinflammation, using a rat model of SVD.

Method: Spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats underwent unilateral carotid artery occlusion (UCAO) followed by a Japanese permissive diet (JPD) for …

Mechanisms Contributing To Aberrant Vascular Development In The Brain Following Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Through Elevation Of Mir-150-5p, Marissa Westenskow, Roxana Gutierrez, Gabriela Perales, Amy S. Gardiner

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are conditions impacting development in children exposed to alcohol in utero. Among other associated anatomical defects, the organization of the brain microvasculature is altered in severe forms of FASD. Other vascular anomalies such as defective angiogenesis, permeability, vessel reactivity, and blood flow are found in animal models of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). The underlying mechanisms of these vascular defects are not fully understood. We previously found miR-150-5p to be upregulated in brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVECs) isolated from embryonic mouse cortices following moderate PAE. We identified targets of miR-150-5p in BMVECs and demonstrated that …

Examining The Psychometric Properties Of The Reward And Relief Inventory Of Drinking Situations, Victoria R. Votaw, Rylee Brachle, Jenny Fillebrown, Matthew Lopez, Ethan Van, Isabel Weisberg, Katie Witkiewitz

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Recent work has examined the extent to which individuals seek alcohol to enhance positive experiences (reward drinking) or relieve aversive states (relief drinking), and processes underlying reward/relief drinking correspond to neurobiological adaptations within the addiction cycle. Previous findings indicate the utility of reward/relief drinking phenotypes in matching patients to AUD pharmacotherapies, with high reward drinkers responding better to naltrexone versus placebo. Practical reward/relief drinking measures with good psychometric properties are needed to translate these findings to clinical practice. We examined the reliability and construct validity of a recently developed brief measure of reward /relief drinking, the Reward and Relief Inventory …

Placenta Programming Of Fetal Hpa Axis, Ludmila Bakhireva, Elizabeth Solomon, Melissa Roberts, Xingya Ma, Erin Milligan

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Background: Maternal stress and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) alter fetal programming of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, including glucocorticoid regulation of the stress response in placenta, leading to lifelong health issues. While preclinical studies began underlining the importance of placenta-mediated programming of the glucocorticoid signaling system in PAE, clinical studies are extremely limited.

The amount of cortisol that crosses the placenta is a function of relative expression of 11-β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (11β-HSD): 11β-HSD2 oxidizes active maternal cortisol into inactive 11-dehydrocortisone, while 11β-HSD1 acts as a reductase and converts inactive 11-dehydro-corticostisone to active cortisol. Down regulation of 11β-HSD2 is associated with altered glucocorticoid …

Differential Contributions Of Glun2a- And Glun2b- Containing Nmda Receptors To Tissue Recovery After Sd, Jordan E. Weisend, C W. Shuttleworth

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Spreading depolarizations (SDs) are now recognized as a principal source of excessive glutamate accumulation in stroke. It is not yet known whether different NMDA receptor (NMDAR) subtypes contribute to progression of SD or damaging effects of SD in vulnerable tissues. We examined possible contributions of GluN2A- and GluN2B-containing NMDARs to SDs in healthy and vulnerable tissues. Focal microinjection of KCl was used to initiate SDs in the hippocampal CA1 subregion of murine brain slices. Intrinsic optical signals (iOS) monitored SD propagation and tissue swelling. Extracellular potential changes (“DC shifts”) were used to examine prolonged depolarizations previously linked to neuronal injury. …

Peer Support Model To Address Substance Use Disorders Treatment Engagement In Rural Communities, Justine L. Saavedra, A S. Crisanti, Chole Caswell, Alyssa J. Jaramillo, Sttep Research Group

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Background: New Mexico (NM) leads the nation in alcohol-related and drug overdose deaths. This project aims to implement and test a model of telehealth-substance use disorder (TH-SUD) treatment to reach underserved rural, Hispanic, and Native American (NA) populations in Sandoval, San Juan, McKinley, Cibola, Valencia, and Santa Fe Counties. The overall goal is to reduce the consequences of substance use in culturally relevant ways. Our population of focus is rural, Hispanic, and NA adult patients with an SUD presenting to the emergency department (ED) or inpatient units of the University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center located in Sandoval …

The Rpl/Rps Gene Signature Of Melanoma Ctcs Associates With Brain Metastasis, Tetiana Bowley, I Lagutina, C Francis, S Sivakumar, R Solwyn, E Taylor, Yan Guo, Bridget N. Fahy, Bernard Tawfik, Dario Marchetti

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Melanoma brain metastasis (MBM) is linked to poor prognosis and low overall survival. We hypothesized that melanoma circulating tumor cells (CTCs) possess a gene signature significantly expressed and associated with MBM. Employing a multi-pronged approach, we provide first-time evidence identifying a common CTC gene signature for ribosomal protein large/small subunits (RPL/RPS) which associate with MBM onset and progression. Experimental strategies involved capturing, transcriptional profiling and interrogating CTCs, either directly isolated from blood of melanoma patients at distinct stages of MBM progression or from CTC-driven MBM in experimental animals. Second, we developed the first Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) CTC-derived MBM xenograft …

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure And Placental Insufficiency Result In Altered Dendritic Complexity In Medial Frontal Cortical Neurons In Adult Rat Offspring, Brooke R. Dunn, Nathanie G. Pavlik, Clement Jose, Jessie C. Newville, Suzy Davies, Daniel D. Savage, Jessie R. Maxwell

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) results in deficits in executive functioning. PAE is also associated with placental abnormalities in function and perfusion, deemed placental insufficiency (PI). PI independently contributes to neurodevelopmental deficits. The impact on the combined effects of PAE and PI is unknown. We hypothesized that voluntary moderate PAE+PI would result in decreased neuronal complexity within the medial frontal cortex, a region critical to executive functioning, assessed through use of a three-dimensional (3D) Sholl analysis.

To establish a model of moderate PAE and PI, pregnant Long-Evans rats voluntarily drank 5% ethanol or saccharin water until embryonic day 18 (E18). On …

Guidance On Methadone For Opioid Use Disorder In Older Adults: Current Practices, M E. Dankoscik, S H. Patel, A Viszolay, E W. Green, C Smith, V Jacobsohn

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Introduction: Opioid use disorder is highly prevalent and treatment is becoming more complex with the emergence of fentanyl. Methadone is a highly effective medication and full agonist of the opioid receptor allowing treatment of patients with high opioid tolerance. The proportion of adults over 65 is increasing and will rise to 77 million by 2034. In geriatric populations up to 50% of Medicare recipients take at least five medications a day. This polypharmacy and physiologic changes of metabolism puts this population at a higher risk of adverse events. In this study, we aim to determine the current practice of methadone …

Post-Error Adjustment Enhances Task-Positive Visual Processing, Mark Lavelle, James F. Cavanagh

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Our ability to discern multiple, simultaneous latent processes during the exertion of control is limited by rudimentary combinations of manifest behavior. We hypothesized that EEG could provide unique evidence that control can simultaneously alter behavioral output (i.e. decision threshold) as well as sensory gain (i.e. drift rate). This study includes EEG data from 21 young adults who completed a Flankers task where the luminance of the stimuli varied trial-wise against a black background. Conflict was associated with lower drift and lower threshold, as well as increased frontal midline theta power. Controlling for these effects, lower drift rate and threshold were …

Emotional Faces And Working Memory In Children With High Autistic And Anxiety Traits, Teagan Mullins, Jeremy Hogeveen

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

While the impact of anxiety and autism on working memory has been investigated, conflicting findings have been reported. For both conditions, working memory has been reported to be intact, impaired, or improved, or variously modulated by other factors, including emotional content of stimuli, and neuroimaging findings have been varied. When looking at the combined effect of comorbidity, the picture is even less clear. Here, we determined whether a classic finding in the cognitive neuroscience of anxiety—increased salience and attention to negative emotional stimuli—varies across children who do or do not also have elevated autistic traits. Specifically, we used the Adolescent …

Continuous Tissue Plasminogen Activator Infusion Using A Minimally Invasive Irrigating Catheter For The Treatment Of Intraparenchymal Hemorrhage: Preclinical Model, Danika E. Nelson, Diego Carrera, Marc Mabray, Andrew P. Carlson

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a stroke subtype which poses one of the greatest treatment challenges affecting about 2 million people yearly worldwide. About 45 percent of ICH extend into the ventricles resulting in intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), which is associated with a 50-80 percent mortality and high morbidity.¹ Historically, surgical clot evacuation has failed to significantly improve functional outcomes¹ .² Minimally invasive approaches using an external ventricular drain with intermittent dosing of alteplase have shown to be a safe and viable method of reducing clot volume.^3,4 Despite not improving functional outcomes, a subgroup of patients may benefit …

Using The 55-Word Story Method Of Reflection And Writing About Not Losing Hope In Humanity, Pearl Huynh, Ricardo Falcon, Tim Peterson, Codruta Soneru

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Creative writing with 55-word stories can encapsulate key experiences. It stimulates reflection and professional growth. Their brevity adds insight and impact.

Draft 1:

I have so many mixed feelings about everything going on in the world right now. There is so much disagreement on everything and to me it feels like we can never get everyone on the same page. Whether it be political things, health care, Roe v. Wade, world hunger, vaccines, violence, etc.. Being a first-year medical student, it can be easy to forget about everything going on in the world as you are so busy trying to …

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (Pae) And Stress Alter Levels Of Circulating Corticosterone And Expression Of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor (Crf) In Adult Brain, Justine Rose Zimmerly, Melody Sky Sun, Annette Katherine Fernandez-Oropeza, Shahani Noor, Andrea Pasmay, Ariana Nezhat Pritha, Carlos Fernando Valenzuela, Daniel Savage, Erin Damita Milligan

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) results in a constellation of negative consequences clinically known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), which include disorders of mood, behavior, and cognition. The hypothalamus and amygdala influence the stress response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Glucocorticoids (CORT) released into circulation following HPA activation exert negative feedback by activating glucocorticoid receptors (GR) that inhibit further HPA activation and CORT release. Stress-induced production of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the brain initiates HPA activation, a process also associated with the activation of astrocytes and production of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β). We hypothesize that PAE alters brain …

Dose-Response Effect Of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure On Perinatal Outcomes, Alexandria Wiesel, Xingya Ma, Jared Didomenico, Fiona Wohler, Melissa Roberts, Ludila Bakhireva

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Background: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, yet studies examining the effect of specific patterns and levels of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on perinatal and neurodevelopmental outcomes are scarce. The objectives of this study are to examine PAE effects of low-to-moderate exposure on adverse perinatal outcomes.

Methods: Data (n=112) for this analysis were combined from three interrelated prospective cohort studies conducted at the University of New Mexico. All cohorts included patients with PAE, assessed by Timeline Follow-Back (TLFB), binge drinking episodes, AUDIT questionnaire, and a battery of ethanol biomarkers. These data were abstracted …

Effects Of Ethanol Exposure On Oligodendrocyte Development In The Brain, Estrella Villicana, Luis E. Paez-Beltran, Bianca L. Myers, Milindu Liyanapathirana, Fernando Valenzuela, Tou Yia Vue

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Background: Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) occurs when an expecting mother consumes alcohol. PAE will lead to children to develop fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), which are a group of conditions that can include a wide range of physical deformities and/or intellectual disabilities. Glial cells such as oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are responsible for generating oligodendrocytes to myelinate neuronal axons, which is essential for proper conduction of action potentials. Studies in both humans and animal models showed that decrease myelination in the brain are prominent features of PAE. In this project, we propose that pups exposed to ethanol at the third …

Development Of A Patient-Centered Outcome (Pco) Measure For Dystonia, Arlann Erskine, Paul Reyes, Fares Qeadan, Brian Berman, Sarah L. Schneider, Janet Hieshetter, Charlene Hudgins, Kimberly Kuman, Cynthia Comella, David Peterson, Mark Hallett, Gamze Kilic-Berkmen, Laura Wright, Samantha Pentecost, Joel S. Perlmutter, H A. Jinnah, Sarah Pirio Richardson

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Background: The purpose of the Patient Centered Outcome (PCO) Project is to establish clinical trial readiness for novel treatments of dystonia. Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is a first-line therapy for focal dystonia including cervical dystonia (CD), blepharospasm (BSP), and laryngeal dystonia (LD). Although BoNT provides significant improvement, approximately one-third of patients discontinue use suggesting that BoNT therapy may not meet patient expectations.

Methods: We set out to develop a PCO that accurately captures the patient experience during therapy. After a modified Delphi process to identify candidate PCO items and based on FDA guidance, we surveyed a large number of patients with …

Development Of A Smartphone Application Able To Capture Patient-Centered Outcome (Pco) Measures For Dystonia, Paul Reyes, Arlann Erskine, Brian Berman, Sarah L. Schneider, Janet Hieshetter, Kimberly Kuman, Cynthia Cormella, David Peterson, Gamze Kilic-Berkmen, Laura Wright, Fares Qeadan, Samantha Pentecost, Joel S. Perlmutter, Sarah Pirio Richardson, H A. Jinnah

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Introduction: Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is a first line therapy for many types of dystonia and results in significant improvement, yet approximately one-third of patients discontinue use of BoNT suggesting that BoNT therapy may not fully address patient expectations. Symptom Snap was developed to capture Patient-Centered Outcome (PCO) measures across motor, disability, and psychosocial domains, enabling clinicians and researchers to characterize the therapeutic response to BoNT therapy over time on a frequent basis.

Methods: In collaboration with TekSynap, we developed a smartphone application able to capture PCO measures tailored for three major dystonia subtypes: cervical dystonia (CD), blepharospasm (BP), and laryngeal …

A Peptide Mimetic Of Tyrosine Phosphatase Step: A Potential Therapeutic Agent For Treatment Of Stroke Under Hypertensive Condition, Seong Won Choi, Sathyanarayanan Rajagopal, Prabu Paramasivam, Ranjana Poddar, Surojit Paul

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Background: Hypertension is a complex multifactorial disease that is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Although hypertension can develop at any age, the prevalence of hypertension is particularly evident in the aging population. It is also the most common comorbid condition in ischemic stroke patients and accounts for ~54% of all strokes. Despite advances in understanding the pathophysiology of stroke, current pharmacologic therapies are still limited to rapid reperfusion using thrombolytic agents, and neuroprotective approaches that can reduce the consequences of ischemic and reperfusion injury are still not available. To bridge this gap, we have evaluated the long-term efficacy …

Impact Of Two Different Rodent Diets On Maternal Ethanol Consumption, Serum Ethanol Concentration And Pregnancy Outcome Measures, Suzy Davies, Danika E. Nelson, Daniel D. Savage

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Recent studies have reported that varying levels of ethanol consumption by rodents maintained on different commercially available laboratory diets, may impact offspring outcome measures. Here, we compared ethanol consumption by rats maintained on the Envigo 2920 diet used in our lab, with an isocalorically equivalent PicoLab 5L0D diet, used in some alcohol consumption studies.

Compared to the 5L0D diet, female rats maintained on the 2920 diet consumed 14% less ethanol during the daily four-hour drinking sessions prior to pregnancy and 28% less ethanol during gestation. While this difference did not affect litter size, maternal weight gain during pregnancy by 5L0D …

Slc7a5 (Lat1) Inhibition Alleviates Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathic Pain, Sachin Goyal, Ian M. Adams, Sascha Ra Alles

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Background: Chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain (CINP) is a debilitating and difficult-to-treat side effect of chemotherapeutic drugs. Effective, non-addictive, non-opioid therapeutics are urgently needed for the treatment of chemotherapy associated chronic pain. Slc7a5 (Lat1), also known as system L-neutral amino acid transporter, is involved in a number of physiological processes related to inflammation. Transcriptomics studies have shown that Slc7a5 and its binding partner Slc3a2 are expressed in neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and spinal dorsal horn, which are critical to the initiation and maintenance of nociception and pathophysiology of chronic pain. Here, we investigate the role of Slc7a5 in the …

Validation Of The Substance Use Protective Strategies Scale (Supss) Among U.S. College Students, Jakub Greń, Matthew R. Pearson, Dylan K. Richards, Addictions Research Team

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Protective Behavioral Strategies (PBS) are behaviors that effectively reduce the likelihood of experiencing substance-related harms. Despite the fact that most individuals use more than one substance, previous research on PBS has been limited to substance-specific measurement, i.e. alcohol-specific (e.g., PBSS) and cannabis-specific (e.g., PBSM). We developed the Substance Use Protective Strategies Scale (SUPSS) to measure more general substance use PBS, which was preliminary validated among Polish young adults (aged 18-30) using various substances (Greń et al., 2023), sand sought to its further examination. Participants (N=1856) took part in a multisite research of substance use among college students recruited from 10 …

Rodent Models Of Subconcussive Brain Injury, Colin M. Wilson, Russell Morton, Afshin A. Divani, Kimberly Byrnes, Reed Selwyn

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Subconcussion has been defined as a cranial impact or rapid acceleration-deceleration that does not result in clinically observable neurological signs or symptoms that would typically indicate a diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) or concussion.¹ Low-level subconcussive impacts due to soccer ball heading have been reported to cause an acute, transient dysfunction in vestibular processing, which returns to baseline levels within 24 hours.² Although one or even several subconcussive impacts may have no lasting effects, there is increasing evidence that repeated subconcussive exposure over an extended period has the potential to cause significant neurological deficits. Among former …

Neurodevelopmental Transcription Factors Promote Proliferation, Regulate Cell Type, And Play Opposing Roles In Cellular Migration In Glioblastoma, Bianca L. Myers, Kathryn J. Brayer, Luis E. Paez-Beltran, Tou Yia Vue

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Glioblastomas (GBM) make up ~50% of primary brain tumors and prognosis has not improved over the last 30 years. Despite the inherently high inter- and intratumoral heterogeneity of GBMs, basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors, ASCL1 and OLIG2, are present in the majority of tumors. Previously, we showed in patient-derived GBM xenograft (PDX-GBM) that ASCL1 binds to promoter and enhancer regions of cell cycle genes, as well as neurodevelopmental transcription factors including OLIG2. Similarly, we showed that OLIG2 binding overlaps with the majority (~90%) of ASCL1 binding sites, including at promoter and/or enhancer regions of ASCL1 and OLIG1/2 loci, illustrating their …

Alcohol Consumption During Early Adulthood In A Preclinical Mouse Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease Leads To Gait Impairments, Dysregulated Circadian Rhythm, Alterations In Tauopathy And Brain-Region-Specific Transcriptional Alterations, N M. Maphis, D Furlano, S A. David, D N. Linsebardt

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a leading cause of cognitive dysfunction and death in the US attributable in part to the accumulation and spread of pathologically modified tau (pTau). Recently, excessive alcohol use, particularly binge drinking, has emerged as a risk factor for the development of AD. However, the neurobiological consequences underlying how excessive alcohol exposure might lead to the accumulation and/or progression of pTau and associated neurobehavioral deficits has not been fully explored. We used the binge-alcohol drinking paradigm, ‘drinking-in-the-dark’ (DID), in the P301S mouse model of tauopathy to test the hypothesis that excessive voluntary alcohol consumption during young adulthood …

Compensatory Functional Activation During Motion Discrimination In Parkinson’S Disease, Stetphanie Nitschke, Kayla Julio, Nicholas Shaff, Chris Wertz, David Stone, Andrei Vakhtin, Andrew Mayer, Elena K. Festa, William C. Heindel, David P. Salmon, Gerson Suarez Cedeno, Amandaa Deligtisch, Sarah Pirio Richardson, Sephira Ryman

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Objective

PD patients commonly exhibit cognitive dysfunction early in the disease course which may or may not predict further cognitive decline. In contrast, early emergence of visuospatial and memory impairments are more consistent predictors of an evolving dementia syndrome. Prior studies using fMRI have demonstrated that PD patients exhibit hyperactivation dependent on the degree of cognitive impairment, suggestive of compensatory strategies. No study has evaluated whether PD patients with normal cognition (PD-NC) and PD patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI) exhibit compensatory activation patterns during visuospatial task performance.

Participants and Methods

10 PD-NC, 12 PD-MCI, and 14 age and sex-matched …

Ksrp Reduces The Migration And Invasion Of Glioblastoma Cells And Restricts Angiogenesis Of Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells, Pearl Huynh, Robert Oliver, Gabriela Perales, Amy S. Gardiner

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive and invasive brain tumor that has been continuously challenging to treat. Combined treatment strategies, including surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, have improved patient outcomes, however, median survival time is less than 15 months. Thus, there is a critical need for new therapeutic targets and approaches. KSRP is a multi-functional RNA-binding protein that acts post-transcriptionally to regulate mRNA stability, splicing, and transport, as well as the biogenesis and function of microRNAs and other non-coding RNAs. Several studies have shown that KSRP expression is significantly associated with prolonged survival of glioblastoma patients. We recently identified …

Alzheimer’S Disease-Associated Circhomer1 Can Inhibit The Expression Of Long App And Mapt Mrna Isoforms In The Frontal Cortex Via Competing For Binding To Hud, Madison Otero, Grigorios Papageorgiou, Sophie E. Eckel, Marissa R. Westenskow, Ibrahim El-Sharkawy, Niko Nykänen, Bruno A. Benitez, Carlos Cruchaga, Nikolaos Mellios

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel category of non-coding RNAs derived from the back-splicing and covalent joining of exons or introns. Recent studies have suggested that circRNAs are preferentially generated from synaptic plasticity-related genes and are particularly enriched in the brain. Although some circRNAs have been found to sequester microRNAs and others to associate with RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), the mechanism of action of most circRNAs remains poorly understood. Moreover, little is known about the potential involvement of circRNAs in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Using circRNA-specific quantification, we had previously found that circHomer1, a neuronal-enriched circRNA derived from Homer protein homolog …