Neurosciences Commons^™

Peripheral Inflammation, Apolipoprotein E4, And Amyloid-Β Interact To Induce Cognitive And Cerebrovascular Dysfunction, Felecia M. Marottoli, Yuriko Katsumata, Kevin P. Koster, Riya Thomas, David W. Fardo, Leon M. Tai

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Cerebrovascular dysfunction is rapidly reemerging as a major process of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is, therefore, crucial to delineate the roles of AD risk factors in cerebrovascular dysfunction. While apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4), Amyloid-β (Aβ), and peripheral inflammation independently induce cerebrovascular damage, their collective effects remain to be elucidated. The goal of this study was to determine the interactive effect of APOE4, Aβ, and chronic repeated peripheral inflammation on cerebrovascular and cognitive dysfunction in vivo. EFAD mice are a well-characterized mouse model that express human APOE3 (E3FAD) or APOE4 (E4FAD) and overproduce human Aβ42 via expression of …

Δfosb Regulates Gene Expression And Cognitive Dysfunction In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease., Brian F Corbett, Jason C You, Xiaohong Zhang, Mark S Pyfer, Umberto Tosi, Daniel M Iascone, Iraklis Petrof, Anupam Hazra, Chia-Hsuan Fu, Gabriel S Stephens, Annie Ashok, Suzan Aschmies, Lijuan Zhao, Eric J Nestler, Jeannie Chin

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive decline and 5- to 10-fold increased seizure incidence. How seizures contribute to cognitive decline in AD or other disorders is unclear. We show that spontaneous seizures increase expression of ΔFosB, a highly stable Fos-family transcription factor, in the hippocampus of an AD mouse model. ΔFosB suppressed expression of the immediate early gene c-Fos, which is critical for plasticity and cognition, by binding its promoter and triggering histone deacetylation. Acute histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition or inhibition of ΔFosB activity restored c-Fos induction and improved cognition in AD mice. Administration of seizure-inducing agents to nontransgenic …

Alzheimer’S Disease: Dawn Of A New Era?, Farideh Amirrad, Emira Bousoik, Kiumars Shamloo, Hassan Al-Shiyab, Viet-Hong Nguyen, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease characterized by a progressive decline in cognition and memory, leading to significant impairment in daily activities and ultimately death. It is the most common cause of dementia, the prevalence of which increases with age; however, age is not the only predisposing factor. The pathology of this cognitive impairing disease is still not completely understood, which has limited the development of valid therapeutic options. Recent years have witnessed a wide range of novel approaches to combat this disease, so that they greatly increased our understanding of the disease and of the unique drug …

Rapid Statistical Learning Supporting Word Extraction From Continuous Speech., Laura J Batterink

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

The identification of words in continuous speech, known as speech segmentation, is a critical early step in language acquisition. This process is partially supported by statistical learning, the ability to extract patterns from the environment. Given that speech segmentation represents a potential bottleneck for language acquisition, patterns in speech may be extracted very rapidly, without extensive exposure. This hypothesis was examined by exposing participants to continuous speech streams composed of novel repeating nonsense words. Learning was measured on-line using a reaction time task. After merely one exposure to an embedded novel word, learners demonstrated significant learning effects, as revealed by …

Motor Learning And Adaptation In People With Knee Osteoarthritis And Chronic Pain, Heather Turcotte, Katherine S. Rudolph

Osteopathic Medicine Student Research Posters

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects an estimated 50 million people in the US, and approximately 43% have limitations in daily function due to arthritis pain.3 Individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA) have heightened sensitization to pain2,5 as well as reduced strength, diminished function and quality of life1 that prompts them to seek care from health care providers. Physical therapists commonly work with patients to improve function and quality of life by helping them learn to move without pain. Unfortunately, chronic pain causes changes to the nervous system that may impact the ability to learn new ways but the extent to which chronic pain …

Targeting Antioxidant Enzyme Expression As A Therapeutic Strategy For Ischemic Stroke, Stephanie M. Davis, Keith R. Pennypacker

Center for Advanced Translational Stroke Science Faculty Publications

During ischemic stroke, neurons and glia are subjected to damage during the acute and neuroinflammatory phases of injury. Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from calcium dysregulation in neural cells and the invasion of activated immune cells are responsible for stroke-induced neurodegeneration. Scientists have failed thus far to identify antioxidant-based drugs that can enhance neural cell survival and improve recovery after stroke. However, several groups have demonstrated success in protecting against stroke by increasing expression of antioxidant enzymes in neural cells. These enzymes, which include but are not limited to enzymes in the glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase families, …

Aging, Executive Function, Fronto-Parietal Network Cortical Thickness: Insights From Cognitive Reserve, Katherine Reiter

Dissertations (1934 -)

Cognitive reserve (CR) indexes the nonlinear relationship between neurological insult and behavioral change. CR is manifested in both static factors (e.g., childhood environment, education) and modifiable lifestyle factors, (e.g., leisure activities). Detailed investigation of the influence of CR on cortical thickness, which indexes neuropathology, and cognitive functioning could be particularly important in understanding the heterogeneity of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While memory decline is the hallmark of AD, executive functioning (EF) decline often predates memory changes, making EF an important target for investigating CR influences. The current study examines the relationship of CR and genetic risk for AD (ε4) on EF …

Putative Adult Neurogenesis In Two Domestic Pigeon Breeds (Columba Livia Domestica): Racing Homer Versus Utility Carneau Pigeons, Pedzisai Mazengenya, Adhil Bhagwandin, Pilani Nkomozepi, Paul R. Manger, Amadi O. Ihunwo

Brain and Mind Institute

Generation of neurons in the brains of adult birds has been studied extensively in the telencephalon of song birds and few studies are reported on the distribution of PCNA and DCX in the telencephalon of adult non-song learning birds. We report here on adult neurogenesis throughout the brains of two breeds of adult domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica), the racing homer and utility carneau using endogenous immunohistochemical markers proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) for proliferating cells and doublecortin (DCX) for immature and migrating neurons. The distribution of PCNA and DCX immunoreactivity was very similar in both pigeon breeds with only …

The Neural Encoding Of Reward In The Striatal-Pallidal Circuitry, Chung Lung Chan

Dissertations (1934 -)

Humans and animals are constantly exposed to external stimuli. The ability to process reward value of a stimulus is critical to guiding appropriate behavior and essential for survival. These processes are regulated by neuronal activity and neurochemical signaling in the reward circuitry, particularly in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). The NAc receives dopaminergic inputs from the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA) and sends GABAergic projections to the ventral pallidum (VP). Electrophysiological studies have characterized phasic neuronal responses in the NAc that differential encode appetitive and aversive taste stimuli. Exposure to an appetitive taste stimulus evoked predominantly phasic inhibitory responses in the …

Abnormal Dendritic Maturation Of Developing Cortical Neurons Exposed To Corticotropin Releasing Hormone (Crh): Insights Into Effects Of Prenatal Adversity?, Megan M. Curran, Curt A. Sandman, Elysia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn, Tallie Z. Baram

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) produced by the hypothalamus initiates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which regulates the body’s stress response. CRH levels typically are undetectable in human plasma, but during pregnancy the primate placenta synthesizes and releases large amounts of CRH into both maternal and fetal circulations. Notably, placental CRH synthesis increases in response to maternal stress signals. There is evidence that human fetal exposure to high concentrations of placental CRH is associated with behavioral consequences during infancy and into childhood, however the direct effects on of the peptide on the human brain are unknown. In this study, we used a …

Force Compensation And Recreation Accuracy In Humans, Benjamin Rigsby

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As industry becomes increasingly reliant on robotic assistance and human-computer interfaces, the demand to understand the human sensorimotor system’s characteristics intensifies. Although this field of research has been going on for over a century, new technologies push the limits of the human motor system and our knowledge of it. With new technologies come new abilities, and, in the area of medical care and rehabilitation, the need to expand our knowledge of the sensorimotor system comes from both the patient and physician.

Two studies relating to human force interaction are presented in this thesis. The first study

focuses on humans’ ability …

An Anatomical Study Of The Hyperpallium Densocellulare In The Pigeon (Columba Livia), Sara Leilani Kellogg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The hyperpallium densocellulare (HD) is an avian cerebral structure, the origin of which remains unclear and considered to be critical to the understanding of the non-mammalian forebrain evolution. The main goal of this investigation was to clarify the anatomical characteristics and behavioral implications of HD, which had been assumed to be a homogeneous unitary entity. This project had three specific aims: 1) To identify possible subdivisions of HD in terms of cytoarchitecture, Substance P distribution, and connections based on unpublished (Aim 1a) as well as published data (Aim 1b); 2) To identify the unknown connections of these subdivisions by using …

The Motor Cortical Representation Of A Muscle Is Not Homogeneous In Brain Connectivity, Jo Armour Smith, Alaa Albishi, Sarine Babikian, Skulpan Asavasopon, Beth E. Fisher, Jason Kutch

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Functional connectivity patterns of the motor cortical representational area of single muscles have not been extensively mapped in humans, particularly for the axial musculature. Functional connectivity may provide a neural substrate for adaptation of muscle activity in axial muscles that have both voluntary and postural functions. The purpose of this study was to combine brain stimulation and neuroimaging to both map the cortical representation of the external oblique (EO) in primary motor cortex (M1) and supplementary motor area (SMA), and to establish the resting-state functional connectivity associated with this representation. Motor evoked potentials were elicited from the EO muscle in …

Multi-Scale Spatial Cognition Models And Bio-Inspired Robot Navigation, Martin I. Llofriu Alonso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The rodent navigation system has been the focus of study for over a century. Discoveries made lately have provided insight on the inner workings of this system. Since then, computational approaches have been used to test hypothesis, as well as to improve robotics navigation and learning by taking inspiration on the rodent navigation system.

This dissertation focuses on the study of the multi-scale representation of the rat’s current location found in the rat hippocampus. It first introduces a model that uses these different scales in the Morris maze task to show their advantages. The generalization power of larger scales of …

A Role For Ankyring In Maturation And Maintenance Of The Nodes Of Ranvier., Benjamin Yang, Bridget M. Curran, Stephen R. Tymanskyj

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Presynaptic Lrp4 Promotes Synapse Number And Function Of Excitatory Cns Neurons., Timothy J. Mosca, David J. Luginbuhl, Irving E. Wang, Liqun Luo

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Precise coordination of synaptic connections ensures proper information flow within circuits. The activity of presynaptic organizing molecules signaling to downstream pathways is essential for such coordination, though such entities remain incompletely known. We show that LRP4, a conserved transmembrane protein known for its postsynaptic roles, functions presynaptically as an organizing molecule. In the Drosophila brain, LRP4 localizes to the nerve terminals at or near active zones. Loss of presynaptic LRP4 reduces excitatory (not inhibitory) synapse number, impairs active zone architecture, and abolishes olfactory attraction - the latter of which can be suppressed by reducing presynaptic GABAB receptors. LRP4 overexpression increases …

Selective Inhibition Of Small-Diameter Axons Using Infrared Light, Emilie H. Lothet, Kendrick M. Shaw, Hui Lu, Junqi Zhuo, Yves T. Wang, Shi Gu, Hillel J. Chiel, Michael W. Jenkins

Faculty Scholarship

Novel clinical treatments to target peripheral nerves are being developed which primarily use electrical current. Recently, infrared (IR) light was shown to inhibit peripheral nerves with high spatial and temporal specificity. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate that IR can selectively and reversibly inhibit small-diameter axons at lower radiant exposures than large-diameter axons. We provide a mathematical rationale, and then demonstrate it experimentally in individual axons of identified neurons in the marine mollusk Aplysia californica, and in axons within the vagus nerve of a mammal, the musk shrew Suncus murinus. The ability to selectively, rapidly, and reversibly control small-diameter …

Mixed-Mode Oscillations In Pyramidal Neurons Under Antiepileptic Drug Conditions, Babak V-Ghaffari, M. Kouhnavard, Sherif M. Elbasiouny

Neuroscience, Cell Biology, & Physiology Faculty Publications

Subthreshold oscillations in combination with large-amplitude oscillations generate mixedmode oscillations (MMOs), which mediate various spatial and temporal cognition and memory processes and behavioral motor tasks. Although many studies have shown that canard theory is a reliable method to investigate the properties underlying the MMOs phenomena, the relationship between the results obtained by applying canard theory and conductancebased models of neurons and their electrophysiological mechanisms are still not well understood. The goal of this study was to apply canard theory to the conductance-based model of pyramidal neurons in layer V of the Entorhinal Cortex to investigate the properties of MMOs under …

A Whole Lot Of Shakin' Going On: Movement Disorders Caused By Brain Trauma, Jack E. Hubbard, Samuel D. Hodge, Jr.

Cleveland State Law Review

There has been a lot of publicity directed to the consequence of brain trauma, such as headaches forgetfulness, irritability, and depression. That is only part of the sequelae. A little-known but challenging result of brain trauma is the development of or aggravation of a movement disorder such as a tremor, dystonia, a tic, or Parkinson’s Disease.

A movement disorder is an all-encompassing term that refers to a constellation of neurological issues that cause involuntary or voluntary movements or abnormal positioning of a body part. Various regions of the brain interact with each other to control movements of the body. If …

The Trial Lawyer And The Reptilian Brain: A Critique, Louis J. Sirico, Jr.

Cleveland State Law Review

This Article brings together neuroscience, cultural symbolism, and the strategies of practicing lawyers to critique the reptile strategy, now popular among trial lawyers. The strategy directs the lawyer to trigger the reptilian brains of jurors so that they react instinctively to threats to themselves and their communities. When humans feel threatened, the reptilian brain, the most primitive part of the brain, takes charge and instinctively controls human conduct. Therefore, if a lawyer can make a juror feel threatened, the lawyer makes an appeal to the juror’s reptilian brain and virtually assures a victory. Thus, a lawyer’s argument should intensify the …

Comparative Effectiveness Research Of Disease-Modifying Therapies For The Management Of Multiple Sclerosis: Analysis Of A Large Health Insurance Claims Database., Aaron Boster, Jacqueline Nicholas, Ning Wu, Wei-Shi Yeh, Monica Fay, Michael Edwards, Ming-Yi Huang, Andrew Lee

Neuroscience Articles

INTRODUCTION: Limited data are available on the real-world effectiveness of newer oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in multiple sclerosis. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively compare the real-world effectiveness of dimethyl fumarate (DMF), fingolimod, teriflunomide, and injectable DMTs in routine clinical practice based on US claims data.

METHODS: Patients newly-initiating DMF, interferon beta (IFNβ), glatiramer acetate (GA), teriflunomide, or fingolimod in 2013 were identified in the Truven MarketScan Commercial Claims Databases (N = 6372). Relapse episodes were identified based on a published claim-based algorithm and used to determine the annualized relapse rate (ARR) for the year before and after …

Risk Of Incident Clinical Diagnosis Of Alzheimer's Disease-Type Dementia Attributable To Pathology-Confirmed Vascular Disease, Hiroko H. Dodge, Jian Zhu, Randy Woltjer, Peter T. Nelson, David A. Bennett, Nigel J. Cairns, David W. Fardo, Jeffrey A. Kaye, Deniz-Erten Lyons, Nora Mattek, Julie A. Schneider, Lisa C. Silbert, Chengjie Xiong, Lei Yu, Frederick A. Schmitt, Richard J. Kryscio, Erin L. Abner, Smart Data Consortium

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: The presence of cerebrovascular pathology may increase the risk of clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHODS: We examined excess risk of incident clinical diagnosis of AD (probable and possible AD) posed by the presence of lacunes and large infarcts beyond AD pathology using data from the Statistical Modeling of Aging and Risk of Transition study, a consortium of longitudinal cohort studies with more than 2000 autopsies. We created six mutually exclusive pathology patterns combining three levels of AD pathology (low, moderate, or high AD pathology) and two levels of vascular pathology (without lacunes and large infarcts or with …

Source Localization Of Brain States Associated With Canonical Neuroimaging Postures, Michael Lifshitz, Robert T. Thibault, Raquel R. Roth, Amir Raz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Cognitive neuroscientists rarely consider the influence that body position exerts on brain activity; yet, postural variation holds important implications for the acquisition and interpretation of neuroimaging data. Whereas participants in most behavioral and EEG experiments sit upright, many prominent brain imaging techniques (e.g., fMRI) require participants to lie supine. Here we demonstrate that physical comportment profoundly alters baseline brain activity as measured by magnetoencephalography (MEG)—an imaging modality that permits multipostural acquisition. We collected resting-state MEG data from 12 healthy participants in three postures (lying supine, reclining at 45°, and sitting upright). Source-modeling analysis revealed a broadly distributed influence of posture …

Hypothesis Of K+-Recycling Defect Is Not A Primary Deafness Mechanism For Cx26 (Gjb2) Deficiency, Hong-Bo Zhao

Otolaryngology--Head & Neck Surgery Faculty Publications

K⁺-recycling defect is a long-standing hypothesis for deafness mechanism of Connexin26 (Cx26, GJB2) mutations, which cause the most common hereditary deafness and are responsible for >50% of nonsyndromic hearing loss. The hypothesis states that Cx26 deficiency may disrupt inner ear gap junctions and compromise sinking and recycling of expelled K⁺ ions after hair cell excitation, causing accumulation of K⁺-ions in the extracellular space around hair cells producing K⁺-toxicity, which eventually induces hair cell degeneration and hearing loss. However, this hypothesis has never been directly evidenced, even though it has been widely referred …

Mindfulness And Law Enforcement: An Effective Approach To Implementing Mindfulness For First Responders, Gina White

Mindfulness Studies Theses

An increasing number of studies show that people employed as first responders in high trauma service jobs tend to experience a high level of stress, at work and after hours. Studies suggest that constant exposure to job related stress leads to both physical and mental dysregulation. This study looks at the effects of implementing mindfulness tools and techniques to those working in law enforcement. Other works on this topic report mindfulness as a successful tool to increase wellbeing to a broad spectrum of populations. The methodology used in this study was designed specifically for first responders. The data findings were …

The Acquisition And Analysis Of Electroencephalogram Data For The Classification Of Benign Partial Epilepsy Of Childhood With Centrotemporal Spikes, Jessica A. Scarborough

Master's Theses

In this thesis, I will expand upon each step in the process of acquiring and analyzing electroencephalogram (EEG) for the classification of benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes. Despite huge advancements in the field of health informatics—natural language processing, machine learning, predictive modeling—there are significant barriers to the access of clinical data. These barriers include information blocking, privacy policy concerns, and a lack of stakeholder support. We will see that these roadblocks are all responsible for stunting biomedical research in some way, including my own experiences in acquiring the data for the second chapter of this thesis.

This second chapter …

Identification Of Octopaminergic Neurons That Modulate Sleep Suppression By Male Sex Drive., Daniel R. Machado, Dinis Afonso, Alexandra R. Kenny, Arzu Öztürk-Çolak, Emilia H. Moscato, Benjamin Mainwaring, Matthew Kayser, Kyunghee Koh

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Molecular and circuit mechanisms for balancing competing drives are not well understood. While circadian and homeostatic mechanisms generally ensure sufficient sleep at night, other pressing needs can overcome sleep drive. Here, we demonstrate that the balance between sleep and sex drives determines whether male flies sleep or court, and identify a subset of octopaminergic neurons (MS1) that regulate sleep specifically in males. When MS1 neurons are activated, isolated males sleep less, and when MS1 neurons are silenced, the normal male sleep suppression in female presence is attenuated and mating behavior is impaired. MS1 neurons do not express the sexually dimorphic …

Representation Of Multiple Body Parts In The Missing-Hand Territory Of Congenital One-Handers., Avital Hahamy, Scott N Macdonald, Fiona Van Den Heiligenberg, Paullina Kieliba, Uzay Emir, Rafael Malach, Heidi Johansen-Berg, Peter Brugger, Jody C Culham, Tamar R Makin

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Individuals born without one hand (congenital one-handers) provide a unique model for understanding the relationship between focal reorganization in the sensorimotor cortex and everyday behavior. We previously reported that the missing hand's territory of one-handers becomes utilized by its cortical neighbor (residual arm representation), depending on residual arm usage in daily life to substitute for the missing hand's function [1, 2]. However, the repertoire of compensatory behaviors may involve utilization of other body parts that do not cortically neighbor the hand territory. Accordingly, the pattern of brain reorganization may be more extensive [3]. Here we studied unconstrained compensatory strategies under …

Rat Hind Limb Nociceptive Withdrawal Response To Heat And Mechanical Stimuli Depends On Initial Position Of The Paw But Not Stimulus Location, Giavanna Verdi

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Mammals rapidly withdraw their hind limb in response to noxious stimulation, which is a protective movement known as the nociceptive withdrawal response (NWR). The NWR has been previously studied in spinalized, decerebrated and anesthetized non-human and human mammals; however, there is minimal information on the NWR in intact, unanesthetized non-human mammals.

The first specific aim was to identify the factors that determine the direction and magnitude of the NWR in intact, unanesthetized rats. Based on previous studies, we hypothesized that the location of stimulation and the initial position of the paw preceding the NWR will influence the direction and magnitude …

Biomarkers Of Acute Stroke Etiology (Base) Study Methodology., Edward C Jauch, Andrew D Barreto, Joseph P Broderick, Doug M Char, Brett L Cucchiara, Thomas G Devlin, Alison J Haddock, William J Hicks, Brian C Hiestand, Glen C Jickling, Jeff June, David S Liebeskind, Ted J Lowenkopf, Joseph B Miller, John O'Neill, Tim L Schoonover, Frank R Sharp, W Frank Peacock

Neuroscience Articles

Acute ischemic stroke affects over 800,000 US adults annually, with hundreds of thousands more experiencing a transient ischemic attack. Emergent evaluation, prompt acute treatment, and identification of stroke or TIA (transient ischemic attack) etiology for specific secondary prevention are critical for decreasing further morbidity and mortality of cerebrovascular disease. The Biomarkers of Acute Stroke Etiology (BASE) study is a multicenter observational study to identify serum markers defining the etiology of acute ischemic stroke. Observational trial of patients presenting to the hospital within 24 h of stroke onset. Blood samples are collected at arrival, 24, and 48 h later, and RNA …