Nervous System Diseases Commons^™

Dietary Selenium Supplementation: Effects On Neurodegeneration Following Traumatic Brain And Spinal Cord Injury, Carolyn A. Crowdus Meyer

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Traumatic brain and spinal cord injury continue to be substantial clinical problems with few available treatment strategies. Individuals who are at a greater risk for sustaining a central nervous system (CNS) injury, such as professional athletes and military personnel, may benefit from a prophylactic supplement that would intervene in the neurodegenerative pathways immediately following injury. The high demand for selenium within the central nervous system, as well as the synthesis of selenoproteins by neurons and astrocytes suggests a critical role of selenium within the brain and spinal cord. Studies were designed to test the efficacy of enriched dietary selenium status …

Emotional Enhancement And Repetition Effects During Working Memory In Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Lucas S. Broster

Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science

This dissertation introduces a framework for understanding differences in how emotional enhancement effects might influence memory in aging adults and then summarizes the findings of three studies of how repetition effects and emotional enhancement effects influence working memory in older adults without cognitive impairment (NC), older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and older adults with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In these experiments, individuals with AD showed cognitive impairment in terms of accuracy and reaction time, but individuals with MCI showed milder behavioral impairment that was confined to manipulations of working memory. Individuals with AD showed relative sparing of …

The Effectiveness Of A Computer-Assisted, Cognitive-Behavior Program For Treating Anxiety Symptoms In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jennifer A. Zabel

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex and multifaceted, neurodevelopmental disorder that severely impacts children and families across a variety of settings. Prevalence rates of ASD are continuing to increase rapidly, with sizeable intervention and treatment costs placed on families and society. Further complicating the matter, many individuals with ASD also evidence co-occurring anxiety symptoms or disorders and tend to be at a higher risk for developing such problems when compared to other clinical populations or typically developing children. This study investigated the effectiveness of a computer-assisted CBT program, Camp Cope-A-Lot (CCAL), in regards to reducing anxiety symptoms in four …

How Safe And Effective Is Tryptophan In Improving Sleep In Healthy Individuals With Mild Sleep Disorders?, Genevieve Asante-Odame

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not tryptophan is effective in improving sleep in healthy individuals with mild sleep disorders.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review of three published, randomized controlled trials (double-blind, placebo-controlled) between 2005-2010, all English language.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials published between 2005 and 2010 were found using PubMed/MEDLINE and Cochrane databases.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Improved sleep quality and duration of sleep, which were measured using sleep diaries and sleep study questionnaires.

RESULTS: The first study, Cubero et al showed that administration of diet containing high levels of tryptophan reflected more …

Is Yoga Effective In Reducing Fibromyalgia-­Related Symptoms In Women With Fibromyalgia?, Molly R. Beckmann

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not yoga is effective in reducing fibromyalgia-related symptoms in women with fibromyalgia.

Study Design: Review of two published double blind, randomized controlled trials published in 2010 and one before-after study published in 2012 were used for this review and selected based on their relevance to the clinical question

Data Source: Studies were found using PubMed, AMED, and CINAHL Plus.

Outcomes Measured: All three studies measured improvement of fibromyalgia symptoms based on a variety of well-validated measures, most notably the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, the Quality of Life Profile …

Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Effectively Decrease The Severity Of Chronic Pain In Patients With Motor Vehicle Accident (Mva) Associated Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd)?, Reanna Gibbs

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not cognitive behavioral therapy effectively decreases the severity of chronic pain in patients with motor vehicle accident (MVA) associated post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review of two randomized, controlled clinical trials published in 2009 and 2012, respectively, and one primary research case study published in 2003.

DATA SOURCES: Three published studies comparing patient reported reduction in pain severity following treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) were found using PubMed.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The extent of pain reduction experienced by the patient after receiving treatment. Recording …

Is Yoga Effective In Reducing Fatigue In Patients With Multiple Sclerosis?, Melissa L. Hessler

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not the use of yoga helps to improve fatigue in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Study Design: Review of three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between 2004-current, all in the English language.

Data Sources: Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs), all of which evaluate the effectiveness of yoga compared to a control group that was asked not to change their exercise habits as they pertain to fatigue. All studies were found using PubMed and EBSCOhost.

Outcomes Measured: Each of the three articles analyzed the effects of yoga therapy …

Is Acupuncture An Effective Treatment For Acute Migraine?, Meghan C. Knab

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not acupuncture is an effective treatment for acute migraines.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language randomized controlled trials, published between 2003 and 2012.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials published in peer reviewed journals found using PubMed, Medline, and EBSCOhost.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcomes measured included complete absence of migraine pain, measured by Visual Analog Scale scores and a headache diary, and progression to a fully formed migraine, measured by the Validated Pain Scale by Heller.

RESULTS: The studies by Li et al and Wang et …

Does Balneotherapy Effectively Reduce Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain In Adults?, Jenna Srebnik

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not balneotherapy effectively reduces non-specific chronic low back pain in adults.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three single blind, follow up randomized controlled trials (RCT), published in 2012 and 2005.

DATA SOURCES: Three peer reviewed RCTs were found using PubMed and all compared balneotherapy against various control groups.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Low back pain of patients was assessed using dose of analgesic consumed, visual analog pain scale (VAS) and Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (OSWDQ). The tools used to assess significance of outcomes measured were Pvalues, change in …

Does Exercise Reduce The Risk Of Falling In Parkinson’S Patients?, Michael J. Tansey

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not exercise reduces the risk of falls in Parkinson’s patients

Study Design: Review of three English language randomized control trials (RCTs) published in 2003, 2007 and 2010.

Data Sources: 3 randomized controlled trials published after 1999 were obtained using Pubmed.

Outcomes Measured: The Allen study used a Parkinson’s disease fall risk scoring. The Ashburn study used patient dairies to record incidence of falls. The Hirsch study used Sensory Orientation testing assessing the trials resulting in falls.

Results: Allen et al and Ashburn et al found no significant …

Alpha Lipoic Acid: A Potential Therapeutic Option For Painful Peripheral Neuropathies, Jessica Curcio

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a major public health concern.

• There are many etiologies for PN including injury, infection, toxicity, genetics, metabolic disease and nutritional deficiencies.

• Alpha lipoic acid (ALA), also known as thioctic acid, is a potent antioxidant and cofactor in many cellular metabolic processes.

• Oxidative damage plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of both diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).

• Because of the antioxidant capability ALA has been studied for its potential benefit in preventing and treating PN

The Effects Of Speech Impairment On Quality Of Life Over Time In Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Jacqueline Kelley Blessinger

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Limited research exists on how speech impairments affect quality of life (QOL) factors over time in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A review of the literature, including the history, disease course, and prevalence of ALS, is presented. Physical and psychosocial functioning, especially the decline of bulbar functioning’s potential impact on QOL factors and communication style, are outlined. This study is a follow-up study on a study by Duff, who found a significant difference in QOL relative to level of bulbar functioning in a cross-sectional design. The current study used a longitudinal design to look at bulbar functioning, specifically levels …

Alzheimer's Disease Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers Are Not Influenced By Gravity Drip Or Aspiration Extraction Methodology, Alan Rembach, Lisbeth A. Evered, Qiao-Xin Li, Tabitha Nash, Lesley Vidaurre, Christopher J. Fowler, Kelly K. Pertile, Rebecca L. Rumble, Brett O. Trounson, Sarah Maher, Francis Mooney, Maree Farrow, Kevin Taddei, Stephanie Rainey-Smith, Simon Laws, S. Lance Macaulay, William Wilson, David G. Darby, Ralph N. Martins, David Ames, Steven Collins, Brendon Silbert, Colin L. Masters, James D. Doecke

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, although of established utility in the diagnostic evaluation of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), are known to be sensitive to variation based on pre-analytical sample processing. We assessed whether gravity droplet collection versus syringe aspiration was another factor influencing CSF biomarker analyte concentrations and reproducibility. Methods Standardized lumbar puncture using small calibre atraumatic spinal needles and CSF collection using gravity fed collection followed by syringe aspirated extraction was performed in a sample of elderly individuals participating in a large long-term observational research trial. Analyte assay concentrations were compared. Results For the 44 total paired samples of gravity …

The N-Glycosylation Of Immunoglobulin G As A Novel Biomarker Of Parkinson’S Disease, Alyce Christine Russell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

For neurodegenerative diseases, interventions during the early stages of the disease, before significant neurodegeneration has occurred, are associated with an increased probability of slowing or halting the disease process. In order to intervene early, it is essential that an accurate diagnosis is obtained and that disease progression can be monitored. This is particularly relevant for Parkinson’s disease (PD; International Classification of Diseases version 10) because significant neurodegeneration has already occurred by the time the clinical motor symptoms are present. Therefore, the development of translatable, high-throughput biomarkers for large scale population screening is a crucial area of research. Of promise are …

Six Cool L.A. Ladies ‘Bare The Truth’ About Huntington's Disease, Highlighting An Exceptionally Creative Year For Advocacy, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Sharon’S Inspirational Journey With Crossfit In The Fight Against Huntington's Disease, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Cloned Microglias With Novel Delivery System In Multiple Sclerosis, Abdul Mannan Baig Dr.

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory neurological disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS), characterized by demyelination and activation of microglia. Mitochondrial mutations and dysfunctions in microglial cells are thought to contribute to the detrimental effects of neuroinflammation seen in MS. The Somatic Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) technology offers a more practical mode of therapy in MS, this method would attempt to dilute and/or progressively replace the mutated and activated microglia with cloned Olfactory Ensheathing Cells (OEC) with remyelinating and scavenging properties which would attempt to limit the progression of MS. Applying SCNTderived Embryonic Stem (ES) cells based therapy by …

Neural Stem Cells As A Model To Study Huntington’S Disease, Rawan Bakhsh

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a heritable neurodegenerative disorder that affects muscle coordination and diminishes cognitive abilities, by affecting the medium spiny neurons in the brain. In HD patients, neurons are damaged and destroyed because of the toxicity of the mutant Huntington protein (mHtt). The mechanism of how mHtt protein affects the neurons is unknown. In this study we explored the effects of mHtt expression by looking at changes in huntingtin localization, changes in the expression and co-localization of related proteins and differences in cell morphology. We examine how this expression affects the cytoskeletal structures using neural stem cells Q7 (wild …

Another Major Supplement, Creatine, Proven Ineffective In The Fight Against Huntington's Disease, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Differential Mrna And Mirna Expression In An Alzheimer’S Disease Mouse Model, Amanda Hazy, Matthew Dalton

Other Undergraduate Scholarship

Research has shown that changes in gene expression play a critical role in the development of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Our project will evaluate genome-wide RNA expression patterns from brain and blood in an AD mouse model. This analysis will provide insight regarding the mechanisms of AD pathology as well as determine a possible diagnostic tool utilizing RNA expression patterns found in the blood as biomarkers for AD.