The Psychological Effects of Cochlear Implants: a Comparison of One Adult with a Cochlear Implant and One Without.

This study involved the development, implementation and analyzation of two qualitative case studies, with one involving a profoundly deaf individual who possesses a cochlear implant, the other with an individual who possesses normal hearing ranges. Participants were given two quantitative measures of observation, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire and the Thought Control Questionnaire, before participating in a semi-structured interview that was intended to gather information about the individuals, their life experiences, and the factors of psychological flexibility, adaptability and resiliency as applied to their lives. The semi-structured interview involved a set list of questions that were posed to the individuals; clarification or “follow-up” questions were added in as the need to understand the answers arose. The results of the quantitative measures showed that the individual with normal hearing scored slightly higher than the individual with the cochlear implant, which could show that normal hearing ranges enables an individual to be more psychologically flexible and better able to control unwanted thoughts. During the course of the semi-structured interview, the individual with the cochlear implant had a high rating of psychological flexibility, which may indicate a greater sense of self-awareness; more research is needed to validate this idea. However, considering that only two participants were involved in this particular study such a conclusion is difficult to come to

Allergic fetal priming leads to developmental, behavioral and neurobiological changes in mice.

The state of the mother's immune system during pregnancy has an important role in fetal development and disruptions in the balance of this system are associated with a range of neurologic, neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Epidemiological and clinical reports reveal various clues that suggest a possible association between developmental neuropsychiatric disorders and family history of immune system dysfunction. Over the past three decades, analogous increases have been reported in both the incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders and immune-related disorders, particularly allergy and asthma, raising the question of whether allergic asthma and characteristics of various neurodevelopmental disorders share common causal links. We used a mouse model of maternal allergic asthma to test this novel hypothesis that early fetal priming with an allergenic exposure during gestation produces behavioral deficits in offspring. Mothers were primed with an exposure to ovalbumin (OVA) before pregnancy, then exposed to either aerosolized OVA or vehicle during gestation. Both male and female mice born to mothers exposed to aerosolized OVA during gestation exhibited altered developmental trajectories in weight and length, decreased sociability and increased marble-burying behavior. Moreover, offspring of OVA-exposed mothers were observed to have increased serotonin transporter protein levels in the cortex. These data demonstrate that behavioral and neurobiological effects can be elicited following early fetal priming with maternal allergic asthma and provide support that maternal allergic asthma may, in some cases, be a contributing factor to neurodevelopmental disorders

Cost Saving Advantages of Multi-Agency Exercises

Universities are constantly looking for ways to stretch their emergency management budgets. This session will share insider tips for creatively utilizing public-private and multi-agency partnerships to get more bang for the buck in emergency exercises. A minimal budget does not mean minimal options; it just means it’s time to get creative! The advantages of multi-agency exercises discussed will include greater realism, shared resources including equipment and monetary contribution, learning opportunities for external agency expectations, and cost savings by integrating exercise requirements in multiple fields. Then the session will focus on how to make these exercises happen through an examination of the exercise planning process and how to gain “buy in” from outside agencies. The key to success is in the planning stage by developing an exercise that meets the goals and objectives of each agency and makes it worth their time and money. The principles of the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) will be used to illustrate the importance of comprehensive exercise planning and involving the right representatives on the planning team. This session will demonstrate successes and provide innovative ways to make these partnership exercises work through the examination of previously completed exercises of varying scope. Participants will learn how to incorporate public-private partnerships to benefit everyone involved, what creative funding opportunities exist, and what alternative contributions can provide great value to an exercise. A facilitated discussion will finish the session and allow attendees to share lessons learned from their own university’s exercises

Addressing the Common Challenge: Communication Turning Can you Hear me Now? into Do you Understand What I am Saying?

The most often cited reason for frustration or failure during any endeavor is difficulty with communications. Rarely is the problem tied to equipment failure. The root cause is often the habits, methods, and actions employed by people trying to communicate. Being able to effectively relay information to another person goes beyond devices, technology and language skills. Essentially, communication is conveying information so that others may understand and both parties reach consensus on the meaning of that information. Unfortunately, in emergency situations, appropriate focus on communications is not always recognized. In order to improve communications, effective habits for receiving and disseminating information must be developed. The development of habits begins with practice during daily activities so that the skills can be performed during emergency operations. Participants will learn tips and tricks to practice communications skills within their organizations. This session will provide lessons learned and best practices discussed during a series of statewide emergency management projects. The projects focused on improving communication and coordination among public and private partners before and during emergencies. Participants in this session will gain an understanding of trainings and tactics employed within agencies and planning regions to address the commonly cited area for improvement, communication. The facilitators will demonstrate techniques and provide examples of successful communication practices

Addressing the Common Challenge: Communication Turning Can you Hear me Now? into Do you Understand What I am Saying?

The most often cited reason for frustration or failure during any endeavor is difficulty with communications. Rarely is the problem tied to equipment failure. The root cause is often the habits, methods, and actions employed by people trying to communicate. Being able to effectively relay information to another person goes beyond devices, technology and language skills. Essentially, communication is conveying information so that others may understand and both parties reach consensus on the meaning of that information. Unfortunately, in emergency situations, appropriate focus on communications is not always recognized. In order to improve communications, effective habits for receiving and disseminating information must be developed. The development of habits begins with practice during daily activities so that the skills can be performed during emergency operations. Participants will learn tips and tricks to practice communications skills within their organizations. This session will provide lessons learned and best practices discussed during a series of statewide emergency management projects. The projects focused on improving communication and coordination among public and private partners before and during emergencies. Participants in this session will gain an understanding of trainings and tactics employed within agencies and planning regions to address the commonly cited area for improvement, communication. The facilitators will demonstrate techniques and provide examples of successful communication practices

Maternal immune activation and strain specific interactions in the development of autism-like behaviors in mice.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are due to both genetic and environmental factors. Animal studies provide important translational models for elucidating specific genetic or environmental factors that contribute to ASD-related behavioral deficits. For example, mouse research has demonstrated a link between maternal immune activation and the expression of ASD-like behaviors. Although these studies have provided insights into the potential causes of ASD, they are limited in their ability to model the important interactions between genetic variability and environmental insults. This is of particular concern given the broad spectrum of severity observed in the human population, suggesting that subpopulations may be more susceptible to the adverse effects of particular environmental insults. It is hypothesized that the severity of effects of maternal immune activation on ASD-like phenotypes is influenced by the genetic background in mice. To test this, pregnant dams of two inbred strains (that is, C57BL/6J and BTBR T(+)tf/J) were exposed to the viral mimic polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (polyI:C), and their offspring were tested for the presence and severity of ASD-like behaviors. To identify differences in immune system regulation, spleens were processed and measured for alterations in induced cytokine responses. Strain-treatment interactions were observed in social approach, ultrasonic vocalization, repetitive grooming and marble burying behaviors. Interestingly, persistent dysregulation of adaptive immune system function was only observed in BTBR mice. Data suggest that behavioral and immunological effects of maternal immune activation are strain-dependent in mice

Allopregnanolone Improves Locomotor Activity and Arousal in the Aged CGG Knock-in Mouse Model of Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome.

Carriers of the fragile X premutation (PM) can develop a variety of early neurological symptoms, including depression, anxiety and cognitive impairment as well as being at risk for developing the late-onset fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). The absence of effective treatments for FXTAS underscores the importance of developing efficacious therapies to reduce the neurological symptoms in elderly PM carriers and FXTAS patients. A recent preliminary study reported that weekly infusions of Allopregnanolone (Allop) may improve deficits in executive function, learning and memory in FXTAS patients. Based on this study we examined whether Allop would improve neurological function in the aged CGG knock-in (CGG KI) dutch mouse, B6.129P2(Cg)-Fmr