Neurosciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Musical Training On Speech And Sound Perception, Brainscan, Western University, Ingrid Johnsrude, Vanessa Irsik, Stephen Van Hedger

Project Summaries

We are going to carry out such a study, in conjunction with research labs at five other institutions. With six universities involved, we will be able to recruit a sufficiently large number of people in the study and decrease the likelihood of any regional bias influencing the outcomes. We will be trying to validate the following claims:

• that musicians have an improved ability to understand speech in noisy environments
• that the responses of a musician's brainstem to speech sounds is enhanced, and
• that older musicians have reduced symptoms from age-related hearing loss.

Developing Optogenetics/Electrophysiology Applications For Studying Cognitive Impairment During Stress, Brainscan, Western University, Wataru Inoue, Brian Allman, Julio Martinez-Trujillo

Project Summaries

We will develop cutting-edge techniques to:

• precisely measure and artificially manipulate the activity of CRH neurons in the PFC, and
• measure small and local releases of CRH by these neurons.

The success of our project will open the door to understand the neural mechanisms for how stress impairs cognitive functions and how it may contribute to mental disorders.

Attention Bias Modification Training As A Potential Preventative Tool, Brainscan, Western University, Elizabeth Hayden, Marc Joanisse, Pan Liu, Koraly Perez-Edgar, Thomas Olino

Project Summaries

We will use eye-tracking techniques to understand more about attentional bias and how it changes through ABM training.

Through neuroimaging, we will look at 'resting state functional connectivity', which is the activity and communication in the brain when a person is not engaging in any activity themselves. There are resting-state patterns of brain activity that have been identified in the brains of youth with depression, anxiety and related disorders, but we do not know if these brain patterns can be used to identify those at risk for these disorders. We also don't know if preventative approaches to depression and anxiety, …

Validating Methods For Using Noninvasive Brain Stimulation To Influence Auditory Perception, Brainscan, Western University, Jessica Grahn, Molly Henry, Blake Butler, Marc Joanisse, Stefan Everling

Project Summaries

We will be exploring the influence of a weak alternating current on neural activity at different frequencies to build a more complete picture of tACS. We will also incorporate EEG measurements to help us predict how the synchronization varies across individuals, to determine when to provide stimulation for each individual. Finally, we will vary the tACS stimulation and use participant behaviour as the measure to understand what stimulation timing produces the largest behavioural changes.

Uncovering The Neural Basis Of Cognitive Impairment Following Hearing Loss: An All-Optical Electrophysiology Approach, Brainscan, Western University, Brian Allman, Wataru Inoue

Project Summaries

We have access to state-of-the-art equipment that will enable us to visualize specific neuron types in animal models. This is a new approach that combines several recent advances in the field of 'optogenetics', a technique that uses light to control neurons. This approach will allow us to explore how hearing loss induced by loud noise exposure leads to abnormal neural activity in areas of the brain that control learning, memory and higher cognitive function.

The Effects Of Habits On Motor Skill Learning (Research Summary), Brainscan, Western University, Nicola J. Popp, Atsushi Yokoi, Paul Gribble, JöRn Diedrichsen

Research Summaries

Learning new motor skills can involve adopting motor habits that could help or hinder overall performance outcomes. Which habit(s) a participant adopt(s) can be induced early on through instruction. These motor habits can be rigid and persistent during motor skill training and practice but it is also possible to influence or change motor habits through training.

Persistent Post-Concussion Brain Changes In Adolescent Hockey Players, Brainscan, Western University, Kathryn Y. Manning, Amy Schranz, Robert Bartha, Gregory A. Dekaban, Christy Barreira, Arthur Brown, Lisa Fischer, Kevin Asem, Timothy J. Doherty, Douglas D. Fraser, Jeff Holmes, Ravi S. Menon

Research Summaries

Changes continue to occur in a concussed brain even after standard clinical tests have returned to normal. Damage in the very long fibre tracks in the brain of concussed players can be detected up to three months after the concussion and after the individuals have been approved for return to athletics. It is also possible to detect ‘hyper-connectivity’ in the brain, suggesting the brain is still trying to compensate for the concussion.

Familiar Voices Are More Intelligible, Even If They Are Not Recognized As Familiar, Brainscan, Western University, Emma Holmes, Ysabel Domingo, Ingrid Johnsrude

Research Summaries

This research has demonstrated that it’s easier to understand someone who is familiar to us (compared to someone unfamiliar) even if we can’t recognize them from their voice. As listeners, we focus on certain parts of speech sounds for specific purposes. For example, there may be some situations in which you can understand words spoken by your mother very well, better than you could understand a stranger in the same situation, even if you can’t tell that it’s your mother speaking.

Aging Is Associated With An Over-Sensitivity Of Brain Responses To Sounds, Brainscan, Western University, Björn Herrmann, Burkhard Maess, Ingrid S. Johnsrude

Research Summaries

Aging and hearing loss leads to increased neural responses to sounds in the auditory cortex compared to younger people. Enhanced neural activity to sound may be a physiological mechanism underlying the difficulty that older adults have with ignoring irrelevant sound information.

Preventing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss With A Novel Pharmaceutical, Brainscan, Western University, Brian Allman, Paul Walton, Shawn Whitehead, Patti Kiser, Brian Shilton, Sarah Hayes

Research Summaries

A targeted catalase, packaged and delivered via exosomes intranasally, provides protection for cochlear cells against oxidative stress, the kind of stress that results from loud noise exposure. It is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and does not result in negative outcomes elsewhere in the body.

The Impact Of Neonatal Pain And Reduced Maternal Care On Brain And Behavioral Development, Sean Michael Mooney-Leber

Wayne State University Dissertations

In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) preterm infants are exposed to a multitude of stressors, which include both neonatal pain and reduced maternal care. Clinical and preclinical research has demonstrated that exposure to neonatal pain and reduced maternal care has a profound negative impact on brain and behavioral development. Currently, the biological mechanism by which both of these stressors impacts brain and behavioral outcomes remains widely unknown. To uncover a potential biological mechanism, the current dissertation project utilized a preclinical model of repetitive needle pokes and developed a novel model of reduced maternal care through tea-ball encapsulation. Briefly, rat …

The Use Of Rhyme, Rhythm, And Melody As A Form Of Repetition Priming To Aid In Encoding, Storage, And Retrieval Of Semantic Memories In Alzheimer’S Patients, Faiz Plastikwala

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Millions are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease annually which can have debilitating effects on patient memory. Thus, finding new ways to help facilitate memory in these patients, especially through non-pharmaceutical means, has become increasingly important. I examined the use of melody, rhyme, and rhythm as encoding mechanisms to aid in the retrieval of long term semantic information by juxtaposing scholarly articles detailing experiments, each of which examined the effects of various facets of memory facilitation; this helped produce an idea of which devices are most effective. Additionally, I surveyed studies highlighting limitations of song implementation to craft an effective plan to …

The Influence Of Protein Context On Polyglutamine Toxicity In Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3, Joanna Rae Sutton

Wayne State University Dissertations

The polyglutamine (polyQ) disease family is composed of nine neurodegenerative diseases caused by CAG trinucleotide repeat expansions in the associated genes. Although these diseases are caused by similar mutations, the polyQ proteins are otherwise structurally and functionally unique. Thus, the protein domains surrounding the polyQ tracts, as well as their interacting partners, are thought to be critical to the pathogenesis of these clinically distinct diseases. Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 is caused by polyQ expansion of ataxin-3, a deubiquitinating enzyme implicated in protein quality control, transcriptional regulation, and DNA repair. Rad23 and VCP are two of ataxin-3’s protein quality control partners …

Metabolic Syndrome Among Schizophrenic Patients: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study In The Middle Belt Of Ghana, Angela Owusu-Ansah, Anto Berko Panyin, Christian Obirikorang, Christian Agyare, Emmanuel Acheampong, Simon Kwofie, Enoch Odame Anto, Emmanuella Nsenbah Batu

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The study determined the prevalence ofMetS in patients with schizophrenia at the Psychiatric Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana. This comparative cross-sectional study recruited 348 schizophrenic patients comprising 236 antipsychotic-treated and 112 newly diagnosed treatment-na¨ıve patients. The MetS prevalence was assessed based on World Health Organization (WHO), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and the National Cholesterol Education Programme, Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria. The overall prevalence of MetS was 14.1%, 20.4%, and 23.6% using NCEP ATP III, WHO, and IDF criteria, respectively, compared to 7.8%, 3.9%, and 2.2% reported in the generalGhanaian population.The prevalence …

Proof-Of-Concept Testing Of A Real-Time Mhealth Measure To Estimate Postural Control During Walking: A Potential Application For Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries, Hyunhwa Lee, Sunchul Lee, Laura Salado, Jonica Estrada, Jacob White, Venkatesan Muthukumar, Szu-Ping Lee, Sambit Mohapatra

Nursing Faculty Research

Background: Most individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) experience post-injury deficits in postural control. Currently available measures of postural control are lab-based or supervised, which may hinder timely symptom assessment for individuals with mTBI, including Asian populations, who do not seek initial screening post-injury. In this proof-of-concept testing study, we introduce a real-time mobile health (mHealth) system to measure postural control during walking. The proposed mHealth system can be used for home-based symptom assessment and management of mTBI. Methods: In our proposed mHealth system, a smartwatch, a smartphone, and a cloud server communicate to measure, collect, and store body …

Proteolipid Protein 1 Regulates Inflammation In The Central Nervous System, Whitney Hoff

Wayne State University Theses

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) results from mutations in the proteolipid protein 1 (PLP1) gene including PLP1 duplications and deletions. The absence of PLP is preferable to PLP1/Plp1 duplication in PMD patients and rodents as lifespan of PLP1/Plp1 null mammals is nearly normal. The reason for this is not entirely understood. However, because of this, less attention has been placed on Plp1 null mutations than on classical PMD mutations. However, data show that PLP levels must be properly titrated to ensure normal brain function. Specifically, changes in PLP1/Plp1 expression can result in massive microglia activation in animal models of PMD and likely …

Beyond Factor Analysis: Multidimensionality And The Parkinson’S Disease Sleep Scale-Revised, Maria E. Pushpanathan, Andrea M. Loftus, Natalie Gasson, Meghan G. Thomas, Caitlin F. Timms, Michelle Olaithe, Romola S. Bucks

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Many studies have sought to describe the relationship between sleep disturbance and cognition in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) and its variants (the Parkinson’s disease Sleep Scale-Revised; PDSS-R, and the Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale-2; PDSS-2) quantify a range of symptoms impacting sleep in only 15 items. However, data from these scales may be problematic as included items have considerable conceptual breadth, and there may be overlap in the constructs assessed. Multidimensional measurement models, accounting for the tendency for items to measure multiple constructs, may be useful more accurately to model variance than traditional confirmatory factor analysis. …

Corrigendum: Identification Of The Cftr C.1666a > G Mutation In Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy Using Next-Generation Sequencing Analysis, Yan Lu, Yu-Wei Da, Yong-Biao Zhang, Xin-Gang Li, Min Wang, Li Di, Mi Pang, Lin Lei

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A Corrigendum on Identification of the CFTR c.1666A>G Mutation in Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy Using Next-Generation Sequencing Analysis

by Lu, Y., Da, Y.-W., Zhang, Y.-B., Li, X.-G., Wang, M., Di, L., et al. (2018). Front. Neurosci. 12:329. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00329

An error was found in the first and second sentence of the original article's abstract.

Functional Dissociation Of The Posterior And Anterior Insula In Moral Disgust, Xiaoping Ying, Jing Luo, Chi-Yue Chiu, Yanhong Wu, Yan Xu, Jin Fan

Publications and Research

The insula is thought to be involved in disgust. However, the roles of the posterior insula (PI) and anterior insula (AI) in moral disgust have not been clearly dissociated in previous studies. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, the participants evaluated the degree of disgust using sentences related to mild moral violations with different types of behavioral agents (mother and stranger). The activation of the PI in response to the stranger agent was significantly higher than that in response to the mother agent. In contrast, the activation of the AI in response to the mother agent was significantly higher …

Non-Invasive Mitochondrial Modulation With Near-Infrared Light Reduces Brain Injury After Stroke, Christos Dionisos Strubakos

Wayne State University Dissertations

Acute ischemic stroke is a debilitating disease that causes significant brain injury.

While rapid restoration of blood flow is critical to salvage the ischemic brain, reperfusion

of tissue can further drive brain damage by inducing generation of mitochondrial reactive

oxygen species (Chouchani et al., 2014a). Recent studies by our group found that noninvasive

mitochondrial modulation (NIMM) with near-infrared (NIR) light can limit the

production of reactive oxygen species following global brain ischemia (T. H. Sanderson

et al., 2018). NIR interacts with the rate limiting step of the mitochondrial electron

transport chain (ETC), cytochrome c oxidase (COX), and modulates mitochondrial

respiration. …