Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Cognitive Impairment And Hearing Loss In The Rio Grande Valley: A Retrospective Study Of Alzheimer's, Dementia, And Mild Cognitive Impairment, Victoria Elizondo, Antoinette Burrell, Chantal Uzoma, Desiree Brewer, Naya Williams, Erica Burrell-Walker, Kelsey Baker

Research Colloquium

Background: Millions of US adults experience underrecognized hearing loss, despite effective treatments. Interestingly, hearing loss has been suggested to be further exacerbated in populations of Alzheimer’s Disease. It is hypothesized that structural and functional features of auditory brain organization, which make it vulnerable to neurodegeneration, may heighten susceptibility to hearing loss, although it is unclear how ethnicity impacts its epidemiology. Here, we sought to address this gap by exploring the association between self-reported hearing loss and cognitive decline in Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients across the Rio Grande Valley (RGV).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of the UTHealth RGV electronic …

Acculturation Stress And The Rise In Alcohol Use Among Latina Women In The U.S., Carolina M. Vela, Noe Garza, Ihsan Salloum

Research Colloquium

Background: Epidemiological surveys and world status reports consistently indicate the gap between alcohol consumption in men and women in the United States has been closing steadily over the past 25 years. Particularly, more women now than ever are engaging in alcohol-related risk behavior such as binge drinking, catching up to those of their male counterparts. Data from national surveys conducted between 2000 and 2016 suggests that the number of people above 18 who drink each year increased for women but decreased for men. This trend is consistent amongst Latina women. College-aged, American Latinas in are drinking more frequently and more …

A Preliminary Timeline Of The Midbrain Development In The Monodelphis Domestica Animal Model, Ismael Perez, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Colloquium

Introduction: The Brazilian short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis Domestica) is an understudied animal model compared to the Mus musculus that has been identified as a perfect candidate to study neurodevelopment (Baggott, L. & Moore, H., 1990). What makes the Monodelphis Domestica a perfect specimen for neurodevelopment is that the embryo develops outside the pouch of the mother providing easy noninvasive access to track changes across different developmental stages (Mate et al., 1994).

Objective: The objective of the study is to compare the area and volume in the development of the Monodelphis’s midbrain across three different developmental stages. Our research is beneficial because …

Public Communication Of Science: The Experience Of The Rio Grande Valley Alzheimer’S Disease Resource Center For Minority Aging Research, Amanda J. Guerrero, Rosa V. Pirela, Gladys E. Maestre

Research Colloquium

Introduction: There are multiple models of public communication of science. Some models focus on communication within the science community, while others involve public participation. At the Rio Grande Valley AD-RCMAR, we hope to implement a public outreach program to aid in the dissemination of accurate information regarding Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Objective: The purpose of this project was to identify behavioral change models that will allow the RGV AD-RCMAR to increase awareness and engagement of brain aging, including Alzheimer’s disease, within the Rio Grande Valley.

Methods: A literature review was conducted to identify models of behavioral change that will …

Psychotropics Prescription In Primary Care, Ruthzaine Lopez Bolano

Research Colloquium

Background: The study aimed to measure the prevalence of psychotropic prescriptions in primary care at four UTRGV clinical sites. Based on the results, this paper serves to inform and educate primary care providers of their current practices and treatment options when diagnosing mental health disorders and prescribing psychotropics.

Methods: This study used EMR data from January to March 2021 in four primary care clinics affiliated with the UT Health RGV system. Primary care patients from January to March 2021 and who were diagnosed with mood disorders (including Depression, Anxiety, and Bipolar Disorder) were included in this quality improvement study.

Results: …

Sex Differences In Stress Reactivity, Brain Morphology, And Oxytocin In The Hypothalamus Of The Gray Short-Tailed Opossum (Monodelphis Domestica), Esperanza I. Zacarias, Daniela Rodriguez, Alexandra Chalons, Sasawan Heingraj, Nicole Altamirano, Joseph Rafac, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Colloquium

Understanding the effects of stress on behavior and cognition is important due to its impact on mental health and wellbeing (Schneiderman et al. 2005). Translational animal research can contribute to the development of new treatments that can improve therapeutic outcomes and our understanding of the neurobiology of stress. In the present study, we complement behavioral stress reactivity with immunohistochemical localization of oxytocin in the hypothalamus, a neuropeptide that regulates stress (Neumann & Slattery, 2016). Oxytocin has potential therapeutic use for mental health disorders (Neumann & Slattery, 2016), and the effects of oxytocin seem to be sexually dimorphic (Love, 2018). Using …