Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Biological Embedding Of Early Trauma: The Role Of Higher Prefrontal Synaptic Strength, Amanda J F Tamman, Lihong Jiang, Christopher L Averill, Graeme F Mason, Lynnette A Averill, Chadi G Abdallah

Staff and Researcher Publications

Background: Early trauma predicts poor psychological and physical health. Glutamatergic synaptic processes offer one avenue for understanding this relationship, given glutamate's abundance and involvement in reward and stress sensitivity, emotion, and learning. Trauma-induced glutamatergic excitotoxicity may alter neuroplasticity and approach/avoidance tendencies, increasing risk for psychiatric disorders. Studies examine upstream or downstream effects instead of glutamatergic synaptic processes in vivo, limiting understanding of how trauma affects the brain.Objective: In a pilot study using a previously published data set, we examine associations between early trauma and a proposed measure of synaptic strength in vivo in one of the largest human …

Nourishing The Brain On Deep Space Missions: Nutritional Psychiatry In Promoting Resilience, Nihar N Pathare, Flavia Fayet-Moore, Jennifer A Fogarty, Felice N Jacka, Philip Strandwitz, Gary E Strangman, Dorit B Donoviel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The grueling psychological demands of a journey into deep space coupled with ever-increasing distances away from home pose a unique problem: how can we best take advantage of the benefits of fresh foods in a place that has none? Here, we consider the biggest challenges associated with our current spaceflight food system, highlight the importance of supporting optimal brain health on missions into deep space, and discuss evidence about food components that impact brain health. We propose a future food system that leverages the gut microbiota that can be individually tailored to best support the brain and mental health of …

Racial Differences In Depression Indicators Before And After 2008 Financial Crisis In A Sample Of Older Adults, Angelina E. Jackson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The present study was designed to examine patterns of mental health outcomes in older Black and White adults after the national 2008 financial crisis. The data was acquired from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study, a publicly available dataset. This longitudinal study has obtained data from a representative sample of approximately 20,000 older adults in America, aged 55 and older. The hypotheses were (1) rates of mental health indicators related to symptoms of depression will increase after the 2008 financial crisis and (2) that increase will be significantly higher in Black respondents compared to White respondents. The analysis …

Disparities In Mental Health Technology Among African Americans: Breaking Cultural Inclusion Barriers, Nyoki Cosey-Brown

DSW Capstone Projects

Mental health technology is a healthcare delivery model of the future. The engagement in virtual healthcare was intensified when traditional healthcare methods were inaccessible during the federal restrictions implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing digital apparatuses for healthcare improved the convenience, efficiency, and accessibility of various mental health services that were inoperable in past healthcare models. However, the historical constructs of stigma, discrimination, inequity, exclusion, and structural racism in mental healthcare were prevalent problems that remained present in virtual mental health platforms concerning the experiences of African-American patients and professionals who utilized the spaces.

This research explored mental health …

Pregnancy-Related Covid Worry, Depressive Symptom Severity, And Mediation Through Sleep Disturbance In A Low-Income, Primarily Latinx Population In California’S Central Valley, Jennifer N Felder, Patience A Afulani, Kimberly Coleman-Phox, Serwaa S Omowale, Charles E Mcculloch, Lauren Lessard, Miriam Kuppermann

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: This study (1) assessed the psychometric properties of a pregnancy-related COVID worry scale, (2) explored variations in pregnancy-related COVID worry over the course of the pandemic, and (3) examined associations between pregnancy-related COVID worry and depressive symptom severity, and evaluated sleep disturbance as a mediator.

Methods: Data were drawn from an ongoing randomized trial comparing the effectiveness of two enhanced forms of prenatal care. The current analysis includes baseline pre-randomization data collected from participants who enrolled November 2020-November 2021 (n = 201). Participants were pregnant individuals with low income and primarily Latinx.

Results: Our 7-item scale was valid and …

The Maternal And Infant Environmental Health Riskscape Study Of Perinatal Disparities In Greater Houston: Rationale, Study Design And Participant Profiles, R Jeanne Ruiz, Kristyn Grimes, Elizabeth Spurlock, Angela Stotts, Thomas F Northrup, Yolanda Villarreal, Robert Suchting, Melissa Cernuch, Liza Rivera, Raymond P Stowe, Rita H Pickler

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Pregnant Mexican Americans (hereafter called Latinas) and Black/African American women are at increased risk for psychological distress, contributing to preterm birth and low birthweight; acculturative stress combined with perceived stress elevates depressive symptoms in Latinas. Based on our prior research using a psychoneuroimmunology framework, we identified psychological and neuroendocrine risk factors as predictors of preterm birth in Latina women that are also identified as risk factors for Black/African American women.

METHODS/DESIGN: In this prospective, randomized controlled trial with parallel group design we will explore psychosocial, neuroendocrine, and birth outcome effects of the Mastery Lifestyle Intervention (MLI). The MLI is …

Digital Medicine System In Veterans With Severe Mental Illness: Feasibility And Acceptability Study, Sarah Gonzales, Olaoluwa O Okusaga, J Corey Reuteman-Fowler, Megan M Oakes, Jamie N Brown, Scott Moore, Allison A Lewinski, Cristin Rodriguez, Norma Moncayo, Valerie A Smith, Shauna Malone, Justine List, Raymond Y Cho, Amy S Jeffreys, Hayden B Bosworth

Staff and Researcher Publications

Background: Suboptimal medication adherence is a significant problem for patients with serious mental illness. Measuring medication adherence through subjective and objective measures can be challenging, time-consuming, and inaccurate.

Objective: The primary purpose of this feasibility and acceptability study was to evaluate the impact of a digital medicine system (DMS) among Veterans (patients) with serious mental illness as compared with treatment as usual (TAU) on medication adherence.

Methods: This open-label, 2-site, provider-randomized trial assessed aripiprazole refill adherence in Veterans with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder. We randomized 26 providers such that their patients either received TAU or …

Assessing The Mental Health Of Women At The Intersection Of Intimate Partner Violence And Animal Cruelty: Personal And Population Level Risk Factors For Co-Victimization, Alaina M. Beauchamp

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

One predictor of intimate partner violence (IPV) occurring in the home is pet abuse. The high prevalence of pet cruelty among IPV relationship can create a significant barrier to seeking help due to the inability to bring the pet or concern for the pet’s wellbeing. This human-animal bond is a more common source of emotional support among victims with experiences of pet abuse, as opposed to women whose pets had not been abused. This study 1) explored the relationship between victims of IPV and their pets, the dynamics and characteristics of situations of co-victimization (i.e., abuse of both a human …

An Updated Look At Mental Health Services In American Public And Private Prisons, Lieren E. Tyira

Student Theses

People residing in American prisons have the legal right to mental health care while incarcerated (Justia, 2021). This is important, as the prevalence of mental disorders is high in this population (Prins, 2014), and incarceration is a psychologically damaging experience, which hinders a person’s success at rehabilitation. Numerous of issues related to the mental health services (MHSs) in both public and private prison facilities have been reported in recent years, which warrants systematic exploration. The little existing research comparing the presence of MHSs in these facilities has produced mixed results, it uses out-of-date datasets, and none has explored MHSs in …

A Case Of Inferior Dislocation Of Right Shoulder, Gauri A. Nair

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Dislocation of the shoulder is the commonest of all large joint dislocations. Inferior dislocation of the shoulder, also called luxatio erecta, is a rare form. It appears in less than 0.5% of all shoulder dislocations. Patient characteristically presents with an arm locked in upright position - Luxatio erecta. Its etiology, clinical presentation and radiographic findings are distinct. An awareness of associated potential neurovascular injuries and rotator cuff tears is important in this rare entity and should be excluded with high index of suspicion. Preferred modality of treatment depends upon the age of the patient and the extent of neurovascular involvement. …

Depression Secondary To Isotretinoin – A Case Report, Rohan Karkra, Megha Sadashiv, Kishor M

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Depression is one of the leading causes of morbidity in the world and significantly affects the lives of people suffering from it. The exact cause of depression has not been established and it is believed to be a complex play between various social, biological, environmental, personal factors. A relatively rare but distinct cause includes pharmacological agents.

In this case report, we describe the case of a 17-year-old girl who developed depression with psychotic symptoms on two occasions, both preceded by a history of Isotretinoin use. She was admitted and treated with anti-psychotics and psychotherapy with significant improvement in her mental …

Personality Disorder Predisposing To Alcohol Dependence, Samarchitha S Ms., Venkatesh Babu Dr., Megha Sadashiv Dr., Sudeep Pk Mr.

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

No abstract provided.

High-Velocity Fracture: Case Of Displaced Intertrochanteric Fracture Offemur With Spiral Fracture Of Shaft Of Right Femur, Gayathri Sureshkumar Nair

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

BACKGROUND

Intertrochanteric fracture is a common orthopedic condition characterized by extracapsular fractures of the proximal femur that occur between the greater and lesser trochanter with predominance in elderly population, especially those with osteoporosis, wherein even a low energy mechanism is enough to cause the fracture.

There is an observed female predominance with ratio between 2:1 and 8:1. [1,2]

Commonly observed symptoms include shortened and externally rotated limb, pain and bony tenderness around the hip joint, inability to bear weight on the affected limb to name a few.

Management depends upon age of patient, nature of the fracture, number of comminuted …

Comparison Of Conventional Pap Smear And Manual Liquid Based Cytology With P16 Marker In Screening For Cervical Cancer In Indian Tertiary Healthcare Setups In Mysuru, Gayathri Sureshkumar Nair, Nandini Manoli, Nandish Manoli

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

In India, there are 20.2 per 100000 new cases of Cervical Cancer diagnosed and 11.1 per 100000 deaths annually accounting for more than one fifths of global cervical cancer deaths. [1] Thus, due to an absence of a national immunization program to cover human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and lack of accessible cervical cancer screening, the disease is characterized by late detection, lack of access to affordable and quality health care, and high mortality rates. [2]

Papanicolaou Smear Test was a novel invention by Dr George Papanicolaou in the year 1927 which gained maximum popularity in 1950 as a screening test …

A Structural Examination Of The Connection Between The Amygdala And Nucleus Accumbens In Adolescents With Clinical Anxiety, Alyssa Griffith

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The prominence of anxiety disorders in today’s general population is a major public health concern. Advancing research of the underlying pathophysiology of anxiety disorders can lead to the discovery of effective treatment interventions to treat the mental and physical symptoms of anxiety, and thus improve quality of life. This study aimed to examine two brain areas in the limbic and reward systems, the amygdala and Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc), and the structural white matter connection between them. This neural circuit assigns affective valence to environmental stimuli and motivates behavior to avoid potential harm. This study utilized diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI) …

Technology-Enhanced In Vivo Exposures In Prolonged Exposure For Ptsd: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Tanya C Saraiya, Amber M Jarnecke, Alex O Rothbaum, Bethany Wangelin, Lisa M Mcteague, Ron Acierno, Delisa G Brown, Emily Bristol, Hayley Feigl, Mclain Reese, Adam R Cobb, Bill Harley, Robert J Adams, Sudie E Back

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In vivo exposures (IVEs) are a key component of exposure-based treatments, during which patients approach fear-provoking, yet safe, situations in "real life." This pilot study assessed the use of a wearable technology (Bio Ware) during IVEs to enhance Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy for PTSD. Bio Ware provides a clinician dashboard with real-time physiological and subjective data for clinicians to use for virtually guided IVEs. Participants (N = 40) were randomized to a Guided group that received standard PE and virtual, clinician-guided IVEs with the Bio Ware device, or a Non-Guided group that received standard PE and used the Bio Ware …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Recreational Therapists Working In Inpatient Mental Health Settings, Summer Matics

All Dissertations

Since 2020, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted the lives of the general public, but healthcare workers including those that work in inpatient mental health settings have seen long-lasting impacts in their workplace. Recreational therapists (CTRSs) are among the mental healthcare workers that have been impacted by the pandemic but there is no existing research that specifically studies their lived experiences. This study used the theoretical foundations and methods of hermeneutic phenomenology in order to describe how COVID-19 has impacted CTRSs’ workplace from a safety perspective, their stress and coping, and also their supervisory duties. Seventeen participants were recruited and …

Individual Differences In Lpp Amplitude And Theta Power Predict Cue-Induced Eating During A Cued Food Delivery Task, Kyla Gibney

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Due to individual differences in the brain’s reward system, some individuals are more vulnerable than others to maladaptive, reward-seeking behaviors, such as substance use or compulsive eating. A body of research has demonstrated that individuals who attribute higher levels of incentive salience to reward-associated cues than to pleasant images (termed “C>P group” throughout) are more vulnerable to compulsive eating than those who attribute higher incentive salience to pleasant images than reward- associated cues (P>C group). Meanwhile, a separate body of research has demonstrated that cognitive control also regulates eating by enabling top-down attentional control. This dissertation aims to …

Mental Health Needs Among Minority Aviation Students, Jorge L. D. Albelo Ph.D., Stacey Mcintire

Publications

Higher education, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, benefit our society and economic growth. However, overcoming gender disparity and increasing the retention of underrepresented minorities within these programs is challenging. Mental health across higher education has shown to be on the rise, and when it comes to the mental health needs of aviation students, research shows that underrepresented minorities experience unique challenges in achieving academic success. This paper focused on identifying aviation minority students' unique challenges in a small STEM university. This mixed-methods action research study collected quantitative data using an adapted version of the Counseling Center Assessment …

Dysregulation Of Complement System In Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Mini Review, Danny Perez Sierra, Ashutosh Tripathi, Anilkumar Pillai

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Complement system is one of the most important defense mechanisms of the innate immune system. In addition to their roles in immune regulation, complement proteins are also involved in neurodevelopment and adult brain plasticity. Complement dysregulation has been shown in neurodevelopmental disorders including schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder as well as in mood disorders. A number of clinical as well as genetic studies suggest the role of complement proteins in the cortical thinning and excessive synaptic pruning frequently associated with schizophrenia. The changes in complement proteins are also associated with the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder, major depressive disorder and …

Pediatric Lung Transplantation For Covid-19: Unique Clinical And Psychosocial Barriers, Anupam Kumar, Gloria W Li, Justin M Segraves, Aladdein Mattar, Maheshwari Ramineni, Gabriel Loor, Puneet S Garcha

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 infection in the age group of 0-17 years contributes to approximately 22% of all laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections. Fortunately, this age group has a lower death rate (0.5 per 100 000) that accounts for only 4% of the total deaths due to COVID-19. Despite the low mortality rate in the pediatric population, children of minority groups represented 78% of the deaths highlighting the existing disparities in access to health care.

METHODS: With the emergence of the more contagious COVID-19 variants and the relatively slow pace of vaccination among the pediatric population, it is possible to see more cases of …

A Novel, Brief, Fully Automated Intervention To Extend The Antidepressant Effect Of A Single Ketamine Infusion: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Rebecca B Price, Crystal Spotts, Benjamin Panny, Angela Griffo, Michelle Degutis, Nicolas Cruz, Elizabeth Bell, Kevin Do-Nguyen, Meredith L Wallace, Sanjay J Mathew, Robert H Howland

Staff and Researcher Publications

Objective: Intravenous ketamine, which displays rapid antidepressant properties, is posited to reverse depression by rapidly enhancing neuroplasticity. The authors tested whether an automated, computer-based approach could efficiently leverage enhanced neuroplasticity to extend the durability of rapid clinical response.

Methods: A total of 154 adults (ages 18-60) with treatment-resistant unipolar depression were randomized in a double-blind, parallel-arm design to receive an active/active treatment combination (ketamine plus active "automated self-association training" [ASAT]; N=53) or one of two control arms that lacked either the active drug component (saline plus active ASAT; N=51) or the active behavioral component (ketamine plus sham ASAT; N=50). One …

Innate Lymphoid Cells In Depression: Current Status And Perspectives, Amit Kumar Madeshiya, Anilkumar Pillai

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The recent discovery of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) has provided new insights into our understanding of the pathogenesis of many disease conditions with immune dysregulation. Type 1 innate lymphoid cells (ILC1s) induce type I immunity and are characterized by the expression of signature cytokine IFN-γ and the master transcription factor T-bet; ILC2s stimulate type II immune responses and are defined by the expression of signature cytokines IL-5 and IL-13, and transcription factors ROR-α and GATA3; ILC3s requires the transcription factor RORγt and produce IL-22 and IL-17. ILCs are largely tissue-resident and are enriched at barrier surfaces of the mammalian body. …

Psychiatric Medications: Does Education Affect Medication Prescriptions?, Surina M. Narine, Mary D. Ramos, Sarah Chu

Symposium of Student Scholars

Background: There is a lack of research on racial challenges among underrepresented adolescents regarding prescription drug use for mental illnesses. Purpose: This study addressed the following question: In adolescent minorities, how does education about racial disparity and culture affect the stigma and number of prescriptions written for psychiatric medications? This evidence-based practice project aimed to identify if racial awareness directly impacts the amount of psychiatric medication prescribed for adolescent minorities. Methods: Literature reviews analyzed qualitative and quantitative data to provide correlating information on racial disparities and psychotropic medications. This study examined the following possible factors for decreased prescribed drugs within …

Qualitative Analysis Of A Twitter-Disseminated Survey Reveals New Patient Perspectives On The Impact Of Urinary Tract Infection, Marissa Valentine-King, Lindsey Laytner, Casey Hines-Munson, Kiara Olmeda, Barbara Trautner, Sheryl Justice, Christina Ching, Larissa Grigoryan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Few studies have harnessed social media to explore patients’ experiences with urinary tract infection (UTI); therefore, we captured UTI experiences and future research suggestions through a Twitter-disseminated survey. The survey posed three qualitative questions inquiring about the impact of UTIs, greatest UTI management hurdle, and research suggestions. We also asked participants to rate how seriously others perceive UTIs and the importance of UTIs in their life (scale: 1–100 (highest)). The study period spanned from January to June 2021. Coding was performed in duplicate, followed by thematic analysis. Of 466 participants from 22 countries, 128 considered their UTIs recurrent (n …

Genome-Transcriptome-Functional Connectivity-Cognition Link Differentiates Schizophrenia From Bipolar Disorder, Jiayu Chen, Zening Fu, Juan R Bustillo, Nora I Perrone-Bizzozero, Dongdong Lin, Jose Canive, Godfrey D Pearlson, Julia M Stephen, Andrew R Mayer, Steven G Potkin, Theo G M Van Erp, Peter Kochunov, L Elliot Hong, Bhim M Adhikari, Ole A Andreassen, Ingrid Agartz, Lars T Westlye, Jing Sui, Yuhui Du, Fabio Macciardi, Faith M Hanlon, Rex E Jung, Jessica A Turner, Jingyu Liu, Vince D Calhoun

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) share genetic risk factors, yet patients display differential levels of cognitive impairment. We hypothesized a genome-transcriptome-functional connectivity (frontoparietal)-cognition pathway linked to SZ-versus-BD differences, and conducted a multiscale study to delineate this pathway.

STUDY DESIGNS: Large genome-wide studies provided single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) conferring more risk for SZ than BD, and we identified their regulated genes, namely SZ-biased SNPs and genes. We then (a) computed the polygenic risk score for SZ (PRSSZ) of SZ-biased SNPs and examined its associations with imaging-based frontoparietal functional connectivity (FC) and cognitive performances; (b) examined the spatial …

Cerebral Blood Flow And Cardiovascular Risk Effects On Resting Brain Regional Homogeneity, Bhim M Adhikari, L Elliot Hong, Zhiwei Zhao, Danny J J Wang, Paul M Thompson, Neda Jahanshad, Alyssa H Zhu, Stefan Holiga, Jessica A Turner, Theo G M Van Erp, Vince D Calhoun, Kathryn S Hatch, Heather Bruce, Stephanie M Hare, Joshua Chiappelli, Eric L Goldwaser, Mark D Kvarta, Yizhou Ma, Xiaoming Du, Thomas E Nichols, Alan R Shuldiner, Braxton D Mitchell, Juergen Dukart, Shuo Chen, Peter Kochunov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Regional homogeneity (ReHo) is a measure of local functional brain connectivity that has been reported to be altered in a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders. Computed from brain resting-state functional MRI time series, ReHo is also sensitive to fluctuations in cerebral blood flow (CBF) that in turn may be influenced by cerebrovascular health. We accessed cerebrovascular health with Framingham cardiovascular risk score (FCVRS). We hypothesize that ReHo signal may be influenced by regional CBF; and that these associations can be summarized as FCVRS→CBF→ReHo. We used three independent samples to test this hypothesis. A test-retest sample of N = 30 healthy …

Utilization Of A Multimodal De-Escalation Class To Improve Staff Confidence When Caring For Behaviorally Escalating Patients, Tara B. Neuner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Workplace violence is a common challenge seen in the healthcare settings across the world. This problem is steadily increasing in all types of hospitals, including a level one trauma center located in an urban area. There has been a steady rise in the number of assaults and workplace violence reported from bedside staff at this hospital. The leadership of the organization formed a work group to help combat the workplace violence and staff assaults that were occurring. In this process, a behavior response team was created to help nursing staff with escalating behavior in patients, and to help de-escalate the …

A Comprehensive Review On Nutraceuticals: Therapy Support And Formulation Challenges, Vivek Puri, Manju Nagpal, Inderbir Singh, Manjinder Singh, Gitika Arora Dhingra, Kampanart Huanbutta, Divya Dheer, Ameya Sharma, Tanikan Sangnim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Nutraceuticals are the nourishing components (hybrid of nutrition and pharmaceuticals) that are biologically active and possess capability for maintaining optimal health and benefits. These products play a significant role in human health care and its endurance, most importantly for the future therapeutic development. Nutraceuticals have received recognition due to their nutritional benefits along with therapeutic effects and safety profile. Nutraceuticals are globally growing in the field of services such as health care promotion, disease reduction, etc. Various drug nutraceutical interactions have also been elaborated with various examples in this review. Several patents on nutraceuticals in agricultural applications and in various …

Brain-Wide Versus Genome-Wide Vulnerability Biomarkers For Severe Mental Illnesses, Peter Kochunov, Yizhou Ma, Kathryn S Hatch, Si Gao, Neda Jahanshad, Paul M Thompson, Bhim M Adhikari, Heather Bruce, Andrew Van Der Vaart, Eric L Goldwaser, Aris Sotiras, Mark D Kvarta, Tianzhou Ma, Shuo Chen, Thomas E Nichols, L Elliot Hong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Severe mental illnesses (SMI), including major depressive (MDD), bipolar (BD), and schizophrenia spectrum (SSD) disorders have multifactorial risk factors and capturing their complex etiopathophysiology in an individual remains challenging. Regional vulnerability index (RVI) was used to measure individual's brain‐wide similarity to the expected SMI patterns derived from meta‐analytical studies. It is analogous to polygenic risk scores (PRS) that measure individual's similarity to genome‐wide patterns in SMI. We hypothesized that RVI is an intermediary phenotype between genome and symptoms and is sensitive to both genetic and environmental risks for SMI. UK Biobank sample of N = 17,053/19,265 M/F (age = 64.8 …