Publications by authors named "Zara Greer"

Background: Preventative self-care can reduce dental disease that disproportionately burdens vulnerable populations. Personalized digital oral self-care behavioral interventions offer a promising solution. However, the success of these digital interventions depends on toothbrushing data collection e-platforms attuned to the needs and preferences of vulnerable communities.

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Article Synopsis
  • Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area play a key role in intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS), but their exact cognitive functions are still not fully understood.
  • 20-Hz stimulation of dopamine neurons mimics a weak prediction error and fails to support ICSS beyond a simple reinforcement schedule, lacking the ability to assign value to cues.
  • In contrast, 50-Hz stimulation significantly enhances ICSS, providing a specific reward representation that motivates behavior, indicating that the frequency of stimulation affects dopamine release modulations.
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Dental disease continues to be one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the United States. Although oral self-care behaviors (OSCB), involving systematic twice-a-day tooth brushing, can prevent dental disease, this basic behavior is not sufficiently practiced. Recent advances in digital technology offer tremendous potential for promoting OSCB by delivering Just-In-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs)- interventions that leverage dynamic information about the person's state and context to effectively prompt them to engage in a desired behavior in real-time, real-world settings.

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Background: The prevention of oral health diseases is a key public health issue and a major challenge for racial and ethnic minority groups, who often face barriers in accessing dental care. Daily toothbrushing is an important self-care behavior necessary for sustaining good oral health, yet engagement in regular brushing remains a challenge. Identifying strategies to promote engagement in regular oral self-care behaviors among populations at risk of poor oral health is critical.

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