Digital Commons Network^™

Abstract Concepts And Pictures Of Real-World Situations Activate One Another., Ken Mcrae, Daniel Nedjadrasul, Raymond Pau, Bethany Pui-Hei Lo, Lisa King

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

concepts typically are defined in terms of lacking physical or perceptual referents. We argue instead that they are not devoid of perceptual information because knowledge of real-world situations is an important component of learning and using many abstract concepts. Although the relationship between perceptual information and abstract concepts is less straightforward than for concrete concepts, situation-based perceptual knowledge is part of many abstract concepts. In Experiment 1, participants made lexical decisions to abstract words that were preceded by related and unrelated pictures of situations. For example, share was preceded by a picture of two girls sharing a cob of corn. …

Selective Effects Of 5-Ht2c Receptor Modulation On Performance Of A Novel Valence-Probe Visual Discrimination Task And Probabilistic Reversal Learning In Mice, Benjamin U. Phillips, Sigma Dewan, Simon R.O. Nilsson, Trevor W. Robbins, Christopher J. Heath, Lisa M. Saksida, Timothy J. Bussey, Johan Alsiö

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

© 2018, The Author(s). Rationale: Dysregulation of the serotonin (5-HT) system is a pathophysiological component in major depressive disorder (MDD), a condition closely associated with abnormal emotional responsivity to positive and negative feedback. However, the precise mechanism through which 5-HT tone biases feedback responsivity remains unclear. 5-HT2C receptors (5-HT2CRs) are closely linked with aspects of depressive symptomatology, including abnormalities in reinforcement processes and response to stress. Thus, we aimed to determine the impact of 5-HT2CR function on response to feedback in biased reinforcement learning. Methods: We used two touchscreen assays designed to assess the impact of positive and negative feedback …

Immature Auditory Evoked Potentials In Children With Moderate–Severe Developmental Language Disorder, Elaine Y.L. Kwok, Marc F. Joanisse, Lisa M.D. Archibald, Janis Oram Cardy

Communication Sciences and Disorders Publications

© 2018 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Purpose: Immature auditory processing has been proposed to underlie language impairments in children with developmental language disorder (DLD; also known as specific language impairment). Using newly available normative auditory evoked potential (AEP) waveforms, we estimated AEP maturity in individual children with DLD and explored whether this maturational index was related to their language abilities. Method: AEPs were elicited by 225 trials of a 490-Hz pure tone. Using intraclass correlation and our previously established normative AEP waveforms of 7-to 10-year-old children with typical development, we estimated the age equivalent of the AEPs (AEP–age) from 21 children …

Pathways Over The Life Course: Patterns Of Depressive Symptoms In Adolescence And Their Potential Impact On Educational Attainment, Stephen Carneiro Fernandes

MA Research Paper

This analysis draws on life course sociology to investigate the association between depression in adolescence and postsecondary completion in young adulthood. Three gaps in the mental health and education literature are addressed: lack of attention to the duration and timing of depressive symptoms, the overuse of high school degree receipt and college entry as outcome variables, and the exclusion of theoretically important confounders, such as self-rated health. Using panel data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, distinct mental health pathways that are based on a 12-item revision of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale are …

Changes In Depression And Positive Mental Health Among Youth In A Healthy Relationships Program, Natalia Lapshina, Claire Crooks, Amanda Kerry

Journal Articles

Mental health promotion programming in schools and community settings is an important part of a comprehensive mental health strategy. The goal of this study was to identify and explore meaningful classes of youth based on their pre- and post-intervention depression symptoms scores with 722 youth involved in a 15-week healthy relationships and mental health promotion program. We utilized latent class growth analysis to identify depression class trajectories, controlling for group clustering effects. A three-class solution identified high decreasing, moderate stable, and low stable trajectories. Gender, age, and reported experience of bullying victimization predicted trajectory class membership. The low stable class …

Disorganized Gyrification Network Properties During The Transition To Psychosis, Tushar Das, Stefan Borgwardt, Daniel J. Hauke, Fabienne Harrisberger, Undine E. Lang, Anita Riecher-Rössler, Lena Palaniyappan, André Schmidt

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

IMPORTANCE There is urgent need to improve the limited prognostic accuracy of clinical instruments to predict psychosis onset in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. As yet, no reliable biological marker has been established to delineate CHR individuals who will develop psychosis from those who will not. OBJECTIVES To investigate abnormalities in a graph-based gyrification connectome in the early stages of psychosis and to test the accuracy of this systems-based approach to predict a transition to psychosis among CHR individuals. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This investigation was a cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study with follow-up assessment to …

Cognitive Changes Following Multiple-Modality Exercise And Mind-Motor Training In Older Adults With Subjective Cognitive Complaints: The M4 Study, Narlon Cassio Boa Sorte, Dawn P. Gill, Adrian M. Owen, Teresa Liu-Ambrose, Vladimir Hachinski, Ryosuke Shigematsu, Robert J. Petrella

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Background We investigated the effects of multiple-modality exercise with additional mind-motor training on cognition in community-dwelling older adults with subjective cognitive complaints. Methods Participants (n = 127, mean age 67.5 [7.3] years, 71% women) were randomized to receive 45 minutes of multiple-modality exercise with additional 15 minutes of either mind-motor training (M4, n = 63) or control (balance, range of motion and breathing exercises [M2, n = 64]). In total, both groups exercised 60 minutes/day, 3 days/week, for 24 weeks. Standardized global cognitive functioning (GCF), concentration, reasoning, planning, and memory were assessed at 24 weeks and after a 28-week no-contact …

Modified Origins Of Cortical Projections To The Superior Colliculus In The Deaf: Dispersion Of Auditory Efferents., Blake E Butler, Julia K Sunstrum, Stephen G Lomber

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Following the loss of a sensory modality, such as deafness or blindness, crossmodal plasticity is commonly identified in regions of the cerebrum that normally process the deprived modality. It has been hypothesized that significant changes in the patterns of cortical afferent and efferent projections may underlie these functional crossmodal changes. However, studies of thalamocortical and corticocortical connections have refuted this hypothesis, instead revealing a profound resilience of cortical afferent projections following deafness and blindness. This report is the first study of cortical outputs following sensory deprivation, characterizing cortical projections to the superior colliculus in mature cats (

Medical Decision-Making In Paediatrics: Infancy To Adolescence, Kevin W. Coughlin

Paediatrics Publications

Medical decision-making in the paediatric population is complicated by the wide variation in physical and psychological development that occurs as children progress from infancy to adolescence. Parents and legal guardians are the de facto decision-makers in early infancy, but thereafter, the roles of parents/ legal guardians and paediatric patients become ever more complex. Health care providers (HCPs), while not decision-makers per se, have a significant role in medical decision-making throughout childhood. This statement outlines the ethical principles of medical decision-making for HCPs involved in caring for paediatric patients. This revision focuses on individual decision-making in the context of the patient–provider …

Seeing The Forest And The Trees: Default Local Processing In Individuals With High Autistic Traits Does Not Come At The Expense Of Global Attention., Ryan A Stevenson, Sol Z Sun, Naomi Hazlett, Jonathan S Cant, Morgan D Barense, Susanne Ferber

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Atypical sensory perception is one of the most ubiquitous symptoms of autism, including a tendency towards a local-processing bias. We investigated whether local-processing biases were associated with global-processing impairments on a global/local attentional-scope paradigm in conjunction with a composite-face task. Behavioural results were related to individuals' levels of autistic traits, specifically the Attention to Detail subscale of the Autism Quotient, and the Sensory Profile Questionnaire. Individuals showing high rates of Attention to Detail were more susceptible to global attentional-scope manipulations, suggesting that local-processing biases associated with Attention to Detail do not come at the cost of a global-processing deficit, but …

Tdp-43 Gains Function Due To Perturbed Autoregulation In A Tardbp Knock-In Mouse Model Of Als-Ftd, Matthew A. White, Eosu Kim, Amanda Duffy, Robert Adalbert, Benjamin U. Phillips, Owen M. Peters, Jodie Stephenson, Sujeong Yang, Francesca Massenzio, Ziqiang Lin, Simon Andrews, Anne Segonds-Pichon, Jake Metterville, Lisa M. Saksida, Richard Mead, Richard R. Ribchester, Youssef Barhomi, Thomas Serre, Michael P. Coleman, Justin Fallon, Timothy J. Bussey, Robert H. Brown, Jemeen Sreedharan

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

© 2018 The Author(s). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD) constitutes a devastating disease spectrum characterized by 43-kDa TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) pathology. Understanding how TDP-43 contributes to neurodegeneration will help direct therapeutic efforts. Here we have created a TDP-43 knock-in mouse with a human-equivalent mutation in the endogenous mouse Tardbp gene. TDP-43Q331K mice demonstrate cognitive dysfunction and a paucity of parvalbumin interneurons. Critically, TDP-43 autoregulation is perturbed, leading to a gain of TDP-43 function and altered splicing of Mapt, another pivotal dementia-associated gene. Furthermore, a new approach to stratify transcriptomic data by phenotype in differentially affected mutant mice revealed 471 …

Advances In Understanding The Development Of The Mathematical Brain, Daniel C. Hyde, Daniel Ansari

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

No abstract provided.

Psychology 3317e: Community Funding City Art Centre, Caroline Luszawski, Kaitlyn Fox

Community Engaged Learning Final Projects

City Art Centre (CAC) is a non profit organization that offers assistance to adults with mental health challenges. Founded by a group of persons in recovery, CAC's main goal is to provide a safe, respectful space for expression through various forms of art. It is a space where peer support, fellowship and encouragement foster self-responsibility, facilitate recovery and improves quality of life. CAC is based on a peer support model and volunteer coordinators are responsible for the daily running of the centre. Volunteer coordinators receive a 'per diem' of $20 which acts as a recognition for their vital contributions to …

A Feasibility Trial Of Mental Health First Aid First Nations: Acceptability, Cultural Adaptation, And Preliminary Outcomes, Claire Crooks, Andrea Lapp, Monique Auger, Kim Van Der Woerd, Angela Snowshoe, Billie Jo Rogers, Samantha Tsuruda, Cassidy Caron

Journal Articles

The Mental Health First Aid First Nations course was adapted from Mental Health First Aid Basic to create a community‐based, culturally safe and relevant approach to promoting mental health literacy in First Nations contexts. Over 2.5 days, the course aims to build community capacity by teaching individuals to recognize and respond to mental health crises. This feasibility trial utilized mixed methods to evaluate the acceptability, cultural adaptation, and preliminary effectiveness of MHFAFN. Our approach was grounded in community‐based participatory research principles, emphasizing relationship‐driven procedures to collecting data and choice for how participants shared their voices. Data included participant interviews ( …

Multisensory Integration And Autistic Traits Using Non-Sociolinguistic Information, Sébastien A. Lauzon, Samantha E. Schulz, Zack I. Cohen, Ryan A. Stevenson

Western Research Forum

Background: Sensory processing issues are one of the most common complaints in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One area of sensory difficulties in ASD that has been the focus of intense research in recent years is multisensory integration (MSI), or the ability to bind auditory and visual information into a single, unified percept. While integration of social or linguistic information is consistently shown to be an area of difficulty in ASD, results are less clear with simple, non-sociolinguistic stimuli. This study aims to address this ambiguity by determining whether MSI of non-sociolinguistic sensory information is related to traits and symptomatology …

Empathy In Inclusive Classrooms: Exploring Prosocial Behaviour Through Children’S Academic Writing Skills, Erica J. Partridge

Western Research Forum

Background. Empathy is a crucial means through which diversity is appreciated. Students who are more empathic may be more willing to help other students, subsequently creating a successful inclusive classroom. Applying inclusivity at a young age and throughout the curriculum is optimal for social and emotional development in children. Often, increased development is found by using interactive methods. Narrative writing can improve affective dimension in their writing skills, but it is still unclear if writing skills translates into prosocial behaviour. Method. This study looked at 19 students in Grade 5 whose teacher implemented a language arts curriculum program. The Shakespeare …

The Spy Next Door: Intentional Misuse Of Access To Information, Data Security & Society’S Diminishing Ideology Of Privacy, Anjeli Leamen

Western Research Forum

Much has been written regarding the vulnerability of privacy in the current age of big data. However, little has been written about the actions of individuals, and the intentional misuse of access to friends and family members’ private information (i.e snooping). In contrast to government or corporate misuse of information, these kinds of privacy breaches are not for financial gain, surveillance or identity theft. Rather this misuse of information is purely out of curiosity about the personal lives of friends, family and acquaintances. The purpose of this paper is to not only examine the realm of snooping, but also …

Assessing Levels Of Stigma And Accessing Mental Health Services, Kristina Giacobbe, Mike Morrison, Carrie Arnold

Western Research Forum

Assessing Levels of Stigma and Accessing Mental Health Services

Post-secondary students report high levels of anxiety and depression along with a host of other mental health issues (Fink, 2014). The present study focused on predictors of use of counselling services as well as strategies that would make the service easier to use by undergraduate students. Theoretical rationale included Astin’s Input-Environment-Outcome (I-E-O) (Fink, 2014), Theory of Planned Behaviour (Marsh, 2011), and Self-Regulatory Model (Oexle, 2015). The sample included 153 male and female students at a large research intensive university in Ontario. Participants ranged from ages 18-24 who completed the Satisfaction with …

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Severity Is Directly Related To Suicidal Ideation In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Madhulika A. Gupta, Patricia Jarosz

Paediatrics Publications

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with suicidal ideation (SI) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). There are no studies of OSA diagnosed by sleep study and SI in patients with PTSD. Methods: Forty consenting civilians with PTSD (38 female, mean ±standard deviation age: 44.60 ±12.73) underwent a Level 3 home sleep apnea test (WatchPAT200; Itamar Medical, Israel). OSA severity was measured with the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) (number of apneas, hypopneas and respiratory effort related arousals per hour). SI was measured with Items 9, 35, 39, and 50 of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Other patient-rated measures included the Beck …

Semantic Memory, Eiling Yee, Michael N. Jones, Ken Mcrae

Psychology Publications

How is it that we know what a dog and a tree are, or, for that matter, what knowledge is? Our semantic memory consists of knowledge about the world, including concepts, facts and beliefs. This knowledge is essential for recognizing entities and objects, and for making inferences and predictions about the world. In essence, our semantic knowledge determines how we understand and interact with the world around us. In this chapter, we examine semantic memory from cognitive, sensorimotor, cognitive neuroscientific, and computational perspectives. We consider the cognitive and neural processes (and biases) that allow people to learn and represent concepts, …

Canadian Network For Mood And Anxiety Treatments (Canmat) And International Society For Bipolar Disorders (Isbd) 2018 Guidelines For The Management Of Patients With Bipolar Disorder, Lakshmi N. Yatham, Sidney H. Kennedy, Sagar V. Parikh, Ayal Schaffer, David J. Bond, Benicio N. Frey, Verinder Sharma, Benjamin I. Goldstein, Soham Rej, Serge Beaulieu, Martin Alda, Glenda Macqueen, Roumen V. Milev, Arun Ravindran, Claire O'Donovan, Diane Mcintosh, Raymond W. Lam, Gustavo Vazquez, Flavio Kapczinski, Roger S. Mcintyre, Jan Kozicky, Shigenobu Kanba, Beny Lafer, Trisha Suppes, Joseph R. Calabrese, Eduard Vieta

Paediatrics Publications

The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) previously published treatment guidelines for bipolar disorder in 2005, along with international commentaries and subsequent updates in 2007, 2009, and 2013. The last two updates were published in collaboration with the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD). These 2018 CANMAT and ISBD Bipolar Treatment Guidelines represent the significant advances in the field since the last full edition was published in 2005, including updates to diagnosis and management as well as new research into pharmacological and psychological treatments. These advances have been translated into clear and easy to use recommendations for first, …

Cortical And Thalamic Connectivity To The Second Auditory Cortex Of The Cat Is Resilient To The Onset Of Deafness., Blake E Butler, Alexandra De La Rua, Taylor Ward-Able, Stephen G Lomber

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

It has been well established that following sensory loss, cortical areas that would normally be involved in perceiving stimuli in the absent modality are recruited to subserve the remaining senses. Despite this compensatory functional reorganization, there is little evidence to date for any substantial change in the patterns of anatomical connectivity between sensory cortices. However, while many auditory areas are contracted in the deaf, the second auditory cortex (A2) of the cat undergoes a volumetric expansion following hearing loss, suggesting this cortical area may demonstrate a region-specific pattern of structural reorganization. To address this hypothesis, and to complement existing literature …

Nutrient Intake In The First Two Weeks Of Life And Brain Growth In Preterm Neonates., Juliane Schneider, Céline J Fischer Fumeaux, Emma G Duerden, Ting Guo, Justin Foong, Myriam Bickle Graz, Patric Hagmann, M Mallar Chakravarty, Petra S Hüppi, Lydie Beauport, Anita C Truttmann, Steven P Miller

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

BACKGROUND: Optimizing early nutritional intake in preterm neonates may promote brain health and neurodevelopment through enhanced brain maturation. Our objectives were (1) to determine the association of energy and macronutrient intake in the first 2 weeks of life with regional and total brain growth and white matter (WM) maturation, assessed by 3 serial MRI scans in preterm neonates; (2) to examine how critical illness modifies this association; and (3) to investigate the relationship with neurodevelopmental outcomes.

METHODS: Forty-nine preterm neonates (21 boys, median [interquartile range] gestational age: 27.6 [2.3] weeks) were scanned serially at the following median postmenstrual weeks: 29.4, …

Acute Inhibition Of Estradiol Synthesis Impacts Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex Adaptation And Cerebellar Long-Term Potentiation In Male Rats, Cristina V. Dieni, Aldo Ferraresi, Jacqueline A. Sullivan, Sivarosa Grassi, Vito E. Pettorossi, Roberto Panichi

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

© 2017, The Author(s). The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) adaptation is an ideal model for investigating how the neurosteroid 17 beta-estradiol (E2) contributes to the modification of behavior by regulating synaptic activities. We hypothesized that E2 impacts VOR adaptation by affecting cerebellar synaptic plasticity at the parallel fiber–Purkinje cell (PF) synapse. To verify this hypothesis, we investigated the acute effect of blocking E2 synthesis on gain increases and decreases in adaptation of the VOR in male rats using an oral dose (2.5 mg/kg) of the aromatase inhibitor letrozole. We also assessed the effect of letrozole on synaptic plasticity at the PF …

A Call To Promote Soft Skills In Software Engineering, Luiz Fernando Capretz, Fahem Ahmed

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

We have been thinking about other aspects of software engineering for many years; the missing link in engineering software is the soft skills set, essential in the software development process. Although soft skills are among the most important aspects in the creation of software, they are often overlooked by educators and practitioners. One of the main reasons for the oversight is that soft skills are usually related to social and personality factors, i.e., teamwork, motivation, commitment, leadership, multi-culturalism, emotions, interpersonal skills, etc. This editorial is a manifesto declaring the importance of soft skills in software engineering with the intention to …

Unfolding The Hippocampus: An Intrinsic Coordinate System For Subfield Segmentations And Quantitative Mapping, Jordan Dekraker, Kayla M. Ferko, Jonathan C. Lau, Stefan Köhler, Ali R. Khan

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

The hippocampus, like the neocortex, has a morphological structure that is complex and variable in its folding pattern, especially in the hippocampal head. The current study presents a computational method to unfold hippocampal grey matter, with a particular focus on the hippocampal head where complexity is highest due to medial curving of the structure and the variable presence of digitations. This unfolding was performed on segmentations from high-resolution, T2-weighted 7T MRI data from 12 healthy participants and one surgical patient with epilepsy whose resected hippocampal tissue was used for histological validation. We traced a critical image feature composed of the …

The Contribution Of Health And Psychological Factors In Patients With Chronic Neck Pain And Disability: A Cross-Sectional Study, Pavlos Bobos, Goris Nazari, Stephania Palimeris, Evdokia Billis, Joy C. Macdermid

Bone and Joint Institute

© 2018, Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. All rights reserved. Introduction: One approach to reduce the burden of neck pain is the management of the prognostic factors that are associated with greater disability. Studies which quantify these predictors can support interventions that attempt to modify these trajectories. Aim: The aim of the present study to determine the contribution of psychological and health factors that are commonly associated with neck pain and disability levels. Materials and Methods: Patients between 18-65 years old were recruited to participate in the present study if they had neck pain for more than three months, …

Early Procedural Pain Is Associated With Regionally-Specific Alterations In Thalamic Development In Preterm Neonates., Emma G Duerden, Ruth E Grunau, Ting Guo, Justin Foong, Alexander Pearson, Stephanie Au-Young, Raphael Lavoie, M Mallar Chakravarty, Vann Chau, Anne Synnes, Steven P Miller

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Very preterm human neonates are exposed to numerous invasive procedures as part of life-saving care. Evidence suggests that repetitive neonatal procedural pain precedes long-term alterations in brain development. However, to date the link between pain and brain development has limited temporal and anatomic specificity. We hypothesized that early exposure to painful stimuli during a period of rapid brain development, before pain modulatory systems reach maturity, will predict pronounced changes in thalamic development, and thereby cognitive and motor function. In a prospective cohort study, 155 very preterm neonates (82 males, 73 females) born 24-32 weeks' gestation underwent two MRIs at median …

Myths And Misogyny: The Legal Response To Sexual Assault, Rose Mary Lynn Ubell

Master of Studies in Law Research Papers Repository

Sexual assault is a persistent form of violence against women that is rooted in gender inequality. It violates the sexual integrity of the victim and can have lasting psychological and emotional effects on both victims and their families. Sexual assault is a significant social and cultural problem within Canadian society. This paper presents an examination of the problems with the legal response to sexual assault that are still prevalent within the Canadian justice system despite the many positive changes in law that have come about in the last three decades. It is divided into three main chapters. The first draws …

A Supramodal Role Of The Basal Ganglia In Memory And Motor Inhibition: Meta-Analytic Evidence, Yuhua Guo, Taylor W. Schmitz, Marieke Mur, Catarina S. Ferreira, Michael C. Anderson

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

© 2017 The Authors The ability to stop actions and thoughts is essential for goal-directed behaviour. Neuroimaging research has revealed that stopping actions and thoughts engage similar cortical mechanisms, including the ventro- and dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex. However, whether and how these abilities require similar subcortical mechanisms remains unexplored. Specifically of interest are the basal ganglia, subcortical structures long-known for their motor functions, but less so for their role in cognition. To investigate the potential common mechanisms in the basal ganglia underlying action and thought stopping, we conducted meta-analyses using fMRI data from the Go/No-Go, Stop-signal, and Think/No-Think tasks. All three …