Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

The Mitochondrial Membrane Potential As A Screening Tool For Immunostimulation, Kendra Mcglothen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The rise of neuroinflammatory disorders highlights the importance of early detection and intervention for more effective treatment options. Neuroinflammation is associated with the pathogenesis of many neurological disorders, including Major Depressive Disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and Multiple Sclerosis. There has been a focus on neurons to advance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of neuroinflammation and its role in neurodegeneration. However, recent studies have highlighted the pivotal role of glial cells, particularly microglia, in neuroinflammation due to their active participation in the immune response. This study investigates glial-specific indicators of morphology, metabolic changes, and drug efficacy in neuroinflammatory conditions. By analyzing …

Investigations Into The Relationship Between Menopause And Alzheimer’S Disease Pathology In A Mouse Model With Ovarian Follicle Depletion, Amanda M. Leisgang Osse

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) currently affects about 6.9 million Americans, with over two-thirds of those individuals being women. Interestingly, changes in the brain indicative of AD coincide with the onset of menopause. Post-menopausal women have significantly higher levels of AD pathologies, including amyloid beta and hyperphosphorylated tau, than pre-menopausal women. To investigate the relationship between AD pathologies and menopause, we induced menopause-like state in an AD mouse model, APP/PS1, by treatment with 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) to accelerate ovarian follicle depletion. To monitor the transition to menopause, vaginal lavages and cytology was performed to determine if mice reached anestrous. Both female APP/PS1 …

Unlv Title Iii Aanapisi & Mcnair Scholars Institute Research Journal 2024, Jesica Godinez-Paredes, Kian Hassankhan, Apia Hickman, Robin Ruth Kee, Kevin Ayala Pineda, Briana Melendez, Kalli Ramos, Saturn L. Reyes, Fabian Leija, Selena Pepe, Silva Topchyan, Celeste Ainsley, Mayra Arzate, Jessica Balistreri, Zantana Ephrem, Mirella Jasso, Karl Panou, Nichole Pelaez, Miklo Alcala, Akshay Dave, Mey Mey Heng, Michael Finkle, Janessa Montenegro, Reynafe Naol Aniga, Victor Mejia, Angelica G. Diaz, Anayeli Flores-Garibay, Kari Lee Joe Goold, Samantha Hernandez, Lianelys Cabrera Martinez, Caitlin Reynolds, Kimberly N. Usbeck, Abdulrahman Alahdal, Angelica Diaz, Willaine Mae Kahano, Raquel Jackson, Cecia Ruiz-Hernandez, Kers Ung-Watson, Yessenia Henriquez, Vanessa Marie Booth, Alexia Brown, Darlyn Magana, Bianca Navarro, Nicholas Pereira, Gia Renemae Calip, Lucky Heng, Ralph Sagun, Lucas Abreu, Alexandra Maria Acosta, Tristan Benally, Cosset Hernandez Pena, Adrian Montenegro, Cierra Paaaina-Daquioag, Nicole Torosian, Tracy Fuentes, Julissa Martinez, Medina Mcallister, Michal Newhouse-Van Vlerin, Tiria Carr, Nima Abkenar, Isabella Aceituno, Yuhan Bi, Victoria Campos, Melika Cummings, Zachary J. Johnigan, Alexis Sotolongo-Marin

McNair Journal

Journal articles based on research conducted by undergraduate students in the AANAPISI, LSAMP, and McNair Scholars Program.

Table of Contents

About AANAPISI

Dr. Chris Heavey, Interim President

Dr. Keith Rogers, Vice President for Student Affairs

Ms. Zhanna Aronov, Associate Vice President for Retention & Outreach

The Possible Neurobiological Mechanisms Influencing Ptsd According To Previous Research: A Review, Tiria Carr, Collen M. Parks

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a mental health condition that's triggered by either experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. According to the National Center for PTSD, approximately six out of one hundred people (six percent) in the United States report to have suffered PTSD either currently or. This experiment aimed to: Explore the different behavior and brain measures used to evaluate the extent of neurological change that brains with PTSD suffer; Review different experimental procedures; Aims to express a theoretical experiment from the data collected; Hypothesize an effective experimental procedure for measuring neurological change in subjects suffering from …

The Genetic Relationship Between Peripheral Inflammation And Alzheimer’S Disease, Davis Cammann

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide, and has become an ever-present problem in aging populations. An increasing body of evidence suggests that neuroinflammation is one of the key drivers of AD pathology. One overlooked contributor to this burden is peripheral inflammation throughout the body. Due to increased permeability of the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) in older age, inflammatory plasma proteins and immune cells infiltrate the CNS and drive neuroinflammation through interactions with neurons and glia. In addition, age-related changes in the composition of gut microbiome taxa lead to increased gut permeability and inflammatory burden. Because inflammatory factors are …

Systems Dynamics Of The Anterior Cingulate Cortex And Hippocampus In Behavioral Switching, Spatial Working Memory, And Disease, Ryan Wirt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The electrophysiological properties of the hippocampus (HC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are the central focus of research on learning, memory, and neurological disease. Previous research has shown that HC is essential for forming new memories, spatial navigation, and temporal processing. While the function of ACC, located within the medial prefrontal cortex, remains controversial, it has a role in long-term memory recall, processing pain, monitoring current state, learning, schema updates, and information integrations. Interactions between the ACC and HC occur during social memory, spatial working memory performance, and long-term memory recall. Notably, the HC and ACC are among the first …

Can Reconsolidation Account For The Misinformation Effect?, Olesya T. Frolova, Gabriel E. Hull

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

A successful replication of Rindal & Zaragoza (2016) would indicate that reconsolidation cannot account for the misinformation effect. Current preliminary data supports the results found by the original study, suggesting that an alternative theory must be explored to explain the misinformation effect. For example, it is possible that the original memory is not altered by the misinformation but competes with the original memory leading to temporary inaccessibility at test. Results from this study could influence law enforcement interview techniques to avoid false testimonies. One limitation of the study is that performance on the test was potentially too good; this will …

The Relationship Between School Refusal Behavior And Executive Functions, Christina Saliba, Shreyas Bhat, Karina R. Carrillo-Juárez [email protected], Randolph Dupont

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

School refusal is a pressing issue that impacts children throughout the United States. School Refusal behaviors can be attributed to four distinct reasons: avoiding school because it induces negative emotions (ANA), avoiding social or evaluative situations (ESE), seeking attention from others (AGB), and pursuing rewards outside of the school environment (PTR) (Kearney, 2002). Executive functions are mechanisms that monitor and regulate cognitive processes and tasks. These include problem-solving, working memory, attention, and inhibition. Executive functions can be linked with various aspects of school achievement and cognitive development in children and adolescents (Sosic-Vasic, 2017). Previous research has shown that kindergarteners who …

Investigating The Impact Of Dividing Attention On Auditory And Visual Object Memory, Sharica Lee, Alexa Salomon, Laura L.S. Werner, Kevin D. Mohawk, Maggie Mcmullin

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Recently, we found that dividing attention reduced recollection and familiarity for visual objects, but a different pattern emerged for auditory object memory: auditory object recollection was not affected by dividing attention. This could be attributable to differing levels of baseline performance with visual memory far exceeding auditory memory. Thus, we attempted to equate baseline performance in both modalities in order to adequately investigate the previous findings.

Musicality, Misophonia Sensitivity, And Responsiveness To Misophonia Videos, Alexis Rice, Jennifer Hsu, Kaela Omengan, Sivan Barashy

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Misophonia sensitivity as measured by the A-MISO-S predicts emotional responses to misophonia trigger videos, but musical sophistication (Gold MSI scores) did not. A measure of real-time responses to videos can capture a meaningful aspect of misophonic experience in the general population. Future research should investigate whether more direct measures of musicality such as perceptual tasks will show a relationship between musicality and misophonic reactions.

Characterization Of Usp7 Substrates In The Brain, Jose Itorralba, Sage Boss, Shahraiz Akbar, Hayley Baker, Chinglan Chang

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Loss of function lesions in Ubiquitin-specific protease (USP) 7 are associated with intellectual disability, speech delay, autism spectrum disorder, and seizures. While the deubiquitinating activity of USP7 has been characterized in cancer, its role in neurological conditions is not understood. Here, we show that USP7 can regulate the development of the brain by localizing to synaptosomes in the hippocampus and stabilizing neural-specific substrates.

The Stability Of The Speech-To-Song Illusion, Jennifer Hsu, Brooke Booth, Jordyn Karns, Rodica R. Constantine

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

The Speech-to-Song (STS) illusion: when a listener is presented with multiple repetitions of a spoken phrase and begins to hear it as increasingly song-like. In the present study, we aim to verify anecdotal evidence that suggests the STS illusion is temporally stable and replicate existing evidence that excerpts transform to song by the third or fourth repetition and perhaps faster upon future encounters.

Analyzing Hippocampus Based Behavior In Model Mice, Tiria Carr

Undergraduate Research Symposium Lightning Talks

Model organism must discern between familiar and novel stimuli after delay. Hippocampal dependent processes involved in spatial pattern recognition. Latency in trial responses and reward collection is measured, as well as trial accuracy.

Markers Of Neuroinflammatory And Degenerative Processes In Professional Athletes With Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome, Brooke Conway Kleven

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: The clinical criteria for Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (ccTES) were developed to improve the diagnosis of Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This study aimed to determine whether there was an association between a clinical diagnosis of Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES) and changes in serum biomarkers, balance, neuroimaging, and cognition among athletes in the Professional Athletes Brain Health Study (PABHS).Methods: Of the cohort, 130 professional fighters met age or retirement criteria and went to a consensus conference, with 52 fighters (40%) meeting the criteria for TES. A generalized linear model with generalized estimating equations was utilized to assess the odds of disease …

Dimensionality Of Natural Auditory Scene Perception: A Factor Analysis Study, Margaret A. Mcmullin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Theories of auditory and visual scene analysis suggest the perception of scenes relies on the identification and segregation of objects within it, resembling a detail-oriented processing style, but it is possible that a global-oriented process also occurs while evaluating auditory scenes. There is evidence for global properties that enable rapid recognition of visual scenes, even without recognizing the individual objects comprising the scene. It is our understanding that a similar line of research has not been explored in the auditory domain; therefore, we evaluated the contributions of high-level global and low-level acoustic information to auditory scene perception. A secondary aim …

Investigating Conserved Mechanisms For Embryonic Eye Regrowth In Xenopus Laevis, Cindy Kha

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Regeneration is a complex process to replace or restore tissue after damage. However, animals vary in their ability to regenerate tissue, and humans are limited in their abilities. Understanding how regeneration occurs in highly regenerative vertebrates, such as in Xenopus laevis frogs will lead to defining common regeneration mechanisms. In recent years, eye regeneration research in Xenopus laevis tadpoles provided new promising insight into the mechanisms necessary for repair of damaged eye tissue. Much progress has been made towards understanding the regenerative capability of the complex eye since Xenopus tadpoles can regenerate mature eye tissues, including: the optic nerve, retina, …

Cognitive Testing For Sport Concussion: The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment And Cognitive Testing (Impact), Julia E. Maietta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sport concussion is among the most common injuries for an athlete to experience during sport participation. Because of the complex pathophysiological process that affects the brain during and after concussion, symptoms can be heterogeneous in presence and severity. Although most acute symptoms (e.g., headache, slowed processing speed, loss of consciousness, irritability, depression, anxiety) resolve within seven to 10 days for most athletes, there is evidence that higher initial symptom burden and other genetically based differences can lead to longer symptom duration and complicated recovery post-concussion. Because structural changes that commonly occur as a result of concussion (e.g., diffuse axonal injury) …

Brain Functional Topology Differs By Sex In Cognitively Normal Older Adults, Zhengshi Yang, Filippo Cieri, Jefferson W. Kinney, Jeffrey L. Cummings, Dietmar Cordes, Jessica Z K Caldwell

Brain Health Faculty Research

Introduction: Late onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, in which almost 70% of patients are women. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that women show worse global FC metrics compared to men, and further hypothesized a sex-specific positive correlation between FC metrics and cognitive scores in women. Methods: We studied cognitively healthy individuals from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative cohort, with resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Metrics derived from graph theoretical analysis and functional connectomics were used to assess the global/regional sex differences in terms of functional integration and segregation, considering the amyloid status and the contributions of …

The Effects Of Executive Function Between Anxiety And Math Achievement In Adolescents, Mckenzie Hall

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Anxiety in Children can develop into pervasive disorders in adulthood if not treated. Research shows dysfunctional Executive Function (EF) and anxiety are both shown to have a negative impact on math achievement in children and adolescents (Trezise & Reeve, 2018; Kalaycioglu, 2015; Owens, Stevenson, Hadwin & Norgate, 2012). Chung, Weyandt, and Swentosky (2014) found biological and neuropsychological support for EF as a unitary and multifaceted processor for regulating our emotional states as well as our daily procedures. Anderson’s (2002) model of Executive Control System (ECS) allows the factors of EF to be examined using a developmental approach towards EF processes. …

Recognition Memory For Auditory And Visual Objects, Sharica Lee, Alexa Salomon, Kevin Mohawk, Laura Werner

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Visual object memory is superior to auditory object memory. Our past research showed that auditory memory was less sensitive to divide attention during study, which may be attributable to representational differences between auditory memory and visual memory.

In the present study, we attempted to equate auditory and visual memory representations in order to adequately investigate the impact of dividing attention on recognition memory.

Recognition memory is thought to rely on two distinct processes, recollection and familiarity. Recollection involves the retrieval of precise qualitative detail and is the most sensitive to dividing attention.

Infants' Intermodal Knowledge Of Gender Using Faces And Voices, Bijoux Cheun, Christina Saliba, Alexis Rice, Marian Espina

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Infants begin to use intermodal knowledge to match male and female faces to the corresponding voice, in their first year of life.

Infants have more experience with female faces which should lead to greater intermodal knowledge of female faces.

Previous studies have found inconsistent results. This could be due to the type of stimuli used.

This study uses several pairs of static and dynamic faces to investigate how methodological differences may impact infants' performance.

Forgetting In Item Recognition And Pattern Separation, Mateo Marquez, Rhiannon Soriano Smith

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Forgetting is commonly defined as the inability to access information that was once successfully encoded and could be retrieved with a cue, but now leads to memory failure (Frankland et al. 2013).

Memory representations based in the hippocampus engage in pattern separation and are more prone to decay than interference (Sadeh & Pertrzov, 2020).

Extra-hippocampal representations are more prone to interference than decay (Hardt et al. 2013).

Pattern Separation refers to keeping memory representations distinct from one another.

Is there more decay in pattern separation and more interference in item recognition?

The Influence Of Unitization On Recognition Memory, Ting Tong, Amaya D. Bolling-Mcdevitt Hernandez, Audrey Kirsch, Alanna N. Osmanski

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Previous research on recognition memory assumes that associative recognition relies on recollection, whereas item recognition relies on a combination of recollection and familiarity. Unitization refers to the encoding strategy where two separate items are perceived as a single coherent entity or object. Research has demonstrated that unitization can facilitate familiarity-based recognition by generating representations of the stimulus and integrating it into a unified whole. To investigate this issue, we examined the effect of unitization on memory for word-pairs through two types of tests:

Associative Recognition: judge whether word pairs occurred together

Item Recognition: judge whether single words are old or …

Peripheral Blood Cell Counts As Potential Biomarkers For Alzheimer's Disease: A Look At Polygenetic Risk Scores, Melika Cummings, Yimei Lu, Joan Manuel Cue, Neel Patel, Jenifer Do

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Blood-based biomarkers for neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been extensively researched. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurological illness whose progression has been ascribed to gene expression. However, the pathophysiology of these disorders and its relationship to other abnormalities remain unknown. AD has been connected to PBCs, which include erythrocytes, platelets, and leukocytes and have a complicated interaction with the brain system. The pathogenesis of PBCs has been related to a negative influence on established neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer's. Candidate gene association studies have become more common as progress in mapping the human genome has increased …

The Effects Of Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2 (Nfe2)-Related Factor 2 (Nrf2) Activation In Preclinical Models Of Peripheral Neuropathic Pain, Paramita Basu, Dayna L. Averitt, Camelia Maier, Arpita Basu

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Research

Oxidative stress, resulting from an imbalance between the formation of damaging free radicals and availability of protective antioxidants, can contribute to peripheral neuropathic pain conditions. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, as well as products of the mitochondrial metabolism such as superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radicals, are common free radicals. Nuclear factor erythroid 2 (NFE2)-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor encoded by the NFE2L2 gene and is a member of the cap ‘n’ collar subfamily of basic region leucine zipper transcription factors. Under normal physiological conditions, Nrf2 remains bound to Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 in the cytoplasm …

Dual Task Performance Is Associated With Amyloidosis In Cognitively Healthy Adults, Jason K. Longhurst, Jeffrey L. Cummings, Samantha E. John, Brach Poston, J. V. Rider, A. M. Salazar, V. R. Mishra, A. Ritter, J. Z. Caldwell, J. B. Miller, Jefferson W. Kinney, Merrill R. Landers

Brain Health Faculty Research

Background: Preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) provides an opportunity for the study and implementation of interventions and strategies aimed at delaying, mitigating, and preventing AD. While this preclinical state is an ideal target, it is difficult to identify efficiently and cost-effectively. Recent findings have suggested that cognitive-motor dual task paradigms may provide additional inference. Objectives: Investigate the relationship between dual task performance and amyloidosis, suggestive of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease and whether dual task performance provides additional information beyond a cognitive composite, to help in the identification of amyloidosis. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Outpatient specialty brain health clinical research institution in the United …

Implementation Of A Program To Support Direct Support Professionals To Promote A Healthy Lifestyle For People With Moderate To Profound Intellectual Disabilities, A. Overwijk, Thessa Hilgenkamp, C. P. Van Der Schans, W. P. Krijnen, K. Vlot-Van Anrooij, A. A.J. Van Der Putten, A. Waninge

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

Background: There is a lack of theory-based interventions for direct support professionals (DSPs) to support a healthy lifestyle for people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities (ID) despite their major role in this. This study aims to evaluate the preparation, implementation, and preliminary outcomes of a theory-based training and education program for DSPs to learn how to support these individuals. Methods: The program consisting of e-learning, three in-person sessions, and three assignments was implemented. The implementation process was evaluated with a mixed method design with the following components: preparation phase, implementation phase, and the outcomes. These components were measured with …

Mechanisms Of Memory Updating: State Dependency Vs. Reconsolidation, Christopher Kiley, Colleen M. Parks

Psychology Faculty Research

Reactivating a memory trace has been argued to put it in a fragile state where it must undergo a stabilization process known as reconsolidation. During this process, memories are thought to be susceptible to interference and can be updated with new information. In the spatial context paradigm, memory updating has been shown to occur when new information is presented in the same spatial context as old information, an effect attributed to a reconsolidation process. However, the integration concept holds that memory change can only occur when reactivation and test states are the same, similar to a state-dependent effect. Thus, in …

Affective Computing For Late-Life Mood And Cognitive Disorders, Erin Smith, Eric A. Storch, Ipsit Vahia, Stephen T.C. Wong, Helen Lavretsky, Jeffrey L. Cummings, Harris A. Eyre

Brain Health Faculty Research

Affective computing (also referred to as artificial emotion intelligence or emotion AI) is the study and development of systems and devices that can recognize, interpret, process, and simulate emotion or other affective phenomena. With the rapid growth in the aging population around the world, affective computing has immense potential to benefit the treatment and care of late-life mood and cognitive disorders. For late-life depression, affective computing ranging from vocal biomarkers to facial expressions to social media behavioral analysis can be used to address inadequacies of current screening and diagnostic approaches, mitigate loneliness and isolation, provide more personalized treatment approaches, and …

Rare And Low Frequency Genomic Variants Impacting Neuronal Functions Modify The Dup7q11.23 Phenotype, Farah Qaiser, Yue Yin, Carolyn B. Mervis, Colleen A. Morris, Bonita P. Klein-Tasman, Elaine Tam, Lucy R. Osborne, Ryan K.C. Yuen

School of Medicine Faculty Research

© 2021, The Author(s). Background: 7q11.23 duplication (Dup7) is one of the most frequent recurrent copy number variants (CNVs) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but based on gold-standard assessments, only 19% of Dup7 carriers have ASD, suggesting that additional genetic factors are necessary to manifest the ASD phenotype. To assess the contribution of additional genetic variants to the Dup7 phenotype, we conducted whole-genome sequencing analysis of 20 Dup7 carriers: nine with ASD (Dup7-ASD) and 11 without ASD (Dup7-non-ASD). Results: We identified three rare variants of potential clinical relevance for ASD: a 1q21.1 microdeletion (Dup7-non-ASD) and two deletions which …