Publications by authors named "Elisea De Somma"

Long-term cognitive deficits have been observed in some children who experience an acquired demyelinating syndrome (ADS). We examined changes in cognitive functioning over the first two years following incident ADS andtested whether normalized brain and thalamic volume accounted for decline over time. Twenty-five youth (mean age 12.

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Objective: The limbic system is involved in memory and in processing of emotional stimuli. We measured volume of the hippocampus, amygdala, and thalamus, and assessed their relative contribution to episodic memory and emotion identification in POMS.

Method: Sixty-five POMS participants (M = 18.

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Objective: We evaluated performance on the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (PCNB), a tool assessing accuracy and response time across four cognitive domains, alongside the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), a measure of processing speed commonly used in MS. We determined whether performance decrements are more likely to be detected on measures of accuracy versus response time in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS).

Methods: Performance on the SDMT, accuracy on PCNB tests belonging to four domains (executive function, episodic memory, complex cognition, social cognition), and response time on the PCNB were compared for 65 POMS patients (age range: 8-29 years) and 76 healthy controls (HCs) by ANCOVA.

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There is mounting scientific evidence showing the importance of innate biological rhythms on disease onset and progression. Perhaps the most important of these is the circadian rhythm, a cycle of oscillations lasting approximately 24 h. Recent work has shown that circadian rhythms are intrinsically linked to the immune system in a bidirectional fashion, and that disruption of these cycles can contribute to changes in pathology and quality of life (including fatigue, mood, and disability).

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Aim: Major depressive disorder (MDD) onset generally occurs in adolescence/early adulthood. However, pharmacotherapy use in younger populations is restricted due to black box warnings. Aerobic exercise may be a viable treatment option for mild-to-moderate MDD, but little is known about its acceptability/effectiveness in young adults.

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: To investigate the feasibility and experiences of paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) patients completing a working memory training programme. : Nine paediatric-onset MS patients (mean age 19.3 ± 4.

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Objective: Although the high prevalence of mental health issues among postsecondary students is well documented, comparatively little is known about the adequacy, accessibility, and adherence to best practices of mental health services (MHSs)/initiatives on postsecondary campuses. We evaluated existing mental health promotion, identification, and intervention initiatives at postsecondary institutions across Canada, expanding on our previous work in one Canadian province.

Methods: A 54-question online survey was sent to potential respondents (mainly front-line workers dealing directly with students [e.

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Objectives: The relatively high prevalence of mental health problems among students at post-secondary institutions in Canada is well documented; in contrast, less is known about the adequacy of mental health services available to Canadian post-secondary students on campuses. Our study sought to examine the current state of campus mental health initiatives and services in Alberta as well as the extent to which resources identified in mental health literature as being key in mental health problem prevention and promotion appear to be available.

Methods: A 60-question, online survey was sent to staff (primarily front-line workers; n = 45) at Alberta's 26 publicly funded post-secondary institutions.

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Event-related potentials (ERPs), derived from electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings, can index electrocortical activity related to cognitive operations. The fronto-central P3a ERP is involved in involuntary processing of novel auditory information, whereas the parietal P3b indexes controlled attention processing. The amplitude of the auditory P3b has been found to be decreased in major depressive disorder (MDD).

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