Sensorimotor adaptation is a type of learning that allows sustaining accurate movements by adjusting motor output. This allows the brain to adapt to temporary changes when engaged in a certain task. Within sensorimotor adaptation, visuomotor adaptation (VMA) is one’s ability to correct a visual perturbation. In this study, we present preliminary results on the effects of VMA with the control group, compared to groups undergoing trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) or SHAM (placebo) effects. Twenty-two healthy subjects with no past medical history participated in this study. Subjects performed a visuomotor rotation task, which required gradually adapting to a perturbation between hand motion and corresponding visual feedback. Five total blocks were completed: two familiarization blocks, one baseline block, one rotation block with a 30◦ counterclockwise rotation, and one washout block with no rotation. The control group performed better than the 120 Hz (TNS) and SHAM groups due to less directional error (DE) on the respective learning curves. Additionally, the control group adapted faster (less DE) than the SHAM groups that either felt stimulation, or did not feel the stimulation. The results yield new information regarding VMA which can be used in the future when comparing sensorimotor adaptation and its many applications.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), a neurological condition that negatively affects neural capabilities, occurs when a blunt trauma impacts the head. Following the initial injury that immediately impacts neural cell function and survival, a series of secondary injury events lead to substantial sustained inflammation for weeks to years post-injury. To develop TBI treatments that may stimulate regenerative processes, a novel drug delivery system that efficiently delivers the appropriate drug/payload to injured tissue is crucial. Hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels are attractive when developing a biomaterial for tissue reparation and regeneration. HA is a natural polymer with physicochemical properties that can be tuned to match the properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the many tissues including the central nervous system (CNS). Here, the project objective was to develop a HA hydrogel system for local delivery of a biological payload; this objective was completed by employing a composite system with two parts. The first part is an injectable, shear-thinning bulk hydrogel, and the second is microgels for loading biological payloads. The bulk hydrogel was composed of cyclodextrin modified HA (Cd-HA) and adamantane modified HA (Ad-HA) that give rise to guest-host interactions that facilitate physical crosslinking. The microgel, composed of norbornene-HA (Nor-HA) and sulfated-HA, crosslink via chemical crosslinks upon activation of a UV photoinitiator. The sulfated-HA microgels facilitate loading of biological payloads by mimicking heparin binding sites via the conjugated sulfated group. Neuregulin I, an epidermal growth factor with neuroprotective properties, is one such protein with a heparin binding domain that may be retained in the sulfated-HA microgels. Specifically, the project focused on mechanical testing of this composite microgel/hydrogel system and also developing protein affinity assays.

Current sideline concussion assessment tools are inaccurate and biased leading to undiagnosed concussions and possibly a second, more severe concussion. This study evaluated the effects of different surface types on postural stability using the Lockhart Monitor iPhone application in order to validate its potential use as a data-driven sideline concussion assessment tool. Participants had three components of their postural sway recorded in 30 and 60-second trials on three different surface types, tile, turf, and natural grass, with eyes open and closed. The statistical analysis found that there was a significant difference between surface types for the sway area (p = 0.0268), but there was no difference for the sway path and velocity. These results call for further research to be conducted on the impact of surface types and the use of the Lockhart Monitor as a sideline concussion assessment tool with larger sample sizes and improved methodologies.

Current sideline concussion assessment tools are inaccurate and biased leading to undiagnosed concussions and possibly a second, more severe concussion. This study evaluated the effects of different surface types on postural stability using the Lockhart Monitor iPhone application in order to validate its potential use as a data-driven sideline concussion assessment tool. Participants had three components of their postural sway recorded in 30 and 60-second trials on three different surface types, tile, turf, and natural grass, with eyes open and closed. The statistical analysis found that there was a significant difference between surface types for the sway area (p = 0.0268), but there was no difference for the sway path and velocity. These results call for further research to be conducted on the impact of surface types and the use of the Lockhart Monitor as a sideline concussion assessment tool with larger sample sizes and improved methodologies.

Protein and gene circuit level synthetic bioengineering can require years to develop a single target. Phage assisted continuous evolution (PACE) is a powerful new tool for rapidly engineering new genes and proteins, but the method requires an automated cell culture system, making it inaccessible to non industrial research programs. Complex protein functions, like specific binding, require similarly dynamic PACE selection that can be alternatively induced or suppressed, with heat labile chemicals like tetracycline. Selection conditions must be controlled continuously over days, with adjustments made every few minutes. To make PACE experiments accessible to the broader community, we designed dedicated cell culture hardware and integrated optogenetically controlled plasmids. The low cost and open source platform allows a user to conduct PACE with continuous monitoring and precise control of evolution using light.

The cocktail party effect describes the brain’s natural ability to attend to a specific voice or audio source in a crowded room. Researchers have recently attempted to recreate this ability in hearing aid design using brain signals from invasive electrocorticography electrodes. The present study aims to find neural signatures of auditory attention to achieve this same goal with noninvasive electroencephalographic (EEG) methods. Five human participants participated in an auditory attention task. Participants listened to a series of four syllables followed by a fifth syllable (probe syllable). Participants were instructed to indicate whether or not the probe syllable was one of the four syllables played immediately before the probe syllable. Trials of this task were separated into conditions of playing the syllables in silence (Signal) and in background noise (Signal With Noise), and both behavioral and EEG data were recorded. EEG signals were analyzed with event-related potential and time-frequency analysis methods. The behavioral data indicated that participants performed better on the task during the “Signal” condition, which aligns with the challenges demonstrated in the cocktail party effect. The EEG analysis showed that the alpha band’s (9-13 Hz) inter-trial coherence could potentially indicate characteristics of the attended speech signal. These preliminary results suggest that EEG time-frequency analysis has the potential to reveal the neural signatures of auditory attention, which may allow for the design of a noninvasive, EEG-based hearing aid.

The importance and prevalence of health literacy has emerged in part due to continuing changes in the delivery of health care services, creating new responsibilities for patients and their caregivers, which include finding and evaluating information, self-monitoring health status, and understanding financial constraints and obligations. Those with low health literacy are not able to access the same healthcare benefits, nor are they able to maintain a healthier life as they are not as informed about preventative care. Spanish speakers in the U.S. are subject to these outcomes due to their low levels of health literacy, in which they ultimately experience more severe health issues, late-stage diseases, and higher disease burden. This paper is a comprehensive examination of health literacy among Spanish speakers and makes recommendations on policies that could be implemented into the U.S. healthcare system to better accommodate Spanish speakers and help improve their health literacy for the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes and access to healthcare.

With millions of people living with a disease as restraining as migraines, there are no ways to diagnose them before they occur. In this study, a migraine model using nitroglycerin is used in rats to study the awake brain activity during the migraine state. In an attempt to search for a biomarker for the migraine state, we found multiple deviations in EEG brain activity across different bands. Firstly, there was a clear decrease in power in the delta, beta, alpha, and theta bands. A slight increase in power in the gamma and high frequency bands was also found, which is consistent with other pain-related studies12. Additionally, we searched for a decreased pain threshold in this deviation, in which we concluded that more data analysis is needed to eliminate the multiple potential noise influxes throughout each dataset. However, with this study we did find a clear change in brain activity, but a more detailed analysis will narrow down what this change could mean and how it impacts the migraine state.