Health Sciences – Page 28 – UROP Spring Symposium 2021

Health Sciences

Effects of Rapamycin on Age-Associated Vasculature Transcription Profiles

Rapamycin (Rapa), an mTOR1 inhibitor, is one of the few therapies shown to prolong lifespan. It also may mitigate the adverse effects of age on the vasculature. To explore the vascular transcription profiles of age-associated pathways in mice treated with Rapa, mice were 1? treated with varying dosing regimens of Rapa beginning at 20 months of age?. The mice were checked twice daily for health status and were euthanized at 22 months of age. The aortas of mice were collected, and RNA was extracted from the aortas. RNA was then tested to ensure the collected samples were of adequate quality for RNA-sequencing analysis. We expect that the mice experiencing prolonged lifespan in response to Rapa treatment will have differences in their transcription profiles compared to young and old mice which had not been treated with Rapa. This information may provide insight related to the effects of Rapa towards prolongation of lifespan and may direct future studies in humans.

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FADD amplification in lung cancer promotes G1 to S cell cycle transition

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant primary central nervous system tumor and once diagnosed, the patient outcome does not look good. Currently, there are no curative treatment options for GBM, and the survival rate of patients diagnosed with the disease remains low. RAD51 is highly expressed in response to radiation and chemotherapy which is required for DNA repair from after these genotoxic therapies. Using small molecule drugs that modulate the RAD51 function, we have shown that they enhance chemo- and radio-sensitization in GBM due to inhibition of DNA repair. My UROP project will involve the purification of RAD51 protein so that the binding site and mechanism by which the RAD51 targeted drugs function can be delineated using X-ray crystallography. We hypothesize that the inhibition of RAD51 will sensitize GSCs to radio and chemotherapy which will further improve the survival of GBM patients. Although there are currently no results, this research and experiment is valuable because there are no effective therapies for GBM.

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Short-term Self-regulation of COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease creates long-term obstacles for patients, which can result in exacerbations and mortality. Previous clinical trials focus on a patient’s physical well-being, utilizing bronchodilators or inhaled therapy as an attempt to alleviate symptoms and prevent future exacerbations. Short-term Self-regulation of COPD is focused on a patient’s self-regulation and provides an alternative hypothesis that a more active lifestyle will result in improved diligence of self-regulation as a short-term outcome. Participants were recruited from the Ann Arbor and Flint area and severity of their disease was measured prior to randomization. As intense physical activity is not practical for these subjects, this study utilizes chair yoga and imagery in the control group and squats, leg lifts, arm curls, oblique twists, and similar activities led by a kinesiology specialist as part of the experimental group; while group placement is randomly generated, both groups participate in activities that have the potential to improve outcomes. Our analysis involves evaluations taken at baseline and an assessment taken approximately 3 months after completion of the 10-week training classes. This data is taken from the Active for Life with COPD data set that includes testing visits, seven-day activity monitoring, the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire Self-Administered Standardized (CRQ-SAS), Multidimensional Outcome Expectations for Exercise Scale, and the Self-Regulation for Physical Activity Scale responses. Intervention elements during weeks 1-10 consist of lab-based exercises and an educational program with further intervention elements measured at approximately six months into the study; coaching phone calls and a booster session also occur. Data collection is done with blind testing, surveys, and numerous physical measurements for fatigue and mastery of activities like the six-minute walk. This research aims to support the hypothesis that a less-sedentary lifestyle leads to improved self-regulation in COPD patients.

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Neural Mechanisms Involved in Contextual Processing in PTSD and Fibromyalgia

Fear modulation, the ability to contextualize fear learning in different settings, is a vital mechanism related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Individuals with PTSD have impairments in extinction recall and fear renewal, for they continuously overreact or fail to recognize dangerous circumstances. There is strong evidence that people with fibromyalgia (FM) also struggle with fear modulation. One of the main goals of this research project is to use skin conductance response (SCR) to examine group differences in extinction recall and fear renewal in PTSD, FM, and control subjects. The subjects recruited are right-handed adults between ages 18 and 45. On Day 1, participants completed tasks related to fear learning. They were fear conditioned to learn that blue light in the office setting induces an electrical current, whereas blue light on the bookshelf does not, which is called extinction learning. On Day 2, they completed extinction recall and fear renewal for the fear learning task (acquisition and extinction of what they learned on Day 1). During these tasks, participants’ event-related skin conductance responses (ER-SCR) have been recorded, for SCR is a reliable indicator of one’s fear response. We anticipate that PTSD and FM groups will demonstrate significantly greater SCR during extinction recall and fear renewal. ANOVA will be used to compare data in the areas of interest between subject groups. We hope the results of this study will create a better understanding of cognitive and neurological deficits involved in PTSD and allow for the development of more targeted, improved treatment.

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Physiological Reactions to Emotional Stimuli in Individuals with PTSD and Fibromyalgia

The project research aims to understand how people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and fibromyalgia (FM) react to fear modulation tasks (i.e., extinction recall and fear renewal) by examining skin conductance response (SCR) data, which is a reliable indicator of one’s response to threats. The Duval Lab study aims to examine the contextual processing deficits during fear modulation in PTSD and FM. We are testing FM in addition to PTSD because these disorders are highly comorbid and both demonstrate impairments in fear modulation, which is the ability to flexibly shift fear responses from one stimulus to another if a once-threatening stimulus becomes safe. The study spans over two days, where on Day 1 participants underwent fear conditioning and extinction learning, and on Day 2 participants underwent extinction recall and fear renewal in regards to context. We are currently examining the results of the SCR data collected from three different groups, which consists of individuals with PTSD, FM, and healthy controls, and specifically examining the amplitude and count of the SCR. We have not gotten to the part of analyzing the data presented yet (we are still working on organizing and cleaning the data using Acqknowledge software), but we hypothesize that there will be a significantly greater SCR during extinction recall and fear renewal phases among individuals with PTSD and FM. We hope the outcomes of the current study help improve treatments for PTSD and FM.

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Contextual Processing Deficits in PTSD and Fibromyalgia

Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have difficulty differentiating between safe and threatening contexts. Not only do individuals with PTSD suffer from a biased fear response, but individuals with Fibromyalgia (FM) which is highly comorbid with PTSD have a similar trait. In this study, we examined the deficits of PTSD and FM in their reaction to extinction recall and fear renewal by measuring Skin Conductance Response (SCR). On Day 1, subjects are conditioned to an unconditioned stimulus (i.e., electrical current) with a conditioned stimulus (e.g., blue light) in a neutral context (e.g., office). This was followed by extinction learning where they should recognize that the blue light presented in a living room does not induce an electrical shock. On Day 2, these subjects undergo extinction recall to determine how much they react in a non-threatening context (e.g., blue light in the living room) while also undergoing fear renewal to measure reactivity to a threatening context (e.g., blue light in the office). SCR is utilized as a reliable physiological indicator of one’s fear response during these scenarios. The SCR data from both PTSD and FM individuals have been cleaned and analyzed using AcqKnowledge 5.0 software program. The outcome of SCR data will be compared to each other, as well as to healthy controls. There are no tangible results as of now due to the project being slowed because of the current COVID-19 pandemic, but we hope to see that through testing the fear modulation paradigm, we can further our understanding of the differences between PTSD and FM patients versus healthy controls in their reactivity to extinction recall and fear renewal.

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Neural Mechanisms Involved in Contextual Processing in PTSD and Fibromyalgia

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition characterized as impairments in fear modulation (e.g., extinction recall and fear renewal). There is a high comorbidity between PTSD and fibromyalgia (FM), a condition that results in chronic pain and memory issues. By better understanding the differences in fear modulation and hippocampal function, treatments that target the underlying mechanisms may be more effective. This study seeks to understand the differences between fear modulation in participants with PTSD, FM, trauma controls, and healthy controls using skin conductance response (SCR) to measure their reactivity to stimuli. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition characterized as impairments in fear modulation (e.g., extinction recall and fear renewal).

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The COVID-19 pandemic and mental health among those with pre-existing depression

Background. It has been a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began influencing broad social and economic factors, likely taking a toll on the mental health of many individuals. Those with pre-existing symptoms of hopelessness, anhedonia, and suicidal ideation that are characteristic of depression may be especially vulnerable to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. Previous research has shown that pre-existing psychopathology is a predictor of negative mental health consequences following traumatic events. However, other work indicates that those with depression can be resilient to stressful life events. Objective. The goal of this project was to review existing literature to determine the potential for the COVID-19 pandemic to influence mental health among those with pre-existing depression. Population of interest. Those with depressive symptoms or a depressive disorder prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Mental Health During COVID-19: The Effects on Suicidality

Objective: Various studies indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly worsened community and individual well-being around the world. Of these psychological effects, rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, insomnia, and suicidality have been rapidly increasing, according to mental health screeners. This study seeks to further understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has specifically impacted suicidality in adult psychiatric clients. This abstract presents on the impact of COVID-19 on clients with psychosis at risk for suicide in a community mental health setting. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered in surveys among 6 adult clients in Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, Michigan. Findings: Participants reported that COVID-19 has made it harder to access or receive treatment (67%), their mental health has been worse (83%), and thoughts of suicide have increased (n=3, 50%). Qualitative themes related to the desire for support, transportation challenges, and service delivery changes (e.g., no virtual group therapy). Implications: Findings suggest that access to services has been a challenge due to COVID-19 and suicide prevention is a critical concern. Therefore, plans for suicide care and prevention must be examined and implemented to avoid increased suicide rates as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves.

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The Effect of Parent Education Level on Children’s Knowledge of COVID-19

Children are often told in school to wash their hands or to cover their sneezes to prevent viral transmission. Although children are more compliant with these suggestions when they understand the causal reasoning behind them, these reminders don’t include an explanation of why that action will prevent them from getting sick. Given children’s role in transmitting illness, it is important to identify effective means of educating them on how to prevent viral transmission, especially in the midst of a pandemic. Previous research on children’s understanding of germs have indicated that their knowledge is influenced by a number of factors. Given the amount of time children have spent at home over this past year, this study examines how parent education level affects the accuracy of children’s biological knowledge of COVID-19 transmission. We interviewed 180 children between the ages of 5 and 12 on their understanding of COVID-19 transmission. In particular, children were asked to identify whether a series of behaviors (e.g., singing together) could transmit COVID-19. Parents of these participants also completed a survey about their household and their experiences with COVID-19. Data analyses are ongoing. However, it is predicted that with higher levels of parental education, children will be more likely to identify behaviors that transmit COVID-19 accurately, as parents with higher levels of education may have greater understanding of the causal mechanisms behind transmission and may communicate them to their children more frequently. The results from this study will provide us insight into the extent of parental influence on children’s biological knowledge, which may, in turn, allow us to identify potential sites of intervention in schools and public health campaigns.

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