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Medical Neurobiology Commons

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Honors Theses

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Articles 1 - 9 of 9

Full-Text Articles in Medical Neurobiology

Targeting The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation To Improve Depression And Anxiety In Parkinson's Disease, Brock Renicks May 2026

Targeting The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation To Improve Depression And Anxiety In Parkinson's Disease, Brock Renicks

Honors Theses

The aim of this study is to observe the outcomes of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a treatment for Parkinson’s Disease (PD). This study will primarily look at changes in depression and anxiety, as these symptoms are often comorbid with Parkinson’s Disease. Transcranial direct current stimulation is a non-invasive, very low-intensity form of electrical stimulation of the brain. It is being increasingly used as a form of treatment for Parkinson’s Disease and depression and anxiety, however the literature is ambiguous, showing mixed results throughout various studies, with no standardization of tDCS administration. To determine the effect of tDCS on …


Novel Biomarker Discovery In Multiple Sclerosis, Manisha Gangasani May 2026

Novel Biomarker Discovery In Multiple Sclerosis, Manisha Gangasani

Honors Theses

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neuroinflammatory disorder affecting the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve. Patients experience cognitive, motor, autonomic, and emotional symptoms that often overlap with other neurological conditions, making early diagnosis challenging. Current diagnostic criteria require evidence of lesions with dissemination in time and space. Racial disparities in MS outcomes are well documented, with Black individuals often exhibiting greater disease severity, higher relapse rates, and increased disability compared to White individuals. These differences likely reflect a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and healthcare access factors, underscoring the need to improve early diagnosis and reduce inequities in care. …


Use Of Electroencephalography To Evaluate Neural Correlates Of Attention In The Oddball Paradigm, Folsom J. Berry May 2026

Use Of Electroencephalography To Evaluate Neural Correlates Of Attention In The Oddball Paradigm, Folsom J. Berry

Honors Theses

Electroencephalography (EEG) and Event-Related Potentials (ERP) are tools used to study and analyze cognitive processing. EEG measures neuroelectric brain activity from the scalp, while ERPs are time-locked averages that are used to isolate neural responses to stimuli. The P300 (P3) component (positive waveform elicited at 300 milliseconds (ms)) is the primary ERP component. This thesis project had two main objectives. The first objective was to develop conceptual and technical competency in EEG/ERP theory, data acquisition, and processing. The second objective was to implement the visual oddball paradigm through experimental demonstration. This experiment tested the hypothesis that infrequent target stimuli will …


The Effects Of Astrocytic Derived Insulin-Like Growth Factor (Igf-1) On Cognition And Astrocytes, Destiny Wilson May 2022

The Effects Of Astrocytic Derived Insulin-Like Growth Factor (Igf-1) On Cognition And Astrocytes, Destiny Wilson

Honors Theses

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a neuroendocrine signaling hormone that plays a vital role in growth and development, as well as learning and memory. Inhibition of this hormone results in cognitive impairments like those seen with age-related decline. While a majority of research has focused on the role of IGF-1 on neurons, the role of astrocytes still needs to be explored. Our research investigates how astrocytes and cognition are affected as a result of direct regulation of localized IGF-1 production in early development and after puberty. Preliminary studies in our laboratory established a connection between IGF-1 and glial fibrillary …


Music Listening And Cognitive Function, Neil Kotta Dec 2021

Music Listening And Cognitive Function, Neil Kotta

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Test Transferability Of 3d-Mot Training On Soccer Specific Parameters, Micaela Dusseault Dec 2021

Test Transferability Of 3d-Mot Training On Soccer Specific Parameters, Micaela Dusseault

Honors Theses

Objective: The benefits of perceptual-cognitive training in elite level athletes has recently been investigated in multiple sports such as basketball, soccer, and archery, but conclusive evidence proving test transferability of 3D-MOT training is lacking. The purpose of this research is to examine the transferability of perceptual-cognitive training to on-field soccer performance parameters. Participants: NCAA Division I women’s soccer players (n=22) between the ages of 18-25 who were placed into either the experimental group (n=10) or control group (n=12). After baseline testing for both groups to determine visual tracking speed (VTS), the experimental group completed 10 3D-MOT training sessions with NeuroTracker …


A Summary Of Current Research Into Neurodegenerative Disorders Using Drosophila Melanogaster, Chase Cortese Oct 2020

A Summary Of Current Research Into Neurodegenerative Disorders Using Drosophila Melanogaster, Chase Cortese

Honors Theses

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease are characterized by damage to neural cells causing widespread neurological deficits. Historically, these diseases were deemed as inevitable declines in cognitive and neurological function that occurred with aging. Recent research has revealed, however, that these diseases have molecular bases allowing potential clinical intervention. The groundbreaking discoveries have been made using differing model organisms, which can replicate the phenotype and physiological cause of these disorders. One major model organism that has been used is the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. They have served various roles in elucidating gene pathways and neurophysiological bases seen in these diseases. …


Regulating Neuronal Growth With Structurally Defined Glycans, Gabriella D. Hartman May 2020

Regulating Neuronal Growth With Structurally Defined Glycans, Gabriella D. Hartman

Honors Theses

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) and keratan sulfate proteoglycans (KSPGs) play an important role in neural development. Aggrecan, a CSPG, operates in the neural extracellular matrix where it negatively regulates neurite outgrowth to prevent aberrant process formation. Unfortunately, this aggrecan or CSPG-rich/KSPG-rich barrier can also prevent neuronal regeneration, which contributes to the inability to repair brain and spinal cord injuries. Removal of CSPGs and KSPGs has been shown to increase neurite outgrowth. We extend these findings by testing the ability of structurally-defined glycans to outcompete aggrecan and allow neurite outgrowth. Our overall goal is to determine if there is a particular …


Assay Development For Isolation And Characterization Of Anticancer Properties Of Marine Fungi, Kyra Ricci Apr 2020

Assay Development For Isolation And Characterization Of Anticancer Properties Of Marine Fungi, Kyra Ricci

Honors Theses

Metabolites from fungi have potential use in the drug discovery process and have been used in the past to develop therapeutic agents for human use. Initial characterization of potential therapeutic properties of fungi is thus an important first step in identifying novel therapeutic compounds. In the present study, marine fungi were isolated from Myrtle Beach and assayed for anticancer properties using the soft agar colony formation assay in a 3D in vitro cellular environment. Many species were isolated from environmental samples, displaying unique morphologies and growth patterns. To optimize the soft agar assay in a six-well cell culture plate for …