393 research outputs found
UMSL Bulletin 2023-2024
The 2023-2024 Bulletin and Course Catalog for the University of Missouri St. Louis.https://irl.umsl.edu/bulletin/1088/thumbnail.jp
UMSL Bulletin 2022-2023
The 2022-2023 Bulletin and Course Catalog for the University of Missouri St. Louis.https://irl.umsl.edu/bulletin/1087/thumbnail.jp
Neural correlates of post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) attention deficits in children
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children is a major public health concern worldwide. Attention deficits are among the most common neurocognitive and behavioral consequences in children post-TBI which have significant negative impacts on their educational and social outcomes and compromise the quality of their lives. However, there is a paucity of evidence to guide the optimal treatment strategies of attention deficit related symptoms in children post-TBI due to the lack of understanding regarding its neurobiological substrate. Thus, it is critical to understand the neural mechanisms associated with TBI-induced attention deficits in children so that more refined and tailored strategies can be developed for diagnoses and long-term treatments and interventions.
This dissertation is the first study to investigate neurobiological substrates associated with post-TBI attention deficits in children using both anatomical and functional neuroimaging data. The goals of this project are to discover the quantitatively measurable markers utilizing diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and functional MRI (fMRI) techniques, and to further identify the most robust neuroimaging features in predicting severe post-TBI attention deficits in children, by utilizing machine learning and deep learning techniques. A total of 53 children with TBI and 55 controls from age 9 to 17 are recruited. The results show that the systems-level topological properties in left frontal regions, parietal regions, and medial occipitotemporal regions in structural and functional brain network are significantly associated with inattentive and/or hyperactive/impulsive symptoms in children post-TBI. Semi-supervised deep learning modeling further confirms the significant contributions of these brain features in the prediction of elevated attention deficits in children post-TBI. The findings of this project provide valuable foundations for future research on developing neural markers for TBI-induced attention deficits in children, which may significantly assist the development of more effective and individualized diagnostic and treatment strategies
Hidden Strains: Understanding Schizophrenia's Impact on Families and Communities
"Hidden Strains: Understanding Schizophrenia's Impact on Families and Communities" examines the challenges family caregivers of schizophrenia patients face in Romania. This study uncovers the socio-economic burdens and limited psychiatric support, particularly in rural areas, compounded by societal stigma. A significant finding is the caregivers' knowledge gap about schizophrenia, underscoring the need for mental health education for early detection and stigma reduction. The research stresses the vital roles of family and community in schizophrenia care, advocating for more community resources. It introduces innovative care models like the "Open Dialogue Approach" from Scandinavia, suggesting solutions for Romania's mental health challenges. Broadening its view, "Hidden Strains" contrasts Romanian mental health issues with global trends, emphasizing the urgency of mental health reforms. Concluding with recommendations for worldwide application, this work offers insights for professionals, caregivers, and policymakers, and resonates universally despite its Romanian foundation
Relationship Between Parental Attachment and Cyberbullying Within the Homeschooling Community
Cyberbullying has been a focus of research and societal concern since the advent of the internet. Both perpetrators and victims of cyberbullying experience significant adverse effects including depression, anxiety, internalizing and externalizing problems, suicidal ideation, and suicide. Despite the broad understanding of the impact of cyberbullying on mental and physical health, research has not prioritized the exploration of cyberbullying within the homeschooled population. The purpose of this quantitative survey design was to identify the characteristics and relationships between cyberbullying victimization and perpetration, attachment security, and religiosity in homeschooled adolescents. Using a framework of Bowlby’s attachment theory, the Parental Attachment Questionnaire, Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey Instrument, and Centrality of Religiosity Scale were administered online through a sample of 77 homeschooled adolescents ages 12-17. Descriptive statistics and t-tests indicated that homeschooled adolescents have lower rates of both cyberbullying perpetration and victimization when compared to traditionally schooled adolescents and higher rates of attachment security and religiosity. This research contributes to positive social change by highlighting the existence and prevalence of cyberbullying in the homeschooled population as well as the protective factors of attachment security and religiosity. Homeschooled families, local communities, and governmental organizations can use this research in the implementation of policies and directives intended to diminish cyberbullying and its adverse effects among homeschoolers
EXplainable Artificial Intelligence: enabling AI in neurosciences and beyond
The adoption of AI models in medicine and neurosciences has the potential to play a significant role not only in bringing scientific advancements but also in clinical decision-making. However, concerns mounts due to the eventual biases AI could have which could result in far-reaching consequences particularly in a critical field like biomedicine. It is challenging to achieve usable intelligence because not only it is fundamental to learn from prior data, extract knowledge and guarantee generalization capabilities, but also to disentangle the underlying explanatory factors in order to deeply understand the variables leading to the final decisions. There hence has been a call for approaches to open the AI `black box' to increase trust and reliability on the decision-making capabilities of AI algorithms. Such approaches are commonly referred to as XAI and are starting to be applied in medical fields even if not yet fully exploited. With this thesis we aim at contributing to enabling the use of AI in medicine and neurosciences by taking two fundamental steps: (i) practically pervade AI models with XAI (ii) Strongly validate XAI models. The first step was achieved on one hand by focusing on XAI taxonomy and proposing some guidelines specific for the AI and XAI applications in the neuroscience domain. On the other hand, we faced concrete issues proposing XAI solutions to decode the brain modulations in neurodegeneration relying on the morphological, microstructural and functional changes occurring at different disease stages as well as their connections with the genotype substrate. The second step was as well achieved by firstly defining four attributes related to XAI validation, namely stability, consistency, understandability and plausibility. Each attribute refers to a different aspect of XAI ranging from the assessment of explanations stability across different XAI methods, or highly collinear inputs, to the alignment of the obtained explanations with the state-of-the-art literature. We then proposed different validation techniques aiming at practically fulfilling such requirements. With this thesis, we contributed to the advancement of the research into XAI aiming at increasing awareness and critical use of AI methods opening the way to real-life applications enabling the development of personalized medicine and treatment by taking a data-driven and objective approach to healthcare
Brain functioning, networks and topology during naturalistic stimulus in first-episode psychosis
Psychosis is a condition where the ability to distinguish between external and internal experiences is diminished or distorted. It is a core symptom of several psychiatric disorders which have a crucial impact on the quality of patients’ lives. Although the neuronal basis of psychosis is unknown, studies suggest that psychosis is derived from glutamate-driven and dopamine-related altered signaling within and between different brain regions. Brain imaging studies have typically used resting state or simple task paradigms to study brain mechanisms related to psychosis. In this thesis, naturalistic stimulus during functional magnetic imaging was used to explore more complex stimulus processing. Movies have been shown to synchronize brain activity across subjects more efficiently than resting state and are increasingly used in neuroscience. The main aim of this thesis was to characterize differences in brain functioning between first-episode psychosis patients and control subjects during naturalistic stimulus, i.e., movie viewing. Participants were drawn from the Helsinki Psychosis Study. The patient group consisted of individuals treated for first psychotic episode in the hospitals and outpatient clinics of the Helsinki University hospital and the city of Helsinki. Age-, sex- and area of residence matched control subjects were recruited via the Finnish Population Registration System. Papers I and II include data from 32 patients and 46 control subjects, and paper III includes 71 patients and 57 control subjects.
In paper I, machine learning was used to identify a bilateral region in the precuneus, where activation patterns during movie viewing distinguished patients from control subjects. Classification accuracy was associated with positive symptoms in that the higher the symptom score the more reliable the classification. In paper II, both functional and structural connectivity were studied to establish that the precuneus region showed functional connectivity across the movie to the default mode network and that patients had increased function connectivity between the precuneus seed region and the medial prefrontal cortex. No differences were observed in the underlying white matter structural connectivity. In paper III functional connectivity was used on the whole-brain level to identify a sub-network, or component, where connectivity differed between patients and control subjects. Patients had mainly decreased but also, in some connections, increased functional connectivity. Also, differences between patients and control subjects in graph measures were observed, most prominently in the centrality of the insula.
The results suggest brain functioning during naturalistic stimulus is altered in first-episode psychosis. Most prominent differences are concentrated in the hub regions of the brain and regions and functional networks related to salience attribution and model updating. Understanding naturalistic stimulus related brain correlates of aberrant cognitive processes already present during early stages of psychosis might provide better targeted and more efficient biological, cognitive and behavioral interventions in the future.Psykoosilla tarkoitetaan todellisuudentajun vakavaa heikentymistä, mikä voi ilmetä aistiharhoina, harhaluuloina, puheen tai käytöksen hajanaisuutena sekä katatonisina oireina. Psykoosi on usean vakavan mielenterveyden häiriön keskeinen oire. Ensipsykoosilla tarkoitetaan ensimmäistä sairausjaksoa, johon liittyy merkittäviä psykoosioireita. Psykoosiin liittyviä aivojen toiminnallisia muutoksia ei vielä täysin tunneta, mutta niiden uskotaan olevan yhteydessä poikkeavaan viestintään eri aivoalueiden välillä.
Tämän tutkielman päätavoitteena on tutkia eroja ensipsykoosiin sairastuneiden ja verrokkihenkilöiden aivotoiminnassa elokuvan katsomisen aikana. Aivokuvantamistutkimuksissa on tyypillisesti käytetty ärsykkeenä lepotila-asetelmaa tai yksinkertaisia tehtäviä. Tässä tutkielmassa käytettiin naturalistista elokuvastimulusta, jolloin ärsykkeen käsittely vastaa paremmin arjen vaatimuksia. Tutkielman potilasaineisto koostuu henkilöistä, joilla oli ensimmäinen hoitokontakti psykoosioireiden vuoksi. Verrokkihenkilöt on rekrytoitu Suomen väestörekisterin kautta. Osatöissä I ja II aineistossa on mukana 32 potilasta ja 46 vertailuhenkilöä ja osatyössä III 71 potilasta ja 57 vertailuhenkilöä.
Osatyössä I hyödynnettiin koneoppimismenetelmiä ja tunnistettiin molemminpuolinen alue aivojen etukiilassa (precuneus), jossa aivotoimintaa mittaavan fMRI-signaalin vaihtelu elokuvan aikana erotteli potilaita verrokeista sattumaa merkittävästi paremmalla tarkkuudella. Potilaiden luokittelu oli sitä varmempaa, mitä voimakkaampia positiivisia oireita eli harhaluuloja tai aistiharhoja heillä oli. Osatyössä II tarkasteltiin toiminnallisia ja rakenteellisia potilas - verrokki eroja etukiila-alueen ja muiden aivoalueiden yhteyksissä. Potilailla havaittiin vahvempi toiminallinen yhteys eli konnektiviteetti etukiilan ja etuotsalohkon välillä. Alueita yhdistävissä rakenteissa ei ollut ryhmäeroja. Osatyössä III tarkasteltiin elokuvan aikaista aivotoimintaa koko aivoja kattavan verkoston näkökulmasta ja tunnistettiin alaverkosto, jossa konnektiviteetti poikkesi potilaiden ja verrokkien välillä. Lisäksi havaittiin potilas – verrokki eroja verkoston rakennetta kuvaavissa mittareissa, selkeimmin aivosaarekkeen (insulan) keskeisyydessä
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