C-02 An Unbiased Biomarker Approach to Neuropsychological, Behavioral, and Psychiatric Symptoms in a Mixed Clinical Sample

Abstract Objective Suspected Non-Alzheimer’s Pathology (SNAPs) are individuals who present with a cognitive syndrome meeting clinical criteria for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but are found to lack underlying AD pathology. Current clinical criteria for AD lack specificity in predicting underlying neurodegenerative pathology. With the advent of amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) the presence of amyloid pathology can now be identified in vivo. Using a biomarker-based approach, we aimed to characterize the neuropsychological, behavioral, and psychiatric profile of SNAPs in contrast to those with AD pathology (APs). Method 76 individuals (26 amyloid-negative [SNAPs], 50 amyloid- positive [APs]) completed neuropsychological testing and a PET amyloid scan as a part of a longitudinal observational study at the Cleveland Clinic LRCBH. Individuals meeting NIA-A criteria for MCI or mild AD with a Clinical Dementia Rating score of .05 -1 were included. Amyloid status was determined via clinical read of two clinicians trained in reading amyloid scans (neuroradiologist and neuropsychiatrist). Independent samples t tests assessed group differences between SNAPs and APs across cognitive, behavioral, and psychiatric measures. Results Mini-Mental State Examination scores were equivalent between SNAPs and APs. SNAPs performed significantly better on measures of verbal and nonverbal memory, set-shifting, and semantic fluency, as well as aspects of processing speed and working memory (all p’s < .05). Additionally, SNAPs endorsed more RBD symptoms (p < .05). No significant group differences were observed across neuropsychiatric or functional measures. Conclusion(s) Differences in an individual’s neuropsychological, behavioral, and psychiatric profile in consideration with a biomarker approach may provide key insights and afford greater diagnostic clarity.

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Effects of Multiple Mild TBIs on Neuropsychological Functioning, Psychiatric Symptoms, and Neurobehavioral/Health-Related Symptoms in Combat-Exposed Veterans

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acz035.19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (6) ◽

pp. 851-851

Author(s):

V Merritt ◽

S Jurick ◽

L Crocker ◽

S Hoffman ◽

A Keller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brain Injuries ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Psychiatric Symptoms ◽

Pain Catastrophizing ◽

Neuropsychological Functioning ◽

Self Report ◽

Group Differences ◽

Significant Group ◽

Health Related ◽

Pain Symptoms

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of multiple mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) on objective neuropsychological functioning and subjective symptom reporting in a sample of combat-exposed Veterans. Method Participants included 80 combat-exposed Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans (91.3% male; age: M = 34.33, SD = 6.44) divided into three groups based on mTBI history: 0 mTBIs (n = 33), 1-2 mTBIs (n = 26), and 3+ mTBIs (n = 21). Veterans with mTBI were assessed, on average, 7.5 years following their most recent mTBI. Participants underwent comprehensive neuropsychological testing and completed self-report measures assessing psychiatric and neurobehavioral/health-related symptoms. Results ANCOVAs adjusting for level of combat exposure showed no group differences on the memory and attention/executive functioning composite scores (p’s>.05). Additionally, groups did not differ with respect to symptoms of posttraumatic stress and depression (p’s>.05). In contrast, there were significant group differences on all neurobehavioral/health-related symptoms, including post-concussive symptom clusters (p’s < .001-.005), sleep problems (p = .024), pain symptoms (p < .001), and pain catastrophizing (p = .049). In general, Veterans with 3+ mTBIs self-reported the most severe symptoms, followed by Veterans with 1-2 mTBIs and 0 mTBIs. Conclusions History of multiple, remote mTBIs is associated with elevated subjective neurobehavioral/health-related symptoms in a dose-dependent fashion, but is not associated with objective neuropsychological functioning or ratings of psychiatric distress in combat-exposed Veterans. These results advance understanding of the long-term consequences of multiple mTBIs in this population and suggest that Veterans with 3 or more mTBIs may especially benefit from (1) early treatments aimed at ameliorating sleep and pain symptoms and (2) therapies that provide tools to temper catastrophic thinking about these symptoms.

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Preliminary evidence of motor impairment among polysubstance 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine users with intact neuropsychological functioning

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617710000846 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. 1047-1055 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

CHAD A. BOUSMAN ◽

MARIANA CHERNER ◽

KRISTEN T. EMORY ◽

DANIEL BARRON ◽

PATRICIA GREBENSTEIN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neuropsychological Functioning ◽

Neuropsychological Testing ◽

Motor Impairment ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Group Differences ◽

Motor Speed ◽

Motor Impairments ◽

Significant Group ◽

Lifetime Number ◽

Other Substances

AbstractNeuropsychological disturbances have been reported in association with use of the recreational drug “ecstasy,” or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), but findings have been inconsistent. We performed comprehensive neuropsychological testing examining seven ability domains in 21 MDMA users (MDMA+) and 21 matched control participants (MDMA−). Among MDMA+ participants, median [interquartile range] lifetime MDMA use was 186 [111, 516] doses, with 120 [35–365] days of abstinence. There were no significant group differences in neuropsychological performance, with the exception of the motor speed/dexterity domain in which 43% of MDMA+ were impaired compared with 5% of MDMA− participants (p= .004). Motor impairment differences were not explained by use of other substances and were unrelated to length of abstinence or lifetime number of MDMA doses. Findings provide limited evidence for neuropsychological differences between MDMA+ and MDMA− participants with the exception of motor impairments observed in the MDMA+ group. However, replication of this finding in a larger sample is warranted. (JINS, 2010,16, 1047–1055.)

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Bundle analytics, a computational framework for investigating the shapes and profiles of brain pathways across populations

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-74054-4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Bramsh Qamar Chandio ◽

Shannon Leigh Risacher ◽

Franco Pestilli ◽

Daniel Bullock ◽

Fang-Cheng Yeh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Brain Connectivity ◽

Medical Data ◽

Group Differences ◽

Computational Framework ◽

Significant Group ◽

New Horizons ◽

Progression Markers ◽

Anatomical Information

Abstract Tractography has created new horizons for researchers to study brain connectivity in vivo. However, tractography is an advanced and challenging method that has not been used so far for medical data analysis at a large scale in comparison to other traditional brain imaging methods. This work allows tractography to be used for large scale and high-quality medical analytics. BUndle ANalytics (BUAN) is a fast, robust, and flexible computational framework for real-world tractometric studies. BUAN combines tractography and anatomical information to analyze the challenging datasets and identifies significant group differences in specific locations of the white matter bundles. Additionally, BUAN takes the shape of the bundles into consideration for the analysis. BUAN compares the shapes of the bundles using a metric called bundle adjacency which calculates shape similarity between two given bundles. BUAN builds networks of bundle shape similarities that can be paramount for automating quality control. BUAN is freely available in DIPY. Results are presented using publicly available Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative data.

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[11C](R)-Rolipram positron emission tomography detects DISC1 inhibition of phosphodiesterase type 4 in live Disc1 locus-impaired mice

Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism ◽

10.1177/0271678x18758997 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 39 (7) ◽

pp. 1306-1313 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maarten Ooms ◽

Tetsuya Tsujikawa ◽

Talakad G Lohith ◽

Sanché N Mabins ◽

Sami S Zoghbi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Free Fraction ◽

Protein Isoforms ◽

Group Differences ◽

Significant Group ◽

Phosphodiesterase 4 ◽

Positron Emission ◽

Phosphodiesterase Type ◽

Enzymatic Activity Assay

Although still a matter of controversy, disrupted in schizophrenia protein 1 (DISC1) was suggested as a potential inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4). We used Disc1 locus impairment (LI) mice to investigate the interaction between PDE4 and DISC 1 in vivo and in vitro. [11C]( R)-Rolipram binding was measured by PET in LI ( n = 11) and C57BL/6 wild-type (WT, n = 9) mice. [11C]( R)-Rolipram total distribution volumes ( VT) were calculated and corrected for plasma-free fraction ( fP) measured in a separate group of LI ( n = 6) and WT ( n = 7) mice. PDE4 enzyme activity was measured using in vitro samples of cerebral cortices from groups of LI ( n = 4), heterozygote ( n = 4), and WT ( n = 4) mice. Disc1 LI mice showed a 41% increase in VT (18 ± 6 vs. 13±4 mL/cm3, P = 0.04) compared to WT mice. VT/ fP showed a 73% significant increase (90 ± 31 vs. 52 ± 15 mL/cm3, P = 0.004) in Disc1 LI compared to WT mice. PDE4 enzymatic activity assay confirmed in vivo findings showing significant group differences ( p < 0.0001). In conclusion, PDE4 activity was increased in the absence of critical DISC1 protein isoforms both in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, [11C]( R)-Rolipram PET was sensitive enough to assess altered PDE4 activity caused by PDE4–DISC1 interaction.

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A-04 The Relationship of ApoE Status and Cognition in Non-demented Older Adults

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acaa068.04 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 794-794

Author(s):

Hawley N ◽

Caldwell J ◽

Miller J ◽

Shan G ◽

Salazar A ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Verbal Memory ◽

Medial Temporal Lobe ◽

Neuropsychological Testing ◽

Total Sample ◽

Group Differences ◽

Boston Naming Test ◽

Significant Group ◽

Nonverbal Memory

Abstract Objective Apolipoprotein (ApoE)-e4 is well established as a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as well as a predictor for the rate of cognitive decline in AD. Among older adults without dementia, some research has found that e4 carriers have worse episodic memory compared to e4 non-carriers, whereas others have not found this association. The present study examined differences in cognitive performance between ApoE-e4 carriers and non-carriers. Method 91 non-demented individuals (age range: 55–87) were genotyped for ApoE (41 e4 carriers, 49 e4 non-carriers) and completed neuropsychological testing as a part of a longitudinal study at the Center for Neurodegeneration and Translational Neuroscience. Cognitively normal (CN) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) participants were included (41 CN, 49 MCI). Group differences between e4 carriers and non-carriers were compared across cognitive measures after controlling for age, gender, and education. Results In the total sample, e4 carriers performed significantly worse across measures of verbal and nonverbal memory, as well as on the Boston Naming Test and Symbol Digit Modalities Test (all p’s < .05). No significant group differences were observed across visuospatial or executive function tasks. When diagnostic subgroups were examined, e4 carriers had worse verbal memory than non-carriers in the MCI group, but there was no effect of e4 status on cognition among CN participants. Conclusion(s) These findings support that ApoE-e4 positivity is associated with worse cognitive performance, especially on tasks related to medial temporal lobe function, among non-demented older adults. In MCI, worse verbal memory in e4 carriers likely reflects increased progression of underlying AD pathology.

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Osseodensification enables bone healing chambers with improved low-density bone site primary stability: an in vivo study

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-94886-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rafael Coutinho Mello-Machado ◽

Suelen Cristina Sartoretto ◽

Jose Mauro Granjeiro ◽

José de Albuquerque Calasans-Maia ◽

Marcelo Jose Pinheiro Guedes de Uzeda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Stability ◽

Group Differences ◽

Insertion Torque ◽

Low Density ◽

Implant Stability ◽

Significant Group ◽

Bone Implant ◽

Post Surgery ◽

Implant Bed

AbstractPrimary implant stability is a prerequisite for successful implant osseointegration. The osseodensification technique (OD) is a non-subtractive drilling technique that preserves the bone tissue, increases osteotomy wall density, and improves the primary stability. This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that OD, through a wider osteotomy, produces healing chambers (HCs) at the implant-bone interface without impacting low-density bone primary stability. Twenty implants (3.5 × 10 mm) with a nanohydroxyapatite (nHA) surface were inserted in the ilium of ten sheep. Implant beds were prepared as follows: (i) 2.7-mm-wide using subtractive conventional drilling (SCD) technique (n = 10); (ii) 3.8-mm-wide using an OD bur system (n = 10). The sheep were randomized to two groups, with samples collected at either 14-(n = 5) or 28-days (n = 5) post-surgery and processed for histological and histomorphometric evaluation of bone-implant contact (BIC) and bone area fraction occupancy (BAFO). No significant group differences were found with respect to final insertion torque and implant stability quotient (p > 0.050). BIC values were higher for SCD after 14 and 28 days (p < 0.050); however, BAFO values were similar (p > 0.050). It was possible to conclude that the OD technique allowed a wider implant bed preparation without prejudice on primary stability and bone remodeling.

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Impaired impulse inhibition of emotional stimuli in patients with borderline personality disorder

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-96166-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Huihui Yang ◽

Qian Liu ◽

Wanrong Peng ◽

Zhaoxia Liu ◽

Jun Chu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychiatric Symptoms ◽

Negative Emotion ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Stop Signal Task ◽

Group Differences ◽

Control Group ◽

Emotional Stimuli ◽

Significant Group ◽

Behavioral Variables ◽

Related Potentials

AbstractThis study was aimed to investigate whether BPD patients showed impaired impulse inhibition of emotional and non-emotional stimuli and to explore relevant neuroelectrophysiological mechanisms. A total of 32 BPD patients and 32 matched healthy controls were recruited. Self-reported scales were used to measure psychiatric symptoms. The event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded when subjects were performing neutral and emotional Stop Signal Task (SST). Group differences in self-reported scores, behavioral variables and ERPs were compared. The BPD group scored significantly higher on impulsivity, severity of BPD symptoms, levels of depression and anxiety than the control group. In neutral SST, no significant group differences were detected in the amplitude and latency of ERPs components induced. In emotional SST, the P2 amplitude of negative emotion was significantly larger than that of neutral emotion in Go trials. In Stop trials, the P2 amplitude of BPD group was significantly smaller than that of control group, and the N2 amplitude of BPD group was significantly greater than that of control group. BPD patients showed impaired inhibition of emotional stimuli rather than non-emotional stimuli. The deficits of emotional impulse control mainly exhibit at the early attention, stimulus evaluation and conflict detection stages.

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Comparison of Auditory, Language, Memory, and Attention Abilities in Children With and Without Listening Difficulties

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2020_aja-20-00018 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 710-727

Author(s):

Beula M. Magimairaj ◽

Naveen K. Nagaraj ◽

Alexander V. Sergeev ◽

Natalie J. Benafield

Keyword(s):

Auditory Processing ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Group Differences ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Short Term ◽

Significant Group ◽

Term Memory ◽

Memory And Attention ◽

Speed And Accuracy

Objectives School-age children with and without parent-reported listening difficulties (LiD) were compared on auditory processing, language, memory, and attention abilities. The objective was to extend what is known so far in the literature about children with LiD by using multiple measures and selective novel measures across the above areas. Design Twenty-six children who were reported by their parents as having LiD and 26 age-matched typically developing children completed clinical tests of auditory processing and multiple measures of language, attention, and memory. All children had normal-range pure-tone hearing thresholds bilaterally. Group differences were examined. Results In addition to significantly poorer speech-perception-in-noise scores, children with LiD had reduced speed and accuracy of word retrieval from long-term memory, poorer short-term memory, sentence recall, and inferencing ability. Statistically significant group differences were of moderate effect size; however, standard test scores of children with LiD were not clinically poor. No statistically significant group differences were observed in attention, working memory capacity, vocabulary, and nonverbal IQ. Conclusions Mild signal-to-noise ratio loss, as reflected by the group mean of children with LiD, supported the children's functional listening problems. In addition, children's relative weakness in select areas of language performance, short-term memory, and long-term memory lexical retrieval speed and accuracy added to previous research on evidence-based areas that need to be evaluated in children with LiD who almost always have heterogenous profiles. Importantly, the functional difficulties faced by children with LiD in relation to their test results indicated, to some extent, that commonly used assessments may not be adequately capturing the children's listening challenges. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12808607

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Behavioral and emotional differences between children of divorce and children from intact families: Clinical significance and mediating processes *This study is part of a dissertation () supported from the German research community.

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024//1421-0185.61.1.5 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 61 (1) ◽

pp. 5-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Andreas Schick

Keyword(s):

Self Esteem ◽

Research Community ◽

Children Of Divorce ◽

Group Differences ◽

Significant Group ◽

Intact Families ◽

Divorce Adjustment ◽

Theoretical Assumptions ◽

German Research ◽

Clinically Significant

The following study is based on a sample of 241 9-13-year-old children (66 children from divorced parents, 175 children from non divorced parents). They were examined for differences regarding anxiety, self-esteem, different areas of competence, and degree of behavior problems. With a focus on the children’s experiences, the clinically significant differences were examined. Clinically significant differences, revealing more negative outcomes for the children of divorce, were only found for social anxiety and unstable performance. The frequency of clinical significant differences was independent of the length of time the parents had been separated. The perceived destructiveness of conflict between the parents one of four facets of interparental conflict in this study functioned as a central mediator of the statistically significant group differences. The children’s perception of the father’s social support was a less reliable indicator of variance. Further studies should try to make underlying theoretical assumptions about the effects of divorce more explicit, to distinguish clearly between mediating variables, and to investigate them with respect to specific divorce adjustment indicators.

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Effects of aging on emotion recognition from dynamic multimodal expressions and vocalizations

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82135-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Diana S. Cortes ◽

Christina Tornberg ◽

Tanja Bänziger ◽

Hillary Anger Elfenbein ◽

Håkan Fischer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Emotion Recognition ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Negative Emotions ◽

Group Differences ◽

Significant Group ◽

Positivity Effect ◽

Video Recordings ◽

Age Related ◽

Effects Of Aging

AbstractAge-related differences in emotion recognition have predominantly been investigated using static pictures of facial expressions, and positive emotions beyond happiness have rarely been included. The current study instead used dynamic facial and vocal stimuli, and included a wider than usual range of positive emotions. In Task 1, younger and older adults were tested for their abilities to recognize 12 emotions from brief video recordings presented in visual, auditory, and multimodal blocks. Task 2 assessed recognition of 18 emotions conveyed by non-linguistic vocalizations (e.g., laughter, sobs, and sighs). Results from both tasks showed that younger adults had significantly higher overall recognition rates than older adults. In Task 1, significant group differences (younger > older) were only observed for the auditory block (across all emotions), and for expressions of anger, irritation, and relief (across all presentation blocks). In Task 2, significant group differences were observed for 6 out of 9 positive, and 8 out of 9 negative emotions. Overall, results indicate that recognition of both positive and negative emotions show age-related differences. This suggests that the age-related positivity effect in emotion recognition may become less evident when dynamic emotional stimuli are used and happiness is not the only positive emotion under study.

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