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Autism spectrum condition (ASC) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts physiological processes, cognition, functional behaviors, social-communication, and often has comorbidities. One approach gaining empirical support for ASC treatment is neurofeedback. Neurofeedback uses operant conditioning to normalize cerebral activity through auditory and visual reinforcement. Live Z-score Training (LZT) has become the latest advancement in neurofeedback. There is no published research to date on LZT neurofeedback in adulthood ASC. The purpose of this study was to evaluate LZT's impact on neuropsychological measures in an adult with ASC. A multiple baseline single-case research design was used with a convenience sample of one adult with ASC to evaluate the effects of 20 LZT sessions using the Conservative Dual Criterion visual inspection method as the primary form analysis. ADHD, mood stability, anxiety, depression, and ASC symptoms were significantly reduced according to the Neuropsych Questionnaire. The participant improved significantly on the CNS Vital Signs (CNVS) Neurocognitive measures of executive function, cognitive flexibility, reaction time, and complex attention. Also, the participant increased intelligence as measured by the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence. Lastly, the participant had changes in brain function according to quantitative electroencephalography and low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography. CNVS processing speed was the only measure that did not significantly change. No adverse effects were reported. This study may lead to positive social change by providing a technologically advanced intervention for adults with ASC, which may improve their overall quality of life and promote self-sufficiency through adulthood.

<p>Measurement of human tactile spatial acuity – the ability to perceive the</p> <p>fine spatial structure of surfaces contacting our fingertips – provides a valuable</p> <p>tool for probing both the peripheral and central nervous system. However,</p> <p>measures of tactile spatial acuity have long been plagued by a prodigious amount</p> <p>of variability present between individuals in their sense of touch. Previously</p> <p>proposed sources of variability include sex, and age; here we propose a novel</p> <p>source of variability – fingertip size. Building upon anatomical research, we</p> <p>hypothesize that mechanoreceptors are more sparsely distributed in larger fingers.</p> <p>In this thesis, I provide empirical and theoretical support for the hypothesis</p> <p>that fingertip growth from childhood into adulthood sets up an apparent sex</p> <p>difference in human tactile spatial acuity during young adulthood (Chapter 2), and</p> <p>also predicts changes in acuity more strongly than does age over development</p> <p>(Chapter 3). To further understand how fingertip size could limit an individual's</p> <p>tactile spatial acuity, we develop an ideal observer model using</p> <p>neurophysiological data collected by other labs (Chapter 4).</p> <p>In summary, this research provides support for a novel source of variability</p> <p>in the sense of touch: one that parsimoniously explains an apparent sex difference,</p> <p>and helps clarify the source of changes in tactile spatial acuity occurring with age</p> <p>during childhood.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Appetite control and satiety mechanisms help animals maintain energy homeostasis; however, these mechanisms can be misregulated, leading to overweight and obesity. Caenorhabditis elegans is an excellent model system to study appetite and satiety because of its conserved behavioral aspects of satiety and conserved molecular mechanisms. ASI senses nutrition and its activity is required for the behavioral state of satiety quiescence. The purpose of this thesis project was to elucidate the function of cGMP signaling in ASI by looking at behavioral effects from the pharmacological use of sildenafil (Viagra), a PDE inhibitor, and the effects on ASI activation from mutating guanylyl cyclase DAF-11. Sildenafil treatment increases satiety quiescence and decreases fat storage in a PDE-dependent manner. The daf-11 mutation decreased overall fluorescence intensity of ASI activation and the frequency at which ASI activated by about 50% compared to wild-type worms, suggesting that DAF-11 plays an important role in ASI to promote satiety.

Circadian rhythms are ubiquitous among organisms, influencing a wide array of physiological processes and behaviors including aggression. While many neurophysiological mechanisms are involved in the regulation of aggressive behaviors, relatively few studies have investigated the underlying components involved in the interplay between circadian rhythms and aggression. Spiders are an ideal model system for studying circadian regulation of aggression as they are ecologically both predators and prey. Recent studies have revealed a nocturnal orb- weaving spider Larinioides cornutus exhibits a diel and circadian rhythm in anti-predator behavior (i.e. boldness) that can be manipulated by administration of octopamine (OA) and serotonin (5- HT). Dosing of OA increases boldness of an individual while 5-HT decreases boldness levels. Thus, it appears the serotonergic and octopaminergic system are playing a key role in the daily fluctuations of boldness. This study took a holistic approach to investigate OA and 5-HT levels of head tissue and hemolymph (i.e. blood) as well as the genes involved in synthesis, signaling, and degradation of these monoamines throughout the day (0100, 0700, 1300, and 1900 hours) using HPLC-ED and RNA-sequencing. Although endogenous and circulating levels of OA did not significantly fluctuate, putative transcripts involved in synthesis and signaling did increase in relative expression levels at dusk when L. cornutus begins to actively forage for prey. Endogenous and circulating levels of 5-HT also did not significantly change at the four different time points, but clear patterns of upregulation of 5-HT synthesis enzymes as well as some receptor transcripts were upregulated during the day when L. cornutus would be mostly inactive in its retreat. Lastly, monoamine oxidase, a major catabolic enzyme of monoamines in vertebrates and some invertebrates, was identified in L. cornutus and exhibited substrate specificity for OA compared to 5-HT. Together with the higher enzymatic activity at mid-day compared to dusk, MAO appears to be playing a significant role in regulating the OA and 5-HT signaling in L. cornutus. In conclusion, these results allow a unique preliminary perspective on how OA and 5-HT are influencing the diel shifts in aggression-related behaviors in an ecologically dynamic arthropod.

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Much can be gained by applying knowledge and insight gleaned from the field of neuropsychology to the field of education. Diagnosis and treatment of learning disabilities (LD) could be enhanced through an increased understanding of neurolinguistic functioning. The present study examined the effect of five instructional techniques aimed at stimulating the cognitive functioning of students with diagnosed learning disabilities. The defining characteristic of each of the five techniques is the use of interactive dialogue to stimulate oral language production leading to greater cognitive efficiency. Evidence is presented for the need for interhemispheric collaboration in complex linguistic tasks such as reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic. Students with learning disabilities could be viewed as having a breakdown in dynamic functioning impacting neurological systems.;The intervention model developed by the National Institute for Learning Disabilities (NILD) assessed in the present study is based upon the theoretical foundations of Feuerstein (1980), Luria (1981), Piaget (1959), and Vygotsky (1962/1975). The interrelatedness of thought and language, the creation of the zone of proximal development, the recognition of the plasticity of intelligence and the belief in the importance of a human mediator in the learning process, each contributes to the design of techniques used in the NILD program.;The statistical analysis showed significant group-by-time interaction effects in the areas of general and verbal cognitive functioning for the experimental group (n = 47), as assessed by the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude - Second Edition (DTLA-2) when compared to the control group (n = 25). Significant gains over time were evidenced by the experimental group in reading, spelling, and arithmetic scores as measured by the Wide Range Achievement Test - Revised (WRAT-R), and in nonverbal cognitive functioning as measured by the DTLA-2.;Overall results indicated that students with diagnosed learning disabilities benefited from an intensive individualized program over a three-year period in a modified pull-out approach involving 160 minutes of instruction per week. Specifically, the interactive effects of five core instructional techniques appeared to significantly impact neurolinguistic functioning for the experimental group.

Studies on repeated exposure to opioids have been carried out for decades yet the mechanisms for certain phenomena such as tolerance are still not fully understood. Furthermore, different medications, such as frequently prescribed benzodiazepines, or different disease states, such as HIV, have their own effects and interactions with chronic opioid exposure that are not fully understood. The overall objective of this dissertation was to investigate the complexities of chronic opioid exposure and how different disease states and medications may modulate the effects of chronic opioids. Our findings demonstrate that the administration of diazepam, at doses that are not antinociceptive or have any motor effects, reverse both antinociceptive and locomotor tolerance to orally active opioids. These doses of diazepam did not potentiate the acute effects of these prescription opioids. We also found that HIV-1 Tat expression significantly attenuated the antinociceptive potency of acute morphine in non-tolerant mice while not significantly altering the antinociceptive tolerance to morphine. Consistent with this, Tat attenuated withdrawal symptoms among morphine-tolerant mice. Pretreatment with maraviroc, a CCR5 antagonist blocked the effects of Tat, reinstating morphine potency in non-tolerant mice and restoring withdrawal symptomology in morphine-tolerant mice. Protein array analyses revealed only minor changes to cytokine profiles whether morphine was administered acutely or repeatedly; however, 24 h post repeated morphine administration, the expression of several cytokines was greatly increased. Tat further elevated levels of several cytokines and maraviroc pretreatment attenuated these effects. With the understanding that gap junctions may be involved in both HIV-Tat effects on opioid antinociception as well as tolerance, we investigated the role of gap junctions in opioid antinociceptive tolerance. We observed that carbenoxolone, a gap junction inhibitor, administered systemically attenuated the development of opioid antinociceptive tolerance. Furthermore, we observed a small percentage of carbenoxolone in brain tissue compared to the amount found in blood, suggesting a peripheral site of action. Finally, we show preliminary evidence that in vivo administration of carbenoxolone is able to attenuate tolerance to morphine in DRG neurons.