Neurosciences Commons^™

Genetic Influences On The Response To Neuromodulation In Craving Behaviors, Carly J. Haring

Honors Thesis

Obesity and eating disorders are highly prevalent in the United States. People who suffer from obesity and/or eating disorders face serious health consequences and even death. Current treatments are not effective as recovery rates are low, so there is a dire need for an effective treatment for obesity and eating disorders. There have been studies investigating the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as a means of treatment for these people. While findings show promise, there is much variability. The goal of this study is to further prior …

Antagonistic Pleiotropy In Alzheimer's Disease, Annie Hollis

Undergraduate Research Conference

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele has been linked with Alzheimer’s disease; specifically having two copies of the APOE ε4 allele greatly increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in older age. Studies have attempted to relate an antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis to this gene, i.e., the ε4 allele has positive effects on cognition and memory in early life and negative effects later in life. Many of these studies have had several limitations and conflicting results, such as testing adults in upper middle age or comparing the absence of the ε4 allele with the presence of at least one ε4 allele. Studies …

Phage Peptide Technology To Characterize Extracellular Vesicles In The Brain Tumors, Jadelynn Rudolf

Undergraduate Research Conference

Extracellular vesicles (EV) are lipid-bound containers derived from the endosomal membrane network or from the extracellular membrane of cells. They can carry proteins, lipids, miRNAs, and other molecules, and may be involved in intercellular communication via membrane-associated proteins. Glioblastomas (GBM) are aggressive cancers of the brain and spinal cord derived from astrocytes. Extracellular vesicles derived from glioblastomas can make their way through the blood brain barrier and find their way to different bodily fluids, and so could serve as biomarkers for this cancer. We have isolated phage-display peptides from a commercial library of random phage-displayed peptides that will bind glioblastoma …

Experiences And Perspectives Of Filipino Patients With Stroke On Physical Therapy Telerehabilitation: A Phenomenological Study Protocol, Christopher G. Cruz, Donald S. Lipardo, Nicole Trizia S. Esplana, Beatrice Ann Q. Loa, Micah L. Dismaya, Janelle Meara Y. Lau, Mirzi Chelsea R. Quizzagan, Arianne B. Cardenas, Adellene Therese S. Celso, Hanz Lauren A. Taguinod, Kristian Joseph C. Martin, Leonardo S. Uy Iii

Philippine Journal of Physical Therapy

Introduction: Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the Philippines, so these patients must continuously undergo rehabilitation for faster recovery. With the rise of COVID-19, physical therapy (PT) telerehabilitation (TR) has emerged, where services are provided outside the usual rehabilitation setting for patients with stroke to continue their treatment while reducing the risk of acquiring COVID-19. However, it is a relatively new service in the country; hence, further research is needed to identify the factors and needs of these patients during TR, which may help improve PT TR services.

Objective: This study aims to explore the experiences …

Intravital Imaging Of Cellular Response Due To Traumatic Brain Injury Using Confocal Microscopy, Enoch G. Kim, Jeffrey Horbatiuk, Carolyn Harris

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Cellular reaction to traumatic brain injury is complex and involves considerable interactions between cells and reactivity to foreign bodies. Our objective was to assess neurons, microglia, astrocytes, and intracellular Ca²⁺ signaling by creating a novel confocal microscopy technique involving an air immersed lens that does not sacrifice resolution and limits signal attenuation. This study aimed to create a consistent dynamic methodology to observe the cortical cellular response using real-time intravital imaging as trauma is being induced.

Methods: Once surgical plane was achieved, rodent cortices were exposed via craniotomy and blunt insertion with a silicone shunt catheter into the …

Varied Performance Of Picture Description Task As A Screening Tool Across Mci Subtypes, Joan A. Mefford, Zilong Zhao, Leah Heilier, Man Xu, Guifeng Zhou, Rachel Mace, Kelly L. Sloane, Shannon M. Sheppard, Shenly Glenn

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

A picture description task is a component of Miro Health’s platform for self-administration of neurobehavioral assessments. Picture description has been used as a screening tool for identification of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but currently requires in-person administration and scoring by someone with access to and familiarity with a scoring rubric. The Miro Health implementation allows broader use of this assessment through self-administration and automated processing, analysis, and scoring to deliver clinically useful quantifications of the users’ speech production, vocal characteristics, and language. Picture description responses were collected from 62 healthy controls (HC), and 33 participants …

Mclena-1: A Phase Ii Clinical Trial For The Assessment Of Safety, Tolerability, And Efficacy Of Lenalidomide In Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment Due To Alzheimer's Disease; Trial Design And Rationale, Boris Decourt

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Characteristics Analysis And Inspiration Of The Us Brain Initiative, Mian Zu, Ying Wang, Wei Liu, Zexi Xin, Lei Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Major countries have launched brain initiatives for competition, aiming to gain strategic priority in the area of brain ultimate frontier for human being in the course of recognizing nature. The US BRAIN Initiative is a scientific project comparable to the Human Genome Project in scale and potential impact. Accelerating the development and application of new technologies and tools is the driving force for the US BRAIN Initiative, which takes the lead in race owing to its realistic and innovative development mode. This study briefly reviews the implementation progress, the strategic reports and research achievements of the US BRAIN Initiative, and …

Riluzole And Novel Naphthalenyl Substituted Aminothiazole Derivatives Prevent Acute Neural Excitotoxic Injury In A Rat Model Of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Thomas Kyllo, Vikrant Singh, Heesung Shim, Singh Latika, Hai M. Nguyen, Yi Je Chen, Ellen Terry, Heike Wulff, Jeffrey D. Erickson

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Epileptogenic seizures, or status epilepticus (SE), leads to excitotoxic injury in hippocampal and limbic neurons in the kainic acid (KA) animal model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Here, we have further characterized neural activity regulated methylaminoisobutryic acid (MeAIB)/glutamine transport activity in mature rat hippocampal neurons in vitro that is inhibited by riluzole (IC50 = 1 μM), an anti-convulsant benzothiazole agent. We screened a library of riluzole derivatives and identified SKA-41 followed by a second screen and synthesized several novel chlorinated aminothiazoles (SKA-377, SKA-378, SKA-379) that are also potent MeAIB transport inhibitors in vitro, and brain penetrant following systemic administration. When …

Endogenous Mirna-Based Innate-Immunity Against Sars-Cov-2 Invasion Of The Brain, Walter J. Lukiw, Aileen I. Pogue

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, possesses an unusually large positive-sense, single-stranded viral RNA (ssvRNA) genome of about ~29,903 nucleotides (nt). In many respects, this ssvRNA resembles a very large, polycistronic messenger RNA (mRNA) possessing a 5′-methyl cap (m7GpppN), a 3′- and 5′-untranslated region (3′-UTR, 5′-UTR), and a poly-adenylated (poly-A+) tail. As such, the SARS-CoV-2 ssvRNA is susceptible to targeting by small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) and/or microRNA (miRNA), as well as neutralization and/or inhibition of its infectivity via the human body’s natural complement of about ~2650 miRNA species. Depending on host cell and tissue …

Motor Cortical Excitability And Pre-Supplementary Motor Area Neurochemistry In Healthy Adults With Substantia Nigra Hyperechogenicity, Gabrielle Todd, Caroline D. Rae, Janet L. Taylor, Nigel C. Rogasch, Jane E. Butler, Michael Hayes, Robert A. Wilcox, Simon C. Gandevia, Karl Aoun, Adrian Esterman, Simon J. G. Lewis, Julie M. Hall, Elie Matar, Jana Godau, Daniela Berg, Christian Plewnia, Anna-Katharina Von Thaler, Clarence Chiang, Kay L. Double

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Substantia nigra (SN) hyperechogenicity, viewed with transcranial ultrasound, is a risk marker for Parkinson's disease. We hypothesized that SN hyperechogenicity in healthy adults aged 50 – 70 years is associated with reduced short-interval intracortical inhibition in primary motor cortex, and that the reduced intracortical inhibition is associated with neurochemical markers of activity in the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA). Short-interval intracortical inhibition and intracortical facilitation in primary motor cortex was assessed with paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation in 23 healthy adults with normal (n = 14; 61 ± 7 yrs) or abnormally enlarged (hyperechogenic; n = 9; 60 ± 6 yrs) area …

Episodic Memory Dysfunction And Hypersynchrony In Brain Functional Networks In Cognitively Intact Subjects And Mci: A Study Of 379 Individuals, Brenda Chino, Pablo Cuesta, Javier Pacios, Jaisalmer De Frutos-Lucas, Lucía Torres-Simón, Sandra Doval, Alberto Marcos, Ricardo Bruña, Fernando Maestú

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Delayed recall (DR) impairment is one of the most significant predictive factors in defining the progression to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Changes in brain functional connectivity (FC) could accompany this decline in the DR performance even in a resting state condition from the preclinical stages to the diagnosis of AD itself, so the characterization of the relationship between the two phenomena has attracted increasing interest. Another aspect to contemplate is the potential moderator role of the APOE genotype in this association, considering the evidence about their implication for the disease. 379 subjects (118 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 261 cognitively intact …

G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase-2 (Grk-2) Controls Exploration Through Neuropeptide Signaling In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Kristen Davis, Christo Mitchell, Olivia Weissenfels, Jihong Bai, David M. Raizen, Michael Ailion, Irini Topalidou

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Animals alter their behavior in manners that depend on environmental conditions as well as their developmental and metabolic states. For example, C. elegans is quiescent during larval molts or during conditions of satiety. By contrast, worms enter an exploration state when removed from food. Sensory perception influences movement quiescence (defined as a lack of body movement), as well as the expression of additional locomotor states in C. elegans that are associated with increased or reduced locomotion activity, such as roaming (exploration behavior) and dwelling (local search). Here we find that movement quiescence is enhanced, and exploration behavior is reduced in …

Assessment Of The Interplay Between Regional Β-Amyloid Burden And White Matter Hyperintensities On Cognition And Default Mode Network In Clinically Normal Older Participants, Doaa G. Ali

Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science

Objective: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and subcortical vascular dementia are considered the most common pathologic contributors to dementia in the aging population. Both frequently coexist in over 80% of community dwelling adults with dementia. The neuropathological development of AD arguably begins with β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in the brain. This series of studies aims to test the hypothesis that early focal regional amyloid deposition in the brain is associated with cognitive performance in specific cognitive domain scores in preclinical AD (pAD) (study1). Since mixed dementia is widely recognized as the norm rather than the exception, the second study aimed to explore the …

Dentate Gyrus Integrity Is Necessary For Behavioral Pattern Separation But Not Statistical Learning, Helena Shizhe Wang, R. Shayna Rosenbaum, Stevenson Baker, Claire Lauzon, Laura Batterink, Stefan Köhler

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Pattern separation, the creation of distinct representations of similar inputs, and statistical learning, the rapid extraction of regularities across multiple inputs, have both been linked to hippocampal processing. It has been proposed that there may be functional differentiation within the hippocampus, such that the trisynaptic pathway (entorhinal cortex > dentate gyrus > CA3 > CA1) supports pattern separation, whereas the monosynaptic pathway (entorhinal cortex > CA1) supports statistical learning. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the behavioral expression of these two processes in BL, an individual with highly selective bilateral lesions in the dentate gyrus that presumably disrupts the trisynaptic pathway. We tested pattern …

The Effectiveness Of Treatments For Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: A Review Of Literature, Lauren Cummons

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Many studies examine the treatment options for epilepsy; however, there is a lack of reviews compiling and evaluating the current treatments for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). This project aims to explore the existing body of research studies completed on treating DRE, evaluate the effectiveness of each treatment option, and assess what areas of research need more attention for future studies. Six primary DRE treatments from current research were thoroughly examined for this review. The quality of each treatment was evaluated based on the number of patients who had seizure freedom, had a seizure reduction, had adverse events, and had changes in …

Treatment Integrity And Differentiation In The Very Early Rehabilitation In Speech (Verse) Trial, Emily Brogan, Natalie Ciccone, Erin Godecke

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Key elements of treatment fidelity include treatment integrity (adherence to the treatment protocol) and treatment differentiation (the difference in treatment ingredients in the control and intervention groups). The Very Early Rehabilitation in SpEech (VERSE) trial established treatment fidelity at the macro level for key components of therapy.

Aims:

To complete a detailed analysis of treatment integrity and differentiation at the utterance level of a therapeutic interaction.

Methods:

This was an observational study of therapy videos collected as part of the VERSE trial. Participants were people with aphasia in the very early phase of recovery post stroke (n = 44) …

Emulating Future Neurotechnology Using Magic, Jay A. Olson, Mariève Cyr, Despina Z. Artenie, Thomas Strandberg, Lars Hall, Matthew L. Tompkins, Amir Raz, Petter Johansson

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Recent developments in neuroscience and artificial intelligence have allowed machines to decode mental processes with growing accuracy. Neuroethicists have speculated that perfecting these technologies may result in reactions ranging from an invasion of privacy to an increase in self-understanding. Yet, evaluating these predictions is difficult given that people are poor at forecasting their reactions. To address this, we developed a paradigm using elements of performance magic to emulate future neurotechnologies. We led 59 participants to believe that a (sham) neurotechnological machine could infer their preferences, detect their errors, and reveal their deep-seated attitudes. The machine gave participants randomly assigned positive …

Empowering Nurses To Recognize Post-Stroke Depression In The African American Community, Deidra Frisbie, Robin Simon

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

African Americans (AA) have the highest prevalence of stroke and death compared to other racial groups in the United States. Post-stroke depression (PSD) affects approximately 1/3 of all stroke patients and is underdiagnosed in the African American community.

Aim: By using a mHealth mobile app and a Psychiatry provider list at discharge, PSD can be identified, and interventions initiated, thus decreasing the sequela of PSD in AA.

Methods: Nurses were provided education on PSD, expressions of depression in African-Americans, cultural humility, implicit bias, and the importance of the nurse's role in developing a therapeutic relationship.

Results: Quantitative analysis revealed the …

The Use Of Kernig’S And Brudzinski’S Sign In Determining Meningitis: A Review, Crystal Thao Duong, Ashton Hughes, Kerem Yilmaz

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: Assess the diagnostic value of Kernig’s and Brudzinski’s signs in determining meningitis among individuals aged 18 to 64. Design: Systematic literature review. Methods: Searches done in PubMed utilizing the terms Kernig and Brudzinski. In PubMed, studies were excluded if not in English, older than 2000 or done on animals, and meta-analyses. Results: Three studies were found including Nakao JH, et al, Thomas KE, et al, and Waghdhare S, et al. Conclusion: Kernig’s and Brudzinski’s signs have high specificity but yield a low sensitivity in determining meningitis. They are great tools to be utilized by medical providers, but only support …