The aim of this study was to explore cross-sectional and longitudinal aging differences in immediate and delayed visual and verbal memory abilities in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared with neurotypicals (NTs). We measured hippocampal size, fornix fractional anisotropy (FA), and hippocampal and fornix freewater to understand how aging impacts memory structures. Longitudinal findings highlight vulnerabilities in immediate verbal memory and hippocampal volume, while cross-sectional findings indicate fornix freewater may increase at a faster rate in adults with ASD. Future research will examine cognitive and structural sex differences and will study how cognitive measures correlate with structural measures.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Frontotemporal lobe dementia (FTLD) are types of dementia that have distinct differences. To help identify some of the neural differences, researchers use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques to assist with diagnosing patients and track progression over time. The major objective of this experiment was to use the advanced diffusion tensor imaging techniques of Fractional Anisotropy (FA) and Free water (FW) to help differentiate between AD and FTLD neurodegeneration. The scope of this experiment was to examine literature research on AD and FTLD by gathering the mean values of (FA) and (FW) to identify diffusivity susceptibility in the specific brain regions of the Uncinate Fasciculus (UF) and the Superior Temporal Gyrus (STG). The methods used were the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and the Frontotemporal Lobe Degenerative Neuroimaging Initiative (FTLD): These data repositories provide researchers with study data to define the progression of AD and FTLD. Next, an imaging analysis was used to calculate the average FA and FW through each slice of the brain regions UF and STG in standard space. Then FreeSurfer segmented Superior Temporal Gyrus and the JHU ICBM Atlas of the Uncinate Fasciculus were used as a set of tools for analysis and visualization of structural and functional brain imaging data for processing the cross-sectional and longitudinal data. We calculated 95% Confidence intervals for mean FW and FA at each slice and direction across 21 participants within each dementia group to determine regions of overlap and nonoverlap. Results indicated that for the FA and FW graphs in the x and z directions among UF and STG regions, there were more non-overlap regions between the AD and FTLD in the FW graphs across x and z-directions in particular the UF. Our results indicate that there may be concomitant decline in white and gray matter regions in dementia, and FW may be more sensitive detecting AD related neurodegeneration in the UF and STG regions.

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that increased in prevalence in the last few decades, most notably among older adults. The gap in knowledge of aging processes, among individuals with ASD, and the increasing prevalence of Parkinsonism diagnosis in this population, revealed a need for research efforts. Nevertheless, differences in the group and age-related differences in cortical thickness in brain regions associated with motor control remain relatively unexplored. Objective: In this study, we analyzed cross-sectional data to investigate group differences and age-related differences in cortical thickness of the left hemisphere (lh) and right hemisphere (rh) of the precentral gyrus and paracentral lobule, in adults with ASD vs. NT adults. Knowing that individuals with ASD present greater group and age-related motor impairments than NT individuals, we tested the following hypothesis: adults with ASD will demonstrate reduced cortical thickness and greater relationships between increasing age and decreasing cortical thickness in the precentral gyrus and paracentral lobule than the NT participants. Methods: Group and age-related differences in cortical thickness were analyzed in our cohort of 191 participants with (N=105; ages 18-71) and without ASD (N=86 ages 18-70). T1-weighted MRI images were collected from each participant and were analyzed using FreeSurfer to obtain cortical thickness measurements from the motor regions of interest. Using SPSS (IBM SPSS Statistics for macOs, Version 28.0.1.1) univariate general linear models were used to test the between-subject effects of group, age, and group by age interaction, with sex as a covariate. Results: A statistically significant effect of the diagnosis group on cortical thickness was only observed in the lh precentral gyrus, with the ASD group showing a thinner cortex than the NT group. A statistically significant group-by-age interaction was present in the cortical thickness of the lh precentral gyrus, the rh precentral gyrus, and the lh paracentral lobule. For each interaction, the relationship between age and cortical thickness had a steeper negative slope in the ASD group compared to the NT group. Discussion: Consistent with our hypothesis, findings indicate ASD affects cortical thickness and may be linked to greater age-related reduced cortical thickness, of the studied motor areas, in adults with ASD compared to NT adults. Future research is warranted to investigate the relationship between cortical thickness in motor regions and the severity of motor impairments in the ASD population. Further longitudinal investigations of the age-related changes (trajectories) in cortical thickness, specific to motor regions, in individuals with ASD, are also necessary.

In this thesis, the relationship between digital and clinical motor tests will be examined. These tests will be performed on adults of older age (~66 years). Most participants are those who are concerned about developing, or already have, a neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The digital test that is given and evaluated is Neurotrax. Clinical motor tasks being administered include the Purdue Pegboard, Box & Blocks, Grip Strength, and Pincer Grip. Correlations between motor skills from NeuoTrax and each clinical task were calculated and analyzed. Statistical analysis of this data was done with Excel Data Analysis Toolpak. Means and standard errors were also calculated. Results indicated that Pincer Grip Strength (N) and Color Trails (%) had strong correlations with NeuroTrax Motor Skills, with correlation coefficients of 0.562 and -0.510, respectively. These associations between the NeuroTrax Motor skills assessment and clinical motor tasks may suggest that executive function and grip strength are mostly represented as motor skill domain in digital tests. Future work should examine other motor domains such as dexterity, variability, timing, and muscular efficiency aspects of digital motor assessments.

Inflammatory genes are known to only show in African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites. The objective of this study was to observe the correlation from the obtained data of the prevalence of the APOE ε4 genotype. We examined cerebral free-water, a marker of neuroinflammation, hippocampal volume, and volume of white-matter hyperintensities in African Americans (AA) and non-Hispanic Whites who were categorized in groups based on whether they had APOE ε4 allele or not. AA had lower prevalence of APOE e4 genotype than non-Hispanic Whites. AA groups have a slightly higher hippocampal volume compared to the Non-Hispanic White (NHW) groups. African Americans also reported increased white-matter hyperintensities and cerebral free-water. Hippocampal atrophy is associated with Alzheimer's disease, this might suggest that the AA groups have a lower risk of Alzheimer's, although further research is needed to confirm this relationship. Lastly, our findings also suggest other potential socioeconomic factors that could contribute to increased incidence of dementia among AA and potential resilience factors early in the course of Alzheimer’s disease process.

Research has shown the benefits of exercise on people with (DS), and how it affects their quality of life (Maïano et al. 2019). However, many studies have also shown that the majority of people with DS do not meet the national minimum requirements for physical activity per day (Phillips et al. 2011). The current study will focus on Pediatric Assisted Cycle Therapy (PACT) as exercise and specifically its effects on children with DS. The goal is to improve the general behavioral skills of children with DS, which in turn can improve their quality of life. We predict that, based on pilot data (Gomez, 2015; Parker, 2016), GLTEQ will increase their total activity score following 8 weeks of PACT in young children with DS. The Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire was used to measure the participants’ participation levels in leisure time activity. Participants were involved in an 8-week intervention, in which they biked (PACT) for 30 minutes, twice a week. GLETQ was measured pre and post intervention and assessed using the scale provided by the GLETQ. The data from this study has shown a positive correlation between Leisure Time Activity and PACT. Overall, a mean increase in raw activity score in the GLETQ was shown.

Objective: The purpose of this meta-analysis is to identify if one atypical antipsychotic (risperidone, aripiprazole, olanzapine, clozapine, quetiapine) is more effective in treating behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). The secondary aim is to identify a difference in dosage between the atypical antipsychotics when used to treat BPSD. Methods: Articles regarding atypical antipsychotics and BPSD were located on the Arizona State University Library website and Google Scholar. A total of 13 studies were included in analyses. The mean difference of the measurement of BPSD from baseline to end of study were extracted from the studies, converted to z-scores using standard error, and the average was found for each medication and placebo groups. Data on dosage was also collected and the total mg of medication for an average participant was calculated based on type of medication. Two ANOVAs were conducted: one to identify a significant difference between the average effect of each medication on BPSD and another to identify a significant difference between the level of dosage given on average for each medication. Results: These analyses indicated that there was no significant difference between individual atypical antipsychotics or placebo (F(5,19) = 0.254, p = 0.932). There was a significant difference in level of dosage with quetiapine having a significantly higher dosage on average than every other medication (F(4,12) = 18.49, p = 0.0000456). Conclusions: There is a lack of evidence that supports the use of atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of BPSD, however, future research that focuses on lower doses of these medications and interactions with psychotherapy may prove beneficial.

This paper describes a project involving the optimization of the analysis process of FreeSurfer and ANTS Registration for neuroscience analytics of patients at risk of cognitive decline using Nipype. The paper details the process of discovering more about Nipype, learning to use a supercomputer, and implementing the open-source python code to fit the needs of the research lab. Nipype is a python-based initiative to unify the various software packages used within the neuroscience community for data analysis. This paper also serves as documentation of the steps taken to complete the project so that future students are able to continue the optimization process to result in one cohesive workflow in which data is able to flow through a unified pipeline of analysis in the future.

Cognitive functioning is an extremely crucial part of daily living. In individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) these tasks get even more challenging. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of Assisted Cycling Therapy (ACT) on cognitive functions in children with Down Syndrome (DS). This study examines the change in cognitive functioning using tests like Reaction time, Tower of London, and Card Sorting over an eight week intervention. All seven participants in the study were assigned to complete the ACT intervention, in which they rode a stationary bike with the assistance of a motor to maintain a cadence of at least 35% greater than their voluntary cycling speed. All participants completed the ACT intervention but a few were unable to complete some cognitive functioning tests due to their intellectual abilities. Overall, the results of this study showed that information processing, task-switching and problem solving improved following the eight week ACT intervention. These results provided more scope for future research in this field which can be done by modifying the time period of the intervention, increasing sample size of the study as well as conducting additional cognitive function tests. The results of our study are discussed with respect to the upward regulation of neurotrophic factors which are involved in increasing the functioning within the prefrontal cortex following exercise intervention.