Neurosciences Commons^™

1-Year Outcomes Of Resolute Onyx Zotarolimus-Eluting Stent For Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease: A Multicenter Propensity Score-Matched Comparison With Stenting Versus Aggressive Medical Management For Preventing Recurrent Stroke In Intracranial Stenosis Trial, Saisree Ravi, Ibrahim A Bhatti, Ravi S Nunna, Syed Khalid, Wondwossen G Tekle, Omar Tanweer, Jan-Karl Burkhardt, Pascal M Jabbour, Stavropoula I Tjoumakaris, Nabeel A Herial, Adnan H Siddiqui, Ramesh Grandhi, Adnan I Qureshi, Farhan Siddiq, Ameer E Hassan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is one of the most prevalent causes of stroke across the world. Endovascular treatment has gained prominence but remains a challenge with unfavorable results. Recent literature has demonstrated that the Resolute Onyx Zotarolimus-Eluting Stent (RO-ZES) is a technically safe option with low complication rates along with 30-day outcomes associated with intracranial stent placement for ICAD with RO-ZES compared to results from the Stenting Versus Aggressive Medical Management for Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Stenosis (SAMMPRIS) trial. Here, we aim to compare outcomes at one year with the SAMMPRIS trial with a multicenter longitudinal study.

MATERIALS …

The Aphasia Recovery Cohort, An Open-Source Chronic Stroke Repository, Makayla Gibson, Roger Newman-Norlund, Leonardo Bonilha, Julius Fridriksson, Gregory Hickok, Argye E. Hillis, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Chris Rorden

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Sharing neuroimaging datasets enables reproducibility, education, tool development, and new discoveries. Neuroimaging from many studies are publicly available, providing a glimpse into progressive disorders and human development. In contrast, few stroke studies are shared, and these datasets lack longitudinal sampling of functional imaging, diffusion imaging, as well as the behavioral and demographic data that encourage novel applications. This is surprising, as stroke is a leading cause of disability, and acquiring brain imaging is considered standard of care. The first release of the Aphasia Recovery Cohort includes imaging data, demographics and behavioral measures from 230 chronic stroke survivors who experienced aphasia. …

Beyond Chronic Fatigue: Studying The Role Of Neuroinflammation, Glutamate, And Glutamine, Indonesia Alohn Jordan

All ETDs from UAB

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex, multifaceted disease characterized by persistent, severe fatigue lasting six months or longer that is not relieved by rest. An estimated 20 million people worldwide suffer from ME/CFS. ME/CFS has long been suspected to be a post-viral illness, as viral infections can stimulate inflammatory cytokine production. Millions of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients are also predicted to develop persistent symptoms that mimic ME/CFS symptomology after the resolution of the acute infection, referred to as Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). Inflammatory mediators produced by sustained microglia activation have been shown to lead to illness …

Investigating Molecular Mechanisms Behind Neuronotypic Gba1 Mutations In Lewy Body Dementias, Casey Mahoney-Crane

All ETDs from UAB

Nonmotor deficits are present in nearly all Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, with ~80% of these patients developing dementia. Importantly, expression of the severe GBA1 L444P heterozygous mutation increases the risk for Parkinson’s disease devel-opment by 5.43 times compared to mild mutation carriers. Currently, many PD treat-ments predominately focus motor symptoms, while treatments for nonmotor symptoms, such as visual-spatial difficulties and dementia, focus on symptom management and continue to remain elusive. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms behind these nonmotor symptoms is essential for the development of effective therapeutics leading to slower disease progression. The work presented in this dissertation sought to …

O-Glcnacylation And Modulation Of Gabaergic Transmission, Shekinah Phillips

All ETDs from UAB

Changes in the strength of GABAergic transmission is heavily influenced by posttranslational modifications and allosteric modulators like benzodiazepines and neurosteroids. O-GlcNAcylation (O-GlcNAc) is a post-translational modification that is tightly regulated by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA), which add or remove the O-GlcNAc moiety of β–N-acetylglucosamine to serine and threonine residues on proteins, respectively. Published reports from our lab have demonstrated that an acute increase in O-GlcNAcylation induces a long-term depression (LTD) of evoked GABAAR mediated IPSCs (eIPSCs) and reduces the amplitude and frequency of spontaneous IPSC (sIPSC) in hippocampal principal cells, however the mechanism in which this occurs is …

Elementary Cone Photoreceptor Signals In V1 Neurons, Cyril Nyankerh

All ETDs from UAB

Daylight vision is initiated by the activation of cone photoreceptors in the retina in response to light, thereby generating spatial and temporal patterns of photoreceptor signals. Subsequent to this, the signals are combined and processed in downstream neural circuits, ultimately contributing to the formation of receptive fields of neurons in primary visual cortex (V1). Recent advances in adaptive optics (AO) have enabled imaging of the retina with near diffraction limited resolution, allowing for the probing of the visual system's processing at the resolution of individual cones. The central theme of this dissertation characterizes quantitively and qualitatively the physiological responses of …

The T Cell Response In A Mouse Model Of Multiple System Atrophy, Nicole Jane Corbin-Stein

All ETDs from UAB

Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) is a fatal and rare demyelinating synucleinopathy, characterized by the accumulation of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) in glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs) within oligodendrocytes. This condition is marked by neuroinflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration in areas showing GCI pathology, involving antigen presentation by myeloid cells and infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Despite strong evidence of neuroinflammation in post-mortem MSA tissue, the specific mechanisms driving the disease pathogenesis remain elusive. In prior research using the Olig001-SYN mouse model, which involves the modified AAV vector, it was shown that depleting CD4+ T cells can reduce neuroinflammation and demyelination. Notably, this …

Impact Of Alpha-Synuclein Aggregates On Synaptic Structure In The Amygdala, Nolwazi Zakithi Gcwensa

All ETDs from UAB

Parkinson’s disease is the most common motor neurodegenerative and is characterized by intracellular inclusions of misfolded protein α-synuclein termed Lewy Pathology. At least 80% of PD sufferers also experience non-motor symptoms along with, and sometimes preceding, the motor symptoms. Symptoms such as apathy, hallucinations, anxiety and depression could be caused by α-synuclein inclusions causing dysfunction in the amygdala. Lewy pathology in the amygdala of PD patients is robust and has also been observed in a number of other diseases like Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Alzheimer's disease. In our lab, we have shown that using preformed fibrils to induce α-synuclein …

The Effect Of Progranulin On Lysosomal Function In Bv2 Cells, Michelle Park

All ETDs from UAB

Neurodegenerative diseases afflict nearly 7 million people in United states, constituting a significant portion of the 600 known neurological disorders. Characterized by the gradual loss of neurons and axons within the central nervous system (CNS), these conditions stem from chronic inflammatory activation of the brain. Chronic inflammation disrupts important processes such as autophagy lysosome pathway, a self-degradative process that eliminates protein aggregates and damaged organelles. Trehalose, a non-reducing disaccharide that triggers autophagic flux in neuronal cells and promotes the clearance of protein aggregates; however, without understanding the mechanism behind how trehalose affects these functions, it lacks value. In our study, …

Exploring The Use Of Bimodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation To Enhance Movement In Individuals With Patellofemoral Pain—A Sham-Controlled Double Blinded Pilot Study, Kai-Yu Ho, Connan Wallace, Jeno Aquino, Bryce Broadwell, Makenzie Whimple, Jing Nong Liang

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

Introduction: In individuals with patellofemoral pain (PFP), addressing increased knee valgus during weight-bearing activities typically involves strengthening weak hip muscles. However, recent literature highlights the role of altered descending central control in abnormal movements associated with PFP. While transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has demonstrated the capacity to enhance neuroplasticity, its application targeting the corticomotor function of gluteal muscles in PFP remains unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the effects of combining bimodal tDCS with exercise on frontal plane kinematics in individuals with PFP. The hypothesis was that bimodal tDCS, specifically targeting the corticomotor function of the gluteal muscles, would …

Multimodal Mixing Convolutional Neural Network And Transformer For Alzheimer’S Disease Recognition, Junde Chen, Yun Wang, Adnan Zeb, M. D. Suzauddola, Yuxin Wen

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Early recognition of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its precursor state, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), is pivotal in interrupting the progression of the disease and providing suitable treatment. Recent development in deep learning techniques has drawn great research attention for improving the efficacy of AD recognition. However, numerous current methods solely utilize data from a single auxiliary domain, limiting their ability to harness valuable intrinsic insights from multiple domains. To cope with the challenge, this paper is devoted to establishing an innovative multimodal medical data fusion model, termed as MMDF, to perform Alzheimer’s disease recognition. Multimodal data including clinical records and …

Tulips Decorate The Three-Dimensional Genome Of Pfa Ependymoma, Michael J Johnston, John J Y Lee, Bo Hu, Ana Nikolic, Elham Hasheminasabgorji, Audrey Baguette, Seungil Paik, Haifen Chen, Sachin Kumar, Carol C L Chen, Selin Jessa, Polina Balin, Vernon Fong, Melissa Zwaig, Kulandaimanuvel Antony Michealraj, Xun Chen, Yanlin Zhang, Srinidhi Varadharajan, Pierre Billon, Nikoleta Juretic, Craig Daniels, Amulya Nageswara Rao, Caterina Giannini, Eric M Thompson, Miklos Garami, Peter Hauser, Timea Pocza, Young Shin Ra, Byung-Kyu Cho, Seung-Ki Kim, Kyu-Chang Wang, Ji Yeoun Lee, Wieslawa Grajkowska, Marta Perek-Polnik, Sameer Agnihotri, Stephen Mack, Benjamin Ellezam, Alex Weil, Jeremy Rich, Guillaume Bourque, Jennifer A Chan, V Wee Yong, Mathieu Lupien, Jiannis Ragoussis, Claudia Kleinman, Jacek Majewski, Mathieu Blanchette, Nada Jabado, Michael D Taylor, Marco Gallo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Posterior fossa group A (PFA) ependymoma is a lethal brain cancer diagnosed in infants and young children. The lack of driver events in the PFA linear genome led us to search its 3D genome for characteristic features. Here, we reconstructed 3D genomes from diverse childhood tumor types and uncovered a global topology in PFA that is highly reminiscent of stem and progenitor cells in a variety of human tissues. A remarkable feature exclusively present in PFA are type B ultra long-range interactions in PFAs (TULIPs), regions separated by great distances along the linear genome that interact with each other in …

Asymmetric Distribution Of Color-Opponent Response Types Across Mouse Visual Cortex Supports Superior Color Vision In The Sky, Katrin Franke, Chenchen Cai, Kayla Ponder, Jiakun Fu, Sacha Sokoloski, Philipp Berens, Andreas Savas Tolias

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Color is an important visual feature that informs behavior, and the retinal basis for color vision has been studied across various vertebrate species. While many studies have investigated how color information is processed in visual brain areas of primate species, we have limited understanding of how it is organized beyond the retina in other species, including most dichromatic mammals. In this study, we systematically characterized how color is represented in the primary visual cortex (V1) of mice. Using large-scale neuronal recordings and a luminance and color noise stimulus, we found that more than a third of neurons in mouse V1 …

Prospects And Challenges Of Tissue-Derived Extracellular Vesicles, Justin C Lee, Roslyn M Ray, Tristan A Scott

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are considered a vital component of cell-to-cell communication and represent a new frontier in diagnostics and a means to identify pathways for therapeutic intervention. Recently, studies have revealed the importance of tissue-derived EVs (Ti-EVs), which are EVs present in the interstitial spaces between cells, as they better represent the underlying physiology of complex, multicellular tissue microenvironments in biology and disease. EVs are native, lipid bilayer membraned nano-sized particles produced by all cells that are packaged with varied functional biomolecules including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. They are implicated in short- and long-range cellular communication and may elicit …

Optimizing Tigertriever Adjustable Stentriever Technique: Operators’ Experience, Brian Jankowitz, Eitan Abergel, Ronit Agid, Abdul Rahman Al-Schameri, Krzysztof Bartosz Kądziołka, Allan Brook, Michael Diepers, Jeffrey Farkas, Johanna Fifi, Sebastian Fischer, Chirag Gandhi, Reid Gooch, Ramesh Grandhi, Guglielmo Pero, Guy Raphaeli, Sudipta Roychowdhury, Shahram Majidi, Christian Paul Stracke, Nader Sourour, Omar Tanweer, Satoshi Tateshima, Phil Taussky, Martin Wiesmann, Albert Yoo, Daniel W Zumofen, Justin Singer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The Tigertriever is a novel, radially adjustable stentriever that addresses limitations in traditional mechanical thrombectomy devices by providing enhanced user control over clot integration. This provides the ability to adapt to patient-specific factors such as varying vessel sizes and clot compositions and may be particularly crucial for ensuring efficacy and safety in distal locations. This consensus paper synthesizes the clinical techniques from a consortium of experienced international operators. It outlines the current data on the Tigertriever, discusses the new operator-controlled capabilities, and provides a recommended approach for both proximal and distal mechanical thrombectomy, emphasizing the "FLEX" approach (Fast Controlled Expansion …

Peritoneal Baclofen Pump Migration: A Rare Complication Of Subfascial Placement Illustrative Cases, Ashley Ricciardelli, Jordan Guntin, Joshua Korb, Daniel J Curry, Nisha Gadgil

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The intrathecal baclofen pump is an effective treatment option for patients with severe spasticity. In children, subfascial pump placement is often preferred given concerns for infection and wound healing. However, this approach is not without risk, and rare complications, such as peritoneal pump migration, can occur.

OBSERVATIONS: The authors describe three pediatric cases of peritoneal pump migration at their institution over the past 14 years (3/545, 0.5%). All three patients had low body weight (below the 39th percentile), and two had scoliosis requiring surgery. All pumps had been placed using the subfascial technique. The first case occurred 6 months …

Navigating Life: Neuroscience And Inclusive Design In Wayfinding Systems, Stephanie Jost, Piper Hutson, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

Wayfinding, as conceptualized by Lynch, has transformed from traditional navigation methods reliant on visual cues and landmarks to modern systems that integrate digital technologies and neuroscience. This study addresses the need for accessible and consistent wayfinding systems that accommodate diverse user abilities, particularly in complex environments such as public transit, hospitals, and large institutions. Current systems often lack coordination, clear signage, and comprehensive coverage, leading to navigation challenges. Through a multi-method approach, including literature review and case study analysis, this research evaluates best practices for inclusive wayfinding. Key findings emphasize the importance of consistent visual design, strategic sign placement, and …

Imaging Markers Of Future Neurodegeneration Following Moderate-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Daniel Brennan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The overall goal of this dissertation was to identify patterns of cerebral atrophy following traumatic brain injury and relate relevant imaging measures to that atrophy. In Chapter 2, we outline a spatiotemporal profile of atrophy in the first year following moderate-severe TBI: prior to 3-months post injury, the frontal and temporal cortices were observed to be thinner than controls, and thalamic volumes were reduced. From 3-12 months post-injury, significant atrophy was observed in white matter, subcortical gray matter structures (including thalamus), and cortical thinning was observed in the parietal and occipital cortices.

In Chapter 3, we identified widespread white matter …

Neuroimaging Of The Effects Of Drug Exposure Or Self-Administration In Rodents: A Systematic Review, Gunner Drossel, Sarah R Heilbronner, Jan Zimmermann, Anna Zilverstand

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

A systematic review of functional neuroimaging studies on drug (self-) administration in rodents is lacking. Here, we summarized effects of acute or chronic drug administration of various classes of drugs on brain function and determined consistency with human literature. We performed a systematic literature search and identified 125 studies on in vivo rodent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (n = 84) or positron emission tomography (n = 41) spanning depressants (n = 27), opioids (n = 23), stimulants (n = 72), and cannabis (n = 3). Results primarily showed alterations in the striatum, consistent with the human literature. The anterior …

Stereo-Electroencephalography-Guided Network Neuromodulation For Psychiatric Disorders: The Neurophysiology Monitoring Unit, Anusha B Allawala, Kelly R Bijanki, Joshua Adkinson, Denise Oswalt, Evangelia Tsolaki, Sanjay Mathew, Raissa K Mathura, Eleonora Bartoli, Nicole Provenza, Andrew J Watrous, Jiayang Xiao, Victoria Pirtle, Madaline M Mocchi, Sameer Rajesh, Nabeel Diab, Jeffrey F Cohn, David A Borton, Wayne K Goodman, Nader Pouratian, Sameer A Sheth

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background and objectives: Recent advances in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery have brought forth the stereo-electroencephalography approach which allows deeper interrogation and characterization of the contributions of deep structures to neural and affective functioning. We argue that this approach can and should be brought to bear on the notoriously intractable issue of defining the pathophysiology of refractory psychiatric disorders and developing patient-specific optimized stimulation therapies.

Methods: We have developed a suite of methods for maximally leveraging the stereo-electroencephalography approach for an innovative application to understand affective disorders, with high translatability across the broader range of refractory neuropsychiatric conditions.

Results: This article …