Nervous System Commons^™

Analyzing Whether Different Types Of Taste Nerve Fibers Have Different Innervation Patterns Through Proximity And Colocalization, Abdel-Rhman M. Al-Azzawi

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The taste system not only allows us to perceive and distinguish various flavors but also plays a vital role in detecting nutrients and avoiding toxins. However, the precise organization of the neurons that convey taste information to the brain remains largely unknown, making it a critical area of research This study aims to determine if different types of taste neurons (as determined by genetic expression) exhibit distinct innervation patterns. This was accomplished by analyzing their proximity and colocalization with different types of taste bud cells. Taste bud cell types include Type II cells, which detect sweet, bitter, and umami flavors, …

A Comparative Analysis Of Perineuronal Nets In Trout And Zebrafish Models, Adnan Alyan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are specialized extracellular matrix structures that surround certain types of neurons in the central nervous system. Research from the past few decades has cemented PNNs as an integral player in the closure and onset of critical periods, memory modulation, and neural plasticity. These effects are thought to occur when PNNs form around a neuron and structurally stabilize its synaptic connections. PNNs have been directly linked to behavioral changes, making them of interest to psychologists as well as neuroscientists. Several PNN components, such as Hapln1 and aggrecan such as have been found in zebrafish, a teleost fish (Kang …

Optimizing Decision-Making In A Cerebral Palsy Model Using Reinforcement Learning, Richard Ampah

Pitzer Senior Theses

This study presents an original interdisciplinary investigation into how reinforcement learning (RL) can model motor and cognitive defects and potentially improve motor and cognitive functions in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP), a non-progressive neurological disorder that impairs movement and adaptability. Integrating computational neuroscience and machine learning, the research applies policy gradient methods and Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) to simulate adaptive learning in agents with and without CP-related constraints.

The central aim is to compare the cumulative rewards of optimal policies, derived from value iteration, and human-like learning policies using the REINFORCE algorithm, both with and without the Bellman baseline. The …

You’Re Too Slow! Self-Selected Volitional Efforts Reveal Unexploited Neuromuscular Reserve Capacity Compared To Maximal Efforts During Fatiguing, Load Equated Resistance Exercise, Brian Benitez

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

This investigation examined how movement intent influences neuromuscular excitation strategies during fatiguing resistance exercise, comparing maximal intended concentric efforts versus self-selected volitional efforts during load-equated Smith machine back squat exercise to quantify reserve capacity and characterize underlying neuromuscular mechanisms. Twenty-three resistance-trained participants (12 males, 11 females) completed a repeated-measures design, with replication, across six visits, performing smith machine back squat repetitions-to-failure at 70% 1RM under maximal intent (accelerate rapidly) and volitional intent (self-selected effort) conditions. Maximal voluntary isometric contractions used rapid (instantaneous 10-second effort) and ramp (5-second build-up, 5-second maximal) protocols. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was recorded from vastus lateralis and …

Cellular And Behavioral Consequences Of Psychedelic Drug Action In The Claustrum, Tanner L. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Psychedelics are rapidly garnering research attention for their ability to successfully treat a variety of psychiatric diseases after one or a handful of treatments in recent clinical research. Among the conditions treated is substance use disorder (SUD), which afflicted 48.5 million (16.7%) Americans aged 12 and older in 2023 (NSDUH). As clinical trial results continue to show lasting positive effects of psychedelic psychotherapy, there remains an enormous gap in knowledge regarding how these drugs cause lasting changes in the brain to achieve these therapeutic effects. It has been suggested that psychedelics must induce rapid and long-lasting neuronal plasticity in order …

Psychophysiological Tools & Techniques To Predict Perceptual Motor Task Outcomes, Bobby Gerald Rawls Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The process of perceiving environmental information, analyzing it, formulating a plan of action, and carrying out said plan is vital to our day to day lives. This loop occurs for every motor task we perform, from actions as simple as elbow flexion to as complex as performing surgery. As such, it is imperative to understand what physiological, psychological, and neurocognitive factors most dictate success or failure in the motor performance loop.

Prior research has shown that measures from each of these facets have strong relationships with motor performance outcomes, though these findings tended to rely on artificially produced stress in …

Astrocyte Specific Enhancers In The Cortex And Striatum Of Mice, Mikaela Kottelich

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Among glial cells, astrocytes have a prevalent influence on supporting neuronal function and overall brain health. Specifically targeting this cell type for disease treatment is an existing issue. Other cell types tend to express the desired treatment, which is not always wanted and can lead to unintended, negative consequences. Astrocytes contribute largely to maintaining the blood brain barrier, which is disrupted in Parkinson’s disease. Certain genes are thought to be the reason for this disruption, so if they can be specifically targeted in astrocytes with a specific enhancer, the disruption of the disease could be reversed. In our experiment, we …

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. …

Magnetization Transfer Ratio In The Typically Developing Pediatric Spinal Cord: Normative Data And Age Correlation, Sara Naghizadeh Kashani, Iswarya Vel, Zahra Sadeghi Adl, Shiva Shahrampour, Devon Middleton, Mahdi Alizadeh, Laura Krisa, Scott Faro, Slimane Tounekti, Julien Cohen-Adad, Feroze Mohamed

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study presents automated atlas-based magnetization transfer (MT) measurements of the typically developing pediatric cervical spinal cord (SC). We report normative MT ratio (MTR) values from the whole cervical cord white matter (WM) and WM tracts, examining variations with age, sex, height, and weight.

METHODS: MT scans of 33 healthy females (mean age = 12.8) and 22 males (mean age = 13.09) were acquired from the cervical SC (C2-C7) using a 3.0 T MRI. Data were processed using the SC Toolbox, segmented, and registered to the PAM50 template. Affine and non-rigid transformations co-registered the PAM50 WM atlas …

Percutaneous Levoatrial Cardinal Vein Closure For Stroke Prevention, Chee Spencer, Amir Hasani, Alexander Ellis, David Adler

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

We report 2 cases of cerebral embolism related to congenital levoatrial cardinal vein anomalies. Both patients had positive echocardiographic agitated saline studies but intact interatrial septum on transesophageal echocardiography. Levoatrial cardinal vein was diagnosed using computed tomography angiography. A novel technique for percutaneous levoatrial cardinal vein closure using vascular plug devices was successful in both patients.

Multi-Modal Mri Based Segmentation Of Brain Metastases Using Adaptive Self-Attention, Evan Savaria

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Brain metastases (BMs) are the most common adult central nervous system malignancy, affecting 20–40% of cancer patients. Accurate segmentation of metastatic lesions in multi-modal MRI is essential for treatment planning and prognosis however, manual delineation is time consuming and prone to variability. Traditional deep learning models such as U-Net, have improved segmentation accuracy but capture limited long-range dependencies and struggle with variations in metastasis size, shape, and distribution. This study introduces the Adaptive Integrated Multi-modal Segmentation (AIMS) model, an adaptive self-attention framework within a hybrid U-Net and Transformer architecture to enhance BM segmentation by leveraging multi-modal MRI integration. The proposed …

Automated Segmentation Of The Ulnar Nerve In Mri Using Deep Learning Techniques, Akhil Nagulapalli

Theses

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome (CuTS), a condition caused by compression of the ulnar nerve, results in numbness, tingling, pain, and even muscle atrophy, affecting fine motor skills and diminishing patient quality of life. Accurate diagnosis of CuTS is challenging, as current diagnostic methods—including clinical exams, nerve conduction studies, and unaided MRI—often lack the precision to reliably identify the nerve and detect compression in its early stages. Deep learning-based segmentation offers a promising solution, enabling precise and automated identification of nerve structures in MRI images, which could significantly improve diagnostic accuracy and support timely intervention.

A novel deep learning model for segmenting …

Womb, Gravity, And Space: Shifting Towards The Cerebellum-Basal Ganglia Paradigm In Dystonia, Diego Iacono

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Maresin-Like 1 Ameliorates Neuropathology Of Alzheimer's Disease In Brains Of A Transgenic Mouse Model, Pallavi Shrivastava, Yan Lu, Shanchun Su, Yuichi Kobayashi, Yuhai Zhao, Nathan Lien, Abdul-Razak Masoud, Walter J. Lukiw, Song Hong

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

(1) Background: Impeded resolution of inflammation contributes substantially to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD); consequently, resolving inflammation is pivotal to the amelioration of AD pathology. This can potentially be achieved by the treatment with specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs), which should resolve neuroinflammation in brains. (2) Methods: Here, we report the histological effects of long-term treatment with an SPM, maresin-like 1 (MarL1), on AD pathogenesis in a transgenic 5xFAD mouse model. (3) Results: MarL1 treatment reduced Aβ overload, curbed the loss of neurons in brains especially cholinergic neurons associated with cleaved-caspase-3-associated apoptotic degeneration, reduced microgliosis and the pro-inflammatory M1 …

Verbal Working Memory And Syntactic Comprehension Segregate Into The Dorsal And Ventral Streams, Respectively, William Matchin, Zeinab K. Mollasaraei, Leonardo Bonilha, Christopher Rorden, Gregory Hickok, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Julius Fridriksson

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Syntactic processing and verbal working memory are both essential components to sentence comprehension. Nonetheless, the separability of these systems in the brain remains unclear. To address this issue, we performed causal-inference analyses based on lesion and connectome network mapping using MRI and behavioural testing in two groups of individuals with chronic post-stroke aphasia. We employed a rhyme judgement task with heavy working memory load without articulatory confounds, controlling for the overall ability to match auditory words to pictures and to perform a metalinguistic rhyme judgement, isolating the effect of working memory load (103 individuals). We assessed non-canonical sentence comprehension, isolating …

Immunization-Related Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review Of Case Reports, William K Copenhaver, Brandon J Goodwin, Alexa Simonetti, Kunal P. Shah, Nicholas J Averell, David F Lo, Richard T Jermyn

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

AIM: Vaccines have been shown to have the highest efficacy in preventing infectious diseases through their ability to induce immunological memory against pathogens. An adverse reaction to a vaccine is an unexpected medical occurrence following immunization. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a disease that has undergone much controversy regarding its onset post-vaccination. This systematic review aims to evaluate cases of CRPS post-vaccination to better understand the manifestation of the disease and its potential association with vaccines.

METHODS: A systematic review of case reports was conducted employing the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Outcomes of interest include type of vaccination, patient age, …

Are Embryos Or Fetuses Brain Dead? Implications For The Abortion Debate, Greer Donley

Pace Law Review

Most state abortion definitions exclude the removal of a dead fetus, attempting to distinguish miscarriage and abortion care. But what does “dead” mean at the earliest stages of potential life? There is a consensus at the end of life that death not only encompasses the cessation of cardiac activity, but also brain death. This symposium essay considers whether life can only begin with the emergence of brain life and if so, how that might impact the abortion debate. The most rudimentary brain waves cannot be detected in an embryo before roughly the eighth week of pregnancy; the capacity for feeling …

Acute Stress Activates Basolateral Amygdala Neurons Expressing Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor Type 1 (Crhr1): Topographical Distribution And Projection-Specific Activation In Male And Female Rats, Robert J. Aukema, Gavin N. Petrie, Samantha L. Baglot, Nicholas W. Gilpin, Matthew N. Hill

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Although the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and corticotropin releasing hormone receptor type I (CRHR1) signaling are both central to the stress response, the spatial and circuit-specific distribution of CRHR1 have not been identified in the BLA at a high resolution. We used transgenic male and female CRHR1-Cre-tdTomato rats to topographically map the distribution of BLA neurons and identify whether they are activated by acute stress. Additionally, we used the BLA circuits projecting to the central amygdala (CeA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) as a model to test circuit-specific expression of CRHR1 in the BLA. We established several key findings. First, CRHR1 had …

Ansa Cervicalis-To-Phrenic Nerve Transfer: Technical Note With Potential Application For Diaphragmatic Reanimation In Patients With High Cervical Spinal Cord Injury, Jonathan Melnick, Mohammadali M. Shoja, Gary B. Schwartz

HCA-NSU MD Research Day

Objective. This study was conducted to determine whether utilization of the superior root of ansa cervicalis (SRAC) as the donor for phrenic nerve (PN) transfer is technically feasible. Background. In patients with high cervical spinal cord injury resulting in diaphragmatic paralysis, another donor, the spinal accessory nerve, has been used successfully to reinnervate the PN and restore diaphragmatic function. Methods. Eight neck sides underwent cadaveric surgery. The sternocleidomastoid muscle was retracted posteriorly, the SRAC and PN were isolated, and the SRAC was cut near its distal end and transposed to the ipsilateral PN as it crossed the anterior scalene muscle. …

A Case Of Cecal Volvulus In The Setting Of Multiple Sclerosis, S. Jiaming Lin, Paige M. Kieper, Michael Mullinax, Jake W. Vogel, Kimberly Syres

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

This case report describes a patient with a history of multiple sclerosis (MS) and optic neuritis, who presented with acute onset of generalized abdominal pain. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with cecal volvulus requiring emergent laparotomy and right hemicolectomy. This case highlights the relationship between neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) associated constipation in patients with MS and intestinal volvulus. Additionally, this case demonstrates the importance of NBD associated constipation management through various modalities including laxative regimens, behavioral and diet modification, and reduction of polypharmacy, with an emphasis on individualized patient management.

Psychosis And Personality Changes Following Traumatic Brain Injury, David Hanna, Sonya Priven, Nathan Carroll, Heba Ekladios, Adriana Fitzsimmons

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Psychotic disorders following traumatic brain injury (TBI) are a significant concern in psychiatry, with chronic sequelae often overlooked. The pathophysiology of post-TBI psychosis involves neuroplasticity and neuronal remodeling, potentially exacerbating vulnerabilities to chronic psychotic disorders. Differentiating post-TBI psychosis from primary schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions is crucial for appropriate treatment. This case report discusses a 63-year-old male with a history of TBI from a gunshot wound sustained in adolescence, who later developed schizophrenia. The report explores the patient's psychiatric symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, personality changes, and imaging findings. The report examined the complex relationship between TBI and psychotic symptoms, considering genetic, …

Brain And Nerves, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Brain And Nerves (Spanish), Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

Spanish

single-page, Spanish

Health Matters! Coloring And Activity Book (80-Pages), Your Very Favorite, Children's Health, Lorraine Sheldon, May Bressler

English

Health Matters! is a English-language health literacy resource designed for pediatric patients and their families. Written at an approximately 6th-grade reading level, it supports patient education through engaging coloring and activity pages.

The content covers a wide range of health and wellness topics, including body systems, nutrition, mental wellness, patient safety, and social-emotional skills such as building friendships and navigating conversations when returning to school. Developed for use in both hospital settings and the broader community, the resource promotes learning through interactive, age-appropriate activities.

This printable PDF version contains the complete collection of activities and comprises 80 pages. The resource …

La Salud Es Importante: Libro De Actividades (80-Pages), Your Very Favorite, Children's Health, Lorraine Sheldon, May Bressler

Spanish

Health Matters! is a Spanish-language health literacy resource designed for pediatric patients and their families. Written at an approximately 6th-grade reading level, it supports patient education through engaging coloring and activity pages.

The content covers a wide range of health and wellness topics, including body systems, nutrition, mental wellness, patient safety, and social-emotional skills such as building friendships and navigating conversations when returning to school. Developed for use in both hospital settings and the broader community, the resource promotes learning through interactive, age-appropriate activities.

This printable PDF version contains the complete collection of activities and comprises 80 pages. The resource …

A Rose By Any Other Name: Mapping Taxonomic And Thematic Naming Errors Poststroke, Nicholas Riccardi, Deena Schwen Blackett, Abigail Broadhead, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Chris Rorden, Julius Fridriksson, Leonardo Bonilha, Rutvik H. Desai

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Understanding the neurobiology of semantic knowledge is a major goal of cognitive neuroscience. Taxonomic and thematic semantic knowledge are represented differently within the brain's conceptual networks, but the specific neural mechanisms remain unclear. Some neurobiological models propose that the anterior temporal lobe is an important hub for taxonomic knowledge, whereas the TPJ is especially involved in the representation of thematic knowledge. However, recent studies have provided divergent evidence. In this context, we investigated the neural correlates of taxonomic and thematic confrontation naming errors in 79 people with aphasia. We used three complementary lesion-symptom mapping (LSM) methods to investigate how structure …

The Aphasia Recovery Cohort, An Open-Source Chronic Stroke Repository, Makayla Gibson, Roger Newman-Norlund, Leonardo Bonilha, Julius Fridriksson, Gregory Hickok, Argye E. Hillis, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Chris Rorden

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Sharing neuroimaging datasets enables reproducibility, education, tool development, and new discoveries. Neuroimaging from many studies are publicly available, providing a glimpse into progressive disorders and human development. In contrast, few stroke studies are shared, and these datasets lack longitudinal sampling of functional imaging, diffusion imaging, as well as the behavioral and demographic data that encourage novel applications. This is surprising, as stroke is a leading cause of disability, and acquiring brain imaging is considered standard of care. The first release of the Aphasia Recovery Cohort includes imaging data, demographics and behavioral measures from 230 chronic stroke survivors who experienced aphasia. …

Using Machine Learning To Determine A Functional Classifier Of Reward Responsiveness And Its Association With Adolescent Psychiatric Symptomatology, Robert James Richard Blair, Johannah Bashford-Largo, Ahria Dominguez, Matthew Dobbertin, Karina S. Blair, Sahil Bajaj

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Background. Machine learning (ML) has developed classifiers differentiating patient groups despite concerns regarding diagnostic reliability. An alternative strategy, used here, is to develop a functional classifier (hyperplane) (e.g. distinguishing the neural responses to received reward v. received punishment in typically developing (TD) adolescents) and then determine the functional integrity of the response (reward response distance from the hyperplane) in adolescents with externalizing and internalizing conditions and its associations with symptom clusters.

Methods. Two hundred and ninety nine adolescents (mean age = 15.07 ± 2.30 years, 117 females) were divided into three groups: a training sample of TD adolescents …

Second Language Learning In Older Adults Modulates Stroop Task Performance And Brain Activation, Douglas H. Schultz, Alison Gansemer, Kiley Allgood, Mariah Gentz, Lauren Secilmis, Zoha Deldar, Cary R. Savage, Ladan Ghazi Saidi

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Numerous studies have highlighted cognitive benefits in lifelong bilinguals during aging, manifesting as superior performance on cognitive tasks compared to monolingual counterparts. Yet, the cognitive impacts of acquiring a new language in older adulthood remain unexplored. In this study, we assessed both behavioral and fMRI responses during a Stroop task in older adults, pre- and post language-learning intervention.

Methods: A group of 41 participants (age: 60–80) from a predominantly monolingual environment underwent a four-month online language course, selecting a new language of their preference. This intervention mandated engagement for 90 minutes a day, five days a week. …

In Search Of The Locus Coeruleus: Guidelines For Identifying Anatomical Boundaries And Electrophysiological Properties Of The Blue Spot In Mice, Fish, Finches, And Beyond, Amelien Vreven, Gary Aston-Jones, Anthony E Pickering, Gina R Poe, Barry Waterhouse, Nelson K Totah

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Our understanding of human brain function can be greatly aided by studying analogous brain structures in other organisms. One brain structure with neurochemical and anatomical homology throughout vertebrate species is the locus coeruleus (LC), a small collection of norepinephrine (NE)-containing neurons in the brainstem that project throughout the central nervous system. The LC is involved in nearly every aspect of brain function, including arousal and learning, which has been extensively examined in rats and nonhuman primates using single-unit recordings. Recent work has expanded into putative LC single-unit electrophysiological recordings in a nonmodel species, the zebra finch. Given the importance of …