PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Center for BrainHealth publishes new model to predict improvement in brain health

Imaging study successfully predicted outcomes with 90% accuracy

Center for BrainHealth publishes new model to predict improvement in brain health
2023-11-30
(Press-News.org) As part of its ongoing quest to advance better brain health and performance, new research led by Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas investigated neural biomarkers associated with improvements on a brain health index.

The study, “Toward Precision Brain Health: Accurate Prediction of a Cognitive Index Trajectory Using Neuroimaging Metrics,” was recently published in Cerebral Cortex

A total of 48 participants aged 21–65 completed a simple task during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session, then once again approximately six months later after engaging in cognitive training protocols. The researchers derived neural biomarkers from the brain’s hemodynamic (blood flow) response to the task.

At these same time points, participants completed a battery of online cognitive assessments that measure memory, strategic attention and innovation – these holistic assessments produce a composite score of the brain’s holistic fitness, called the BrainHealth Index.

The researchers then trained a machine learning model to predict improvements on the BrainHealth Index based only on the neural markers measured from both visits.

Whereas the BrainHealth Index is derived from self-reported assessments, neural biomarkers provide an objective, physical measure of what is happening in the brain. Just as cholesterol levels are a common biomarker for heart health and heart disease, neural biomarkers can serve not only as early warning systems of brain pathology, but also as markers of improved brain health – as this study demonstrates.

The optimized machine learning model successfully predicted substantial gain on the BrainHealth Index with 90% accuracy, confirming a functional relationship between the Index and the neural biomarkers in a healthy population.

Lead author and director of biostatistics Jeffrey S. Spence, Ph.D., explained, “This study is unique in that our team used a brain biomarker to track brain health rather than disease. Establishing such a clear functional relationship between the BrainHealth Index and this neural biomarker reinforces the value of the Index to measure the state of one’s brain health – without the need for expensive imaging procedures.”

Contributing author Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D., founder and chief director at Center for BrainHealth and Dee Wyly Distinguished Professor at UT Dallas stated, “To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to demonstrate predictive markers of improved brain health with combined neural changes and behavioral gains following cognitive training in young to older age healthy adults.”

“Group findings show statistical significance, but clinical significance is achieved when we can specify at an individual level who benefits or fails to respond to different treatment protocols,” she continued.

“This study takes us one step closer to precision brain health, which will ultimately allow interventions to be tailored to individuals.”This study, focused on markers of brain improvement, was graciously supported by private philanthropy from Sammons Enterprises, Inc.

ABOUT CENTER FOR BRAINHEALTH

Center for BrainHealth®, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, is a translational research institute committed to enhancing, preserving, and restoring brain health across the lifespan. Major research areas include the use of functional and structural neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neurobiology supporting cognition and emotion in health and disease. This leading-edge scientific exploration is translated quickly into practical innovations to improve how people think, work and live, empowering people of all ages to unlock their brain potential. Translational innovations build on Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART™), a proprietary methodology developed and tested by BrainHealth researchers and other teams over three decades.ABOUT CENTER FOR BRAINHEALTHCenter for BrainHealth®, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, is a translational research institute committed to enhancing, preserving, and restoring brain health across the lifespan. Major research areas include the use of functional and structural neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neurobiology supporting cognition and emotion in health and disease. This leading-edge scientific exploration is translated quickly into practical innovations to improve how people think, work and live, empowering people of all ages to unlock their brain potential. Translational innovations build on Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART™), a proprietary methodology developed and tested by BrainHealth researchers and other teams over three decades.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Center for BrainHealth publishes new model to predict improvement in brain health

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Scientists find gene therapy reduces liver cancer in animal model

2023-11-30
Researchers at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center have shown that inhibiting a specific protein using gene therapy can shrink hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in mice. Silencing the galectin 1 (Gal1) protein, which is often over-expressed in HCC, also improved the anti-cancer immune response and increased the number of killer T cells inside tumors. The study was published in Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B. “We’ve long known that Gal1 is a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma,” said ...

Air Force awards UTEP Grant to safeguard assets in space

Air Force awards UTEP Grant to safeguard assets in space
2023-11-30
EL PASO, Texas (Nov. 30, 2023) – Space near earth is teeming with objects, whether natural, like meteors and comets, or manmade, like satellites, spacecraft and rocket debris. But experts still need a clearer picture of the location and state of these objects, which can threaten space-based assets, such as GPS, weather-monitoring and communication satellites. “The United States is dependent economically and militarily on space assets,” said Miguel Velez-Reyes, Ph.D., chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at The University of Texas at El Paso. “For ...

Stigmatizing content on social media affects perceptions of mental health care, new study reveals

2023-11-30
Research has shown that social media can negatively impact people's mental health. But can it affect people’s beliefs about mental health treatment? Yes, according to researchers at Union. In one of the first studies to examine the impact of social media on people’s perceptions of mental health care, researchers discovered that viewing just a few social media posts that mock mental health treatment can have a profound impact on some people's attitudes toward treatment. The study appears in the latest issue of the journal Social Media + Society. For the study, 186 participants viewed 10 tweets. The gender ...

New study offers cautious hope about the resilience of redwoods

2023-11-30
New research from Northern Arizona University has explained coast redwood’s remarkable ability to recover from very severe fire, a rare sign of optimism amid a landscape increasingly scarred by severe fires. The study, published today in Nature: Plants, examined recovery after the catastrophic CZU Lightning Complex Fire, which began in August 2020 and burned thousands of acres of redwoods in Big Basin State Park in California, some more than 1,500 years old. Researchers from NAU’s Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (Ecoss) and the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS) found, however, that many trees were not dead, as they first appeared. Redwoods ...

The American Institute of Biological Sciences aannounces winner of the IDEAL Leadership Award

2023-11-30
The American Institute of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce Dr. Nyeema C. Harris as the 2023 winner of its Inspiring Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, Acceptance, and Learning (IDEAL) Leadership Award. The IDEAL Award recognizes commendable leadership in advancing inclusion, diversity, equity, acceptance, accessibility, and learning in the biological sciences community. The award was presented by past awardee Dr. Steward T. A. Pickett on 30 November 2023 at AIBS's Council of Member Societies and Organizations meeting, entitled "Expanding the ...

Thomas Fire research reveals that ash can fertilize the oceans

2023-11-30
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Flames roared through Santa Barbara County in late 2017. UC Santa Barbara canceled classes, and the administration recommended donning an N95, long before the COVID pandemic made the mask a household item. Smoke and ash choked the air, but the Thomas Fire’s effects weren’t restricted to the land and sky. Huge amounts of ash settled into the oceans, leaving researchers to wonder what effect it might have on marine life. Now scientists at UC Santa Barbara have discovered that wildfire ash adds nutrients to marine systems, ...

Study tests firefighter turnout gear with, without PFAS

Study tests firefighter turnout gear with, without PFAS
2023-11-30
Transitioning away from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which offer water- and oil-repelling properties on the outer shells of firefighter turnout gear, could bring potential performance tradeoffs, according to a new study from North Carolina State University. The study showed that turnout gear without PFAS outer shell coatings were not oil-repellent, posing a potential flammability hazard to firefighters if exposed to oil and flame, said Bryan Ormond, assistant professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science at NC State and corresponding author of ...

New study uses genetic data to support use of thiazide diuretics for kidney stone prevention

New study uses genetic data to support use of thiazide diuretics for kidney stone prevention
2023-11-30
Kidney stones affect nearly 10% of the global population. For more than three decades, thiazide diuretics, a common medication used for high blood pressure, have been the standard of care for kidney stone prevention because they reduce the excretion of urinary calcium.     However, recent clinical trials have raised doubts about their efficacy in preventing kidney stones. The NOSTONE trial, published in The New England Journal of Medicine in March 2023, failed to find a protective effect of thiazide diuretics on kidney stone disease.     A ...

Study identifies key algae species helping soft corals survive warming oceans

2023-11-30
BUFFALO, N.Y. --- Scleractinian corals, or hard corals, have been disappearing globally over the past four decades, a result of climate change, pollution, unsustainable coastal development and overfishing. However, some Caribbean octocorals, or soft corals, are not meeting the same fate. During a two-year survey of soft corals in the Florida Keys, Mary Alice Coffroth,  professor emerita of geology at the University at Buffalo, along with a small team of UB researchers, identified three species of octocorals that have survived heat waves. While the coral animal itself may be ...

Scientists build tiny biological robots from human cells

Scientists build tiny biological robots from human cells
2023-11-30
Researchers at Tufts University and Harvard University’s Wyss Institute have created tiny biological robots that they call Anthrobots from human tracheal cells that can move across a surface and have been found to encourage the growth of neurons across a region of damage in a lab dish. The multicellular robots, ranging in size from the width of a human hair to the point of a sharpened pencil, were made to self-assemble and shown to have a remarkable healing effect on other cells. The discovery is a starting point for the researchers’ vision to use patient-derived ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Neuroscience leader reveals oxytocin's crucial role beyond the 'love hormone' label

Twelve questions to ask your doctor for better brain health in the new year

Microelectronics Science Research Centers to lead charge on next-generation designs and prototypes

Study identifies genetic cause for yellow nail syndrome

New drug to prevent migraine may start working right away

Good news for people with MS: COVID-19 infection not tied to worsening symptoms

Department of Energy announces $179 million for Microelectronics Science Research Centers

Human-related activities continue to threaten global climate and productivity

Public shows greater acceptance of RSV vaccine as vaccine hesitancy appears to have plateaued

Unraveling the power and influence of language

Gene editing tool reduces Alzheimer’s plaque precursor in mice

TNF inhibitors prevent complications in kids with Crohn's disease, recommended as first-line therapies

Twisted Edison: Bright, elliptically polarized incandescent light

Structural cell protein also directly regulates gene transcription

Breaking boundaries: Researchers isolate quantum coherence in classical light systems

Brain map clarifies neuronal connectivity behind motor function

Researchers find compromised indoor air in homes following Marshall Fire

Months after Colorado's Marshall Fire, residents of surviving homes reported health symptoms, poor air quality

Identification of chemical constituents and blood-absorbed components of Shenqi Fuzheng extract based on UPLC-triple-TOF/MS technology

'Glass fences' hinder Japanese female faculty in international research, study finds

Vector winds forecast by numerical weather prediction models still in need of optimization

New research identifies key cellular mechanism driving Alzheimer’s disease

Trends in buprenorphine dispensing among adolescents and young adults in the US

Emergency department physicians vary widely in their likelihood of hospitalizing a patient, even within the same facility

Firearm and motor vehicle pediatric deaths— intersections of age, sex, race, and ethnicity

Association of state cannabis legalization with cannabis use disorder and cannabis poisoning

Gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and eclampsia and future neurological disorders

Adoption of “hospital-at-home” programs remains concentrated among larger, urban, not-for-profit and academic hospitals

Unlocking the mysteries of the human gut

High-quality nanodiamonds for bioimaging and quantum sensing applications

[Press-News.org] Center for BrainHealth publishes new model to predict improvement in brain health
Imaging study successfully predicted outcomes with 90% accuracy