Browsing by Author "Spence, Jeffrey S."
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Item Enhancing Executive Function and Neural Health in Bipolar Disorder Through Reasoning Training(Frontiers Research Foundation) Venza, Erin E.; Chapman, Sandra Bond; Aslan, Sina; Zientz, Jennifer E.; Tyler, David L.; Spence, Jeffrey S.; 0000 0003 5170 3614 (Chapman, SB); Venza, Erin E.; Chapman, Sandra Bond; Aslan, Sina; Zientz, Jennifer E.; Tyler, David L.; Spence, Jeffrey S.Cognitive deficits in executive function and memory among individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) are well-documented; however, only recently have efforts begun to address whether such cognitive deficits can be ameliorated through cognitive training. This pilot study examined the effects of a top–down, cognitive reasoning training program in adults with BD on both brain and cognitive measures. Twenty-seven participants (11 males, 16 females), aged 21–70 years old, completed the study. Participants completed neurocognitive testing and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after training, consisting of 8 h (2 h/week) of training in small groups. The training delivered information processing strategies that were implemented and applicable to a variety of daily living contexts. Results indicated that participants showed significant gains in the primary outcome measure of complex abstraction, also referred to as gist reasoning, as well as in untrained domains of executive function and memory. We found a significant increase in resting cerebral blood flow (CBF) in left inferior frontal gyrus after cognitive training. We also found that resting CBF in the right frontal middle gyrus correlated positively with performance on the measure of complex abstraction. This feasibility study provides promising evidence that short-term reasoning training can enhance cognitive performance and brain health in adults with BD. These data motivate further efforts to explore adjuvant therapeutics to improve cognitive performance and underlying brain systems in bipolar, as well as other psychiatric disorders.Item Enhancing Inferential Abilities in Adolescence: New Hope for Students in Poverty(Frontiers Research Foundation) Gamino, Jacquelyn F.; Motes, Michael M.; Riddle, Russell; Lyon, G. Reid; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Chapman, Sandra Bond; 0000 0003 5170 3614 (Chapman, SB); 2012043141 (Chapman, SB); Gamino, Jacquelyn F.; Motes, Michael M.; Riddle, Russell; Lyon, G. Reid; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Chapman, Sandra BondThe ability to extrapolate essential gist through the analysis and synthesis of information, prediction of potential outcomes, abstraction of ideas, and integration of relationships with world knowledge is critical for higher-order learning. The present study investigated the efficacy of cognitive training to elicit improvements in gist reasoning and fact recall ability in 556 public middle school students (grades seven and eight), vs. a sample of 357 middle school students who served as a comparison group, to determine if changes in gist reasoning and fact recall were demonstrated without cognitive training. The results showed that, in general, cognitive training increased gist reasoning and fact recall abilities in students from families in poverty as well as students from families living above poverty. However, the magnitude of gains in gist reasoning varied as a function of gender and grade level. Our primary findings were that seventh and eighth grade girls and eighth grade boys showed significant increases in gist reasoning after training regardless of socioeconomic status (SES). There were no significant increases in gist reasoning or fact recall ability for the 357 middle school students who served as a comparison group. We postulate that cognitive training in middle school is efficacious for improving gist reasoning ability and fact recall in students from all socioeconomic levels.Item Enhancing Innovation and Underlying Neural Mechanisms via Cognitive Training in Healthy Older Adults(Frontiers Media SA) Chapman, Sandra Bond; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Aslan, Sina; Keebler, Molly W.; Chapman, Sandra Bond; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Aslan, Sina; Keebler, Molly W.Non-invasive interventions, such as cognitive training (CT) and physical exercise, are gaining momentum as ways to augment both cognitive and brain function throughout life. One of the most fundamental yet little studied aspects of human cognition is innovative thinking, especially in older adults. In this study, we utilize a measure of innovative cognition that examines both the quantity and quality of abstracted interpretations. This randomized pilot trial in cognitively normal adults (56-75 years) compared the effect of cognitive reasoning training (SMART) on innovative cognition as measured by Multiple Interpretations Measure (MIM). We also examined brain changes in relation to MIM using two MRI-based measurement of arterial spin labeling (ASL) to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) and functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) to measure default mode and central executive network (CEN) synchrony at rest. Participants (N = 58) were randomized to the CT, physical exercise (physical training, PT) or control (CN) group where CT and PT groups received training for 3 h/week over 12 weeks. They were assessed at baseline-, mid-and post-training using innovative cognition and MRI measures. First, the CT group showed significant gains pre- to post-training on the innovation measure whereas the physical exercise and control groups failed to show significant gains. Next, the CT group showed increased CBF in medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), two nodes within the Default Mode Network (DMN) compared to physical exercise and control groups. Last, significant correlations were found between innovation performance and connectivity of two major networks: CEN (positive correlation) and DMN (negative correlation). These results support the view that both the CEN and DMN are important for enhancement of innovative cognition. We propose that neural mechanisms in healthy older adults can be modified through reasoning training to better subserve enhanced innovative cognition.Item Gulf War Illness Associated with Abnormal Auditory P1 Event-Related Potential: Evidence of Impaired Cholinergic Processing Replicated in a National Sample(Elsevier Ireland Ltd, 2018-11-10) Tillman, Gail D.; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Briggs, Richard W.; Haley, Robert W.; Hart, John; Kraut, Michael A.; Tillman, Gail D.; Hart, John, Jr.Our team previously reported event-related potential (ERP) and hyperarousal patterns from a study of one construction battalion of the U.S. Naval Reserve who served during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. We sought to replicate these findings in a sample that was more representative of the entire Gulf War-era veteran population, including male and female participants from four branches of the military. We collected ERP data from 40 veterans meeting Haley criteria for Gulf War syndromes 1-3 and from 22 matched Gulf War veteran controls while they performed an auditory oddball task. Reports of hyperarousal from the ill veterans were significantly greater than those from the control veterans, and P1 amplitudes in Syndromes 2 and 3 were significantly higher than P1 amplitudes in Syndrome 1, replicating our previous findings. Many of the contributors to the generation of the P1 potential are also involved in the regulation of arousal and are modulated by cholinergic and dopaminergic systems-two systems whose dysfunction has been implicated in Gulf War illness. These differences among the three syndrome groups where their means were on either side of controls is a replication of our previous ERP study and is consistent with previous imaging studies of this population.Item Hemodynamic Response Variability and its Relationship to the BOLD signal in Younger and Older Adults(August 2023) Taylor, Mackenzie Breann 1996-; Rypma, Bart; Rennaker, Robert; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Seaman, Kendra; Krawczyk, DanielStudies have shown age-related differences in blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal (BOLD) variability, specifically amplitude variability. However, results have been mixed. Little remains known about the sources contributing to this variability. Identifying these sources would have implications for underlying mechanisms contributing to BOLD measurement. Changes in BOLD yield a characteristic hemodynamic response function (HRF) that reflects a combination of blood flow and oxygenation changes that follow neural activity. In healthy aging, multiple components of the HRF (e.g., time-to-peak, rise slope, peak amplitude, full-width half-maximum, peak-to- trough, time-to-trough, fall slope, and trough amplitude) are susceptible to the mediating effects of age-related cerebrovascular alterations and underlying processes. Additionally, several studies have demonstrated that neuro-vascular coupling (NVC) differences in older adults are mirrored in HRF differences. To further explore these phenomena, the current study utilized the publicly available Cambridge Center for Aging and Neuroscience (CamCAN) dataset to estimate HRF variability in a visual-auditory task in 80 younger (18-30 years old; 44 Female/36 Male) and 212 older adults (54-74 years old; 100 Female/112 Male). The proposed study was carried out according to three aims: (1) examine intra-individual HRF variability in younger and older adults, (2) examine inter-individual HRF variability in younger and older adults, and (3) determine the relationship between HRF variability and cognitive performance in younger and older adults. Linear mixed models were used to assess individual and age-related differences in HRF features. I hypothesized that individuals, regardless of age, would have increased HRF variability in higher frequency task conditions compared to lower frequency conditions. For age- related differences, I hypothesized that older adults would have increased HRF feature variability, and that their HRF variability would be inversely related to canonical-derived BOLD voxel extent. Finally, I hypothesized that there would be an interaction between HRF variability, age, and cognitive performance such that low-performing older adults would have increased HRF variability compared to high-performing older and younger adults. For group differences in HRF feature variability, I found that increased/decreased HRF feature variability was associated with increasing auditory frequencies depending on the region examined. For group differences in mean HRF features, I found that increased mean HRF features were associated with increasing auditory frequencies, with the exception of fall slope which exhibited an inverse relationship. Older adults had increased HRF feature variability and mean HRF features, primarily in the precentral and temporal ROIs, compared to younger adults. Older adults’ increased voxel extent was associated with decreased variance of their rise slopes, full-width half-maxima, peak-to- troughs, and time-to-troughs. Finally, younger adults exhibited a significant relationship between their reaction times and mean HRF features in the highest frequency condition while the older adults did not. My results showed that HRF feature variability exhibits region- and task- dependent differences that need to be accounted for when performing age-group comparisons, the latter-half of the HRF evolution and underlying mechanisms are potential sources of additional variability in older adults, and the difference between HRF features in the precentral cortex and other sensory cortices may serve a mediatory role between age and processing speed ability. This study assessed features of BOLD HRF shape as a proxy of NVC to identify potential sources of altered age-related variability and their relationships to behavior.Item Higher-Order Cognitive Training Effects on Processing Speed-Related Neural Activity: A Randomized Trial(Elsevier) Yezhuvath, Uma S.; Aslan, Sina; Motes, Michael A.; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Rypma, Bart; Chapman, Sandra Bond; 0000 0003 5170 3614 (Chapman, SB); Motes, Michael A.; Aslan, Sina; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Rypma, Bart; Chapman, Sandra BondHigher-order cognitive training has shown to enhance performance in older adults, but the neural mechanisms underlying performance enhancement have yet to be fully disambiguated. This randomized trial examined changes in processing speed and processing speed-related neural activity in older participants (57-71years of age) who underwent cognitive training (CT, N= 12) compared with wait-listed (WLC, N= 15) or exercise-training active (AC, N= 14) controls. The cognitive training taught cognitive control functions of strategic attention, integrative reasoning, and innovation over 12weeks. All 3 groups worked through a functional magnetic resonance imaging processing speed task during 3 sessions (baseline, mid-training, and post-training). Although all groups showed faster reaction times (RTs) across sessions, the CT group showed a significant increase, and the WLC and AC groups showed significant decreases across sessions in the association between RT and BOLD signal change within the left prefrontal cortex (PFC). Thus, cognitive training led to a change in processing speed-related neural activity where faster processing speed was associated with reduced PFC activation, fitting previously identified neural efficiency profiles.Item Long-Term Effects of Marijuana Use on the Brain(Natl Acad Sciences) Filbey, Francesca M.; Aslan, Sina; Calhoun, Vince D.; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Damaraju, Eswar; Caprihan, Arvind; Segall, Judith; 0000 0001 3618 6298 (Filbey, FM); J-5163-2014 (Filbey, FM); Filbey, Francesca M.; Aslan, Sina; Spence, Jeffrey S.Questions surrounding the effects of chronic marijuana use on brain structure continue to increase. To date, however, findings remain inconclusive. In this comprehensive study that aimed to characterize brain alterations associated with chronic marijuana use, we measured gray matter (GM) volume via structural MRI across the whole brain by using voxel-based morphology, synchrony among abnormal GM regions during resting state via functional connectivity MRI, and white matter integrity (i.e., structural connectivity) between the abnormal GM regions via diffusion tensor imaging in 48 marijuana users and 62 age- and sex-matched nonusing controls. The results showed that compared with controls, marijuana users had significantly less bilateral orbitofrontal gyri volume, higher functional connectivity in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) network, and higher structural connectivity in tracts that innervate the OFC (forceps minor) as measured by fractional anisotropy (FA). Increased OFC functional connectivity in marijuana users was associated with earlier age of onset. Lastly, a quadratic trend was observed suggesting that the FA of the forceps minor tract initially increased following regular marijuana use but decreased with protracted regular use. This pattern may indicate differential effects of initial and chronic marijuana use that may reflect complex neuroadaptive processes in response to marijuana use. Despite the observed age of onset effects, longitudinal studies are needed to determine causality of these effects.Item Shorter Term Aerobic Exercise Improves Brain, Cognition, and Cardiovascular Fitness in AgingChapman, Sandra Bond; Aslan, Sina; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Defina, Laura F.; Keebler, Molly W.; Didehbani, Nyaz; Lu, Hanzhang; 0000 0003 5170 3614 (Chapman, SB); 2012043141 (Chapman, SB); Center for BrainHealthPhysical exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, is documented as providing a low cost regimen to counter well-documented cognitive declines including memory, executive function, visuospatial skills, and processing speed in normally aging adults. Prior aging studies focused largely on the effects of medium to long term (>6 months) exercise training; however, the shorter term effects have not been studied. In the present study, we examined changes in brain blood flow, cognition, and fitness in 37 cognitively healthy sedentary adults (57-75 years of age) who were randomized into physical training or a wait-list control group. The physical training group received supervised aerobic exercise for 3 sessions per week 1 h each for 12 weeks. Participants' cognitive, cardiovascular fitness and resting cerebral blood flow (CBF) were assessed at baseline (T1), mid (T2), and post-training (T3). We found higher resting CBF in the anterior cingulate region in the physical training group as compared to the control group from T1 to T3. Cognitive gains were manifested in the exercise group's improved immediate and delayed memory performance from T1 to T3 which also showed a significant positive association with increases in both left and right hippocampal CBF identified earlier in the time course at T2. Additionally, the two cardiovascular parameters, VO2 max and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) showed gains, compared to the control group. These data suggest that even shorter term aerobic exercise can facilitate neuroplasticity to reduce both the biological and cognitive consequences of aging to benefit brain health in sedentary adults.;Item Successful Classification of Cocaine Dependence Using Brain Imaging: A Generalizable Machine Learning Approach(Biomed Central) Mete, Mutlu; Sakoglu, Unal; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Devous, Michael D.,Sr.; Harris, Thomas S.; Adinoff, Bryon; Spence, Jeffrey S.BACKGROUND: Neuroimaging studies have yielded significant advances in the understanding of neural processes relevant to the development and persistence of addiction. However, these advances have not explored extensively for diagnostic accuracy in human subjects. The aim of this study was to develop a statistical approach, using a machine learning framework, to correctly classify brain images of cocaine-dependent participants and healthy controls. In this study, a framework suitable for educing potential brain regions that differed between the two groups was developed and implemented. Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) images obtained during rest or a saline infusion in three cohorts of 2-4 week abstinent cocaine-dependent participants (n = 93) and healthy controls (n = 69) were used to develop a classification model. An information theoretic-based feature selection algorithm was first conducted to reduce the number of voxels. A density-based clustering algorithm was then used to form spatially connected voxel clouds in three-dimensional space. A statistical classifier, Support Vectors Machine (SVM), was then used for participant classification. Statistically insignificant voxels of spatially connected brain regions were removed iteratively and classification accuracy was reported through the iterations. RESULTS: The voxel-based analysis identified 1,500 spatially connected voxels in 30 distinct clusters after a grid search in SVM parameters. Participants were successfully classified with 0.88 and 0.89 F-measure accuracies in 10-fold cross validation (10xCV) and leave-one-out (LOO) approaches, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity were 0. 90 and 0.89 for LOO; 0.83 and 0.83 for 10xCV. Many of the 30 selected clusters are highly relevant to the addictive process, including regions relevant to cognitive control, default mode network related self-referential thought, behavioral inhibition, and contextual memories. Relative hyperactivity and hypoactivity of regional cerebral blood flow in brain regions in cocaine-dependent participants are presented with corresponding level of significance. CONCLUSIONS: The SVM-based approach successfully classified cocaine-dependent and healthy control participants using voxels selected with information theoretic-based and statistical methods from participants' SPECT data. The regions found in this study align with brain regions reported in the literature. These findings support the future use of brain imaging and SVM-based classifier in the diagnosis of substance use disorders and furthering an understanding of their underlying pathology.