Brain Res
December 2024
Aging is a major risk factor for cognitive deficits, impaired locomotion, and gait disorders. Although oxidative stress and circadian disruption are involved in both normal aging and the pathogenesis of age-associated diseases, just a very few studies explore the consequences of aging on circadian rhythms in the cerebellum. Here, we investigated age-dependent changes in the circadian organization of the molecular clock, antioxidant defenses and synaptic plasticity-related factors, in the rat cerebellum, and discussed the impact of that altered temporal organization on the cognitive function of this brain area.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAgent-based models of opinion formation are becoming increasingly complex, because of their size and of the embedding of several individual psychological traits of the agents, aimed at realistically capturing the multifaceted aspects of social interaction. Therefore, the characterisation of the model properties mostly relies on simulation-based numerical approaches: more techniques are needed to analyse, contrast, and compare the properties of different models. We propose a novel graphical technique, which relies on the Agreement Plot to visualise the evolution of opinion distributions over time, that allows us to unveil behavioural patterns and capabilities of agent-based opinion formation models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Evidence from Latin America suggests that children embedded in South-to-North migrant networks (i.e. relatives who live abroad, typically in the United States) are at increased risk of excess weight.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhen agent-based models are developed to capture opinion formation in large-scale populations, the opinion update equations often need to embed several complex psychological traits. The resulting models are more realistic, but also challenging to assess analytically, and hence numerical analysis techniques have an increasing importance in their study. Here, we propose the Qualitative Outcome Likelihood (QOL) analysis, a novel probabilistic analysis technique aimed to unravel behavioural patterns and properties of agent-based opinion formation models, and to characterise possible outcomes when only limited information is available.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pharmacological tolerance is defined as a decrease in the effect of a drug over time, or the need to increase the dose to achieve the same effect. It has not been established whether repeated exposure to sevoflurane induces tolerance in children.
Methods: We conducted an observational study in children younger than 6 years of age scheduled for multiple radiotherapy sessions with sevoflurane anesthesia.
Background: Latinos in the United States (U.S.) represent a heterogeneous minority population disproportionally impacted by obesity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this work we present SaFiDe, a deterministic method to detect eye movements (saccades and fixations) from eye-trace data. We developed this method for human and nonhuman primate data from video- and coil-recorded eye traces and further applied the algorithm to eye traces computed from electrooculograms. All the data analyzed were from free-exploration paradigms, where the main challenge was to detect periods of saccades and fixations that were uncued by the task.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComparing model predictions with real data is crucial to improve and validate a model. For opinion formation models, validation based on real data is uncommon and difficult to obtain, also due to the lack of systematic approaches for a meaningful comparison. We introduce a framework to assess opinion formation models, which can be used to determine the qualitative outcomes that an opinion formation model can produce, and compare model predictions with real data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Anorexia nervosa is frequently associated with alcohol use disorder. Both of them may adversely affect almost every body system, leading to worse clinical outcomes and high mortality risk. Nonetheless, there is little evidence interrelating anorexia nervosa, alcohol use disorder, and kidney failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVariations in human behavior correspond to the adaptation of the nervous system to different internal and environmental demands. Attention, a cognitive process for weighing environmental demands, changes over time. Pupillary activity, which is affected by fluctuating levels of cognitive processing, appears to identify neural dynamics that relate to different states of attention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBi-stable perception is a strong instance of cognitive self-organization, providing a research model for how 'the brain makes up its mind.' The complexity of perceptual bistability prevents a simple attribution of functions to areas, because many cognitive processes, recruiting multiple brain regions, are simultaneously involved. The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) evidence suggests the activation of a large network of distant brain areas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Latinos in the United States represent a heterogeneous population disproportionally impacted by obesity. Yet, the prevalence of obesity by specific Latino group is unclear. Using the New York City Community Health Survey (2013-2017), this study compared self-reported obesity in the city's largest Latino adult populations (Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Dominicans, Ecuadorians, and Colombians).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommunity based participatory research (CBPR) emphasizes democratic knowledge production and joint action between academics and communities to promote health equity through multilevel interventions. While much scholarship has expressed a commitment to collaboration between researchers and communities, effective methods of structural governance between community and academic stakeholders is under explored. We fill this gap by presenting a conceptual and empirical analysis describing multiple dimensions of structural governance in CBPR partnerships.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDengue virus can affect the heart, with complications as bradycardia, arrhythmias, and death. We present a case of a 15-year-old patient, diagnosed 4 years before with severe idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, confirmed by catheterism, with continuous follow up. At that time, she was living in Bogotá (2640 m above sea level).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAccumulation of amyloid peptides in the brain plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aggregated beta-amyloid (Aβ) peptide increases intracellular reactive oxygen species associated to a deficient antioxidant defense system. Prefrontal cortex plays a key role in memory and learning and is especially susceptible to oxidative stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: As federal research funding focuses more on academic/community collaborations to address health inequities, it is important to understand characteristics of these partnerships and how they work to achieve health equity outcomes.
Objectives: This study built on previous National Institutes of Health-funded research to (a) describe partnership characteristics and processes of federally funded, community-based participatory research (CBPR) or community-engaged research projects; (b) explore characteristics of these projects by stage of funding; and (c) build on previous understanding of partnership promising practices.
Methods: Between fall 2016 and spring 2017, we completed a cross-sectional analysis and principal component analysis of online survey data from key informants of federally funded CBPR and community-engaged research projects.
IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng
June 2019
Currently, the diagnosis of schizophrenia is made solely based on interviews and behavioral observations by a trained psychiatrist. Technologies such as electroencephalography (EEG) are used for differential diagnosis and not to support the psychiatrist's positive diagnosis. Here, we show the potential of EEG recordings as biomarkers of the schizophrenia syndrome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Neonatal jaundice is common, especially in premature infants. Compliance with treatment protocols and standard serum bilirubin curves forces the clinician to separate the child from the mother after birth for short phototherapy. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of two innovative devices for phototherapy including a LED light mesh: one sleeping bag and one blanket compared to conventional hospital or ambulatory phototherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The paper examines the role of community-based participatory research (CBPR) within the context of social justice literature and practice.
Methods: Two CBPR case studies addressing health inequities related to Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease were selected from a national cross-site study assessing effective academic-community research partnerships. One CBPR partnership works with African Americans in rural Pemiscot County, Missouri and the other CBPR partnership works with African American and Latinos in urban South Bronx, New York City.
We assessed purchases made, motivations for shopping, and frequency of shopping at four New York City corner stores (bodegas). Surveys and purchase inventories (n = 779) were collected from consumers at four bodegas in Bronx, NY. We use Chi square tests to compare types of consumers, items purchased and characteristics of purchases based on how frequently the consumer shops at the specific store and the time of day the purchase was made.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe examined diabetes management practices among Hispanics, Blacks, and 3 Asian American subgroups in New York City. Compared with Blacks and Hispanics, all 3 Asian American subgroups had lower average rates of diabetes management practices. Compared with Blacks, Chinese and Koreans were significantly less likely to participate in all diabetes management behaviors and practices, whereas Asian Indians were significantly less likely to perform feet checks or undergo an eye examination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: We explored the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and adequate physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake among racial/ethnic minority groups aged 60 years or older living in New York City (NYC).
Methods: Survey data from 2009 to 2012 targeted minority groups in NYC ethnic enclaves; we analyzed 3594 individuals (Blacks, Hispanics, and Chinese) aged 60 years or older. Descriptive statistics were run; unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression evaluated the relationship of HRQOL with PA and F&V intake.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate Fine, Fit, and Fabulous (FFF), a faith-based diabetes prevention program for black and Latino congregants at churches in low-income New York City neighborhoods. FFF includes nutrition education and fitness activities while incorporating Bible-based teachings that encourage healthy lifestyles.
Methods: FFF is a 12-week, bilingual program developed by the Bronx Health REACH coalition, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded Center of Excellence for the Elimination of Disparities.