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Previous research has demonstrated mixed evidence on impaired memory functioning in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with the only consensus that there appears to be much heterogeneity. In addition, no research to date has examined the stability of memory in ASD. This study examined the stability of memory function in ASD compared to typically developing age-matched controls. Participants were administered the Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL) twice, three years apart, in an established longitudinal NIH-supported investigation of ASD. Based on available research contrasting memory development in healthy individuals versus those with ASD, it was hypothesized that memory performance in the control group would be stable across time and that, compared to the control group, the autism group would demonstrate less stable memory function as measured by the TOMAL. Repeated Measures ANOVA and Reliable Change Index calculations of TOMAL Index and Subtest scores largely supported these hypotheses. The control group remained stable across time on all TOMAL indices and the ASD group showed improvement on the Composite Memory Index, Verbal Memory Index, and Delayed Memory Index but not the Non Verbal Memory Index. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

All meaningful communication is a form of storytelling, according to Walter Fisher, who introduced the narrative paradigm to communication theory, and storytelling is universal across cultures and time as the manner in which people comprehend life. Storytelling is also a creative form of art. This interdisciplinary, multimedia work will explore the creative use of non-traditional storytelling to gather information about how creativity evolves in people with Alzheimer's and dementia and why this is important to both academia and the community. Currently, there is a lot of research available about the debilitating affects of memory loss, but there is very little research available about retained abilities. Perhaps, just as the blind significantly outperform the sighted in tactile experiments, there are some forms of creativity in storytelling in which people with Alzheimer's and dementia may demonstrate more ability than their fully cognizant peers. My goal is to contribute to a small but growing effort to explore "memory loss as (...) more than just memory loss" (Dr. Anne Bastings).

The excitatory, ionotropic glutamatergic AMPA receptor is the most common membrane-bound receptor in the central nervous system. AMPARs and the NMDA receptors are central to synaptic plasticity, memory, and mechanisms of neurodegeneration. The AMPAR is an obligate heterotetramer, composed of subunits GluA1-4. Subunit permutation determines ion conductance, trafficking and other functional characteristics. Few available antibodies are subunit-specific, disabling researchers from accurately visualizing differential AMPAR subunit distribution in the nervous system. This study sought to visualize a novel monoclonal GluA1/2/3 antibody with functional avidity for three of four receptor subunits and to characterize the ultrastructural localization of these receptors using confocal and electron microscopy.

Human language records most of the information and knowledge produced by organizations and individuals. The machine-based process of analyzing information in natural language form is called natural language processing (NLP). Information extraction (IE) is the process of analyzing machine-readable text and identifying and collecting information about specified types of entities, events, and relationships. Named entity extraction is an area of IE concerned specifically with recognizing and classifying proper names for persons, organizations, and locations from natural language. Extant approaches to the design and implementation named entity extraction systems include: (a) knowledge-engineering approaches which utilize domain experts to hand-craft NLP rules to recognize and classify named entities; (b) supervised machine-learning approaches in which a previously tagged corpus of named entities is used to train algorithms which incorporate statistical and probabilistic methods for NLP; or (c) hybrid approaches which incorporate aspects of both methods described in (a) and (b). Performance for IE systems is evaluated using the metrics of precision and recall which measure the accuracy and completeness of the IE task. Previous research has shown that utilizing a large knowledge base of known entities has the potential to improve overall entity extraction precision and recall performance. Although existing methods typically incorporate dictionary-based features, these dictionaries have been limited in size and scope. The problem addressed by this research was the design, implementation, and evaluation of a new high-performance knowledge-based hybrid processing approach and associated algorithms for named entity extraction, combining rule-based natural language parsing and memory-based machine learning classification facilitated by an extensive knowledge base of existing named entities. The hybrid approach implemented by this research resulted in improved precision and recall performance approaching human-level capability compared to existing methods measured using a standard test corpus. The system design incorporated a parallel processing system architecture with capabilities for managing a large knowledge base and providing high throughput potential for processing large collections of natural language text documents.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A nutrição inadequada é um dos principais fatores não-genéticos que afetam o desenvolvimento do encéfalo. O hipocampo é uma estrutura bastante sensível a alterações no aporte nutricional durante o desenvolvimento. No hipocampo a óxido nítrico sintase (ONS) é uma enzima altamente expressa e o óxido nítrico (ON) já foi apontado como tendo papel fundamental na potenciação de longa duração (LTP) e depressão de longa duração (LTD), responsáveis pelo processo de memória e aprendizado. Neste trabalho estudamos o efeito da malnutrição no comportamento associado à memória e aprendizado e na distribuição da ONS, através da técnica da nicotinamida adenina dinucleotídeo fosfato diaforase (NADPH-d). O presente trabalho foi aprovado pelo COMITÊ DE ÉTICA (CEA/055/2009). Foram utilizados ratos Wistar machos, divididos em dois grupos: grupo controle (GC) e grupo malnutrido (GM). A malnutrição se deu através da administração, para a mãe, de uma ração com 0% de proteína durante os 10 primeiros dias de lactação, iniciando-se no dia do nascimento dos filhotes. O GC recebeu ração comercial (22% de proteína). Os encéfalos foram processados histologicamente nas idades de P10, P20, P30, P45 e P90 (n=5 para cada idade e grupo estudado), sendo então realizada a histoquímica da NADPH-d para avaliar a distribuição da ONS. A avaliação dos comportamentos associados à ansiedade foi realizada através do labirinto em cruz elevado (LCE), o comportamento associados à busca por novos estímulos foi medida através do campo vazado (CV) e a memória/aprendizado foi avaliada através do labirinto aquático radial de 8 braços (LAROB) em animais P40 (n=10 para cada grupo) e P90 (n=11 para cada grupo). No GM em P10 observamos maior densidade de células NADPHd+ no giro denteado. Em P20, a marcação para NADPH-d no GM foi menor e esse padrão foi mantido em P30 e P45. No GM em P90 não observamos efeitos da dieta. Em P10, no GM observamos menor número de corpos marcados no stratum pyramidale (SPy). Em P20 o SPy encontrava-se intensamente marcado em ambos os grupos. Em P30 GM observamos maior número de células marcadas no SPy. Entretanto em P45, ambos os grupos apresentaram poucos corpos marcados. Em P90, o GM apresentou mais células marcadas no SPy. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas nas variáveis analisadas para o LCE. O GM em P90 explora maior número de orifícios, tanto na periferia (F=8,1; gl=1; P=0,014) quanto no número total (F=7,5; gl=1; P=0,017). Não foram observadas diferenças significativas para as variáveis analisadas no CV em P40. No teste de memória/aprendizagem foram observadas diferenças significativas entre o GM e o GC na latência de escape no 1 dia de testes em P90 (F=5,2; gl=1; P=0,033), com o GM apresentando melhor desempenho quando comparado ao GC. Esses valores podem ser explicados pela redução da latência para encontrar a plataforma de escape no GM. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas no LAROB em P40. Nossos resultados demonstram que a malnutrição protéica restrita aos 10 primeiros dias da lactação altera a distribuição da NADPH-d no hipocampo. A malnutrição afetou o comportamento dos animais em P40. Por outro lado, em P90 os primeiro dia de teste, sugerindo que o efeito observado está mais associado à novidade do ambiente de teste. / Undernutrition is one of the main epigenetic factors that affect brain development. The hippocampus is a very vulnerable structure that is selectively affected by alterations of food intake during the developmental period. Nitric oxide synthase is an enzyme highly expressed in this structure and nitric oxide has been postulated to have a role in hippocampal LTP and LTD. Here, we evaluated, in rats, the effects of protein malnutrition during the first 10 days of lactation on the distribution of NADPH-diaphorase and on the following behaviors: anxiety, novelty seeking and memory/learning. This study was approved by our University Ethics Committee (CEA/055/2009). Wistar male rats were divided into two groups: control group (CG) and malnourished group (MG). Dams were fed ad libitum with a normoprotein diet (22% protein) during gestation. During the first 10 days of lactation, MG dams received a protein free (0% protein) diet while CG dams received a normoprotein (22%protein) diet. After P10, all dams were fed with a normoprotein diet. On each age studied, P10 until P90 (n=5 for each group), the animals brains were processed histologically and then NADPH-d histochemistry was carried out. Behavioral tests were performed with one male from each litter. Anxiety-like effects were measured in the elevated plus maze (EPM) during 5 min. The time spent in and entries into the open arms were the measured variables. The hole board (HB) was used to assess novelty-seeking (number of nose pokes) for 5 min. Memory and learning were assessed in the 8-arm radial water maze (8-ARWM). The time needed to find a small platform (4 trials/day for 5 consecutive days) submerged in cloudy water was the measured variable. P10 MG animals showed more stained NADPH-d+ cells on the dentate gyrus. At P20, we observed fewer stained cells in MG and this pattern was also observed at P30 and P45. At P90 the staining pattern in the dentate gyrus was similar for both groups. P10 MG animals showed less stained cell bodies in the stratum pyramidale. At P20, the stratum pyramidale in both groups showed intense staining. P30 MG animals showed more stained NADPH-d cells, but, at P45, we observed few stained cells in both groups. Though P90 MG animals presented more stained cells in stratum pyramidale. No differences between groups were observed regarding the anxiety measures. Regarding novelty-seeking, P90 MG animals presented a significantly (ANOVA: P=0.014 and 0,017) higher number of nose pokes that CG ones. No differences were found between groups at P40. As for memory/learning, P90 MG animals had a significantly (P=0.032) reduced latency to find the platform than CG ones in the 8-ARWM. No differences were found between groups at P40. Our results demonstrate that protein malnutrition restricted to the first 10 days of lactation altered the distribution of NADPH-d on hippocampus. The malnourished animals did not display behavioral alterations at P40. Conversely, P90 malnourished animals displayed higher levels of novelty-seeking behavior and a better memory/learning performance, mainly in the first testing day, suggesting that the effect is highly dependent on the novelty of the testing situation.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Florida, 2003. / Title from title page of source document. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Project Thesis (D. Min.)--Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 178-192).