Cognitive Neuroscience Commons^™

Investigation Of Rna-Binding Protein Expression Changes In The Hippocampus Following Doxorubicin And Cyclophosphamide Treatment, Lijie Chen

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI) following doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide treatment in a rat model, revealing three significant alterations in hippocampal tissue: selective downregulation of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNPA1) (21% decrease, p=0.0298), compromised astrocytic network integrity evidenced by reduced GFAP-positive area in cornu ammonis 3 (CA3) (24%, pB=0.026) and dentate gyrus (DG) (19%, pB=0.027) regions, and elevated cellular senescence marker p19Arf specifically in DG (69%, pB=0.033) and CA3 (27%, pB=0.024). The inverse relationship between hnRNPA1 reduction and p19Arf elevation suggests a potential mechanistic link between RNA dysregulation and senescence induction, with pronounced vulnerability in …

Emotion Processing In Adolescents With Epilepsy And Healthy Controls Using Multi-Modal Neuroimaging, Frances Kathryn E. King

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Epilepsy is increasingly recognized as a disorder not only of seizures but also of widespread network dysfunction, impacting cognitive and emotional processing. One critical cognitive process affected in epilepsy is emotional conflict processing, which relies on the interplay of multiple brain networks. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of emotional conflict processing in epilepsy, particularly in adolescents, have remained poorly understood. This dissertation investigated the neural mechanisms underlying emotional conflict processing in typically developing adolescents and adolescents with epilepsy using magnetoencephalography (MEG). The first study elucidated the spatiotemporal profile of emotional conflict processing in 24 typically developing adolescents using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Cluster-based …

Exploring Neurodiversity & The Role Of Flexible Workplaces For Organizational Neuroinclusion, Miranda Chen

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis conducted a thorough literature review on the experiences and outcomes of neurodiverse individuals in the workplace and found consistently lower outcomes in well-being, work performance, intention to leave, and job satisfaction compared to neurotypical workers. It examined how the emergence of remote work presents new opportunities for mitigating some workplace challenges around stress and sensory overload, while recognizing that remote work alone falls short as being a definitive solution for the unique challenges faced by neurodiverse people. Instead, it argued for Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA’s) as a comprehensive and systemic strategy to address individual needs and organizational inclusion, …

The Meditative Mind In Sync: The Effects Of Meditative Interpersonal Synchrony On Self-Other Merging, Self-Representation, And Social Connection., Nathan Verba

CMC Senior Theses

This study investigates the effects of meditative interpersonal synchrony, operationalized through OM group chanting meditation (OM-GCM), on self-other merging, self-referential thinking, and the quality of social interactions between strangers. Interpersonal synchrony and meditation have been widely studied as distinct phenomena; however, this thesis is the first to examine the potential amplifying effects of their combination. This thesis hypothesized that OM-GCM would lead to higher conversation quality, increased self-other merging, and reduced self-referential thinking compared to a non-meditative synchronous control: humming. To test this, twenty-eight college students, paired into dyads of strangers, engaged in either the OM-GCM or humming condition, followed …

Cardiac Timing Effects On Response Speed Are Modulated By Blood Pressure But Not Heart Rate Variability In Healthy Young Adults, Xiao Yang, Catalina Roldan, Michael Gazzanigo, Yasmine Nabulsi, Fang Fang

Research and Infrastructure Service Enterprise (RISE) Faculty Publications

Cardiac timing effects reflect the dynamic interplay between interoceptive and exteroceptive processes. Human information processing tends to be facilitated during cardiac diastole and inhibited during systole, reflecting autonomic regulation and the neuromodulation by baroreceptor afferents. Thus, blood pressure (BP) and vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) are potential modulators of those effects. Additionally, cognitive control appears to play a critical role in the processes. However, whether cardiac timing effects are influenced by those factors remains unclear. The present study aimed to clarify these relationships. Fifty-one healthy young adults completed three experimental sessions to assess BP, short-term HRV, and cardiac timing effects. …

Eeg Spectral Analysis Of Nighttime Sleep And Daytime Mslts And Neurocognitive Evaluations In Subjects With Co-Morbid Insomnia And Osa, Yuan Shi, Yuru Nie, Fengyi Hao, Xujun Feng, Ye Zhang, Larry D. Sanford, Rong Ren, Xiangdong Tang

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Chronic insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea commonly co-occur. Few studies have explored the neurophysiological and neurocognitive characteristics of COMISA, which could help guide improving treatment diagnostic tools and determining novel therapeutic targets. This study aims to explore the neurophysiological and neurocognitive characteristics of COMISA using electroencephalographic (EEG) spectral analysis and subjective and objective neurocognitive measurements.

Methods

Participants were from our community recruited OSA-insomnia-COMISA cohort with 206 included for our current analysis including 74 chronic insomniacs (CIs), 55 OSA patients and 77 COMISA patients. Standard polysomnography (PSG) and multiple sleep latency tests (MSLTs) were recorded and used to obtain relative …

Weighted Family History Density Of Substance Use: Influence On Participant Substance Use Onset, Escalation, And Duration, Carleigh A. Litteral

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Substance use disorders impose a staggering toll on the United States (U.S.), straining healthcare systems, destabilizing communities, and profoundly impacting both individuals and families. Approximately one in six Americans aged 12 and older had a past-year substance use disorder in 2022 (Key Substance Use, 2022), and nearly one-third of adults experience a substance use disorder in their lifetime (Wu, 2010), contributing to an economic burden exceeding $400 billion annually (National Drug Threat Assessment, 2011). Family history of substance use disorders is a key predictor of vulnerability, with individuals who have affected relatives being 2–8 times more …

Exploring The Effects Of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Of The Right Inferior Frontal Gyrus On Inhibitory Control In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Colton Rippey

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Background: The right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) is implicated in stop signal reaction time (SSRT) performance – a common measure of inhibitory control – and emotional expression and control. Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit poorer stop SSRT performance, which is associated with rIFG hypoactivity. Neuromodulation of the rIFG with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can significantly improve inhibitory control and reduce fearful responding to threatening stimuli. Research has yet to test the effects of multifocal tDCS targeting the rIFG on inhibitory control or emotional reactivity in individuals with PTSD.

Methods: The current study aims to examine the impact …

Précis Of The Edge Of Sentience: Risk And Precaution In Humans, Other Animals, And Ai, Jonathan Birch

Animal Sentience

We often face grave practical decisions that seem to hinge on whether a system is sentient. This family of cases includes invertebrate animals, people who are unresponsive after brain injury, fetuses, neural organoids, and now AI technologies. We must decide what to do despite ongoing disagreement about the nature of sentience. In our state of uncertainty, we should pragmatically transform the question from “Is it sentient?” to “Is it a sentience candidate, an investigation priority, or neither?”. When a system is a sentience candidate, it is negligent to fail to consider precautions. We should instead evaluate precautions for their proportionality …

Die Wirkliche Gefahr Liegt In Der Erosion Der Autonomie: Ein E-Mail-Interview Über Kognitive Freiheit Und Die Problematische Nutzung Neuronaler Daten, Nita Farahany, James Kennaway, Bernd Bösel

Faculty Scholarship

In this interview, James Kennaway and Bernd Bösel talk to Nita Farahany about significant themes related to the idea of mind control, as discussed in her book "The Battle for Your Brain" (2023). The book outlines the risks that neurotechnology poses to "cognitive freedom". EEG and EMG data are increasingly used in consumer products, raising concerns about potential misuse. Companies and governments could exploit cognitive biometric data for manipulation or control. Farahany calls for clear legal protections and highlights differences between U.S. and European regulations. She warns of neurotechnological warfare and advocates for global bans. While full mind control remains …

Investigating The Human Face Processing Network: Insights From Acquired Prosopagnosia And Hyperfamiliarity For Faces, Marie-Luise Kieseler

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Human faces provide essential social cues that we interpret rapidly, allowing us to recognize identities, interpret emotions, and gauge familiarity. This thesis explores face processing disruptions in four case studies, each offering new insights into the brain’s face recognition mechanisms.

Chapter one presents Annie, a 28-year-old woman who acquired prosopagnosia (face blindness) following COVID-19. After recovering from the severe symptoms of the infection, Annie experienced significant difficulty in recognizing familiar faces and navigating familiar environments. Testing confirmed her impairment in face recognition but showed her preserved cognitive and basic visual processing abilities. Annie was still able to recognize objects and …