Neurosciences Commons^™

The Use Of Neuroscience Evidence In Criminal Proceedings, John B. Meixner Jr.

Scholarly Works

While law and neuroscience has been an increasingly popular topic in academic discourse, until now, little systematic research had examined how neuroscience evidence has actually been used in court. Do courts actually admit and consider evidence of brain trauma that might indicate that an individual did not have the capacity to achieve the mental state required for conviction of particular crime? Do they use such evidence to consider the relative culpability for the crime in the event of conviction? Do they consider or understand brain scan data? For much of the life of this infant field, we have only been …

Decision Making And The Law: Truth Barriers, Jonathan J. Koehler, John B. Meixner Jr.

Scholarly Works

Reaching an accurate outcome is a central goal of the American trial. But structural features of the legal system, in combination with the cognitive shortcomings of legal actors, hinder the search for truth. Regarding the legal system, various rules and policies restrict decision makers’ access to evidence, violate the laws of probability, and limit the evidentiary concerns that may be considered on appeal. Regarding legal actors, informational deficits (particularly regarding scientific and statistical evidence) and cognitive biases of police investigators, witnesses (lay and expert), attorneys, judges, and jurors pose serious obstacles. We conclude by suggesting that research in judgment and …

Examining The Effects Of Anti-Nogo A Immunotherapy On Post-Stroke Neurogenesis In The Adult Rat, Daniel Shepherd

Dissertations

Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability with no pharmacological treatments to restore lost function. Our laboratory has shown that treatment with neutralizing antibodies against the neurite growth-inhibitory protein Nogo-A improves sensorimotor and cognitive recovery after stroke in adult and aged rats. This recovery is paralleled by increased dendritic and axonal plasticity in anti-Nogo-A-treated rats. Neurogenesis, an alternate form of plasticity involving the de novo production of new neurons, may contribute to post-stroke neural repair. While previous studies have found roles for Nogo-A in adult neurogenesis, neurogenesis has not been investigated after stroke and anti-Nogo-A treatment. The goal of …

Cellular Consequences Of Lysosomal Rupture Induced By Alpha Synuclein, Zachary Carpenter Green

Master's Theses

Misfolded, toxic forms of amyloid alpha synuclein (α-syn) have been implicated in Parkinson’s disease (PD) pathology and have been shown to spread throughout the brain in a prion-like manner, explaining the progressive loss of neurons in PD. The mechanisms of spread and cell death are unknown, however, evidence from previous studies suggests that neurons may undergo apoptosis due to the uptake of exogenous α-syn aggregate through the endocytic pathway and subsequent lysosomal rupture.

This study aimed to corroborate previous evidence of α-syn induced lysosomal rupture and investigate the cellular repercussions of rupture with respect to cell death and α-syn transfer. …

Estrogen Regulation Of Mir-181a Stability In Neurons, Chun Kim

Master's Theses

Estrogens are an important class of steroid hormones involved in many cellular signaling processes. Levels of estrogens fluctuate across the lifespan suggesting that they target intracellular mediators, such as microRNAs, to fine-tune homeostatic cellular processes. Previous work in our lab demonstrated that 17β-estradiol (E2), the predominant circulating estrogen, stabilized miR-181a in a neuronal cell line derived from rat hypothalamus. These results lead to the hypothesis that E2 regulated miR-181a stability by altering the pool of endogenous RNA and by recruiting PNRC2 away from the miRNA degradation machinery. By utilizing miRNA degradation assays and immunostaining techniques, it was determined that the …

Post-Tbi Hippocampal Neurogenesis In Different Tbi Models, Kaushal S. Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to short-term and long-term consequences that can cause many different life-long disorders. Studies of TBI have generally focused on the acute stage; however, it is now becoming important to investigate chronic responses following TBI as clinical reports of dementia and cognitive impairments have been linked to a history of TBI. Recent data have established that cognitive function is associated with hippocampal neurogenesis. Chronic injury induced changes in the brain may affect this endogenous process. Chronic responses following TBI include cell death pathways and inflammatory responses that are persistent in the brain for months to years …

Human Neural Progenitor Cells Are Productively Infected By R5-Tropic Hiv-1: Opiate Interactions On Infection And Function Involve Cdk5 Signaling, Joyce Magat Balinang

Theses and Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is known to cause a spectrum of neurological, behavioral and motor deficits collectively termed as HIV-1 associated neurocognitive impairments (HAND). Opiates augment HIV-related CNS complications through both direct and indirect mechanisms that disrupt glial and neuronal function. All CNS macroglia and neurons derive from neural progenitor cells (NPCs) during development, and NPCs in the adult brain contribute to repair processes. Since disruptions in NPC function are known to impact CNS populations and brain function in a number of disease/injury conditions, we determined whether HIV ± opiate exposure affected the maturation and fate of human …

Suppressed Intuitions, Large Number Coincidences, And A Mathematical Foundation For Life And Consciousness, Maurice Goodman

Articles

A brief examination of the natural sciences reveals that we are still under the influence of pre Copernican intuitions. These have only been suppresses and not supplanted. This is why we appeal to such things as large number coincidences in the hope that the mathematics, which unlike us does not suffer from naive beliefs, will lead us in the right direction. However, we need to be extremely careful as it is easy to create these coincidences and over interpret their significance. In the 1980’s work on these coincidences did lead to a mathematical formulism which seems to have relevance in …

Plasma Apolipoprotein J As A Potential Biomarker For Alzheimer's Disease: Australian Imaging, Biomarkers And Lifestyle Study Of Aging, Veer Gupta, James D. Doecke, Eugene Hone, Steve Pedrini, Simon M. Laws, Madhav Thambisetty, Ashley Bush,, Christopher C. Rowe, Victor L. Villemagne, David Ames, Colin L. Masters, Stuart Lance Macaulay, Alan Rembach, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, Ralph N. Martins

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction:

For early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the field needs biomarkers that can be used to detect disease status with high sensitivity and specificity. Apolipoprotein J (ApoJ, also known as clusterin) has long been associated with AD pathogenesis through various pathways. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of plasma apoJ as a blood biomarker for AD.

Methods:

Using the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) study of aging, the present study assayed plasma apoJ levels over baseline and 18 months in 833 individuals. Plasma ApoJ levels were analyzed with respect to clinical classification, age, gender, …

Comparing Biological Markers Of Alzheimer's Disease Across Blood Fraction And Platforms: Comparing Apples To Oranges, Sid E. O'Bryant, Simone Lista, Robert A. Rissman, Melissa Edwards, Fan Zhang, James Hall, Herik Zetterberg, Simon Lovestone, Veer Bular Gupta, Neill Graff-Radford, Ralph N. Martins, Andreas Jeromin, Stephen Waring, Esther Oh, Mitchel Kling, Laura D. Baker, Harald Hampel

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction:

This study investigated the comparability of potential Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers across blood fractions and assay platforms.

Methods:

Nonfasting serum and plasma samples from 300 participants (150 AD patients and 150 controls) were analyzed. Proteomic markers were obtained via electrochemiluminescence or Luminex technology. Comparisons were conducted via Pearson correlations. The relative importance of proteins within an AD diagnostic profile was examined using random forest importance plots.

Results:

On the Meso Scale Discovery multiplex platform, 10 of the 21 markers shared > 50% of the variance across blood fractions (serum amyloid A R2 = 0.99, interleukin (IL)10 R2 = 0.95, fatty …

Examining The Potential Clinical Value Of Curcumin In The Prevention And Diagnosis Of Alzheimer's Disease, K. G. Goozee, T. M. Shah, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Stephanie Rainey-Smith, B. Brown, Guiseppe Verdile, Ralph Martins

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Curcumin derived from turmeric is well documented for its anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Recent studies show that curcumin also possesses neuroprotective and cognitive-enhancing properties that may help delay or prevent neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Currently, clinical diagnosis of AD is onerous, and it is primarily based on the exclusion of other causes of dementia. In addition, phase III clinical trials of potential treatments have mostly failed, leaving disease-modifying interventions elusive. AD can be characterised neuropathologically by the deposition of extracellular β amyloid (Aβ) plaques and intracellular accumulation of tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles. Disruptions in Aβ metabolism/clearance contribute to …

Finding Chemopreventatives To Reduce Amyloid Beta In Yeast, Ian Macreadie, Costa Arvanitis, Prashant Bharadwaj

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of age-related dementia with the latest report (WorldAlzheimerReport, 2015) showing 46.8 million people are currently affected by dementia. That number is expected to double every 20 years unless there is effective therapeutic intervention.

Neuroendocrine And Neurotrophic Signaling In Huntington's Disease: Implications For Pathogenic Mechanisms And Treatment Strategies, Danielle Bartlett, Travis M. Cruickshank, Anthony J. Hannan, Peter R. Eastwood, Alpár S. Lázár, Mel R. Ziman Dr

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by an extended polyglutamine tract in the huntingtin protein. Circadian, sleep and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis disturbances are observed in HD as early as 15 years before clinical disease onset. Disturbances in these key processes result in increased cortisol and altered melatonin release which may negatively impact on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and contribute to documented neuropathological and clinical disease features. This review describes the normal interactions between neurotrophic factors, the HPA-axis and circadian rhythm, as indicated by levels of BDNF, cortisol and melatonin, and the alterations in these intricately balanced …

N-Acetylcysteine Decreases Binge Eating In A Rodent Model, M. M. Hurley, Jon M. Resch, Brian Maunze, M. M. Frenkel, David A. Baker, Sujean Choi

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Binge-eating behavior involves rapid consumption of highly palatable foods leading to increased weight gain. Feeding in binge disorders resembles other compulsive behaviors, many of which are responsive to N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which is a cysteine prodrug often used to promote non-vesicular glutamate release by a cystine–glutamate antiporter. To examine the potential for NAC to alter a form of compulsive eating, we examined the impact of NAC on binge eating in a rodent model. Specifically, we monitored consumption of standard chow and a high-fat, high carbohydrate western diet (WD) in a rodent limited-access binge paradigm. Before each session, rats received either …

Cb1 Receptor Antagonism Blocks Stress-Potentiated Reinstatement Of Cocaine Seeking In Rats, Jayme R. Mcreynolds, Elizabeth M. Doncheck, Oliver Vranjkovic, Geoffrey S. Ganzman, David A. Baker, Cecilia J. Hillard, John R. Mantsch

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Rationale

Under some conditions, stress, rather than directly triggering cocaine seeking, potentiates reinstatement to other stimuli, including a subthreshold cocaine dose. The mechanisms responsible for stress-potentiated reinstatement are not well defined. Endocannabinoid signaling is increased by stress and regulates synaptic transmission in brain regions implicated in motivated behavior.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R) signaling is required for stress-potentiated reinstatement of cocaine seeking in rats.

Methods

Following i.v. cocaine self-administration (2 h access/day) and extinction in male rats, footshock stress alone does not reinstate cocaine seeking but reinstatement is …

Cellular Responses And Tissue Depots For Nanoformulated Antiretroviral Therapy., Andrea L. Martinez-Skinner, Mariluz Araínga, Pavan Puligujja, Diana L. Palandri, Hannah M. Baldridge, Benson J. Edagwa, Joellyn Mcmillan, R. Lee Mosley, Howard Gendelman

Journal Articles: Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience

Long-acting nanoformulated antiretroviral therapy (nanoART) induces a range of innate immune migratory, phagocytic and secretory cell functions that perpetuate drug depots. While recycling endosomes serve as the macrophage subcellular depots, little is known of the dynamics of nanoART-cell interactions. To this end, we assessed temporal leukocyte responses, drug uptake and distribution following both intraperitoneal and intramuscular injection of nanoformulated atazanavir (nanoATV). Local inflammatory responses heralded drug distribution to peritoneal cell populations, regional lymph nodes, spleen and liver. This proceeded for three days in male Balb/c mice. NanoATV-induced changes in myeloid populations were assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) with CD45, …

Cellular Responses And Tissue Depots For Nanoformulated Antiretroviral Therapy., Andrea L. Martinez-Skinner, Mariluz Araínga, Pavan Puligujja, Diana L. Palandri, Hannah M. Baldridge, Benson J. Edagwa, Joellyn Mcmillan, R. Lee Mosley, Howard Gendelman

Journal Articles: Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience

Long-acting nanoformulated antiretroviral therapy (nanoART) induces a range of innate immune migratory, phagocytic and secretory cell functions that perpetuate drug depots. While recycling endosomes serve as the macrophage subcellular depots, little is known of the dynamics of nanoART-cell interactions. To this end, we assessed temporal leukocyte responses, drug uptake and distribution following both intraperitoneal and intramuscular injection of nanoformulated atazanavir (nanoATV). Local inflammatory responses heralded drug distribution to peritoneal cell populations, regional lymph nodes, spleen and liver. This proceeded for three days in male Balb/c mice. NanoATV-induced changes in myeloid populations were assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) with CD45, …

What Does Recent Neuroscience Tell Us About Criminal Responsibility?, Uri Maoz, Gideon Yaffe

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

A defendant is criminally responsible for his action only if he is shown to have engaged in a guilty act—actus reus (eg for larceny, voluntarily taking someone else’s property without permission)—while possessing a guilty mind—mens rea (eg knowing that he had taken someone else’s property without permission, intending not to return it)—and lacking affirmative defenses (eg the insanity defense or self-defense). We therefore first review neuroscientific studies that bear on the nature of voluntary action, and so could, potentially, tell us something of importance about the actus reus of crimes.Then we look at studies of intention, perception of …

The Feedforward And Feedback Controls On Gait In Adults With Diabetes, Chun-Kai Huang

Theses & Dissertations

There are nearly 26 million people with diabetes mellitus (DM) in the US, and half of chronic DMs develop somatosensory deficits due to diabetic polyneuropathy or diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). The absence or impaired somatosensory feedback (e.g. touch sensation or joint proprioception) resulted from the damage of large nerve fiber, and motor deficits such as attenuated muscle strength and abnormal plantar pressure of lower extremity have been identified in DPN, and these sensorimotor impairments lead to an increased number of falls. To reduce the risk of falling, a well-coordinated and adapted limb movement driven by the feedforward (anticipatory) and feedback …

How The Manipulation Of The Ras Homolog Enriched In Striatum Alters The Behavioral And Molecular Progression Of Huntington’S Disease, Franklin A. Lee

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Huntington’s disease is an incurable, progressive neurological disorder characterized by loss of motor control, psychiatric dysfunction, and eventual dystonia leading to death. Despite the fact that this disorder is caused by a mutation in one single gene, there is no cure. The mutant Huntingtin (mHtt) protein is expressed ubiquitously throughout the brain but frank cell death is limited to the striatum. Recent work has suggested that Rhes, Ras homolog enriched in striatum, which is selectively expressed in the striatum, may play a role in Huntington’s disease neuropathology. In vitro studies have shown Rhes to be an E3 ligase for the …

Selective Vip Receptor Agonists Facilitate Immune Transformation For Dopaminergic Neuroprotection In Mptp-Intoxicated Mice., Katherine E. Olson, Lisa M. Kosloski-Bilek, Kristi M. Anderson, Breha J. Diggs, Barbara E. Clark, John M. Gledhill, Scott J. Shandler, R. Lee Mosley, Howard Gendelman

Journal Articles: Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience

UNLABELLED: Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) mediates a broad range of biological responses by activating two related receptors, VIP receptor 1 and 2 (VIPR1 and VIPR2). Although the use of native VIP facilitates neuroprotection, clinical application of the hormone is limited due to VIP's rapid metabolism and inability to distinguish between VIPR1 and VIPR2 receptors. In addition, activation of both receptors by therapeutics may increase adverse secondary toxicities. Therefore, we developed metabolically stable and receptor-selective agonists for VIPR1 and VIPR2 to improve pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic therapeutic end points. Selective agonists were investigated for their abilities to protect mice against MPTP-induced neurodegeneration …

Greater Magnocellular Saccadic Suppression In High Versus Low Autistic Tendency Suggests A Causal Path To Local Perceptual Style., David P Crewther, Daniel Crewther, Stephanie Bevan, Melvyn A Goodale, Sheila G Crewther

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Saccadic suppression-the reduction of visual sensitivity during rapid eye movements-has previously been proposed to reflect a specific suppression of the magnocellular visual system, with the initial neural site of that suppression at or prior to afferent visual information reaching striate cortex. Dysfunction in the magnocellular visual pathway has also been associated with perceptual and physiological anomalies in individuals with autism spectrum disorder or high autistic tendency, leading us to question whether saccadic suppression is altered in the broader autism phenotype. Here we show that individuals with high autistic tendency show greater saccadic suppression of low versus high spatial frequency gratings …

Cardiovascular Regulation And Effects Of Respiratory Motor Training In Patients With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury., Bonnie Legg Ditterline

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation attempts to discover the mechanisms between cardiovascular and respiratory motor control post spinal cord injury (SCI): in normal, non-injured (NI) persons, cardiovascular regulation is dependent upon respiration, but there is nothing that suggests the mechanism for this relationship post-SCI. Thus we hoped to evaluate various aspects of cardiovascular regulation to further illustrate how this relationship is changed or unchanged by SCI. Chapter I describes the anatomy and physiology of the spine, respiratory system, and cardiovascular system in a NI person, and then describes how the function of these systems is changed by SCI. In addition, we describe therapies …

Theory Of Mind Indexes The Broader Autism Phenotype In Siblings Of Children With Autism At School Age, Tawny Tsang, Kristen Gillepsie-Lynch, Ted Huntman

Publications and Research

Subclinical variants of the social-communicative challenges and rigidity that define autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are known as the broader autism phenotype (BAP). The BAP has been conceptualized categorically (as specific to a subset of relatives of individuals with ASD) and dimensionally (as continuously distributed within the general population). The current study examined the compatibility of these two approaches by assessing associations among autism symptoms and social-communicative skills in young school-age children with ASD, children who have a sibling with ASD, and children without a sibling with ASD. Autism symptomswere associated with reducedTheory ofMind (ToM), adaptive skills, cognitive empathy, and language …

Post-Stroke Depression Among Stroke Survivors Attending Two Hospitals In Kampala Uganda, Martha Sajatovic, Kathyleen Smyth

Faculty Scholarship

Background: The burden of stroke worldwide is increasing rapidly. There is paucity of data on post-stroke depression (PSD) among stroke survivors in Uganda, despite the high prevalence of PSD reported elsewhere. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we assessed adult participants with confirmed first stroke with a standardized questionnaire. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess for depression among non-aphasic patients while the Aphasic Depression Rating Scale was administered to aphasic patients. Univariable and multivariable analyses performed to describe associations with PSD. Results: Forty three females (58.9%) and 30 males (41.1%) who had a stroke participated. Fifty eight (79.5%) had …

Neurophysiological Activity Related To Speech Production: An Erp Investigation, Adithya Chandregowda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The event related potential (ERP) technique is enjoying widespread application in neurophysiological research due to its fine temporal resolution. Of relevance to this study are ERPs related to voluntary movements. The precision with which movement related processes could be recorded using the ERP technique was demonstrated by Gilden, Vaughan and Costa (1966) and Kutas and Donchin (1974, 1977, and 1980) who found that the readiness potential (RP) immediately preceding hand movement was larger over the hemisphere contralateral to the responding hand. Given that left hemisphere controls right hand movements and vice versa, their findings confirmed that the lateralized readiness potential …

An Animal Model Of Flashbulb Memory: Insights Into The Time-Dependent Mechanisms Of Memory Enhancement, Laura Ashley Bullard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The vivid memory of an emotional event, as well as memory for incidental details associated with the arousing event, has been referred to collectively as a “flashbulb memory”. An important aspect of flashbulb memory in people is that an emotional event enhances memory of contextual details, such as the weather, or clothes one was wearing at the time of the event. Therefore, an emotional event not only produces a detailed memory of the event, itself, but also enhances memory for contextual details that would otherwise not be remembered. The first goal of this work is to describe the development of …

Loss Of Vglut3 Produces Circadian-Dependent Hyperdopaminergia And Ameliorates Motor Dysfunction And L-Dopa-Mediated Dyskinesias In A Model Of Parkinson's Disease., Christopher B. Divito, Kathy Steece-Collier, Daniel T. Case, Sean-Paul G. Williams, Jennifer A. Stancati, Lianteng Zhi, Maria E. Rubio, Caryl E. Sortwell, Timothy J. Collier, David Sulzer, Robert H. Edwards, Hui Zhang, Rebecca P. Seal

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

UNLABELLED: The striatum is essential for many aspects of mammalian behavior, including motivation and movement, and is dysfunctional in motor disorders such as Parkinson's disease. The vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGLUT3) is expressed by striatal cholinergic interneurons (CINs) and is thus well positioned to regulate dopamine (DA) signaling and locomotor activity, a canonical measure of basal ganglia output. We now report that VGLUT3 knock-out (KO) mice show circadian-dependent hyperlocomotor activity that is restricted to the waking cycle and is due to an increase in striatal DA synthesis, packaging, and release. Using a conditional VGLUT3 KO mouse, we show that deletion …

Adolescent Intermittent Alcohol Exposure: Deficits In Object Recognition Memory And Forebrain Cholinergic Markers, H. Scott Swartzwelder, Shawn K. Acheson, Kelsey M. Miller, Hannah G. Sexton, Wen Liu, Fulton T. Crews, Mary-Louise Risher

Biomedical Sciences

The long-term effects of intermittent ethanol exposure during adolescence (AIE) are of intensive interest and investigation. The effects of AIE on learning and memory and the neural functions that drive them are of particular interest as clinical findings suggest enduring deficits in those cognitive domains in humans after ethanol abuse during adolescence. Although studies of such deficits after AIE hold much promise for identifying mechanisms and therapeutic interventions, the findings are sparse and inconclusive. The present results identify a specific deficit in memory function after AIE and establish a possible neural mechanism of that deficit that may be of translational …

Hiv-1-Tat Protein Inhibits Sc35-Mediated Tau Exon 10 Inclusion Through Up-Regulation Of Dyrk1a Kinase, Ferdous Kadri, Marco Pacifici, Anna Wilk, Amanda Parker-Struckhoff, Luis Del Valle, Kurt F. Hauser, Pamela E. Knapp, Christopher Parsons, Duane Jeansonne, Adam Lassak, Francesca Peruzzi

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The HIV-1 transactivator protein Tat is implicated in the neuronal damage that contributes to neurocognitive impairment affecting people living with HIV/AIDS. Aberrant splicing of TAU exon 10 results in tauopathies characterized by alterations in the proportion of TAU isoforms containing three (3R) or four (4R) microtubule-binding repeats. The splicing factor SC35/SRSF2 binds to nuclear RNA and facilitates the incorporation of exon 10 in the TAU molecule. Here, we utilized clinical samples, an animal model, and neuronal cell cultures and found that Tat promotes TAU 3R up-regulation through increased levels of phosphorylated SC35, which is retained in nuclear speckles. This mechanism …