Phasic Electrodermal Activity During the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC)

Context: The long-term effects of concussion on brain function during cognitive tasks are not fully understood and neuroimaging findings are equivocal. Some images show hyperactivation of prefrontal brain regions in previously concussed individuals relative to controls, suggesting increased cognitive resource allocation. Others show prefrontal hypoactivation and hyperactivation in other regions as a presumed compensatory mechanism. Given the relationship between sympathetic arousal and neural activation, physiologic measures of arousal, such as electrodermal activity, may provide additional insight into the brain's functional changes in those with a history of concussion. Objective: To quantify differences in electrodermal activity during a commonly used standardized neurocognitive assessment between individuals with or without a history of concussion. Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Setting: Research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Seven asymptomatic individuals with a self-reported history of physician-diagnosed, sport-related concussion (number of previous concussions = 1.43 ± 0.53; time since most recent concussion = 0.75 to 6 years, median = 3 years) and 10 individuals without a history of concussion participated in this study. Main Outcome Measure(s): All participants wore bilateral wrist electrodermal activity sensors during the Standardized Assessment of Concussion. We measured normalized phasic (reactive) electrodermal activity during each test element (orientation, immediate recall, concentration, delayed recall). Results: A significant group-by-test element interaction was present (P = .003). Individuals with a history of concussion had greater phasic activity during delayed recall (P < .001). Delayed-recall phasic activity was greater in both groups relative to the other elements. Conclusions: Delayed recall resulted in greater physiologic arousal in previously concussed individuals relative to healthy control participants, supporting previous neuroimaging findings of increased prefrontal cortex activity during memory tasks after concussion. Given similar task performance and arousal patterns across the test, our results suggest that previously concussed individuals incur additional cognitive demands in a short-delay recall task.

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Microstructure of the Corpus Callosum Long after Pediatric Concussion

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617720000223 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (8) ◽

pp. 763-775

Author(s):

Maya N. Sohn ◽

Shane Virani ◽

Helen L. Carlson ◽

Shelby MacPhail ◽

Trevor A. Low ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Corpus Callosum ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Significant Group ◽

White Matter Tracts ◽

Pediatric Concussion ◽

Orthopedic Injury ◽

White Matter Microstructure ◽

History Of

AbstractObjective:The long-term effects of pediatric concussion on white matter microstructure are poorly understood. This study investigated long-term changes in white matter diffusion properties of the corpus callosum in youth several years after concussion.Methods:Participants were 8–19 years old with a history of concussion (n = 36) or orthopedic injury (OI) (n = 21). Mean time since injury for the sample was 2.6 years (SD = 1.6). Participants underwent diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, completed cognitive testing, and rated their post-concussion symptoms. Measures of diffusivity (fractional anisotropy, mean, axial, and radial diffusivity) were extracted from white matter tracts in the genu, body, and splenium regions of the corpus callosum. The genu and splenium tracts were further subdivided into 21 equally spaced regions along the tract and diffusion values were extracted from each of these smaller regions.Results:White matter tracts in the genu, body, and splenium did not differ in diffusivity properties between youth with a history of concussion and those with a history of OI. No significant group differences were found in subdivisions of the genu and splenium after correcting for multiple comparisons. Diffusion metrics did not significantly correlate with symptom reports or cognitive performance.Conclusions:These findings suggest that at approximately 2.5 years post-injury, youth with prior concussion do not have differences in their corpus callosum microstructure compared to youth with OI. Although these results are promising from the perspective of long-term recovery, further research utilizing longitudinal study designs is needed to confirm the long-term effects of pediatric concussion on white matter microstructure.

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The Neurobiology of Pain

The Oxford Handbook of the Neurobiology of Pain ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190860509.013.24 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 387-414

Author(s):

Maria Fitzgerald ◽

Michael W. Salter

Keyword(s):

Early Life ◽

Pain Perception ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Male And Female ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Pain Pathways ◽

Developmental Age ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Age And Sex

The influence of development and sex on pain perception has long been recognized but only recently has it become clear that this is due to specific differences in underlying pain neurobiology. This chapter summarizes the evidence for mechanistic differences in male and female pain biology and for functional changes in pain pathways through infancy, adolescence, and adulthood. It describes how both developmental age and sex determine peripheral nociception, spinal and brainstem processing, brain networks, and neuroimmune pathways in pain. Finally, the chapter discusses emerging evidence for interactions between sex and development and the importance of sex in the short- and long-term effects of early life pain.

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Behavioural Measures of Infant Activity but Not Attention Associate with Later Preschool ADHD Traits

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11050524 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 524

Author(s):

Amy Goodwin ◽

Alexandra Hendry ◽

Luke Mason ◽

Tessel Bazelmans ◽

Jannath Begum Ali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Family History ◽

Child Behaviour ◽

Activity Level ◽

Group Differences ◽

Early Interventions ◽

Significant Group ◽

Assessment Protocol ◽

History Of ◽

Observer Ratings ◽

Infant Attention

Mapping infant neurocognitive differences that precede later ADHD-related behaviours is critical for designing early interventions. In this study, we investigated (1) group differences in a battery of measures assessing aspects of attention and activity level in infants with and without a family history of ADHD or related conditions (ASD), and (2) longitudinal associations between the infant measures and preschool ADHD traits at 3 years. Participants (N = 151) were infants with or without an elevated likelihood for ADHD (due to a family history of ADHD and/or ASD). A multi-method assessment protocol was used to assess infant attention and activity level at 10 months of age that included behavioural, cognitive, physiological and neural measures. Preschool ADHD traits were measured at 3 years of age using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and the Child Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ). Across a broad range of measures, we found no significant group differences in attention or activity level at 10 months between infants with and without a family history of ADHD or ASD. However, parent and observer ratings of infant activity level at 10 months were positively associated with later preschool ADHD traits at 3 years. Observable behavioural differences in activity level (but not attention) may be apparent from infancy in children who later develop elevated preschool ADHD traits.

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Differentiating the effect of antipsychotic medication and illness on brain volume reductions in first-episode psychosis: A Longitudinal, Randomised, Triple-blind, Placebo-controlled MRI Study

Neuropsychopharmacology ◽

10.1038/s41386-021-00980-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sidhant Chopra ◽

Alex Fornito ◽

Shona M. Francey ◽

Brian O’Donoghue ◽

Vanessa Cropley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antipsychotic Medication ◽

Brain Volume ◽

First Episode Psychosis ◽

Common Finding ◽

First Episode ◽

Control Group ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Significant Group ◽

Episode Psychosis

AbstractChanges in brain volume are a common finding in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) studies of people with psychosis and numerous longitudinal studies suggest that volume deficits progress with illness duration. However, a major unresolved question concerns whether these changes are driven by the underlying illness or represent iatrogenic effects of antipsychotic medication. In this study, 62 antipsychotic-naïve patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) received either a second-generation antipsychotic (risperidone or paliperidone) or a placebo pill over a treatment period of 6 months. Both FEP groups received intensive psychosocial therapy. A healthy control group (n = 27) was also recruited. Structural MRI scans were obtained at baseline, 3 months and 12 months. Our primary aim was to differentiate illness-related brain volume changes from medication-related changes within the first 3 months of treatment. We secondarily investigated long-term effects at the 12-month timepoint. From baseline to 3 months, we observed a significant group x time interaction in the pallidum (p < 0.05 FWE-corrected), such that patients receiving antipsychotic medication showed increased volume, patients on placebo showed decreased volume, and healthy controls showed no change. Across the entire patient sample, a greater increase in pallidal grey matter volume over 3 months was associated with a greater reduction in symptom severity. Our findings indicate that psychotic illness and antipsychotic exposure exert distinct and spatially distributed effects on brain volume. Our results align with prior work in suggesting that the therapeutic efficacy of antipsychotic medications may be primarily mediated through their effects on the basal ganglia.

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LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF OTITIS MEDIA A TEN-YEAR COHORT STUDY OF ALASKAN ESKIMO CHILDREN

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.52.4.577 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

pp. 577-585 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gary J. Kaplan ◽

J. Kenneth Fleshman ◽

Thomas R. Bender ◽

Carol Baum ◽

Paul S. Clark

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Otitis Media ◽

Verbal Ability ◽

Significant Loss ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Normal Range ◽

History Of ◽

Conductive Component ◽

Verbal Development

Histories of ear disease, otoscopic examinations, and audiologic, intelligence, and achievement tests were obtained from a cohort of 489 Alaskan Eskimo children who have been followed through the first ten years of life. Seventy-six per cent had experienced one or more episodes of otitis media since birth. Of these, 78% had their first attack during their first two years of life. Perforations and scars were present in 41%. A hearing loss of 26 decibels or greater was present in 16%, and an additional 25% were in the normal range but had a measurable air-bone gap. Children with a history of otitis media prior to 2 years of age and a hearing loss of 26 decibels or greater had a statistically significant loss of verbal ability and were behind in total reading, total math, and language. In addition, children who had an early onset of otitis media but now had normal hearing with a conductive component were also adversely affected in verbal areas. The number of otitis media episodes was related to tympanic membrane abnormalities, hearing loss, and low verbal and achievement scores. These findings indicate that otitis media has been a significant cause of morbidity in Alaskan Eskimo children, and its onset during the critical years of language development as well as the number of episodes play an important role in impairing verbal development.

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The Garvey Movement in British West Africa

The Journal of African History ◽

10.1017/s0021853700017898 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 105-117 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

R. L. Okonkwo

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

West African ◽

Colonial Rule ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

The West ◽

Universal Negro Improvement Association ◽

History Of ◽

American Blacks ◽

Garvey Movement ◽

African Nationalism

The paper seeks to present new information concerning the activities of the West African branches of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. The author has included biographical profiles of the British West African Garveyites to integrate the Garvey movement into the history of West African nationalism and Pan-Africanism.It is argued that Garveyism was welcomed in British West Africa by the older cultural nationalists who saw Garveyism as an extension of Blyden's ideas. Pan-African sentiments of racial unity and solidarity of African and American blacks, pride in the history of the race, and self-help projects had wide circulation in West Africa from the latter part of the nineteenth century, as a result of Blyden's influence. Joining the branches of the U.N.I.A. was a practical demonstration of a long-standing commitment to cultural and racial nationalism among the West African elite.The Garvey movement also marked the beginning of a new era in West African nationalism. Garvey's radical pronouncements on freeing Africa from colonial rule were unacceptable to the older cultural nationalists who dominated the Garvey groups. They disavowed any interest in organizing a central nation for the race. However, Garvey's ideas may have had long-term effects. By the 1930s the idea of independence from colonial rule seemed more attractive to the West African nationalists. Garvey was one of the first to speak out boldly for freedom from colonialism.The concrete achievements of the West African branches of the U.N.I.A. were small indeed. Nigeria had the most Garveyite activity in British West Africa. There was an agent for the Black Star Line in Lagos and a branch of the U.N.I.A. and A.C.L. The Gold Coast had the least Garveyite activity, probably because of their involvement in the National Congress of British West Africa and also because of their more critical attitude towards co-operation with American blacks. They believed that Africans were best qualified to lead any joint efforts for intra-racial co-operation.

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The Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Brain and Cognitive Function

10.20944/preprints202108.0528.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jip Gudden ◽

Alejandro Arias Vasquez ◽

Mirjam Bloemendaal

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Animal Studies ◽

Randomized Clinical Trials ◽

Caloric Intake ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Future Research ◽

Intermittent Fasting ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Positive Effects

The importance of diet and the gut-brain axis for brain health and cognitive function is increasingly acknowledged. Dietary interventions are tested for their potential to prevent and/or treat brain disorders. Intermittent fasting (IF), the abstinence or strong limitation of calories for 12 to 48 hours, alternated with periods of regular food intake, has shown promising results on neurobiological health in animal models. In this review article, we discuss the potential benefits of IF on cognitive function and the possible effects on the prevention and progress of brain-related disorders in animals and humans. We do so by summarizing the effects of IF which - through metabolic, cellular and circadian mechanisms - lead to anatomical and functional changes in the brain. Our review shows that there is no clear evidence of a positive short-term effect of IF on cognition in healthy subjects. Clinical studies show benefits of IF for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis on disease symptoms and progress. Findings from animal studies show mechanisms by which Parkinson’s disease, ischaemic stroke, autism spectrum disorder and mood- and anxiety disorders could benefit from IF. Future research should disentangle whether positive effects of IF hold true regardless of age or the presence of obesity. Also, variations in fasting patterns, total caloric intake and intake of specific nutrients may be relevant components of IF success. Longitudinal studies and Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) will provide a window into the long-term effects of IF on the development and progress of brain-related diseases.

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The Fragile State

Cambridge Archaeological Journal ◽

10.1017/s0959774319000398 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 704-706 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Susan Pollock

Keyword(s):

Unintended Consequences ◽

Recent Book ◽

Ecological State ◽

Substantial Portion ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Contemporary World ◽

Early States ◽

History Of ◽

Human Use

In his most recent book, James Scott presents us with a ‘deep history’ of the alluvial lowlands of Mesopotamia, from early domestications in the Neolithic to the emergence and consolidation of early states. Although the focus lies on Mesopotamia in these periods, Scott delves into the beginnings of the human use of fire in the Palaeolithic and draws on comparative developments in Southeast Asia, Egypt, Greece, Rome and elsewhere. He poses large questions: Why did people move into densely packed villages—‘Neolithic multispecies resettlement camps’—accompanied by the plants and animals they domesticated, but also by an exponentially increased disease load and a substantial portion of drudgery? Why did states emerge when they did, despite the fact that the main ecological and demographic conditions were present millennia earlier? What accounts for the fragility of these early states, and why do our standard histories obscure that fact? Guiding themes are ecological and demographic, but also draw explicit attention to the unintended consequences of human actions. Indeed, reflections on the Anthropocene underpin the book's arguments, and, like many others who write on this topic, Scott is motivated by deep-seated concerns about the sorry ecological state of our contemporary world and connections to long-term effects of human activity.

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Long-Term Effects of a Multimodal Physiotherapy Program on the Severity of Somatosensory Tinnitus and Identification of Clinical Indicators Predicting Favorable Outcomes of the Program

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa.17147 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (08) ◽

pp. 720-730 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Claudia Côté ◽

Isabelle Baril ◽

Catherine-Ève Morency ◽

Samuel Montminy ◽

Mélanie Couture ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Characteristics ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Clinical Indicators ◽

Recent Onset ◽

Visual Analog Scales ◽

Physiotherapy Program ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

History Of ◽

Baseline Characteristics ◽

Multimodal Physiotherapy

AbstractTinnitus, the perception of sound in the absence of external auditory stimuli, is commonly associated with problems of the auditory system. Head and neck disorders can also be involved in tinnitus emergence. In such cases, the term somatosensory tinnitus is used. Physiotherapy treatments have been identified as a promising avenue in the treatment of somatosensory tinnitus.The aim of the study was to explore the effect of a physiotherapy program on the intensity and severity of somatosensory tinnitus and to identify the clinical characteristics of the patients who respond well to this treatment.Quasi-experimental pre–post single-group design.Thirty-one adults with presumed somatosensory tinnitus.All participants received on average ten physiotherapy treatments over six weeks. Treatments included cervical and thoracic mobilizations, as well as muscular strengthening, stretching, postural instruction, and cervical stabilization.Outcomes were measured at baseline, at the end of the physiotherapy program, and three months later. The primary outcomes were the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and visual analog scales for loudness and annoyance caused by tinnitus.After the last evaluation, participants were divided into two groups: improved and unimproved participants. Participants were considered improved if they (1) showed significant improvement in at least two of the three primary outcome measures and (2) indicated subjective improvement. Thereafter, the baseline characteristics that correctly identify participants susceptible to improve significantly following treatment were determined (Cohen’s effect size d > 0.8).A significant improvement in tinnitus intensity was observed at the end of the program. Of the 31 participants, 14 experienced persistent improvement in the intensity of their tinnitus and were classified as improved. Baseline characteristics strongly associated with tinnitus improvement were no increase in tinnitus when exposed to noise (d = −1.57), no family history of tinnitus (d = −1.16), somatosensory modulation in response to the contraction used to resist pressure applied to the forehead (d = 1.20), and recent onset of tinnitus (d = 1.03).This exploratory study showed that a multimodal physiotherapy program is effective in decreasing the severity of tinnitus, principally in individuals presenting with somatosensory tinnitus in combination with specific clinical characteristics.

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Family history of alcohol use disorder is associated with brain structural and functional changes in healthy first-degree relatives

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2019.08.003 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 ◽

pp. 107-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Irina Filippi ◽

Nicolas Hoertel ◽

Eric Artiges ◽

Guillaume Airagnes ◽

Christophe Guérin-Langlois ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Family History ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Whole Brain ◽

Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽

Functional Changes ◽

History Of

Abstract Background: Neuroimaging studies of vulnerability to Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) have identified structural and functional variations which might reflect inheritable features in alcohol-naïve relatives of AUD individuals (FH+) compared to controls having no such family history (FH-). However, prior research did not simultaneously account for childhood maltreatment, any clinically significant disorder and maternal AUD. Therefore, we mainly aimed to investigate the brain structure and reward-related neural activations (fMRI), using whole-brain analysis in FH+ young adults with no prevalent confounders. Methods: 46 FH+ and 45 FH- male and female participants had no severe childhood maltreatment exposure, neither any psychiatric disorder or AUD, nor a prenatal exposure to maternal AUD. We used a 3 T MRI coupled with a whole brain voxel-based method to compare between groups the grey matter volumes and activations in response to big versus small wins during a Monetary Incentive Delay task. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire score was used as confounding variable in the analyses to account for the remaining variance between groups. Results: Compared to FH- controls, FH+ participants had smaller grey matter volumes in the frontal and cingulate regions as well as in the bilateral nucleus accumbens and right insula. The FH+ participants’ fMRI datasets denoted a blunted activation in the middle cingulum with respect to FH- controls’ during the processing of reward magnitude, and a greater activation in the anterior cingulum in response to anticipation of a small win. Conclusions: Family history of alcohol use disorder is linked to structural and functional variations including brain regions involved in reward processes.

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