Neurology Commons^™

Early-Onset Familial Alzheimer Disease, Laura J. Murphy

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

An Alzheimer’s diagnosis is an overwhelming and devastating diagnosis for both patients and families. Now imagine if this diagnosis was made at age 55. Instead of looking forward to retirement and grandchildren, these people are preparing for a debilitating disease that will rob them of their memory, cognitive and functional abilities. Early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease (EOFAD) affects people before the age of 65. Although extremely rare, some exhibit symptoms as early as in their 30s. One of the things most frustrating about this disease is so little is known about its cause. That and the fact there is no cure. …

Tension Pneumocephalus, Nicole Liebner

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Pneumocephalus is defined as the presence of air within the cranial vault; tension pneumocephalus occurs when air within the cranial vault becomes trapped and causes a mass effect or increased pressure, damaging the brain (Patel, Idicula, Carrau, & Prevedello, 2013). Small amounts of air within the cranial vault can be reabsorbed or metabolized by the body over a few days without causing symptoms, however, in tension pneumocephalus the air cannot escape, causing extensive neurological symptoms (Webber-Jones ,2005). Thus, asymptomatic pneumocephalus can be a common finding following a cranial surgery, where as tension pneumocephalus is extremely rare (Webber-Jones, 2005). Markam (1967) …

Role Of Astrocyte Network In Edema After Juvenile Traumatic Brain Injury, Andrew Minoru Fukuda

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Juvenile traumatic brain injury (jTBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in young children and adolescents. Despite its lasting detrimental effects on the developing brain, no pharmacological treatment exists. One of the pathological hallmarks of jTBI is edema. Astrocytes play a key role in the edema process, and have been hypothesized that numerous astrocyte networks allow communication and propagation of edema and secondary injury spread. Two key astrocyte proteins are hypothesized to have a central role in the edema process: Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) and Connexin 43 (Cx43). AQP4 is expressed extensively in astrocyte endfeet, which surrounds the blood …

Frontal White Matter Integrity In Adults With Down Syndrome With And Without Dementia, David K. Powell, Allison Caban-Holt, Greg A. Jicha, William C. Robertson, Roberta Davis, Brian T. Gold, Frederick A. Schmitt, Elizabeth Head

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Center Faculty Publications

Adults with Down syndrome (DS) are at high risk for developing Alzheimer's disease after the age of 40 years. To detect white matter (WM) changes in the brain linked to dementia, fractional anisotropy (FA) from diffusion tensor imaging was used. We hypothesized that adults with DS without dementia (DS n = 10), DS with dementia (DSAD n = 10) and age matched non-DS subjects (CTL n = 10) would show differential levels of FA and an association with scores from the Brief Praxis Test and the Severe Impairment Battery. WM integrity differences in DS compared with CTL were found predominantly …

Immunomodulatory Activity Of Interferon-Beta, Lloyd H. Kasper, Anthony T. Reder

Dartmouth Scholarship

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disorder of the central nervous system that appears to be driven by a shift in immune functioning toward excess inflammation that results in demyelination and axonal loss. Beta interferons were the first class of disease-modifying therapies to be approved for patients with MS after treatment with this type I interferon improved the course of MS on both clinical and radiological measures in clinical trials. The mechanism of action of interferon-beta appears to be driven by influencing the immune system at many levels, including antigen-presenting cells, T cells, and B cells. One effect of these …

Pilot Study To Assess Benefit Of Virtual Reality Game System, Wii, On Balance And Gait In Persons With Parkinson's Disease, Peter J. Barbour Md, Amy L. Kerstetter Pt, Allyn Danni Pt, Ncs, Atp, Mscs, Jolene Hammer Pt, Michael J. Weiss Mph, Sandra M. Tremblay Pt, Ms, Cws, Mscs

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Alzheimer’S Disease Cooperative Study (Adcs) Prevention Instrument Project Assessing Resource Use And Volunteer And Paid Work Among Healthy Elders, A Longitudinal Study, Peter J. Whitehouse

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Reduction In Post-Botulinum Toxin Flu-Like Symptoms After Injection With Incobotulinum Toxin, Edwin George, Natalya Shneyder

Neurology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: To determine if patients reporting flu-like symptoms (FLS) after botulinum toxin (BoNT) injections are less susceptible to this reaction after incobotulinum toxin.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 10% of patients injected with BoNT in our clinic complain of FLS, primarily malaise, myalgias and rhinorrhea, beginning a few days to one week after injection and lasting one week or less. A review by Baizabal-Carvallo et al. (Toxicon, 2011, 58:1-7) found rates of FLS between 1.7 and 20% in patients after various preparations of botulinum toxin A, and a subsequent study showed increased cytokines in patients with FLS (Neurotoxicity Research, …

Critical Role Of Tnf-Α In Cerebral Aneurysm Formation And Progression To Rupture., Robert M Starke, Nohra Chalouhi, Md, Pascal Jabbour Md, Stavropoula Tjoumakaris, L. Fernando Gonzalez, Robert H. Rosenwasswer Md, Kosuke Wada, Kenji Shimada, David M Hasan, Nigel H Greig, Gary K Owens, Aaron Dumont

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Alterations in TNF-α expression have been associated with cerebral aneurysms, but a direct role in formation, progression, and rupture has not been established.

METHODS: Cerebral aneurysms were induced through hypertension and a single stereotactic injection of elastase into the basal cistern in mice. To test the role of TNF-α in aneurysm formation, aneurysms were induced in TNF-α knockout mice and mice pretreated with the synthesized TNF-α inhibitor 3,6'dithiothalidomide (DTH). To assess the role of TNF-α in aneurysm progression and rupture, DTH was started 6 days after aneurysm induction. TNF-α expression was assessed through real-time PCR and immunofluorescence staining.

RESULTS: …

The End Of Alzheimer's Disease - From Biochemical Pharmacology To Ecopsychosociology: A Personal Perspective, Peter J. Whitehouse

Faculty Scholarship

The future of the Alzheimer's disease (AD) field involves a more complete understanding not only the state of current scientific approaches, but also the linguistic and cultural context of preclinical and clinical research and policy activities. The challenges surrounding dementia are large and growing but are only part of broader social and health concerns. In this latter context, the current state of research in the AD area is reviewed together with necessary priorities in moving forward. Creating a more optimistic future will depend less on genetic and reductionist approaches and more on environmental and intergenerative approaches that will aid in …

Pillow Talk: The Epigenetic And Physiological Effects Of Sleep Deprivation, Jennifer D. Cotter

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Circadian rhythms, or the 24-hour biological cycles of living cells, function as the body’s internal clock. Although circadian rhythms and sleep are very different processes, they are closely related to one another as these cycles play an important role in sleeping and waking patterns. Recent studies have shown that lack of sleep or sleep of poor quality can disrupt circadian rhythms and may actually cause cognitive disorders and memory loss, facilitate false memory production, and even alter gene expression in humans. This literature review is focused on identifying the epigenetic and physiological effects of disruptions and desynchronization in circadian rhythms …

Brain Blast 2014 Poster, Annie Leslie

Brain Blast

Announcement poster for UNE's Brain Blast 2014, a pechakucha-style brain health and safety awareness and learning event.

Brain Blast 2014 Speakers Poster, Annie Leslie

Brain Blast

Poster from UNE's Brain Blast 2014 listing the presenters at this event.

Autoantibodies To Agrin In Myasthenia Gravis Patients, Bin Zhang, Chengyong Shen, Beverly Bealmear, Samia Ragheb, Wen-Cheng Xiong, Richard A. Lewis, Robert P. Lisak, Lin Mei

Immunology and Microbiology Faculty Research Publications

To determine if patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) have antibodies to agrin, a proteoglycan released by motor neurons and is critical for neuromuscular junction (NMJ) formation, we collected serum samples from 93 patients with MG with known status of antibodies to acetylcholine receptor (AChR), muscle specific kinase (MuSK) and lipoprotein-related 4 (LRP4) and samples from control subjects (healthy individuals and individuals with other diseases). Sera were assayed for antibodies to agrin. We found antibodies to agrin in 7 serum samples of MG patients. None of the 25 healthy controls and none of the 55 control neurological patients had agrin antibodies. …

Two Distinct Dynamic Modes Subtend The Detection Of Unexpected Sounds, Jean-Rémi King, Alexandre Gramfort, Aaron Schurger, Lionel Naccache, Stanislas Dehaene

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The brain response to auditory novelty comprises two main EEG components: an early mismatch negativity and a late P300. Whereas the former has been proposed to reflect a prediction error, the latter is often associated with working memory updating. Interestingly, these two proposals predict fundamentally different dynamics: prediction errors are thought to propagate serially through several distinct brain areas, while working memory supposes that activity is sustained over time within a stable set of brain areas. Here we test this temporal dissociation by showing how the generalization of brain activity patterns across time can characterize the dynamics of the underlying …

The Relationship Between Fasting Serum Glucose And Cerebral Glucose Metabolism In Late-Life Depression And Normal Aging, C. M. Marano, C. I. Workman, C. H. Lyman, E. Kramer, C. R. Hermann, Y. L. Ma, V. Dhawan, T. Chaly, D. Eidelberg, G. S. Smith

Journal Articles

Evidence exists for late-life depression (LLD) as both a prodrome of and risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The underlying neurobiological mechanisms are poorly understood. Impaired peripheral glucose metabolism may explain the association between depression and AD given the connection between type 2 diabetes mellitus with both depression and AD. Positron emission tomography (PET) measures of cerebral glucose metabolism are sensitive to detecting changes in neural circuitry in LLD and AD. Fasting serum glucose (FSG) in non-diabetic young (YC; n=20) and elderly controls (EC; n=12) and LLD patients (n = 16) was correlated with PET scans of cerebral glucose metabolism …

Characterization Of Disease-Related Covariance Topographies With Ssmpca Toolbox: Effects Of Spatial Normalization And Pet Scanners, S. C. Peng, Y. L. Ma, P. G. Spetsieris, P. Mattis, Andrew Feigin, V. Dhawan, D. Eidelberg

Journal Articles

To generate imaging biomarkers from disease-specific brain networks, we have implemented a general toolbox to rapidly perform scaled subprofile modeling (SSM) based on principal component analysis (PCA) on brain images of patients and normals. This SSMPCA toolbox can define spatial covariance patterns whose expression in individual subjects can discriminate patients from controls or predict behavioral measures. The technique may depend on differences in spatial normalization algorithms and brain imaging systems. We have evaluated the reproducibility of characteristic metabolic patterns generated by SSMPCA in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We used [F-18]fluorodeoxyglucose PET scans from patients with PD and normal controls. …

Thalamocortical Connectivity Correlates With Phenotypic Variability In Dystonia, An Vo, W. Sako, M. Niethammer, M. Carbon, S. B. Bressman, A. M. Ulug, D. Eidelberg

Journal Articles

Dystonia is a brain disorder characterized by abnormal involuntary movements without defining neuropathological changes. The disease is often inherited as an autosomal-dominant trait with incomplete penetrance. Individuals with dystonia, whether inherited or sporadic, exhibit striking phenotypic variability, with marked differences in the somatic distribution and severity of clinical manifestations. In the current study, we used magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging to identify microstructural changes associated with specific limb manifestations. Functional MRI was used to localize specific limb regions within the somatosensory cortex. Microstructural integrity was preserved when assessed in subrolandic white matter regions somatotopically related to the clinically involved limbs, …

Regional Brain Metabolism In A Murine Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Model, An Vo, B. T. Volpe, C. C. Tang, W. K. Schiffer, C. Kowal, P. T. Huerta, A. M. Ulug, S. L. Dewey, D. Eidelberg, B. Diamond

Journal Articles

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by multiorgan inflammation, neuropsychiatric disorders (NPSLE), and antinuclear antibodies. We previously identified a subset of anti-DNA antibodies (DNRAb) cross-reactive with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, present in 30% to 40% of patients, able to enhance excitatory post-synaptic potentials and trigger neuronal apoptosis. DNRAb + mice exhibit memory impairment or altered fear response, depending on whether the antibody penetrates the hippocampus or amygdala. Here, we used 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) microPET to plot changes in brain metabolism after regional blood-brain barrier (BBB) breach. In DNRAb + mice, metabolism declined at the site of BBB breach in the first 2 …

Consistent Abnormalities In Metabolic Network Activity In Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behaviour Disorder, P. Wu, H. Yu, S. C. Peng, Y. Dauvilliers, J. Wang, J. J. Ge, H. W. Zhang, D. Eidelberg, Y. L. Ma, C. T. Zuo

Journal Articles

Rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder has been evaluated using Parkinson's disease-related metabolic network. It is unknown whether this disorder is itself associated with a unique metabolic network. F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography was performed in 21 patients (age 65.0 +/- 5.6 years) with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder and 21 age/gender-matched healthy control subjects (age 62.5 +/- 7.5 years) to identify a disease-related pattern and examine its evolution in 21 hemi-parkinsonian patients (age 62.6 +/- 5.0 years) and 16 moderate parkinsonian patients (age 56.9 +/- 12.2 years). We identified a rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder-related metabolic network …

Gene-Based Therapies In Parkinson's Disease, P. J. Allen, A. Feigin

Journal Articles

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder characterized primarily by the degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons and diminution of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Though dopamine replacement therapies such as levodopa can improve the symptoms of PD, the benefits may be overshadowed by side effects and the onset of symptoms not responsive to dopaminergic treatments (e.g., autonomic symptoms, gait and balance problems, and cognitive impairment). Furthermore, no therapies have proven to slow the neurodegenerative process. Novel approaches to address these difficult problems, and others, are being sought. Over the last decade, several innovative gene therapies for PD have entered human clinical …

Assessing Function And Endurance In Adults With Spinal And Bulbar Muscular Atrophy: Validity Of The Adult Myopathy Assessment Tool., Michael O. Harris-Love, Lindsay Fernandez-Rhodes, Galen Joe, Joseph A. Shrader, Angela Kokkinis, Alison La Pean Kirschner, Sungyoung Auh, Cheunju Chen, Li Li, Ellen Levy, Todd E. Davenport, Nicholas A. Di Prospero, Kenneth H. Fischbeck

Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Publications

Purpose. The adult myopathy assessment tool (AMAT) is a performance-based battery comprised of functional and endurance subscales that can be completed in approximately 30 minutes without the use of specialized equipment. The purpose of this study was to determine the construct validity and internal consistency of the AMAT with a sample of adults with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA).

Methods. AMAT validity was assessed in 56-male participants with genetically confirmed SBMA (mean age, 53 ± 10 years). The participants completed the AMAT and assessments for disease status, strength, and functional status. Results. Lower AMAT scores were associated with longer …

Differential Effects Of Fatigue On Movement Variability, N. Cortes, J. Onate, S. Morrison

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

When individuals perform purposeful actions to fatigue, there is typically a general decline in their movement performance. This study was designed to investigate the effects exercise-induced fatigue has on lower limb kinetics and kinematics during a side-step cutting task. In particular, it was of interest to determine what changes could be seen in mean amplitude and all metrics of signal variability with fatigue. The results of the study revealed that post-fatigue there was an overall decrease in absolute force production as reflected by a decline in mean amplitude and variability (SD) of the ground reaction forces (GRF_V and GRF …

Empirical Models Of Scalp-Eeg Responses Using Non-Concurrent Intracranial Responses, Komalpreet Kaur, Jerry J. Shih, Dean J. Krusienski

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Objective- This study presents inter-subject models of scalp-recorded electroencephalographic (sEEG) event-related potentials (ERPs) using intracranially recorded ERPs from electrocorticography and stereotactic depth electrodes in the hippocampus, generally termed as intracranial EEG (iEEG).

Approach- The participants were six patients with medically-intractable epilepsy that underwent temporary placement of intracranial electrode arrays to localize seizure foci. Participants performed one experimental session using a brain-computer interface matrix spelling paradigm controlled by sEEG prior to the iEEG electrode implantation, and one or more identical sessions controlled by iEEG after implantation. All participants were able to achieve excellent spelling accuracy using sEEG, four of the participants …

Three‐Dimensional Brain Mri For Dbs Patients Within Ultra‐Low Radiofrequency Power Limits, Subhendra N. Sarkar, Efstathios Papavassiliou, David Hackney, David Alsop, Ananth Madhuranthakam, Ludy Shih, Reed Busse, Susan Laruche, Rafeeque Bhadelia

Publications and Research

Background: For patients with deep brain stimulators (DBS), local absorbed radiofrequency (RF) power is unknown and is much higher than what the system estimates. We developed a comprehensive, highquality brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol for DBS patients utilizing three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance sequences at very low RF power. Methods: Six patients with DBS were imaged (10 sessions) using a transmit/receive head coil at 1.5 Tesla with modified 3D sequences within ultra-low specific absorption rate (SAR) limits (0.1 W/kg) using T2, fast fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and T1- weighted image contrast. Tissue signal and tissue contrast from the low-SAR images …

Caveolins And Njks Influence Brain Endothelial Permeability After Juvenile Tbi, David Olufemi Ajao

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Disruption of blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a key secondary event that exacerbates brain damage following traumatic brain injury (TBI). BBB disruption is particularly damaging to the developing brain – which is highly vulnerable to various stress stimuli, resulting in increased brain swelling, disrupted cerebral blood flow (CBF) autoregulation, long-term disabilities and death following TBI in young demographic. Unsurprisingly, BBB disruption and the resultant cerebral edema have emerged as therapeutic targets in juvenile TBI. It is therefore important to understand the molecular players and mechanisms involved in TBI-induced BBB disruption in the juvenile brain. To this end, the endothelial caveolins and …

Distinct Phenotypes In Zebrafish Models Of Human Startle Disease, Lisa R. Ganser, Qing Yan, Victoria M. James, Robert Kozol, Maya Topf, Robert J. Harvey, Julia E. Dallman

Faculty Articles

Startle disease is an inherited neurological disorder that causes affected individuals to suffer noise- or touch-induced non-epileptic seizures, excessive muscle stiffness and neonatal apnea episodes. Mutations known to cause startle disease have been identified in glycine receptor subunit (GLRA1 and GLRB) and glycine transporter (SLC6A5) genes, which serve essential functions at glycinergic synapses. Despite the significant successes in identifying startle disease mutations, many idiopathic cases remain unresolved. Exome sequencing in these individuals will identify new candidate genes. To validate these candidate disease genes, zebrafish is an ideal choice due to rapid knockdown strategies, accessible embryonic stages, and stereotyped behaviors. The …

Dopaminergic Modulation Of Memory And Affective Processing In Parkinson Depression, Lee X. Blonder, John T. Slevin, Richard J. Kryscio, Catherine A. Martin, Anders H. Andersen, Charles D Smith, Frederick A. Schmitt

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Center Faculty Publications

Depression is common in Parkinson's disease and is associated with cognitive impairment. Dopaminergic medications are effective in treating the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease; however, little is known regarding the effects of dopaminergic pharmacotherapy on cognitive function in depressed Parkinson patients. This study examines the neuropsychological effects of dopaminergic pharmacotherapy in Parkinsonian depression. We compared cognitive function in depressed and non-depressed Parkinson patients at two time-points: following overnight withdrawal and after the usual morning regimen of dopaminergic medications. A total of 28 non-demented, right-handed patients with mild to moderate idiopathic Parkinson's disease participated. Ten of these patients were depressed according …

Prolonged Febrile Seizures Cause Reversible Reductions In White Matter Integrity☆, M. Yoong, K. Seunarine, M. Martinos, R. F. Chin, C. A. Clark, R. C. Scott

Dartmouth Scholarship

Prolonged febrile seizures (PFS) are the commonest cause of childhood status epilepticus and are believed to carry a risk of neuronal damage, in particular to the mesial temporal lobe. This study was designed to determine: i) the effect of prolonged febrile seizures on white matter and ii) the temporal evolution of any changes seen.

33 children were recruited 1 month following PFS and underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with repeat imaging at 6 and 12 months after the original episode of PFS. 18 age-matched healthy control subjects underwent similar investigations at a single time point. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was …

Reducing Multi-Sensor Data To A Single Time Course That Reveals Experimental Effects, Aaron Schurger, Sebastien Marti, Stanislas Dehaene

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Multi-sensor technologies such as EEG, MEG, and ECoG result in high-dimensional data sets. Given the high temporal resolution of such techniques, scientific questions very often focus on the time-course of an experimental effect. In many studies, researchers focus on a single sensor or the average over a subset of sensors covering a “region of interest” (ROI). However, single-sensor or ROI analyses ignore the fact that the spatial focus of activity is constantly changing, and fail to make full use of the information distributed over the sensor array.

Methods: We describe a technique that exploits the optimality and …