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- All Subjects: Neuroscience
- Creators: Harrington Bioengineering Program
- Creators: Daliri, Ayoub
commands designed to streamline post-processing of MRI images. Using this partnership, the Applied Neuroscience and Technology Lab at PCH has been able to complete production of a post-processing pipeline which integrates locally sourced smoothing techniques to help identify lesions in patients with evidence of Focal Cortical Dysplasia. The end result is a system in which a patient with epilepsy may experience more successful post-surgical results due to the
combination of a lesion detection mechanism and the radiologist using their trained eye in the presurgical stages. As one of the main points of this work is the global aspect of it, Barrett thesis funding was dedicated for a trip to London in order to network with other MELD project collaborators. This was a successful trip for the project as a whole in addition to this particular thesis. The ability to troubleshoot problems with one another in a room full of subject matter
experts allowed for a high level of discussion and learning. Future work includes implementing machine learning approaches which consider all morphometry parameters simultaneously.
Advancing the understanding and treatment of many neurological disorders can be achieved by improving methods of neuronal detection at increased depth in the mammalian brain. Different cell subtypes cannot be detected using non-invasive techniques beyond 1 mm from cortical surface, in the context of targeting particular cell types in vivo (Wang, 2012). These limitations in the depth of imaging and targeting are due to optical scattering (Ntziachristos, 2010). In order to overcome these restrictions, longer wavelength fluorescent proteins have been utilized by researchers to see tagged cells at depth. Optical techniques such as two-photon and confocal microscopy have been used in combination with fluorescent proteins to expand depth, but are still limited by the penetration depth of light due to optical scattering (Lee, 2015). This research aims to build on other detection methods, such as the photoacoustic effect and automated fluorescence-guided electrophysiology, to overcome this limitation.
With millions of people living with a disease as restraining as migraines, there are no ways to diagnose them before they occur. In this study, a migraine model using nitroglycerin is used in rats to study the awake brain activity during the migraine state. In an attempt to search for a biomarker for the migraine state, we found multiple deviations in EEG brain activity across different bands. Firstly, there was a clear decrease in power in the delta, beta, alpha, and theta bands. A slight increase in power in the gamma and high frequency bands was also found, which is consistent with other pain-related studies12. Additionally, we searched for a decreased pain threshold in this deviation, in which we concluded that more data analysis is needed to eliminate the multiple potential noise influxes throughout each dataset. However, with this study we did find a clear change in brain activity, but a more detailed analysis will narrow down what this change could mean and how it impacts the migraine state.
Okur-Chung Neurodevelopmental syndrome (OCNDS) is a rare disorder characterized by hypotonia, developmental delay, dysmorphic features, and more. It is caused by pathogenic variants on CSNK2A1, the α subunit of protein kinase CK2. CK2 is considered a master regulator involved in many cell functions from cell differentiation and proliferation to apoptosis. Here, we create a potential zebrafish model of OCNDS with CK2 inhibition and characterize fibroblast cells with, K198R, D156E, and R47G variants of CSNK2A1. RNAseq results display a wide range of effects notably in the Myosin Protein superfamily, Insulin-like Growth Factor family, and in proteins related to mitochondrial function and cell metabolism. Factors in cell growth and metabolism across the nervous system and neuromuscular interactions appear to be most affected with similarities in markers to oncogenic states in some cases.
stimuli played prior to the onset of speech production. In this experiment, we are examining the
specificity of the auditory stimulus by implementing congruent and incongruent speech sounds in
addition to non-speech sound. Electroencephalography (EEG) data was recorded for eleven adult
subjects in both speaking (speech planning) and silent reading (no speech planning) conditions.
Data analysis was accomplished manually as well as via generation of a MATLAB code to
combine data sets and calculate auditory modulation (suppression). Results of the P200
modulation showed that modulation was larger for incongruent stimuli than congruent stimuli.
However, this was not the case for the N100 modulation. The data for pure tone could not be
analyzed because the intensity of this stimulus was substantially lower than that of the speech
stimuli. Overall, the results indicated that the P200 component plays a significant role in
processing stimuli and determining the relevance of stimuli; this result is consistent with role of
P200 component in high-level analysis of speech and perceptual processing. This experiment is
ongoing, and we hope to obtain data from more subjects to support the current findings.