Digital Commons Network^™

Mice With Deficient Bk Channel Function Show Impaired Prepulse Inhibition And Spatial Learning, But Normal Working And Spatial Reference Memory., Marei Typlt, Magdalena Mirkowski, Erin Azzopardi, Lukas Ruettiger, Peter Ruth, Susanne Schmid

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Genetic variations in the large-conductance, voltage- and calcium activated potassium channels (BK channels) have been recently implicated in mental retardation, autism and schizophrenia which all come along with severe cognitive impairments. In the present study we investigate the effects of functional BK channel deletion on cognition using a genetic mouse model with a knock-out of the gene for the pore forming α-subunit of the channel. We tested the F1 generation of a hybrid SV129/C57BL6 mouse line in which the slo1 gene was deleted in both parent strains. We first evaluated hearing and motor function to establish the suitability of this …

Synaptic Scaffold Evolution Generated Components Of Vertebrate Cognitive Complexity, Jess Nithianantharajah, Noboru H. Komiyama, Andrew Mckechanie, Mandy Johnstone, Douglas H. Blackwood, David St.Clair, Richard D. Emes, Louie N. Van De Lagemaat, Lisa M. Saksida, Timothy J. Bussey, Seth G. Grant

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

The origins and evolution of higher cognitive functions, including complex forms of learning, attention and executive functions, are unknown. A potential mechanism driving the evolution of vertebrate cognition early in the vertebrate lineage (550 million years ago) was genome duplication and subsequent diversification of postsynaptic genes. Here we report, to our knowledge, the first genetic analysis of a vertebrate gene family in cognitive functions measured using computerized touchscreens. Comparison of mice carrying mutations in each of the four Dlg paralogs showed that simple associative learning required Dlg4, whereas Dlg2 and Dlg3 diversified to have opposing functions in complex cognitive …

Errors In Device Localization In Mri Using Z-Frames., Jeremy Cepek, Blaine A Chronik, Aaron Fenster

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

The use of a passive MRI-visible tracking frame is a common method of localizing devices in MRI space for MRI-guided procedures. One of the most common tracking frame designs found in the literature is the z-frame, as it allows six degree-of-freedom pose estimation using only a single image slice. Despite the popularity of this design, it is susceptible to errors in pose estimation due to various image distortion mechanisms in MRI. In this paper, the absolute error in using a z-frame to localize a tool in MRI is quantified over various positions of the z-frame relative to the MRI isocenter, …

Language, Reading, And Math Learning Profiles In An Epidemiological Sample Of School Age Children., Lisa M D Archibald, Janis Oram Cardy, Marc F Joanisse, Daniel Ansari

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Dyscalculia, dyslexia, and specific language impairment (SLI) are relatively specific developmental learning disabilities in math, reading, and oral language, respectively, that occur in the context of average intellectual capacity and adequate environmental opportunities. Past research has been dominated by studies focused on single impairments despite the widespread recognition that overlapping and comorbid deficits are common. The present study took an epidemiological approach to study the learning profiles of a large school age sample in language, reading, and math. Both general learning profiles reflecting good or poor performance across measures and specific learning profiles involving either weak language, weak reading, weak …

Differential Effects Of Parkinson's Disease And Dopamine Replacement On Memory Encoding And Retrieval., Alex A Macdonald, Ken N Seergobin, Adrian M Owen, Ruzbeh Tamjeedi, Oury Monchi, Hooman Ganjavi, Penny A Macdonald

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Increasingly memory deficits are recognized in Parkinson's disease (PD). In PD, the dopamine-producing cells of the substantia nigra (SN) are significantly degenerated whereas those in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are relatively spared. Dopamine-replacement medication improves cognitive processes that implicate the SN-innervated dorsal striatum but is thought to impair those that depend upon the VTA-supplied ventral striatum, limbic and prefrontal cortices. Our aim was to examine memory encoding and retrieval in PD and how they are affected by dopamine replacement. Twenty-nine PD patients performed the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and a non-verbal analogue, the Aggie Figures Learning Test …

Report Of A Deaf Child With Tourette's Disorder., Cathy J Chovaz

Psychology

This is a case study of a deaf child with Tourette's Disorder (TD). Hearing parents and mental health clinicians unfamiliar with typical behaviors of deaf children may have difficulties differentiating the clinical presentation of symptoms of TD from the effects of deafness, as well as in implementing appropriate interventions. This case study reports the history, symptoms, diagnostic process, and treatment interventions. This is relevant for furthering the clinical knowledge of mental health professionals working with Deaf, deaf, and hard-of-hearing children and adolescents.

Disulfiram In The Management Of Alcohol Dependence: A Comprehensive Clinical Review, Amresh Srivastava

Data and Test Instruments

ABSTRACT Disulfiram remains a viable option as a treatment for alcohol dependence and has been shown in recent studies to be successful in treating patients with alco- hol dependence in a manner that is superior to both naltrexone and acamprosate. It is also useful in dual diagnosis patients and those with co-morbid cocaine and alcohol dependence. Although disulfiram’s me- chanism of action in alcohol dependence was long thought to be its effects as a psychological deterrent, more recent studies have uncovered potential anti- craving effects as well. Recent reviews exhort to the importance of supervised disulfiram therapy in high- lighting …

Extrapyramidal Symptoms In 10 Years Of Long Term Treatment Of Schizophrenia: Independent Of Psychopathology And Outcome, Amresh Srivastava

Data and Test Instruments

Extrapyramidal Symptoms in 10 Years of Long Term Treatment of Schizophrenia: Independent of Psychopathology and Outcome Amresh Srivastava1, Megan Johnston2, Kristen Terpstra3, Larry Stitt4, Avinash De Sousa5*, Nilesh Shah6 1Department of Psychiatry, Elgin Early Intervention Program for Psychosis, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada, and Mental Health Resource Foundation, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, 2.Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3G3 Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C1 5Research Officer, Department of Psychiatry, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, Mumbai 6 Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, Mumbai: One of …

The Bodily Experience Of Cerebral Palsy: A Journey To Self-Awareness., Laura K Brunton, Doreen J Bartlett

Physical Therapy Publications

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to describe the lived bodily experience of cerebral palsy (CP).

METHOD: This was a descriptive phenomenological inquiry. Ten participants were interviewed about their bodily experiences of living with CP. Interviews were semi-structured around pain and fatigue. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify themes.

RESULTS: The bodily experience of CP centered on issues of fatigue and pain as a feeling of muscle soreness. An overwhelming amount of the discussion on fatigue emphasized the fatigue that occurs with walking and prolonged activity. Self-awareness of the individuals' own bodies and adapting activity to continue to …

Septohippocampal Gabaergic Neurons Mediate The Altered Behaviors Induced By N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Antagonists., Jingyi Ma, Siew Kian Tai, L Stan Leung

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

We hypothesize that selective lesion of the septohippocampal GABAergic neurons suppresses the altered behaviors induced by an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, ketamine or MK-801. In addition, we hypothesize that septohippocampal GABAergic neurons generate an atropine-resistant theta rhythm that coexists with an atropine-sensitive theta rhythm in the hippocampus. Infusion of orexin-saporin (ore-SAP) into the medial septal area decreased parvalbumin-immunoreactive (GABAergic) neurons by ~80%, without significantly affecting choline-acetyltransferase-immunoreactive (cholinergic) neurons. The theta rhythm during walking, or the immobility-associated theta induced by pilocarpine, was not different between ore-SAP and sham-lesion rats. Walking theta was, however, more disrupted by atropine sulfate in ore-SAP than …

Blood, Organs And Other Tissues For Sale: Diamela Eltit's Impuesto A La Carne And The Afterwards Of The Neoliberal Development In Latin America., Wanda I. Ocasio- Rivera

Hispanic Studies Publications

Abstract

Blood, organs and other tissues for sale: Diamela Eltit's Impuesto a la carne and the afterwards of the neoliberal development in Latin America.

As Marx elaborated in Capital: Volume I at the moment human labour is sold, the subject participates in an ominous plot where she/he becomes a commodity. In a capitalist mode of production, the subject’s alienation from his/her humanity occurs because the individuals can only express labor through a privately-owned system of production in which he/she is an instrument, an object. This dehumanization process submits the subject under the exchange transactions of the market, where labor value …

Sequencing The Cortical Processing Of Pitch-Evoking Stimuli Using Eeg Analysis And Source Estimation, Blake E. Butler, Laurel J. Trainor

Paediatrics Publications

Cues to pitch include spectral cues that arise from tonotopic organization and temporal cues that arise from firing patterns of auditory neurons. fMRI studies suggest a common pitch center is located just beyond primary auditory cortex along the lateral aspect of Heschl's gyrus, but little work has examined the stages of processing for the integration of pitch cues. Using electroencephalography, we recorded cortical responses to high-pass filtered iterated rippled noise (IRN) and high-pass filtered complex harmonic stimuli, which differ in temporal and spectral content. The two stimulus types were matched for pitch saliency, and a mismatch negativity (MMN) response was …

Algorithmic Decomposition Of Shuffle On Words, Franziska Biegler, Mark Daley, Ian Mcquillan

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

We investigate shuffle-decomposability into two words. We give an algorithm which takes as input a DFA M (under certain conditions) and determines the unique candidate decomposition into words u and v such that L(M) = u v ifM is shuffle decomposable, in time O(|u| + |v|). Even though this algorithm does not determine whether or not the DFA is shuffle decomposable, the sublinear time complexity of only determining the two words under the assumption of decomposability is surprising given the complexity of shuffle, and demonstrates an interesting property of the operation. We also show that for given words u and …

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 …

Psychophysical And Neural Evidence For Emotion-Enhanced Perceptual Vividness, Rebecca M. Todd, Deborah Talmi, Taylor W. Schmitz, Josh Susskind, Adam K. Anderson

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Highly emotional events are associated with vivid "flashbulb" memories. Here we examine whether the flashbulb metaphor characterizes a previously unknown emotion-enhanced vividness (EEV) during initial perceptual experience. Using a magnitude estimation procedure, human observers estimated the relative magnitude of visual noise overlaid on scenes. After controlling for computational metrics of objective visual salience, emotional salience was associated with decreased noise, or heightened perceptual vividness, demonstrating EEV, which predicted later memory vividness. Event-related potentials revealed a posterior P2 component at ~200 ms that was associated with both increased emotional salience and decreased objective noise levels, consistent with EEV. Blood oxygenation level-dependent …

Examining The Association Between Psychiatric Illness And Suicidal Ideation In A Sample Of Treatment-Seeking Canadian Peacekeeping And Combat Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Don Richardson, Kate St. Cyr, Alexandra M. Mcintyre-Smith, David Haslam, Jon D. Elhai, Jitender Sareen

MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre

Objective:

Our study examines the association between suicidal ideation and and self-reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and alcohol use disorder (AUD) in a sample of treatment-seeking Canadian combat and peacekeeping veterans; and identifies potential predictors of suicidal ideation.

Methods:

Actively serving Canadian Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police members and veterans seeking treatment at the Parkwood Hospital Operational Stress Injury Clinic (n = 250) completed measures including the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders Patient Health Questionnaire, the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, and the PTSD Checklist—Military Version (PCL-M) …

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 …

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 …

Behavioral And Fmri Evidence That Cognitive Ability Modulates The Effect Of Semantic Context On Speech Intelligibility, Adriana A Zekveld, Mary Rudner, Ingrid Johnsrude, Dirk J Heslenfeld, Jerker Rönnberg

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Text cues facilitate the perception of spoken sentences to which they are semantically related (Zekveld, Rudner, et al., 2011). In this study, semantically related and unrelated cues preceding sentences evoked more activation in middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) than nonword cues, regardless of acoustic quality (speech in noise or speech in quiet). Larger verbal working memory (WM) capacity (reading span) was associated with greater intelligibility benefit obtained from related cues, with less speech-related activation in the left superior temporal gyrus and left anterior IFG, and with more activation in right medial frontal cortex for related versus …

Growth And Empowerment For Indigenous Australians In Substance Abuse Treatment, Stacey L. Berry, T. P. Crowe, F. P. Deane, M. Billingham, Y. Bhagerutty

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This paper describes psychosocial outcomes of an Indigenous residential substance abuse rehabilitation centre in Australia, examines the sensitivity to change of the new Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM), and explores the degree to which service users value cultural components of the treatment program. Participants were 57 Indigenous and 46 non-Indigenous male clients from Oolong House. Intake, 8-weeks, and 16-weeks (program completion) measures of Kessler 10 Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Drug Taking Confidence Questionnaire (DTCQ-8), and GEM were completed. The Treatment Component Evaluation (TCE) was completed at 16-weeks. There were significant improvements for participants, with a decrease in psychological distress and …

Chinese Immigrant Parents’ Communication With School Teachers, Fan Jiang, George Zhou, Zuochen Zhang, Clinton Beckford, Lan Zhong, Fan Jiang

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Parent-teacher communication has great influence on children’s school performance. Using Walker et al.’s model of parent involvement as a theoretical framework, this study investigated Chinese immigrant parents’ communication experience with teachers and the psychological factors that influenced such communication. The study collected data through survey and revealed that Chinese immigrant parents recognized their responsibility to maintain regular communication with school teachers and believed that such communication could bring beneficial outcomes to their children’s education. The study found that Chinese immigrant parents had more frequent communication with teachers than those recorded in previous literatures. Among the five psychological factors, communication self-efficacy …

Finding Hope In The Darkness: Stories Of Two Chinese Newcomers Enrolled In A Canadian High School, Yi Li, Denise J. Larsen

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Hope has been described as the ability to envision a future in which one wishes to participate. A burgeoning body of research consistently points to the vital role hope plays in learning and successful change. Employing narrative inquiry (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000), in this paper, we explore two Chinese newcomer students’ stories of hope as they face the many challenges of undertaking a Canadian education. Findings indicate the value of communicating teachers’ belief in students, making hope more visible by inviting students to tell their stories of hope, and understanding hope as a process that evolves as students’ lives unfold.

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 …

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 …

Item Format And Social Desirability: Implications For Interpretation Of The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Edward Helmes, Julie Aitken Schermer, Maryann Fraboni

Management and Organizational Studies Publications

The MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) remains widely used in many counseling applications despite extensive criticism of its basic nature and psychometric properties. The present study was designed to examine specifically the accuracy of the claimed minimal influence of social desirability on Form G of the MBTI. Undergraduate students (n = 26) judged the desirability of each item option of Form G, which was compared across the 60 item pairs in which both options were scored. The rated values were approximately equal for two domains, while J and E item options were judged to be more desirable than their P and …

Surprise And Error: Common Neuronal Architecture For The Processing Of Errors And Novelty, Jan R. Wessel, Claudia Danielmeier, J. Bruce Morton, Markus Ullsperger

Paediatrics Publications

According to recent accounts, the processing of errors and generally infrequent, surprising (novel) events share a common neuroanat-omical substrate. Direct empirical evidence for this common processing network in humans is, however, scarce. To test this hypothesis, we administered a hybrid error-monitoring/novelty-oddball task in which the frequency of novel, surprising trials was dynamically matched to the frequency of errors. Using scalp electroencephalographic recordings and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we compared neural responses to errors with neural responses to novel events. In Experiment 1, independent component analysis of scalp ERP data revealed a common neural generator implicated in the generation …

Baseline Serum Prolactin In Drug-Naive, Firstepisode Schizophrenia And Outcome At Five Years: Is It A Predictive Factor?, Amresh Srivastava, Megan Johnston, Yves Bureau, Nilesh Shah

Data and Test Instruments

Objective: Serum prolactin is influenced by antipsychotic use but its relationships with psychopathology and general functioning are not clear. This study aimed to assess these relationships. Design: Serum prolactin levels were measured in patients with schizophrenia before being treated with antipsychotics and at various follow-up points. Setting: The study was conducted in a nongovernmental psychiatric treatment center in Mumbai, India. Participants: The participants included 30 male and 30 female drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia and 31 control participants. Measurements: The severity of psychopathology at baseline, three weeks, six weeks, and five years following treatment was assessed using a modified Brief Psychiatric …

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 …

Agreement With Night-Waking Strategies Among Community Mothers Of Preschool-Aged Children, J. Aimée Coulombe, Graham J. Reid

Paediatrics Publications

Objective: To explore the night-waking schemas of mothers of preschool-aged children, using a new measure of agreement with night-waking strategies (Night-waking Vignettes Scale; NVS). MethodA community sample of 203 mothers (M age=32 years, SD=5.1) of 2- to 5-year-olds (M age=3.4 years, SD=1.0) provided demographic information and completed the NVS and measures of night-waking and general parenting behavior. Results: Few mothers endorsed strong agreement or disagreement with limit-setting, active comforting, or rewards; mothers generally disagreed with punishment. Significant associations between agreement with night-waking strategies, child sex, and maternal educational attainment were observed; only agreement with punishment was correlated with general parenting. …

Early Intervention Of Psychosis And Re! Ections For Programmes In India, Amresh Srivastava

Data and Test Instruments

Mental illness is perhaps the most common and most debilitating among non-communicable diseases. Schizophrenia, for example, normally occurs before the age of 25, affect the most productive years of life. The World Economic Forum graphically illustrates that mental illnesses will be a major contributor to the erosion of gross domestic product over the next 20 years. The developed world has established programs that have proven to be clinically and economically effective and sustainable.[1] Early intervention has played an important role in demonstrating that outcome can be improved if patients are treated in the early phase of illness. It is believed …