Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Neural Correlates Of Recognition Memory And Metamemory In Breast Cancer Survivors: An Event-Related Potential Study, Dishari Zaman Azad

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Breast cancer survivors (BCS) often report noticeable cognitive difficulties despite showing limited impairment on standardized neuropsychological tests. Some have theorized that this is simply an insensitivity of standardized testing to subtle cognitive changes (test-insensitivity hypothesis), whereas others have suggested there are early neural changes that are detected by patients but precede detection by these tests (early signal hypothesis) or that when they achieve normal performance, it is through saliently effortful compensatory processes (compensation hypothesis). The present study tested these theories by assessing metamemory and recognition memory retrieval in BCS and non-cancer controls (NCC) using both behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) …

Transcranial Ac Modulation Of Cerebellar Nuclear Activity In Awake Animals, Nuran Kavakli

Dissertations

Entrainment of cerebellar nuclear (CN) cells via cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation (ctACS) has been reported in animals under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia. Our main objective was to demonstrate modulation of CN activity in unanesthetized, freely moving animals using ctACS. Multi-channel carbon-fiber electrodes were implanted into the interpositus nucleus for recording multi-unit (MU) activity, and thin-film electrodes were implanted subcutaneously over the posterior cerebellum for stimulation. A frequency-domain-based metric was developed to quantify modulation from MU signals. The results demonstrated modulation in a wide range of frequencies (4 Hz-300 Hz) as in anesthetized animals. In contrast, the amplitude of the peak in …

What Is Mine, Yours And Ours: Bodily Metaphor And Neuropsychology, Alicia K.E Parham

Art Theses and Dissertations

Mapping the landscape of the brain has taken human lifetimes to navigate, both structurally to understand how our biological functions interact and functionally as our thoughts and emotions shape our existence. Neurological stimulus and response inform our reality, shape our thinking, and affect our bodies in profound physiological ways. Our nervous system acts as a bridge from what we experience physically to what we feel emotionally, through the sending of electrical signals to all parts of our body.

My art practice explores the interactions of neuroscience with outside stimuli. It is rooted in the personal: learning that a neurological condition …

Delineating Differences In Firing Rate Estimates Of Healthy And Parkinsonian Single-Unit Basal Ganglia Recordings, Richard R. Foster, Cheng Ly

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Gap Junction Architecture And Synchronization Clusters In The Thalamic Reticular Nuclei, Alex Norwood

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

The Brain Breakdown: Bringing Neuroscience To A Broader Audience, Katharine Buehrig

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Neuroscience is a rapidly growing field, which needs to continue becoming more accessible and understandable to younger generations. Expanding access to neuroscience through different modes, such as podcasts, brings the discipline to a broader audience. Podcasts allow listeners to follow an outlined learning path they can pursue on their personal timeline. High school students often do not have access to neuroscience specific materials within their standard science curriculum. To address this knowledge gap, I collected questions about neuroscience from high school students across four schools in the United States to develop an understanding about what they are interested in learning. …

Neurophysiological Signatures Of Perceived Control In The Human Brain: An Electroencephalography Study, Megan Staehling

Honors Theses

Perceived control is defined as the belief that one’s actions can influence the outcomes in the environment. It plays an important role in decision-making, motivation, and emotional regulation. Previous studies suggest that perceived control shapes how the brain processes both reward and punishment stimuli. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this process are still unclear. The present study examined the neurophysiological correlates of perceived control during a decision-making task. Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to record the neural activity of twenty-nine undergraduate students while they completed the Choice Task. Participants associated visual cues with different levels of control over trials involving monetary …

Neural Mechanisms Underlying Jung’S Active Imagination: A Review And Hypothesis, Charles R. Fox

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Active imagination is a key technique of Jungian analysis. Despite its centrality, and its potential importance beyond Jungian psychology to the area of systems neuroscience, psychology, and consciousness studies, there are no known neurological mechanisms underlying this psychological phenomenon. There is a history of using the types of mental imagery used in active imagination to explore consciousness. The development and use of active imagination is briefly reviewed, and a case is developed that the neurology underlying active imagination would be fruitfully explored by considering it a special case of mystical experience. Active imagination primarily uses the right hemisphere processing of …

Stromal Interaction Molecule (Stim) Proteins In Microglia And The Impact On Store-Operated Calcium Entry (Soce) And Spinal Cord Injury Recovery, Norah G. Hill

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

In spinal cord injury (SCI), worsening functional outcomes are largely because of secondary injury processes and prolonged chronic inflammation. A major contributor of secondary injury is overload of intracellular calcium, causing neuronal overexcitation and persistent inflammatory responses. One of the primary mediators of calcium entry into the cell is store-operated calcium entry (SOCE). In SOCE, sensors detecting calcium depletion from the endoplasmic reticulum stores are called STIM proteins (1-2). When calcium is low in the cell, STIM proteins will activate Orai channels to open, allowing for the influx of calcium into the cell. The purpose of this study was to …

Revised - The Role Of Gad67/65 In The Therapeutic Effects Of Ketamine And Fluoxetine In Fear-Conditioned Mice, Alex G. Ottimer

All NMU Master's Theses

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder and the most common disorder following exposure to a traumatic event. The most commonly used drugs in PTSD treatment are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), though only about 50% of patients respond to this treatment. Previous work in our lab demonstrated the combination of chronic fluoxetine (FLX) and acute ketamine treatment decreased fear response in a contextual fear paradigm in male C57/BL mice. In rodents, fear conditioning (FC) is commonly used in the literature to induce behaviors related to PTSD. The mammalian central fear memory circuit involves a dynamic interplay between …

Covid Minds: A Thematic Review Of The Pandemic On Neural Mechanisms And Political Polarization, Madison Jeffries

Honors Projects

This paper analyzes how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced political polarization in the United States by examining the interactions between social system disruption, psychological stress, and underlying neurological behaviors. While previous research has extensively discussed pandemic's influence on public health and societal breakdowns, studies fail to examine how these disruptions shaped political divisions. This study synthesizes interdisciplinary literature on pandemic-induced stressors and analyzes factors, including institutional mistrust and social isolation, and how these experiences shape political behavior and perspectives. Applying research from psychology and neuroscience, the paper argues that prolonged exposure to pandemic-related stressors changed neurological and behavioral patterns in response …

Quantifying Sleep Wake Rhythms In The Hospital Environment With Digital Technologies, Carsten Skarke, Nadim El Jamal, Michael V. Genuardi, Thomas G. Brooks, Antonijo Mrčela, Nicholas F. Lahens, Makayla Cordoza, Sean Sarles, Amarachi Mbadugha, Dineth R. Karunamuni, Shikhar Gupta, Charles J. Bae, Amita Sehgal, Thomas P. Cappola, Jacob T. Gutsche, Pavan Atluri, Nimesh D. Desai, Michael A. Acker, Gregory R. Grant, Richard J. Schwab, Ilene M. Rosen, Garret A. Fitzgerald

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

Postoperative clinical care is prone to circadian desynchronization that may influence health outcomes. In an exploratory, feasibility-oriented and signal-exploration effort, we collected 1.8 million data points using 11 remote sensors during preoperative, in-hospital and post-discharge settings in 13 elective cardiac surgery patients (5.2% enrolled from 252 screened). We found that room traffic continued during nighttime with ≥1 visit/h. Sound levels exceeded the recommended 45 dBA threshold (51.9 ± 3.3 vs. 48.3 ± 4.2 dBA during nighttime). Brightness dropped at night (89.9 ± 87.7 to 3.7 ± 9.8 lux), but bright light exposures occurred. Ambient room temperature lacked sleep-inducing diurnal variability. …

Exploring Synthesized Cbd Derivatives: Implications Of Therapeutic Strategies For Neuroinflammation, Josephine Mosser

Senior Theses

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid derived from Cannabis Sativa with well-documented antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, yet its clinical utility is limited by moderate receptor selectivity, rapid hepatic metabolism, and broad pharmacological activity on the central nervous system (CNS). This thesis describes the design and partial execution of a multi-step synthetic route aimed at generating CBD/CBD-derived chalcone intermediates for potential therapeutic applications for neuroinflammation. The steps encompass an O-methylation, O-acetylation, and a Fries rearrangement. The first three steps were completed successfully and reproducibly shown through 1H-NMR and 12C-NMR; however, purification of the fourth step was not successful within the available …

Beyond Ssris: Omega-3 Fatty Acids And The Neurobiology Of Impulsivity In Borderline Personality Disorder, Sujean Doo

Scripps Senior Theses

Impulsivity is a central and clinically significant dimension of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and is strongly associated with self-harm, aggression, and suicide risk. Despite its prognostic importance, pharmacologic management of impulsivity in BPD remains inconsistent. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are frequently prescribed; however, randomized controlled trials demonstrate limited efficacy for impulsive-aggression, and some patients experience a paradoxical behavioral activation. Meta-analytic and systematic reviews further suggest that mood stabilizers and second-generation antipsychotics may outperform antidepressants, yet no specific medication is indicated to target impulsive behavioral dyscontrol.

This thesis synthesizes findings from systematic reviews, randomized trials, and neuroimaging research to evaluate …

Exploring Anticholinergic Neurotoxicity: Diphenhydramine's Impact On Neuro-2a Cell Morphology, Expression, And Viability, Jordan B. Mcintyre

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Anticholinergic medications, such as diphenhydramine (commonly known as Benadryl), are increasingly recognized for their association with cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative disease. These medications, which inhibit the action of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter essential for the formation and utilization of the central and peripheral nervous system, have been implicated in conditions such as dementia and may impact fundamental cellular processes like neurogenesis and cell proliferation. This study investigates the effects of diphenhydramine on neurogenesis when introduced to Neuro-2a cells during differentiation. For all studies cells were plated on coverslips or in 6-well plates with differentiation media containing 0 ng/mL, 50 ng/mL, …

A Generalized Framework For The “Core” Thalamocortical Circuit Computation, Charles Liu

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

This thesis explores a biologically inspired computational framework based on a common excitatory-inhibitory circuit in the superficial layers of the cortex. By varying the strength of local feedback inhibition, this single circuit gives rise to distinct unsupervised learning behaviors: strong inhibition leads to clustering and hierarchical clustering, while weak inhibition produces principal component-like representations. From this principle, we develop three algorithms: Lateral Inhibition Clustering (LI-C), Lateral Inhibition Hierarchical Clustering (LI-HC), and Antipodal Iterative Mean Estimation (AIME).

LI-C performs clustering without requiring a predefined number of clusters, using a competitive learning rule to extract dominant patterns from data. LI-HC extends this …

Visualizing The Fretboard: Arpeggiated Patterns, Muscle Memory, And Neurocognitive Strategies For The 5-String Electric Bass, Matthew Alexander Woisin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Proficient navigation of the 5-string electric bass requires a comprehensive mastery of various techniques and a solid understanding of music theory. This includes a detailed grasp of arpeggios, chord extensions, and the development of deeply ingrained muscle memory for precise execution. This thesis introduces a structured methodology that refines existing fretboard visualization techniques and applies a unique manner of fretboard mapping, offering a more precise framework for comprehending and unlocking the full range of the instrument. By drawing insights from music theory, music education, cognitive science, neuroscience, and technology this approach is achieved by synthesizing research on visual pattern recognition, …

Integration And Modulation Of Visual Signals In Dorsal Thalamus., James Whitley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The visual thalamus is influenced by a diverse array of cortical and subcortical inputs that shape how information is transmitted to cortex. Using a variety of anatomical, optogenetic, and in vitro physiological techniques I investigated the differential impacts of modulation and integration of first and higher-order thalamic nuclei, while relying on influential concepts on the general organization of thalamic nuclei. In the first data chapter, I determined how GABAergic pretectum (PT) projections to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) and visual thalamic reticular nucleus (vTRN) can influence retinogeniculate signal transfer. We found that the PT provides over 75% of the …

Renewal Of The Mind: Forgiveness Through The Lens Of Christian Faith And Neuroscience, Khelen Walsh

University Honors Theses

Within Christian theology, forgiveness is a foundational concept that is often understood as a divine command, a spiritual practice, and a path toward reconciliation and personal growth. Recent neuroscientific research further supports this viewpoint, providing data that shows forgiveness engages neural systems responsible for emotional regulation, empathy, moral reasoning, and perspective-taking. Through neuroplasticity, repeated acts of forgiveness reshape the brain, strengthen connections between prefrontal and limbic regions, reduce amygdala reactivity, and enhance emotional stability and cognitive flexibility. Although forgiveness offers many benefits, modern culture frequently distorts its meaning, framing it as a sign of weakness, gullibility, or a form of …

Hungry Minds: Analyzing The Impact Of Food Insecurity And Food Assistance Programs On Neurocognitive Development And Childhood Mental Health, Kayla A. Davenport

Senior Theses

Introduction: Food insecurity affects millions of children in the United States and is increasingly recognized as a significant risk factor for poor nutritional intake and adverse health outcomes. However, less is known about how the experience of food insecurity disrupts healthy development and well-being, particularly among American youth. This thesis had two aims: (1) to examine the relationship between household food insecurity and children’s neurocognitive and mental health outcomes and (2) to evaluate how major food assistance programs address, or fail to address, these developmental risks.

Methods: This thesis uses a mixed-methods approach, integrating a narrative literature review, a cross-sectional …

From Venom To Medicine: Harnessing Animal Toxins For Drug Discovery, Christine Vega, Ying Jia

Research Colloquium

Background: Drug development research has long focused on synthesizing novel therapeutics while overlooking isolation from naturally available sources such as animal venoms. Recently, the discovery of the therapeutic effects of highly bioavailable animal venom caused the field of venom research to soar in popularity. Animal venom serves as a natural, sophisticated tool optimized over millions of years by evolution with the ability to bind to ion channels such as nAChRs, non-specific ligand-gated ion channels distributed throughout the human nervous system. However, purifying individual venom toxins from crude venom is challenging due to its availability. Therefore, synthesizing large quantities of venom …

Mechanistic Insights Into The Neuroprotective Effects Of The Antidepressant Agomelatine In Alzheimer's Disease, Grace Terry

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease that has limited treatment options and no cure. AD is characterized by robust pathology including extracellular amyloid beta plaques, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, neuronal and synaptic loss, neuroinflammation, and brain atrophy. AD presents with cognitive decline and memory loss but only years after neuropathology has started to accumulate. This robust pathology has made AD difficult to treat and highlights the need for therapeutics that modulate multiple pathways. Agomelatine (AGO) was selected by a high-throughput machine learning drug repurposing algorithm by our collaborator Dr. Lie Xie (Hunter College Dept. of Comp. Sci.) as having …

Structural Functional Investigation Of Hap40, Amanda M. Solbach

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONAL INVESTIGATION OF HAP40

Amanda Marie Solbach

Dissertation Advisor: Sheng Zhang, Ph.D.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expanded CAG trinucleotide repeat in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene, resulting in a mutant huntingtin (mHTT) protein with an elongated polyglutamine tract. While the genetic basis of HD is well established, the mechanisms underlying mHTT toxicity and its impact on cellular function remain incompletely understood. Recent discoveries implicate Huntingtin-associated protein 40 (HAP40) as a critical regulator of HTT stability and intracellular function. However, the physiological and pathological significance of this interaction has not been fully explored.

This …

Self-Initiated Action Rescues Visual Targets From Backwards Masking, Amber R. Hopkins, Tian Lan, Aaron Schurger

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

When a visual target is followed by a visual mask stimulus, the target sometimes goes unseen. This is visual masking. In an experiment treating a masked visual stimulus as the sensory outcome of self-initiated action, we demonstrate that self-initiated action can rescue visual targets from backwards masks. Specifically, participants were correct about a visual target more often when the target-mask sequence appeared after their self-initiated action than when its onset was triggered externally. While self-initiated action sometimes induces sensory attenuation, whereby the perception of sensory events that follow actions is dampened, we observed that self-initiated action promotes the perception of …

Executive Dysfunction In College Aged Students With And Without Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Emily A. Veasey, Tyler Herring

Neuroscience Summer Fellows

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive tool used to measure cortical hemodynamics and has growing applications in studying executive functioning after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). In this study, fNIRS was used to examine prefrontal cortex activation in individuals with a history of concussion during the Iowa Gambling Task, which is used to measure decision making under uncertainty and risk. This task assesses key executive functions such as decision-making, inhibition, and planning. This study aimed to find a correlation between college-aged students with mTBIs and frontal lobe dysfunction. We are going to see that students with more concussions, a …

The Role Of Neuroscience In Mental Health Management Within The Adhd Population, Kadi Rae Smith

University Honors Theses

Neuroscience-based educational interventions play a role in the management of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), including the regulation of ADHD-correlated depression and anxiety. Existing research shows that elevated rates of depression correspond to anxiety within the ADHD community; approximately 8.83% of the global population. Social ostracization and isolation are established contributors to depression and anxiety which are commonly comorbid with ADHD. The need exists for further investigation of the beneficial impact that an accurate, biological understanding of how the brain works has on the mental health of the ADHD population, and by extension their families, education systems, and medical industries. …

Know Thyself: A History Of Ancient Neuroscience, Alex Delano

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Neuroscience is often described as one of the youngest bodies of science, but documented study of the brain begins as early as the Neolithic period. The ancient Mediterranean was a hub for science, mathematics, philosophy, and literature, all disciplines necessary for the study of the brain. Evidence of neurosurgical procedures like trepanation and craniotomy began in the Neolithic period and were practiced and improved upon throughout the ancient Mediterranean. The first detailed studies on brain anatomy were carried out in the 3^rd century BCE in Greece which created a necessary structure for future scientists to build on. While many …

A Neuroimmune Circuit Mediates Chemo Brain Pathology, Daniel Ahmadi

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Chemotherapeutic agents, while effective in targeting malignant tumors, often reduce the patients’ quality of life by inducing fatigue, pain, and motivational deficits. These symptoms are collectively referred to as “chemo brain.” The mechanisms underlying these adverse effects, and specifically whether fatigue and motivational impairments share a common etiology, remain poorly understood. The neural–immune substrates of these symptoms remain obscure, in part because standard preclinical regimens either bypass key systemic signals or introduce local toxicity confounds. Here, I establish and validate a three‑day, low‑dose intravenous cisplatin protocol that avoids peritoneal inflammation and severe renal injury yet produces robust, reversible fatigue and …

Neural Efficiency Hypothesis In Motor Actions; Spectral Power Of Balancing Ballet Dancers, Carter G. Disantis

Senior Theses

Reduced activity observed during functional imaging of motor experts led to the Neural Efficiency Hypothesis (NEH) in motor skills, which posits that expert performers use fewer neural resources during motor execution than novices, reflecting greater neural efficiency.

This pilot study compared EEG recordings from five novices and four expert ballet dancers during standing and one-leg balance. Whole-brain theta (4–8 Hz) and alpha (8–12 Hz) power were quantified, and topographic maps were generated. In addition to testing the primary hypotheses, the experimental design was evaluated as a practical and scalable approach for investigating the NEH in motor skills. Novices showed significantly …

Web Application For Simulation Of An Agent-Based Model In Netlogo3d, Chris Davis Perumal, Abraham Nofal, Benedict J. Kolber, Rachael Miller Neilan

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

Agent-based models (ABMs) are computer simulation models for studying systems of autonomous agents. Modelers often use specialized software like NetLogo to develop ABMs, but this software poses barriers to researchers in other disciplines with no prior programming experience. To address this issue, we developed a web application that allows users to simulate our ABM via a web browser, eliminating the need for the user to download and use specialized software. While presented in the context of a specific ABM, our approach can be applied to other ABMs to enhance accessibility. The ABM presented here was developed in NetLogo3D. The model …