Neurosciences Commons^™

Effects Of The Environment On Recovery And Neuroplasticity In Brain Injury Patients, Rebekkah Mclellan

Student Scholar Showcase

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.7 million people sustain a Traumatic Brain Injury each year, making the topic of brain plasticity and patient recovery an important area of study. An added element is understanding whether biological, social, and environmental factors can impact the recovery and plasticity of the patient’s brain. The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate if the environment surrounding an individual who has sustained a brain injury affects their recovery and neuroplasticity. The databases used for the scope of this review included LC OneSearch, Medline, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. Key words included brain …

Seeing The Forest And The Trees: Default Local Processing In Individuals With High Autistic Traits Does Not Come At The Expense Of Global Attention., Ryan A Stevenson, Sol Z Sun, Naomi Hazlett, Jonathan S Cant, Morgan D Barense, Susanne Ferber

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Atypical sensory perception is one of the most ubiquitous symptoms of autism, including a tendency towards a local-processing bias. We investigated whether local-processing biases were associated with global-processing impairments on a global/local attentional-scope paradigm in conjunction with a composite-face task. Behavioural results were related to individuals' levels of autistic traits, specifically the Attention to Detail subscale of the Autism Quotient, and the Sensory Profile Questionnaire. Individuals showing high rates of Attention to Detail were more susceptible to global attentional-scope manipulations, suggesting that local-processing biases associated with Attention to Detail do not come at the cost of a global-processing deficit, but …

Tdp-43 Gains Function Due To Perturbed Autoregulation In A Tardbp Knock-In Mouse Model Of Als-Ftd, Matthew A. White, Eosu Kim, Amanda Duffy, Robert Adalbert, Benjamin U. Phillips, Owen M. Peters, Jodie Stephenson, Sujeong Yang, Francesca Massenzio, Ziqiang Lin, Simon Andrews, Anne Segonds-Pichon, Jake Metterville, Lisa M. Saksida, Richard Mead, Richard R. Ribchester, Youssef Barhomi, Thomas Serre, Michael P. Coleman, Justin Fallon, Timothy J. Bussey, Robert H. Brown, Jemeen Sreedharan

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

© 2018 The Author(s). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD) constitutes a devastating disease spectrum characterized by 43-kDa TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) pathology. Understanding how TDP-43 contributes to neurodegeneration will help direct therapeutic efforts. Here we have created a TDP-43 knock-in mouse with a human-equivalent mutation in the endogenous mouse Tardbp gene. TDP-43Q331K mice demonstrate cognitive dysfunction and a paucity of parvalbumin interneurons. Critically, TDP-43 autoregulation is perturbed, leading to a gain of TDP-43 function and altered splicing of Mapt, another pivotal dementia-associated gene. Furthermore, a new approach to stratify transcriptomic data by phenotype in differentially affected mutant mice revealed 471 …

Advances In Understanding The Development Of The Mathematical Brain, Daniel C. Hyde, Daniel Ansari

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

No abstract provided.

Neural Mechanisms Of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation In The Treatment Of Tinnitus, Andrea S. Lowe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Millions of people suffer from tinnitus, a disorder for which there is currently no effective treatment or cure. My dissertation work provides insight into the neural correlates of this pervasive hearing disorder and examines how a newly emerging therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), affects the central auditory system in the generation of the tinnitus percept. This work has a multifold focus of: i) developing and modeling the function of a miniature magnetic coil that can be used for TMS in rodents, ii) establishing a reliable mouse model of tinnitus that can be used for assessing TMS treatment-induced changes, iii) measuring …

The Role Of Reactive Astrocitose In The Chronological Evolution Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Roxana M. Duncea-Borca, Vladimir Belis, Mihnea Costescu, Relu G. Calota, Reka Kutasi, Cosmin A. Moldovan

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Introduction and objectives. This study aims to investigate whether the cerebral modifications of posttraumatic reactive astrocitose can be considered an objective criterion for determining the age of traumatic cranio-cerebral lesions.

Materials and methods. The present study consists of a series of 23 medico-legal cases that underwent autopsy inTeleormanCounty(Romania) Department of Forensic Medicine during 2007–2016, with full immune-histochemical microscopic examination using GFAP staining. The study consists of two groups, a series of 13 cases with cranio-cerebral trauma with different posttraumatic survival periods and 9 cases as a control group.

Results and discussions. We discovered GFAP+ reactive astrocytes even when death occurred …

The Mind-Body Problem; Three Equations And One Solution Represented By Immaterial-Material Data, Ion G. Motofei, David L. Rowland

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Human life occurs within a complex bio-psycho-social milieu, a heterogeneous system that is integrated by multiple bidirectional interrelations existing between the abstract-intangible ideas and physical-chemical support of environment. The mind is thus placed between the abstract ideas/ concepts and neurobiological brain that is further connected to environment. In other words, the mind acts as an interface between the immaterial (abstract/ intangible) data and material (biological) support. The science is unable to conceives and explains an interaction between the immaterial and material domains (to understand nature of the mind), this question generating in literature the mind-body problem. We have published in …

Vascular Neurocognitive Disorders And The Vascular Risk Factors, Carmen V. Albu, Vlad Padureanu, Mihail V. Boldeanu, Ana M. Bumbea, Anca S. Enescu, Dana M. Albulescu, Cristian A. Silosi, Aurelia Enescu

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Dementias are clinical neurodegenerative diseases characterized by permanent and progressive transformation of cognitive functions such as memory, learning capacity, attention, thinking, language, passing judgments, calculation or orientation. Dementias represent a relatively frequent pathology, encountered at about 10% of the population of 65-year olds and 20% of the population of 80-year olds.

This review presents the main etiological forms of dementia, which include Alzheimer form of dementia, vascular dementia, dementia associated with alpha-synucleionopathies, and mixed forms. Regarding vascular dementia, the risk factors are similar to those for an ischemic or hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accident: arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking, obesity, age, …

Single Session Low Frequency Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Changes Neurometabolite Relationships In Healthy Humans, Matthew Sherwood, Richard A. Mckinley, Danielle Boeke, Jason G. Parrker, Lindsey K. Mcintire, Justin M. Nelson, Catherine Fletchall, Natasha Alexander, Amanda Mcconnell, Chuck Goodyear, Jeremy T. Nelson, Nathaniel R. Bridges

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

Background: Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LF-rTMS) has shown promise as a treatment and investigative tool in the medical and research communities. Researchers have made significant progress elucidating DLPFC LF-rTMS effects—primarily in individuals with psychiatric disorders. However, more efforts investigating underlying molecular changes and establishing links to functional and behavioral outcomes in healthy humans are needed. Objective: We aimed to quantify neuromolecular changes and relate these to functional changes following a single session of DLPFC LF-rTMS in healthy participants. Methods: Eleven participants received sham-controlled neuronavigated 1 Hz rTMS to the region most activated by a …

Differentiating Midbrain Structures In Parkinson’S Disease Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Erind Alushaj

Western Research Forum

Background: This study aims to differentiate two midbrain structures: substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in patients with early-stage Parkinson’s Disease (PD) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The SNc degenerates earlier in PD causing motor symptoms; whereas, VTA degeneration occurs later leading to non-motor symptoms. Conventionally, the SNc and VTA project to the dorsal and ventral striatum respectively. Evidence suggests this model may be overly simplistic since the dorsal striatum has uneven dopamine loss in PD. So, the dorsal striatum was segmented into six functional subregions and only the caudal motor subregion showed early changes …

Clarifying Dopaminergic Projections Of The Ventral Tegmental Area And Substantia Nigra In Humans Using Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Nicholas Handfield-Jones

Western Research Forum

Background

Dopaminergic (DA) pathways from the human midbrain to the striatum mediate movement, decision making, learning, and reward processing. Classically, the scientific consensus has been that there are two main DA pathways: the nigrostriatal and the mesolimbic pathways. In the nigrostriatal pathway, the substantia nigra par compacta (SNc) sends DA to the dorsal striatum (DS), and in the mesolimbic pathway, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) sends DA to the ventral striatum (VS) as well as prefrontal and limbic cortices. Recent findings, however, cast doubt on the accuracy of this model. It seems likely these DA projections are more overlapping and …

Mitochondrial Transplantation Strategies As Potential Therapeutics For Central Nervous System Trauma, Jenna L. Gollihue, Samir P. Patel, Alexander G. Rabchevsky

Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center Faculty Publications

Mitochondria are essential cellular organelles critical for generating adenosine triphosphate for cellular homeostasis, as well as various mechanisms that can lead to both necrosis and apoptosis. The field of “mitochondrial medicine” is emerging in which injury/disease states are targeted therapeutically at the level of the mitochondrion, including specific antioxidants, bioenergetic substrate additions, and membrane uncoupling agents. Consequently, novel mitochondrial transplantation strategies represent a potentially multifactorial therapy leading to increased adenosine triphosphate production, decreased oxidative stress, mitochondrial DNA replacement, improved bioenergetics and tissue sparing. Herein, we describe briefly the history of mitochondrial transplantation and the various techniques used for both in …

Variant Intestinal-Cell Kinase In Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy, J. N. Bailey, L. De Nijs, D. Bai, T. Suzuki, H. Miyamoto, M. Tanaka, C. Patterson, Y.-C. Lin, M. T. Medina, M. E. Alonso, J. M. Serratosa, R. M. Durón, Viet-Hong Nguyen, J. E. Wight, I. E. Martínez‑Juárez, A. Ochoa, A. Jara-Prado, L. Guilhoto, Y. Molina, E. M. Yacubian, M. López‑Ruiz, Y. Inoue, S. Kaneko, S. Hirose, M. Osawa, H. Oguni, S. Fujimoto, T. M. Grisar, J. M. Stern, K. Yamakawa, B. Lakaye, A. V. Delgado-Escueta

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND

In juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, data are limited on the genetic basis of networks promoting convulsions with diffuse polyspikes on electroencephalography (EEG) and the subtle microscopic brain dysplasia called microdysgenesis.

METHODS

Using Sanger sequencing, we sequenced the exomes of six members of a large family affected with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and confirmed cosegregation in all 37 family members. We screened an additional 310 patients with this disorder for variants on DNA melting-curve analysis and targeted real-time DNA sequencing of the gene encoding intestinal-cell kinase (ICK). We calculated Bayesian logarithm of the odds (LOD) scores for cosegregating variants, odds …

Endogenous Dopamine And Endocannabinoid Signaling Mediate Cocaine-Induced Reversal Of Ampar Synaptic Potentiation In The Nucleus Accumbens Shell, Anna E. Ingebretson, Matthew C. Hearing, Ethan D. Huffington, Mark J. Thomas

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Repeated exposure to drugs of abuse alters the structure and function of neural circuits mediating reward, generating maladaptive plasticity in circuits critical for motivated behavior. Within meso-corticolimbic dopamine circuitry, repeated exposure to cocaine induces progressive alterations in AMPAR-mediated glutamatergic synaptic transmission. During a 10–14 day period of abstinence from cocaine, AMPAR signaling is potentiated at synapses on nucleus accumbens (NAc) medium spiny neurons (MSNs), promoting a state of heightened synaptic excitability. Re-exposure to cocaine during abstinence, however, rapidly reverses and depotentiates enhanced AMPAR signaling. To understand how re-exposure to cocaine alters AMPAR synaptic transmission, we investigated the roles of dopamine …

Amperometric Self-Referencing Ceramic Based Microelectrode Arrays For D-Serine Detection, Diana Campos-Beltrán, Åsa Konradsson-Geuken, Jorge E. Quintero, Lisa Marshall

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

D-serine is the major D-amino acid in the mammalian central nervous system. As the dominant co-agonist of the endogenous synaptic NMDA receptor, D-serine plays a role in synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory. Alterations in D-serine are linked to neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. Thus, it is of increasing interest to monitor the concentration of D-serine in vivo as a relevant player in dynamic neuron-glia network activity. Here we present a procedure for amperometric detection of D-serine with self-referencing ceramic-based microelectrode arrays (MEAs) coated with D-amino acid oxidase from the yeast Rhodotorula gracilis (RgDAAO). We demonstrate in vitro D-serine recordings with a …

Kappa Counterconditioning Of Cocaine Cues, John R. Mantsch, Robert C. Twining

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Addressing Hydrocephaly In Viet Nam: A Plausible Prevention And Intervention Medical Support Program Proposal, Chelle Mcintyre-Brewer

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Families affected by hydrocephalus in Viet Nam have few options for sustainable treatment for a myriad of reasons, primarily centering on barriers to care prevalent to minority, underserved, and economically disadvantaged populations. High morbidity and abandonment rates often result from these circumstances. An interdisciplinary examination of the factors contributing to causal concerns reveals unique cultural considerations, language and literacy barriers, ethnic and geographic differences, as well as economic and governmental issues greatly impacting patient outcome for this condition. The author contends that a program that addresses sociological concerns, along with the medical treatment of the patient, proffers the opportunity for …

Cortical Thinning And Neuropsychiatric Outcomes In Children Exposed To Prenatal Adversity: A Role For Placental Crh?, Curt A. Sandman, Megan M. Curran, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn, Kevin Head, Tallie Z. Baram

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Exposure to early life adversity may disrupt the development and maturation of neurons and brain circuits, which, in turn, underlie neurodevelopment and mental illnesses. During fetal life, maternal adversity is conveyed to the developing brain via several molecular signals, including the stress hormone corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH). Employing a large well characterized prospective cohort, we find that fetal exposure to placental-origin CRH levels predicts structural and functional brain outcomes in children. Specifically, elevated placental CRH levels portend thinning of selective cortical regions of exposed individuals, with commensurate cognitive and emotional deficits. Notably, the relations of placental-origin CRH to cortical thinning …

Cortical And Thalamic Connectivity To The Second Auditory Cortex Of The Cat Is Resilient To The Onset Of Deafness., Blake E Butler, Alexandra De La Rua, Taylor Ward-Able, Stephen G Lomber

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

It has been well established that following sensory loss, cortical areas that would normally be involved in perceiving stimuli in the absent modality are recruited to subserve the remaining senses. Despite this compensatory functional reorganization, there is little evidence to date for any substantial change in the patterns of anatomical connectivity between sensory cortices. However, while many auditory areas are contracted in the deaf, the second auditory cortex (A2) of the cat undergoes a volumetric expansion following hearing loss, suggesting this cortical area may demonstrate a region-specific pattern of structural reorganization. To address this hypothesis, and to complement existing literature …

Nutrient Intake In The First Two Weeks Of Life And Brain Growth In Preterm Neonates., Juliane Schneider, Céline J Fischer Fumeaux, Emma G Duerden, Ting Guo, Justin Foong, Myriam Bickle Graz, Patric Hagmann, M Mallar Chakravarty, Petra S Hüppi, Lydie Beauport, Anita C Truttmann, Steven P Miller

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

BACKGROUND: Optimizing early nutritional intake in preterm neonates may promote brain health and neurodevelopment through enhanced brain maturation. Our objectives were (1) to determine the association of energy and macronutrient intake in the first 2 weeks of life with regional and total brain growth and white matter (WM) maturation, assessed by 3 serial MRI scans in preterm neonates; (2) to examine how critical illness modifies this association; and (3) to investigate the relationship with neurodevelopmental outcomes.

METHODS: Forty-nine preterm neonates (21 boys, median [interquartile range] gestational age: 27.6 [2.3] weeks) were scanned serially at the following median postmenstrual weeks: 29.4, …