Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Cervical Muscle Strength And Kinematics During An Unanticipated Perturbation In University Aged Male And Female Rugby Athletes, Abigail Ruppert, Lauren J. Lattimer

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Introduction: Female athletes participating in contact sports demonstrate a concussion injury risk factor that is two times greater than their age-matched male counterparts. Recent literature has outlined the importance of neck muscle strength and neuromuscular characteristics in the mitigation of excessive head kinematics. Rugby is a contact sport in which tackles comprise the mechanism for concussion, which is caused by inertial impacts. Females exhibit higher measurements of acceleration and investigating potential gender differences in dynamic stabilization of the head is warranted in rugby. Methods: Twenty-three (15 female, 8 male) university-aged rugby athletes participated in kinematic analysis; and a series of …

Three-Month Recovery From Common Negative Physical, Functional, And Psychosocial Effects Among Individuals Infected With Covid-19: A Single Observational Group Repeated Measure Study, Hussain I. Aslan, Scotty J. Butcher Phd, Darcy D. Marciniuk Md, Corey R. Tomczak Phd

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Purpose: We examined three-month recovery from common negative effects of COVID-19 infection on select physical, functional, and psychosocial parameters among infected individuals and their implications for rehabilitation programs. Methods: Twenty-one subjects participated in this study. Four standardized questionnaires were used to assess dyspnea, physical, and psychosocial variables in this study. The post-test survey was conducted 90 days following the pre-test survey. Wilcoxon-Signed Rank test and paired t-test were used to compare the variables data between pre- and post-testing time points. Results: Dyspnea scores decreased from (pre: 2 vs post:1, Z=-3.276, p=0.001, r=.50). Work performance scores increased from …

Memory And Attention While Scuba Diving At Shallow And Deep Depths: An Open Water Study, Leanne Boucher, Joshua Feingold, Kelly Concannon, Stephanie Talavera, Jaime Tartar, W. Matthew Collins

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

SCUBA diving requires a high level of cognitive functioning, however, many divers anecdotally report poor memory and attentional skills while underwater. Few studies have documented cognitive deficits resulting from an open-water dive. Here, 23 divers completed both shallow (8 m) and deep (28 m) dives over two days in the open-water. The order of the dives was counterbalanced across participants. While at depth, they completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory to assess anxiety levels, learned and were tested on a list of 36 words, and completed the trail making task (TMT) to assess executive functioning. They also gave saliva samples to …

Roundup And Glyphosate’S Impact On Gaba To Elicit Extended Proconvulsant Behavior In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Akshay Naraine, Rebecca Aker, Isis Sweeney, Meghan Kalvey, Alexis Surtel, Venkatesh Shanbhag, Ken Dawson-Scully

Chemistry and Physics Faculty Articles

As 3 billion pounds of herbicides are sprayed over farmlands every year, it is essential to advance our understanding how pesticides may influence neurological health and physiology of both humans and other animals. Studies are often one-dimensional as the majority examine glyphosate by itself. Farmers and the public use commercial products, like Roundup, containing a myriad of chemicals in addition to glyphosate. Currently, there are no neurological targets proposed for glyphosate and little comparison to Roundup. To investigate this, we compared how glyphosate and Roundup affect convulsant behavior in C. elegans and found that glyphosate and Roundup increased seizure-like behavior. …

The Effects Of A Multi-Ingredient Supplement On Various Cognitive Measures, Jason M. Curtis, Cassandra Evans, Veronica Mekhail, Paulina Czartoryski, Juan Carlos Santana, Jose Antonio

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a multi-ingredient pre-workout supplement (MIPS) on mental and physical performance. Seventeen exercise-trained men (n = 7) and women (n=10) completed this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, counterbalanced, crossover trial. Participants consumed either a multi-ingredient pre-workout supplement (MIPS) or a placebo in a randomized, counterbalanced order. Forty-five minutes post-consumption, the following assessments were conducted: psychomotor vigilance test (PVT), Profile of Mood States (POMS), Stroop test, vertical jump test, and a Cold pressor test. There was a one-week washout period between assessments. There were significant differences in the incongruent task for the Stroop …

Impacts On Fast-Start Performance: How Do Group Size And Habitat Degradation Alter The Escape Behavior Of A Schooling Coral Reef Fish?, Monica D. Bacchus

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Escaping predation is essential for species survival, but prey must effectively match their response to the perceived threat imposed by a predator. Fish evaluate their surroundings using several sensory stimuli, including olfactory, visual, auditory, and mechanical cues. A range of taxa use the fast-start response to evade predators, including fishes, sharks, and larval amphibians. While the fast-start response (rapid bursts of swimming) is extensively studied in solitary fishes, the factors that mediate the collective escape response in schools of fish have historically been investigated far less. To address this knowledge gap, the collective escape behavior and individual escape performance of …

Evaluating The Relationship Between Short- And Long-Term Neural Adaptations To Motor Skill Acquisition And Retention, Federico Iacoangeli

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Attempting to understand the neurophysiological underpinnings of learned behaviors and the process of learning itself has yielded interesting findings relating to what happens in the brain and across the nervous system when learning a new skill. The nervous system displays several structural, functional and neurochemical adaptations to motor learning which have been highlighted through the use of neuroimaging techniques such as fMRI, EEG and TMS. This review attempts to outline the neural adaptations governing the acquisition and retention of motor skills, as well as build a timeline for these adaptations following Fitt’s model of motor learning (Fitts and Posner 1967). …

Trait Anxiety In Mixed Martial Artists, Julian Pino, Olivier Van Hauwermeiren, Jordan Kwamanakweenda, Corey Peacock, Jaime Tartar

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

ABSTRACT

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a hybrid combat sport incorporating techniques from boxing, wrestling, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Muay Thai (Thai boxing), and other disciplines. Having only been deemed a competitive sport in 1993 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), not a lot of research has been done on these athletes. Research done so far on other areas of athletics has shown that personality traits can predict various cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. Furthermore, elevated levels of Trait Anxiety have been shown to deteriorate non-MMA athletes’ overall performance in high-pressure situations. The present study aimed to investigate the presence of …

Seizure Prediction In Epilepsy Patients, Gary Dean Cravens

NSU REACH and IPE Day

Purpose/Objective: Characterize rigorously the preictal period in epilepsy patients to improve the development of seizure prediction techniques. Background/Rationale: 30% of epilepsy patients are not well-controlled on medications and would benefit immensely from reliable seizure prediction. Methods/Methodology: Computational model consisting of in-silico Hodgkin-Huxley neurons arranged in a small-world topology using the Watts-Strogatz algorithm is used to generate synthetic electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals. ECoG data from 18 epilepsy patients is used to validate the model. Unsupervised machine learning is used with both patient and synthetic data to identify potential electrophysiologic biomarkers of the preictal period. Results/Findings: The model has shown states corresponding to …

Perceptual Fatigability And Neuromuscular Responses During A Sustained, Isometric Forearm Flexion Muscle Action Anchored To A Constant Level Of Perceived Exertion, Robert W. Smith, John Paul V. Anders, Tyler J. Neltner, Jocelyn E. Arnett, Joshua L. Keller, Terry J. Housh, Richard J. Schmidt, Glen O. Johnson

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine the fatigue-induced changes in torque, and the electromyographic (EMG) and mechanomyographic (MMG) responses during a sustained submaximal, isometric forearm flexion muscle action anchored to a constant rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Methods: Eleven women (mean ± SD: age = 20.5 ± 1.9 yrs.; height = 169.9 ± 6.6 cm; body mass = 73.2 ± 15.9 kg) performed 2, 3s forearm flexion maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) before a sustained isometric muscle action anchored to RPE = 7 until task failure (defined as torque that would require RPE > 7, or the …

Assessing A Novel Adaptation To Cci Devices To Model Human Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, William R. Kochen, Kristen Craven, Rachel E. Barkey, Jane M. Flinn, David D. Cerri

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Background: Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) are a health crisis with over a million people suffering injuries each year in the United States. The majority of TBIs are mild injuries which often produce no period of unconsciousness and no gross damage to the brain or skull. A range of TBI animal models exist but many produce injuries too severe to characterize as mild. One TBI induction method commonly used is Controlled Cortical Impact (CCI) devices.

New Method: The purpose of this study is to assess a novel adaptation to CCI devices that allows for the induction of mild injuries that …

Validation Of A Single Channel Eeg For The Athlete: A Machine Learning Protocol To Accurately Detect Sleep Stages, Kayla Thompson, Kamil Celoch, Frankie Pizzo, Ana I. Fins, Jaime Tartar

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

There is a large and growing movement towards the use of wearable technologies for sleep assessment. This trend is largely due to the desire for comfortable, burden free, and inexpensive technology. In tandem, given the competitive nature of professional athletes enduring high training load, sleep is often jeopardized which can result in adverse outcomes. Wearable devices hold the promise of increasing the ease of monitoring sleep in athletes which can inform health and recovery status, as well as aid performance optimization. However, wearable devices typically lack sufficient validity to assess sleep – and especially sleep stages. To address this concern, …

Proceedings From The Second Annual Society For Neurosports Conference, William R. Kochen

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Proceedings from the Second Annual Society for NeuroSports Conference

Muscular Performance And Neuromuscular Fatigue Are Not Sex-Dependent During Low-Load Fatiguing Bilateral Leg Extension Exercise, Taylor K. Dinyer, Evangeline P. Soucie, Pasquale J. Succi, Caleb C. Voskuil, M. Travis Byrd, Haley C. Bergstrom

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Purpose. This study examined the sex-related differences in muscular performance and neuromuscular (electromyographic [EMG] and mechanomyographic [MMG] amplitude [AMP] and mean power frequency [MPF]) responses during fatiguing leg extension repetitions performed at the critical load (CL). Methods. Eleven men and nine women completed one-repetition maximum (1RM) testing, repetitions to failure at 50, 60, 70, and 80% 1RM to determine CL, and repetitions to failure at CL, on separate days. The EMG and MMG, AMP and MPF signals and number of repetitions completed were recorded. Results. There were no sex-dependent responses in the %1RM that corresponded to, the number of repetitions …

Creatine Supplementation On Cognitive Performance Following Exercise In Female Muay Thai Athletes, Lawert A.M. Pires, Scott C. Forbes, Darren G. Candow, Marco Machado

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

BACKGROUND: Creatine supplementation has some beneficial effects on cognitive processing in healthy adults, including athletes; however the effects on cognitive function following exhaustive exercise in athletes is unknown. Therefore, the purpose was to determine the effects of 28 days of creatine supplementation on tasks of cognitive performance immediately following exhaustive exercise in Muay Thai female athletes compared to placebo. METHODS: Using a repeated measures, double-blind, placebo controlled design, 26 female Muay Thai athletes (age: 26 ± 5 years; body mass: 65.1 ± 6.6 kg; height: 162 ± 5 cm; training experience: 2.6 ± 0.6 years) were randomized to supplement with …

Creatine And Cognitive Functioning: What Is The Role Of Exercise Frequency?, Jonathan B. Banks, Jose Antonio, Amanda S. Holtzman, Mykola Marang, Catherine Weber, Alexsandra Alvarez-Beaton, Aysha Patel, Jaime Tartar

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Creatine consumption appears to have a positive impact on cognitive function in different populations but the effects of creatine in a young, healthy population are mixed. Additionally, exercise appears to benefit cognitive processes in young and older adults. The present study explored the ways in which exercise frequency may moderate the effect of creatine consumption on working memory, sustained attention, mind wandering, and speed of processing, in a young, healthy, adult population. Forty-two individuals were randomly assigned to a creatine condition (n = 20) or a control condition (n = 22). For each session, participants completed the Symmetry …

Survey Of Prevention And Intervention Strategies Reducing Return To Play Post-Concussion In Division 1 Football, Joseph F. Clark, Enna Selmanovic, Kip Drewry, Jon Vincent, Aaron Himmler, Bob Mangine, Kim Hasselfeld, Jane Khoury, David Polanski, Jon Divine

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Abstract.

Introduction

Sports related concussion, also considered mTBI, has remained in the public eye due to heightened fear concerning playing football and other collision based sports. Concussion prevention, as well as rehabilitating the brain after a concussion, is a high priority for many sports medical practitioners as well as for athletes. For these reasons, researchers associated with the American Athletic Conference (AAC) have surveyed concussion incidence in football. One of the AAC teams engaged in regular neurovisual training (NVT) and concluded this training program is associated with faster return to play post-injury in this observational cohort study.

Methods

The …

An Objective Method To Assess And Recommend Exertion And Exercise Targets For Return To Play Post Concussion, Joseph F. Clark Phd Atc, Robert E. Mangine Pt Med Atc, Kimberly A. Hasselfeld Ms, Violet T. Schramm, Angelo J. Colosimo Md, Aaron Kuehn-Himmler At Ms, Gerald M. Holloway Ms Atc, Faniel Fosselman Do Mba, Jon Vincent, Nicole Giordano, Jon G. Divine Md Ms

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Introduction.

Concussions are of significant concern for athletic trainers, and there is a critical need to objectively and safely allow an athlete to return to play. In sports the objective is return as safely and soon as possible. Exertion is a consideration regarding progressing an athlete back to play. The ability to exert in cardiovascular and strength and conditioning contexts are two critical steps in most return to play protocols. Being able to make objective recommendations is urgently needed, as trial and error leads to unnecessary risk of eliciting symptoms and/or causing setbacks.

Objective.

The object of this paper is …

Current State Of Sleep-Related Performance Optimization Interventions For The E-Sports Industry, Allison Joy Brager, Guido Simonelli

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Abstract: The e-sports industry is rapidly expanding but despite industry growth, there are existing gaps in knowledge regarding holistic and pharmacological performance enhancement strategies. The current commentary focuses on the current state of performance intervention strategies that target sleep/wake and circadian timing systems. These performance intervention strategies are based on the current state of sleep/wake health and research portfolios of Army research laboratories. The intent is to provide a foundation for future research efforts directly targeting sleep/wake and circadian timing systems in order to optimize and enhance e-sports performance at both the individual and group levels.

Winning In Weight-Loss: The Interaction Of Conscientiousness And Perceived Autonomy, Jason M. Curtis, Marc Lochbaum

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

ABSTRACT

Background

Understanding determinants for weight-loss is a national priority. Obesity is an epidemic with serious health consequences. Most of today’s obesity and overweight problems are being attributed to poor diets and not enough physical activity. These problems show no signs of slowing down with the behaviors of most Americans. The phenomenon of “The Biggest Loser” (different variants of weight-loss programs that consist of group exercise participation and nutrition therapy to elicit weight-loss, and hopefully behavior change) has spawned many variants in commercial health clubs. This prospectus study examined the direct and interactive or moderated effects of known determinants of …

Proceedings From The First Annual Society For Neurosports Conference, William R. Kochen

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Proceedings from the First Annual Society for NeuroSports Conference

Global Interest For Health Professions Education: A Geographic And Temporal Analyses Through Web Search Differences From 2010-2019, Junhel Dalanon, Yoshizo Matsuka

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the spatio-temporal differences in web search trends for dental degrees (DD), medical degrees (MD), and nursing degrees (ND) across 197 countries from 2010 to 2019. Method: A search string was used to initiate a search query using Google Trends. The parameters used were DD, MD, and ND as search terms; worldwide as Location; 2010 to 2019 as time range; health education & medical training as category; and web search as database. Data were downloaded and analyzed. Results: Via one-way ANOVA and post hoc Dunnett test, the searches for DD were found …

Analysis Of Diagnostic, Preventive, And Disease-Modifying Therapeutic Measures Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Ghazal Habib Havoutis

HCNSO Student Capstones

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common late-onset neurodegenerative disorder and cause of dementia, characterized by the formation of neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaque deposits. The heterogeneous nature of the disease (both genetically and environmentally) makes it difficult to prevent or cure. Without prevention, the prevalence of AD is expected to triple by 2050. However, because the diagnosis of AD is usually preceded by years of cognitive impairment, early detection may aid in reducing prevalence. Thus, there is a need for validated diagnostic measures for early and improved diagnosis and prevention. In this review, current and ongoing classifiers of early …

The Scripps Research Institute Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Ezana Assefa

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

This program is a 10-week internship designed for undergraduates interested in the scientific field to engage in current research. Students have the option of requesting to work under three mentors, one of which they will be paired. Students will work in the lab with the principal investigator and other members of the lab. Along with working in the lab, students in the program will also attend bi-weekly talks/lectures from researchers, grad students, and professionals at TSRI as well as participating in two presentations and a final poster or oral presentation.

Flexible Gating Of Contextual Influences In Natural Vision, Odelia Schwartz

Mathematics Colloquium Series

An appealing hypothesis suggests that neurons represent inputs in a coordinate system that is matched to the statistical structure of images in the natural environment. I discuss theoretical work on unsupervised learning of statistical regularities in natural images. In the model, Bayesian inference amounts to a generalized form of divisive normalization, a canonical computation that has been implicated in many neural areas. In our framework, divisive normalization is flexible: it is recruited only when the image is inferred to contain dependencies, and muted otherwise. I particularly focus on recent work in which we have applied this approach to understanding spatial …

Cellular Life Beyond An Individual’S Death, Emily Schmitt

CAHSS Intellectual Conversations

One of the most famous examples of cell lines surviving long after a person has died comes from a tumor found in the body of Henrietta Lacks, who died of cervical cancer in 1950. The study of approximately 50 million tons of her cells, which would conservatively equal the amount of cells in one billion people, has resulted in nearly 11,000 patents, including the polio vaccine. These cells have become a focus of public attention since Rebecca Skloot’s 2010 book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. This talk will discuss what happens to cells once they leave our bodies, …