Axonal guidance proteins are known to aide in neurodevelopment by directing neuronal growth cones to their target locations through a combination of attraction and repulsion cues. Many axonal guidance proteins are present in the mature brain, and evidence suggests their potential role in maintaining synaptic connectivity. The present study has sought to determine whether axonal guidance cues contribute to the balance of excitatory and inhibitory input onto dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the adult mouse brain. With CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, a Cre-dependent adeno-associated virus (AAV-DIO-SaCas9-sgRNA) was administered directly to the VTA of adult mice via stereotaxic injection to genetically inhibit the expression of axonal guidance proteins of interest. DAT-iCre mice, expressing Cre under the DAT promoter, received AAV-DIO-SaCas9 injections containing a short guide RNA for either Ntn1 (the gene encoding netrin-1, a secreted axonal guidance cue), Dcc (a netrin receptor) or Unc5c (a netrin receptor characterized as causing growth cone repulsion). Control mice received stereotaxic injections of AAV-DIO-YFP. After a healing period, dopamine-specific behavioral assays were performed to test for alterations in dopamine mediated behaviors. Electrophysiology was used to measure changes in inhibitory and excitatory connectivity in dopamine neurons of the VTA. Preliminary results suggest that netrin-1 and netrin receptor expression in dopamine neurons of the VTA may play a role in maintaining excitatory synaptic connectivity. These findings could shed light on the role of excitatory and inhibitory connectivity, as well as dopamine-associated psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia and substance use disorders.

Dopamine (DA) neurons found in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are associated with reward feedback, and dysfunction in DA circuitry is associated with disorders such as Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, bipolar, and addiction to drugs. To adequately treat these diseases, we must have a more complete understanding of how dopamine contributes to emotional processes. This research project addresses this issue by investigating neuropeptide regulation of dopamine neurons in the VTA. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a brain region that expresses many neuropeptide genes and sends strong projections to the VTA. We utilized Cre driver lines to isolate neurons that produce the peptides Neurotensin, Neurokinin B, and Corticotropin Releasing Factor. We injected a virus into the BNST that induces the expression of a light activated ion channel and allows us to stimulate axon terminals in the VTA. I then conducted behavioral experiments to assess the effects of activating these peptidergic inputs. Dopamine-dependent behaviors relating to pleasure, reward, and anxiety were measured through the behavioral tests of Real Time Place Preference, operant conditioning, and Open Field respectively. Most likely due to low expression, my behavioral analyses did not yield statistically significant results. Moving forward, it may be necessary to increase viral titer for wider expression. In the future, I intend to use CRISPR/Cas9 technology to isolate neuropeptide function from fast neurotransmitter release in these circuits. This research, by producing findings that help explain how neuropeptides modulate DA neurons, has the potential to generate advances for the understanding and treatment of dopamine-related psychiatric disorders.

There is a high prevalence of depression in the United States, and the impairment from depression and the impact it has on an individual’s functioning can also be severe. Thus, it is vital to examine the different causes of depression. In this study, I am investigating the effect a sense of belonging has on depressive symptoms by administering questionnaires to participants from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study and participants from the University of Washington. MIDUS is a national longitudinal study of different aspects of health and well-being. I am also investigating the moderating effect a strong ethnic identity, specifically ethnic identity for individuals of Asian descent, has on the relationship between a sense of belonging and depression through questionnaires that will be completed by participants from the University of Washington. I am predicting that individuals, both from MIDUS and the University of Washington sample, who have a higher sense of belonging will have a lower level of depressive symptoms. Additionally, I am predicting that participants who have a lower sense of belonging but a strong sense of ethnic identity will have a lower level of depressive symptoms. Regardless of the results, the findings of this study will aid in our understanding of the role of sense of belonging for individuals with depression, and will also shed light on the importance of ethnic identity for minority ethnic groups.

Anxiety symptoms are common in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is unknown whether the neurobiological origins of comorbid anxiety and ADHD symptoms are shared or distinct. The current study addressed this using an event related electrophysiological potential (ERP) component, the error-related negativity (ERN), which occurs after an individual makes a task error. ERN amplitude has opposite associations with ADHD and anxiety symptoms: it is weaker in association with increased ADHD, but greater in association with increased anxiety. We tested whether 1) anxiety symptoms and ADHD have separate neurobiological origins, indicated by greater anxiety being associated with increased ERN in children with ADHD or 2) anxiety and ADHD symptoms share an origin, as evidenced by no effect of anxiety on ERN in children with ADHD. The current study investigated the association between ERN amplitude and anxiety levels in a sample of 7- to 11-year-olds with ADHD (n = 98) and without (controls; n = 26). Participants completed two ERP tasks of varying difficulty. ERP data were segmented around incorrect task responses, and mean ERN amplitude was extracted. Data on child anxiety and ADHD symptoms was collected via parent report. Linear regression analysis was used to estimate the associations among ERN amplitude, severity of anxiety, and ADHD symptoms. Preliminary results (n = 73) indicated that ADHD symptom severity was associated with smaller ERN amplitude (r =.31, p =.007), but anxiety symptoms were not associated with ERN in the ADHD group. Preliminary results indicated that the ERN is not a marker of anxiety in children with ADHD to the same degree it is in controls. This is consistent with shared neurobiological etiology for ADHD and anxiety symptoms in children, which has clinical implications for conceptualization and treatment of anxiety symptoms in childhood ADHD.

3% of children live with Amblyopia (‘lazy-eye’), a visual disorder where acuity in one eye is poor even with glasses on. Amblyopia includes (1) reduced sensitivity in the amblyopic eye, and (2) interocular suppression, whereby the good eye suppresses the amblyopic eye. Our goal was to develop a method to efficiently characterize both mechanisms. Participants viewed a Gabor stimulus modulating between 0-100% contrast over time through a stereoscope, that presented a different image to each eye. Participants reported perceived contrast over time using a joystick. On each trial, the initial 14 s consisted of binocularly identical gratings modulating at 1/7 Hz, followed by 48 s where the gratings modulated at 1/8 Hz in one eye, and 1/6 Hz in the other. Separately, we measured visual acuity, stereoacuity, contrast sensitivity, the interocular suppression ratio. This method was highly efficient: only 30 min of data were needed to estimate monocular sensitivity and interocular suppression. Another advantage of this approach is that the stimulus is relatively naturalistic – the images in the two eyes are the same, except for the difference in contrast. This is important due to the nature of its binocularity and naturalistic conditions, as this will be the first of its kind - allowing clinicians a better way to assess those with amblyopia. 

The implications in the connection between the Fifth Amendment and Miranda warnings have been well explored in Miranda v Arizona, highlighting that understanding such rights are relevant during police interrogations. The standardization of administering Miranda warnings before police interrogation becomes a mechanism in which to legitimize the State as well as the system of justice, since doing so becomes a form of checking and balancing the power dynamic between State and individual. The question then becomes, is there an effective way to clearly communicate an individual’s protection under the Fifth Amendment through the Miranda warnings in cases where the individual in question may be inherently more vulnerable, such as a child or a person with intellectual disabilities. In 2016, King County implemented a different set of Miranda warnings catered to juvenile competency. It is also crucial to examine how police are trained to understand the difference in the language in which they are mandated to employ. In this research, I aim to find out what and how the different sets of language of Miranda warnings influence the police’s state of mind. I anticipate on obtaining qualitative data by interviewing the police and other legal actors. First, I will ask police to recall what they are thinking after I have given a word cue in a randomized order to see if they are able to give the same meaning in both the adult and youth version. This should yield a baseline towards how the police are thinking about language. Secondly, my questions will also pertain to the ways in which the police are trained to interact with juveniles. I expect to find from interviews that the component of training is what will change how police perceive juveniles differently, rather than administering the warning.

Sexual harassment engenders post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression in targets, and disproportionally affects women (vs. men) in the United States. Critically, many harassment cases in the U.S go underreported. For instance, only 25% of women formally report instances of harassment to their employer and less than 20% of women describe sexually harassing behavior at work as “sexual harassment.” The current project explores whether women’s self-perceptions of gender-prototypicality impacts the reporting of sexual harassment. Specifically, it explores whether the extent to which a woman views herself as prototypically feminine promotes the reporting of harassment after it occurs. To begin to explore this hypothesis, we first test whether women can be primed to feel prototypically feminine (vs. masculine; Study 1). Second, we describe our experimental methodology, and predicted results, for testing whether feelings of sexual harassment can be engendered in women in the laboratory. Implications for the reporting and reduction of sexual harassment are discussed, along with theoretical and empirical extensions related women’s individual differences.

Racial microaggressions are subtle manifestations of racial bias. Though they are subtle, they cause tremendous psychological strain for minoritized populations. Prior research from our lab has found four main types of microaggressions: intergroup anxiety, color blindness, objectifying, and negative stereotypes. Intergroup anxiety refers to nervousness about interracial communication, such as being perceived as racist, and often manifests into avoidance of such interactions. Color blindness is the denial of racial identity, saying “I don’t see color” for example, while objectifying is being preoccupied by differences, such as fixating on a Black woman’s hair. Lastly, negative stereotypes are predetermined racial judgements based on known labels like “welfare queen.” In the research study, we sought to understand whether women of color experienced these or other microaggressions while seeking services following domestic violence. A focus group was conducted with advocates, people who provide emotional support and resources for domestic violence survivors, to gather information about their clients’ experiences. From advocate responses, we identified themes that fell into one of our four microaggression categories. In addition, we uncovered a fifth form of microaggression, and found that many survivors reported macroaggressions. This research could inform future training strategies for service providers, and help domestic violence survivors access services without encountering microaggressive racial bias.

In 2016, women earned 57% of bachelor degrees awarded in the U.S. but only 42% of bachelor’s degrees in the field of mathematics and statistics (U.S. Department of Education, 2018). Math-related careers tend to have higher salaries than other careers (Hira, 2010), meaning that the lower proportion of women receiving mathematics and statistics bachelor’s degrees may be contributing to the gender wage gap. One potential explanation for this lower proportion may be the perception of math as valuing speed over accuracy. Societally, many speed-focused characteristics and activities, such as impulsivity and racing, are associated with masculinity. If this leads women to believe that they are less speed-focused and more accuracy-focused than men, women may avoid a field they view as emphasizing speed more than accuracy. In an ongoing study (target N = 100), undergraduate women and men will be presented with two different student reviews for a math class - one emphasizing the importance of having speed and the other the importance of having accuracy. We predict that women, but not men, will have greater interest in the class emphasizing accuracy than the class emphasizing speed. We also predict that when asked to make a choice between which class to take, women will be more likely to choose the class emphasizing accuracy and men will be more likely to choose the class emphasizing speed. Results will have important implications about the causes of gender gaps in participation in mathematics and possible interventions to reduce these gaps. Future research should investigate the impacts of the perceived value of speed and accuracy on gender gaps in other STEM fields.

When a child is diagnosed with pediatric cancer, it puts a strain on the whole family, including the marital relationship. However, there is little consensus as to the factors that predict marital adjustment. This proposal examines the relationship between parental emotional styles and marital adjustment in the first year following a pediatric cancer diagnosis. I propose that poorer marital adjustment as well as declines in marital adjustment over the first year of treatment will be predicted by 1) emotion-dismissing philosophies in both men and women and 2) a mismatch in couples' emotion philosophies. These findings would provide insight into the factors that may put the marital dyad at risk, which could inform clinical interventions to better support the families after diagnosis.

I began this project last year as an honors student in the Psychology Department Honors program and under supervision of Dr. Lynn Fainsilber Katz and clinical graduate student, Laina Keim. I independenty discovered a gap in the literature, developed my hypothesis, performed an extensive literature review and wrote a proposal for this this honors thesis. I became a trained and reliable coder for the internationally recognized coding system that is being utilized in this study. This year I have focused on coding our data with our lab team, data analysis with Laina, and now I am writing up results. 

The Individualizing Incentives to Maximize Recovery study utilizes contingency management to reduce alcohol use among individuals who are current heavy drinkers and have co-occurring alcohol use disorder and serious mental illness in a community mental health setting (i.e. Medicaid-eligible clients). This study analyzed self-reported housing status at baseline and week 4 (i.e. homeless vs stable housing) and drinking status (i.e. low vs high drinking, measured using a biomarker called EtG that was averaged across 8 appointments between baseline and week 4). We predicted that homeless housing status would be more likely to meet criteria for heavy drinking (EtG > 349) than stably housed status at week 4. A chi-square analysis failed the null hypothesis (p < 0.9). There was no relationship between housing status and heavy drinking found within this population, however, there were multiple limitations that could have skewed the results. Further research is needed to assess the impact of housing on recovery from alcohol use disorder.

Homelessness rates among the adolescent population have steadily risen over the past decade, and homelessness is shown to be correlated with a variety of detrimental outcomes. Though prior studies of this population have focused on participant recruitment as well as the representativeness of samples, there has been little work regarding designing survey content to optimize participant honesty, retention, and willingness to divulge often sensitive details about themselves. As a part of a larger investigation on youth/family engagement with homelessness prevention services, this research project uses youth focus group responses to explore how, in conducting surveys, questions can be worded to increase the likelihood of obtaining an earnest and accurate response. We used data from six focus groups across two locations to gather information from housing instable adolescents. The focus groups presented example research surveys and asked participants to provide responses on whether the survey items were well-received and easy to understand, among other factors. Through a grounded qualitative analysis of the responses provided, we determined that there are topics that have a high probability of causing confusion and therefore reducing construct validity, or that may cause participants to become guarded because of their sensitive nature. To address these issues, we recommend phrasing questions to be unambiguous by being hyperspecific—for example, asking how often caretakers give praise for good deeds rather than a general question about pride in their children. We also suggest phrasing topics likely to evoke either a strong positive or negative emotional response in a more neutral manner or, when they are not strictly relevant, eliminating the questions altogether—for instance, instead of asking about whether someone is seeing a counselor directly, which could be a source of stigma and shame, asking instead about whether they have a professional that they can trust with their personal issues.

A cardinal feature of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is avoidance of trauma-related stimuli. This avoidance is implicated in the development of PTSD. Other common features of PTSD include anhedonia, a loss of pleasure, as well as anxiety, and problematic substance use. Anhedonia may impact avoidance by decreasing motivation to approach and substance use is conceptualized as a form of avoidance. Trait anxiety is defined as a predisposition to response with feelings of apprehension, dread, and tension. Higher levels of trait anxiety have been found to predict avoidant decisions. The current study investigates the relationship between self-report avoidance and anhedonia, substance use, and trait anxiety. Participants will be recruited through community advertisement as a part of a larger experimental study. Participants will complete self-reports to assess constructs of interest, including the Snaith Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (MEAQ), the Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test (CUDIT), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). We hypothesize higher self-report avoidance will be associated with higher levels of anhedonia, higher substance use, and higher trait anxiety. Through their impact on avoidance, these constructs may help explain why some individuals are more likely to develop psychopathology following trauma. Targeting anhedonia, substance use, and anxiety-related cognitions after traumatic events could lead to decreased avoidance behavior and lower rates of PTSD development overall. Additionally, these constructs could prove to be important secondary clinical targets which help to attenuate avoidance behavior in those with PTSD.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by the presence of repetitive patterns of behaviors and deficits in social communication and interaction. Attention to social information is a key component of the development of social communication. Previous studies used eye tracking to examine visual scanning patterns associated with social attention in children with ASD and neurotypical children. Eye tracking is used to both identify the atypical patterns of social attention and to predict clinical outcomes in ASD. Although atypical eye gazing patterns are considered as potential biomarkers, researchers commonly consider data loss in eye tracking as error or noise, and rarely investigate it more thoroughly. In this proposal, we hypothesize that loss of data is a potential signature of core social motivation issue when a social video is playing, and, rather than being a nuisance variable, which reflects the broader continuum of social attentional-motivational challenges faced by individuals with ASD. We used eye tracking to confirm previous findings on atypical attention patterns, and further utilize behavior coding to examine the three types of causes of data loss including blinking, non-compliant behaviors, and technical error. We hypothesize that data loss due to blinking is associated with a lack of social motivation and that data loss due to non-compliant behaviors is associated with executive function. Social motivation and executive function were measured by parent reports. Exploring data loss in eye tracking may help reveal comprehensive and fundamental factors of diminished social motivation and neurocognition in ASD.

Current estimates by the centers for disease control (CDC) suggests that roughly 1 in 59 children in the US are affected by Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite its high prevalence, our current understanding on the biological etiology of ASD is limited. However, an ASD associated gene, TAOK2, which encodes a serine/threonine protein kinase, has been found to mediate neurodevelopmental disorders like ASD. Mutations within TAOK2 are associated with atypical neural connectivity in different brain regions, abnormal synapse formation, reduced cortical layering, and increases in brain size. Though TAOK2 plays a crucial role in neuronal development through phosphorylation of its substrate proteins, catalyzing or inhibiting their activity to regulate cellular processes, substrates of TAOK2 have not been fully elucidated and several candidate substrates have yet to be explored. Through my research, I explore TAOK2's interaction with putative substrate HDAC6, a histone deacetylase enzyme that functions to mediate a variety of cellular processes such as protein degradation, transcription, and the ability to regulate α-tubulin to mediate microtubule dependent cell motility. HDAC6 has been identified as a putative substrate of TAOK2 through mass spectrometry. Here, I present my findings regarding TAOK2's regulation of HDAC6 deacetylase activity and the potential it has for expanding our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying ASD.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a chronic developmental disorder classified by deficits in social communication and restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior. A highly comorbid disorder with ASD is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Deficits in empathy and facial affect recognition have been observed in children with ASD and ADHD. Through the APEX 5-week intensive Summer Treatment Program (STP), the UW Autism Center integrates naturalistic therapy for children diagnosed with ASD and/or ADHD aged 6 to 12. Within this evidence-based program, children develop social and behavioral skills through structured recreational and learning activities. During the summer of 2019, we collected the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C) from 120 participants ages 6-12 weekly. The PANAS-C measures youth anxiety and mood by asking participants to rate each emotion, five positive and five negative, on a point scale from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much). Through multiple regression analyses, we aim to examine child affect through the PANAS-C within the context of variables such as age, gender, and diagnosis. We hypothesize that during participation in the summer treatment program, positive affect ratings will increase as negative affect ratings decrease. We expect that the combination of integrative social skills training, positive reinforcement, and acquisition of behavioral skills, will increase positive affect for children in this setting.

Studying children with diverse gender and racial identities is important, as doing so can help us understand how identity and experience with race and gender relate to how children view these categories in the world. Due to their lived experiences in groups that violate essentialist beliefs (e.g., that categories are distinct, innate, immutable, etc.), multiracial and transgender children may hold different beliefs about gender and race than monoracial cisgender children. To test this question, 6-11 year olds completed a race and gender essentialism task (from Rhodes & Gelman, 2009). Data were collected from three main participant groups: monoracial cisgender (n = 87), monoracial transgender (n = 60), and multiracial cisgender (n = 78). Results indicate that, across participant groups (N = 225), children essentialize both race, F(1,178) = 1.02, p = 0.31, η² < 0.01, and gender, F(1, 177) = 1.33, p = 0.29, η² < 0.01, to a similar degree. These data suggest that one’s own identity and experiences might not be particularly relevant to how children endorse essentialist thinking about social categories.

Despite research supporting the efficacy of certain mental health practices, many mental health care providers in community mental health institutions are not utilizing evidence-based practices (EBPs) consistently as their method towards patients receiving mental health care. This is a problem because the patients in need do not benefit from therapies intended to help them. Clinical supervisors (clinicians who provide clinical direction and guidance to less experienced providers) play an important role in how often and how effective clinicians are at implementing EBP’s in their treatments. The purpose of our project is to examine the feasibility and self-reported usefulness of providing case-based consultation to clinical supervisors in supporting the implementation of EBP. We expect that clinical supervisors will report that they benefited from EBP case-based consultations by having an increase in confidence and competence in supervising mental health care providers in their efforts to use EBP. So far, we have successfully recruited 9 clinical supervisors from 9 community mental health organizations. Clinical supervisors completed a pre-survey that tested their comfortability in supervising mental health care providers implementing EBP. In addition to gathering quantitative data via the survey, we are also analyzing qualitative data from transcripts of the consultation calls with the clinical supervisors. After the 6 consultation calls, we expect that supervisors will rate the calls as high in usefulness. We also plan to learn about any barriers or challenges that the clinical supervisors experienced. With the data that we have collected during this pilot test, we hope to conduct further research testing if EBP implementation to clinical supervisors through case-based consultations creates a downstream effect by resulting in an increased level of competency and comfortability for clinicians.  

Racial stereotypes can promote and reinforce racial discrimination. While racial stereotypes are often conceptualized along an inferior-to-superior axis, research suggests that in addition to this axis, perceptions of racial groups can also be placed along a foreign-to-American axis, with different racial groups at different levels on each axis. If stereotypes of foreignness are viewed differently than those of inferiority, this model may explain why views on discrimination against racial groups vary based on the specific racial group. We hypothesize that Americans will view stereotypes of perceived cultural foreignness as more acceptable and less discriminatory than stereotypes of perceived inferiority. In two studies (N = 70, 103), UW undergraduates reported that stereotyping someone as foreign because of their race is viewed as more acceptable than stereotyping them as inferior (ps < .05). However, undergraduates did not report discrimination based on perceived foreignness as less discriminatory than discrimination based on perceived inferiority. These results suggest that while racial stereotypes about foreignness are considered more acceptable than racial stereotypes about inferiority, they are viewed as equally discriminatory. However, minority groups may view racial stereotypes differently than Whites, skewing these results. A third study (N = 100) found Whites rated racial stereotypes of foreignness as more acceptable (p < .001), less harmful (p < .001), and more fair (p < .001) than racial stereotypes of inferiority. Understanding how inferior- and foreign-based stereotypes are viewed differently from each other may allow us to understand why some forms of racial discrimination might be viewed as more acceptable to engage in.

As the Latinx student population continues to grow in public K-12 institutions, it is increasingly important to center this student group within educational research studies. Existing research shows that Latinx students face challenges that discourage them from continuing on to higher education, such as apathetic teaching, language barriers, and institutionalized cultural erosion. The bulk of such findings come from studies conducted in larger urban cities, thus excluding students from the many small farmworker communities that exist in rural agricultural areas such as those in eastern Washington. My research aims to include such populations in the educational discourse, using an asset-based model. Instead of asking students from these rural populations what went wrong for them, the current research project focuses on what went right for them in their paths to higher education. The present study asks the following question: What familial, social, and aspirational forms of cultural capital aid Latinx students in their transition from rural school districts to higher education institutions? To answer this question, I analyzed the retrospective accounts of first year Latinx students from small schools in central and eastern Washington state. Following the Grounded Theory approach, I used semi-structured interviews to collect data, which will later undergo transcription and analysis. I anticipate that results will highlight cultural resources such as community bonds, familial support, and encouragement as helpful resources in the pursuit for higher education. The findings of this research will aid rural secondary-school educators and staff to provide resources that support the educational attainment and success of Latinx students.

People suffering from stressful events are likely to experience negative affective states. Previous studies have shown that stress induces the release of neuropeptides including dynorphin, which acts presynaptically on kappa opioid receptors (KOR) and may act to inhibit neurotransmitter release in the limbic brain areas. In this project, we investigated the interaction between KOR and dopaminergic systems in the ventral shell of the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) to determine how dopamine release is altered during in vivo dynorphin activation of KORs. To monitor and manipulate dopamine and KOR dynamics, we injected genetically encoded fluorescent indicators of dopamine (dLight) and KOR (kLight) respectively and implanted optical fibers in the NAc ventral shell in transgenic mice brains. In collaboration with Lin Tian at UC Davis, we also characterized the in vivo fidelity and accuracy of a newly developed kLight—version 1.2a. To light-stimulate dynorphin neurons in vivo, we injected a red-shifted channelrhodopsin, Chrimson that acts as a light-gated ion channel to depolarize dynorphin neurons. We recorded dopamine/KOR activities during behavioral experiments including Pavlovian conditioning using sucrose pellets. We hypothesized that upon dynorphin neuron activation, there will be a decrease in the amount of dopamine release in the NAc, an increase in KOR light activity and fewer motivated behaviors observed in mice to obtain sucrose pellets. Here we will present our findings measuring dopamine and kappa opioid function in the NAc. These results could have implications for neuropsychiatric diseases including depression and addiction.

Water-swollen polymeric networks (i.e., hydrogels) provide a structural platform for the manipulation of chemical and mechanical signals that mimics the complex heterogeneous environment experienced by cells in vivo. Photoresponsive chemistries have been of particular interest to this end, as they allow for precise spatiotemporal control of physiochemical properties and, thus, cell behavior. Here, we present a novel protein-based network that will allow for the photo-mediated stiffening of genetically-encoded hydrogels. In this system, we exploit a biochemical technology recently pioneered by our lab in which two pairs of proteins undergo irreversible, covalent heterodimerization after photoactivation. Through the incorporation of an inert, unstructured polypeptide backbone, we have exploited the aforementioned reaction to induce gelation in response to light through the formation of four-arm protein crosslinks. Unlike previous synthetic polymer-based hydrogel systems, this system is entirely genetically encoded, which provides significant advantages in terms of cost, time, and production simplicity. As we intend to demonstrate through photorheometry, this reaction proceeds in a dose-dependent manner, providing step-wise control of both where and when gel stiffening occurs. Such 4D control of a gel’s mechanical properties can be used to influence cell migration, growth, and differentiation, and, thus, could have applications in tissue engineering. Furthermore, we anticipate our system could be utilized to model the stiffening of the extracellular matrix, which is commonly associated with pathologies such as cancer, fibrosis, and cardiovascular disease.

Previous studies show that when a parent moves their infant to a second sleep location at night, it is often less safe than the original location. The objectives of this study were to assess the safety of infant second sleep locations consistent with the American Academy of Pediatrics Safe Sleep recommendations and analyze demographic factors associated with the occurrence of second sleep locations. We conducted a self-report survey of 1500 randomly selected parents with children <12 months using Qualtrics, an online survey platform. Questions focused on participant’s recent infant sleep behaviors, including sleep position, co-sleeping, and sleep location at 2 timepoints: sleep onset and after nighttime waking. We examined summary statistics of demographics for all participants and used T-tests and bivariate logistic regression to compare demographic characteristics of parents who reported a second sleep location with those who did not. Safe sleep was defined as: supine position, not co-sleeping, and in a crib, bassinet, or playard. A composite score examined if all safe sleep behaviors were used at both timepoints. We found that 39% of participants reported a second sleep location for their infant the previous night. Of parents who reported a second sleep location: 28% met all 3 safe sleep criteria at sleep onset, only 9% met all 3 criteria at both timepoints, and 66% of those parents did not meet the 3 criteria at either timepoint. Demographics associated with higher odds of reporting a second sleep location were parental age <29 years, Hispanic parents, preterm babies, first-time parents, babies <6 lbs, and parents identifying as the baby’s primary caretaker 6 days a week. Our findings show the prevalence of unsafe infant sleep behaviors used by parents throughout nighttime, highlighting a gap in our current approach to educating parents on safe sleep behaviors to minimize infant sleep mortality rates.

Traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) often leads to a debilitating loss of sensory, motor, and autonomic function. Currently there are no treatment options available for patients with tSCI. Immediately following the initial trauma, microvessels in the spinal cord rupture, leading to hemorrhage within the spinal cord. Bleeding is a major contributor to a cascade of subsequent injuries, defined as secondary injury, such as swelling, inflammation, and oxidative stress, which results in the expansion of the initial injury. We hypothesize that enhancing blood clotting would limit secondary injury, and subsequently lead to better functional outcomes. To test this, we employed newly developed hemostatic nanoparticles (hNPs), which are designed to localize to the injury site and reduce bleeding in a contusion tSCI model in rodents. The hNPs or control nanoparticles were introduced intravenously within 3 minutes after the injury, and tomato lectin was injected at the end of the experiment to label all patent blood vessels. Clusters of hNPs were found within areas of hemorrhage and blood clot within the injury epicenter, and never seen co-labeled with tomato lectin, suggesting that hNPs were only within parenchyma in areas of active bleeding. Our unique ultrafast contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging was used to visualize hematoma size, local spinal blood perfusion and swelling in real-time. CEUS imaging data showed there was 50% reduction in hematoma size in hNPs treated animals compared to control. We also found significant reductions in hypoperfused volume (50%, p<0.05) as well as spinal cord swelling (30%, p<0.01) in hNPs treated animals compared to controls. Current studies are underway to 1) analyze real-time hemodynamic data obtained from ultrafast CEUS imaging, 2) evaluate chronic 3D blood flow imaging, and 3) quantify functional and histological outcomes from hNP treatment after tSCI.

The Sleepazoid study is testing the effectiveness of Mind-Body interventions on mitigating the harmful effects of media on adolescent sleep. Using media in the evening significantly increases the risk for sleep problems. This is because physiological and cognitive arousal increase due to the media use at a time when the body needs to calm itself for sleep. Our Mind-Body intervention decreases state arousal by increasing interoceptive awareness, or being more aware of inner body sensations. If adolescents can better recognize their fatigue and overstimulation during evening media use, they can discontinue their media sooner or switch to less escalating media choices, effectively decreasing state arousal levels before bed. Likewise, the meditation intervention helps intentionally decrease arousal levels after finishing media use and before bedtime. During visits to our lab, study participants (11-14 years old) will play video games while we measure indicators of their arousal levels via Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and electrodermal activity (EDA). HRV measures heart rhythms and the time between each individual heartbeat. EDA measures the degree to which skin conducts electricity. Prior to the study, the devices were tested with various games to determine which games caused significant differences in an individual's indicators of arousal when they were playing the game, versus when the individual was resting. Our work with game testing included creating a protocol for using the Actiheart and Empatica devices, developing procedures for interns to follow as they tested various games, and compiling data from the devices worn by interns during rest periods followed by gameplay. Our results allowed us to finalize a game list that would be available to study participants during lab visits. Ultimately, if the Mind-Body awareness intervention is effective, we expect our intervention group to recover back to their baseline arousal levels faster than the group without the intervention.

Autism spectrum disorder is a complex neurodevelopmental condition affecting one in 59 individuals and is characterized by repetitive behaviors, restricted interests, and challenges in social communication. Recently, post-secondary institutions have seen a rapid increase in enrollment of students with autism. The college graduation rate of U.S. students with autism is 20 percent (compared with 59 percent of college students overall), but research exploring the experiences and difficulties of this population is relatively limited. This study examined the perspectives of 13 college students with autism enrolled in a peer mentorship program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted; participants were asked about their general college experiences, including relationships, academics, and supports. Participants also completed surveys about their sensory and executive functioning. Qualitative and quantitative data were examined using a mixed-methods approach. Major themes of the interviews included academics, navigation of campus resources, living situation, on- and off-campus activities, and social interactions. The results suggest that college students with autism: face considerable challenges in social situations; feel isolated and misunderstood; struggle to access appropriate resources; have challenges related to executive function; and are most comfortable in sensory-friendly environments. These findings suggest that post-secondary supports for college students with autism may be warranted to ensure their continued success.

Ability has long been an attributed reason as to why certain groups of people are more represented in some STEM fields than others. However, ability is likely not the only factor influencing group representation. In fact, there is an increasing body of literature describing how interest levels may have a larger impact on representation in STEM. The current study used a minimal groups design to investigate how individuals perceive interest and ability between two made up groups (Omes and Veps) as they relate to various STEM fields. This study collected data from University of Washington undergraduate students (N=100) and was administered through an online survey. Participants read one of two made up articles. One article discussed the Omes and Veps as having equal ability by showing equal scores on a standard test in Chemistry or Biology, while the other article portrayed an ability gap between the two groups by showing a lower score for the Veps. In both conditions, the Veps’ significant underrepresentation in the presented field was emphasized. Participants then answered a series of questions to access their opinions about interest and ability relating to the respective field. We predict that participants in the ability gap condition will report both groups as having equal interest in the field. We also predict that participants in the equal ability condition will report the Veps as less interested. Implications of expected findings could be used to explore potential mechanisms explaining unequal gender representation in STEM fields.

College student hazardous drinking (HD) poses a significant public health concern, including high risks of drinking and driving, physical impairment, and alcohol-related deaths. After college, most graduates decrease HD; however, a smaller subset does not, possibly due to stressors, including financial concerns. Previous research has found that lower income trajectory in young-adulthood is related to future alcohol dependency, highlighting the connection between HD and financial difficulties. The current generation of U.S. college students and recent graduates bears the highest student loan burden history, raising the question of whether this burden could affect the natural transition out of HD. However, this relation has not been investigated. The current study evaluates this relationship using data from a larger study that examined cognitive and social predictors of HD. The larger study followed 422 college graduates with a history of HD for two years following graduation. Participants completed eight online surveys at four month intervals. The current study used data from the first and eighth time points, including T1 and T8 responses to measures of alcohol use disorder (AUD) risk, typical alcohol consumption and number of heavy drinking episodes (4/5 drinks for women/men), and T8 self-reported student loan burden. Participants with loans reported consuming significantly more alcohol than individuals without loans. After controlling for T1 AUD risk scores and gender, students with higher loan burden were more likely to have higher T8 AUD risk scores. This pattern did not extend to alcohol consumption or the number of heavy drinking episodes. These findings provide some evidence that student loan burden may be a risk factor for continued HD in young adults post-graduation. Future research should explore whether interventions aimed at reducing stress related to student loan debt or providing education about managing financial debt could reduce HD in college graduates.

Thinking that women are very similar to or very different from men may affect how we judge masculine work cultures and whether women fit well in such places. In study 1, participants (N= 703) primed with gender-similarities showed that women would fit relatively well in a very masculine work culture compared to those primed with gender-differences. Then in study 2, we used the minimal group paradigm to test whether thinking about group-similarities would affect how much people perceive a non-inclusive culture to be problematic. Compared to participants primed with group differences participants primed with group similarities considered the non-inclusive company's culture significantly less problematic. A mediation analysis showed that the perceived fit (for the low-status group) mediates the relationship between similarity beliefs and judgments about the culture. Using the minimal group paradigm as a proxy for gender, this research suggests that thinking about gender-similarities can make people consider masculine work cultures to be less problematic for women. In study 3, we test whether perceived gender similarities for employees in the company will affect how people judge the culture to be problematic for women and people’s support for culture changes. We predict that participants who read the perceived gender similarities will rate the culture to be less problematic and show less support. The potential findings will generate meaningful insights into creating more welcoming work space for different genders in the real world.

Children have more exposure to screen media today than any other generation. In the U.S., rates of obesity in children have also tripled in 4 decades. A disruption in the brain called gliosis has been described to participate in obesity pathophysiology if it occurs in a brain region important for energy balance, called the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH). The objective of this study is to explore possible relationships between MBH gliosis and parents’ reports on screen time their child engages in. This study will also look into variables that may mediate these relationships, such as body adiposity and impulsivity. I hypothesize that there will be a positive correlation between screen media use and MBH gliosis with obesity and the level of impulsivity being positively correlated to both gliosis and screen time. The methodology consists of data from participants (N = 192) in the NIH Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. The NIH Toolbox Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Test was used to measure child’s impulsivity, and the parents were given the Screen time report to measure the average daily screen media time of each child. Along with these measures, participant’s age, sex, race, BMI z-score, waist/height ratio, and T2-weighted MRI will be included. MBH gliosis will be measured by T2 MRI signal intensity (brightness) of the mean bilateral MBH/Amygdala signal ratio; Putamen/Amygdala will be used as control ratio. Participants were 51% female with an average age of 9.9±0.63 years. Within our sample, 57.3%, 19.3%, and 23.4% of subjects were considered healthy weight, overweight, and with obesity, respectively. Anthropometric and behavioral data recorded on average 11.2 months after the initial tests will be included to calculate changes over time. This research will help to further illuminate the relationships between screen time and obesity, and will potentially be helpful in proposing new treatments for children with obesity.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that causes challenges with speech and nonverbal communication, social interaction and repetitive behaviors. It is hypothesized that ASD is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors such that symptoms and behaviors present differently between individuals. Given variability in causes and symptoms of ASD, it is important to look at the effectiveness of treatments for individuals with specific genetic and behavioral profiles, including individuals with rare genetic mutations linked to ASD. Recommended treatments include biomedical, behavioral, speech, and occupational therapies, which can be expensive and time consuming for families. Speech-language therapies and other services can be provided through a school district or through private providers, but the effectiveness of these services for individuals with rare ASD-associated genetic mutations is currently unknown. The aim of this project is to compare satisfaction with school-based versus private speech-language therapy for individuals with mutations to DYRK1A or SCN2A, which are associated with ASD and language delay. In this study, participants included individuals with a disruptive mutation to either DYRK1A (n=28, ages 4-24 years) or to SCN2A (n=23, ages 3-21 years). Treatment history interviews will be analyzed to assess caregivers’ perceptions of treatment effectiveness. We hypothesize that there will be greater satisfaction with private speech-language therapy than with school-based services, as these services may allow for greater communication and coordination with parents. We also hypothesize that satisfaction with speech therapy will be highest in the DYRK1A group, as increased medical complications in SCN2A (e.g., severe seizures) may lead to reduced response to speech therapy. This study will contribute to better understanding of effective treatments and parents’ satisfaction with current services for individuals with rare genetic mutations associated with ASD, which may inform future treatment choices and recommendations.

Worldwide, there are 153 million orphaned children, and in addition to the trauma of losing a parent, they are also at greater risk for additional traumatic exposure. Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is proven effective to improve mental health outcomes for trauma-exposed youth in low and middle-income countries (LMIC), however there is a need for implementation strategies to support the adoption and sustained use of mental health interventions in LMIC with limited mental health services. Hence, this study aims to describe implementation strategies used by lay counselors to support the implementation of TF-CBT in school and community settings in Western Kenya. “Pamoja Tunaweza” (PT), a version of TF-CBT adapted to address posttraumatic stress symptoms among orphaned children in Kenya, was delivered by lay counselors, including community health volunteers (CHV) and teachers. After the first year of implementation, stakeholders identified different implementation strategies necessary to implement TF-CBT. Lay counselors and leaders, including Community Health Extension Workers (CHEW) and Head Teachers, developed strategy recommendations to guide future sites implementing TF-CBT. Supervisors (N=5) and a subset of lay counselors (N=10) and leaders (N=10) from the initial sites conducted 6 coaching meetings with subsequent sites initiating TF-CBT delivery. New sites included schools (N=5) and communities (N=5) consisting of CHV (N=15) and teacher (N=15) counselors and their leaders (N=10). During meetings, participants selected implementation strategies from recommendations to develop work plans to support TF-CBT implementation. Work plans and follow-up forms measured the actor carrying out each strategy, temporality, frequency, adaptations, and completion rate of each strategy. Descriptive statistics will be used to describe the characteristics of strategies. Measuring and describing implementation strategies may improve research on methods to enhance implementation and aid organizations in applying strategies to adopt and sustain evidence-based practices. Ultimately, this may improve effective mental health services for children living in LMIC.

Gender violence is an extreme manifestation of bias. More and more, research suggests that attitudes surrounding such manifestations are likely the product of a combination of objective psychological mechanisms and more obvious reactions to socialization. This same body of work shows that understanding the combination is key to any attempt to effectively target biased behaviors. When it comes to gender violence and societal attitudes surrounding specific instances, psychological research barely scratches the surface of this interplay. The nearest researchers have come is in studies pertaining to power dynamics and reactions to stereotypes, with a few related tangents in courtroom-based studies and analyses of masculine identity. Database and library searches for research in the fields of group theory, gender identity and stereotype formation and maintenance confirmed the paucity of study and revealed an as-yet unexplored intersection between these fields. This literature review suggests exploring that intersection beginning with research that views gender as a group. Studies of gender salience in children show that where an expectation of gender duality is imposed, group-like behaviors emerge. Similar research into the behavior of minority students when a fellow minority student displays a negative trait demonstrates that when a group member is forcibly reminded of group membership, one of several in-group behaviors emerges. This appears to remain true in the case of a dominant group identity, though this area has yet to be thoroughly explored. This and related research suggests that the stark reminder of gender duality that is gendered violence may also bring psychological behaviors related to group membership into play. This makes the various theoretical frameworks posited for viewing group identity a potentially fruitful place to start identifying the social-psychological interplay at work in this area, providing the basis for deeper work on topics across the spectrum of gender.

Although incarceration is ostensibly designed to punish people for breaking the law, it also punishes their families. The current work focuses on consequences resulting from parental incarceration. We examine the role this factor plays in peers’ moral cognition and pro-social behavior. Younger (5- to 6-year-old) and older (7- to 8-year-old) children rated the extent to which they viewed peers with or without an incarcerated parent as holding certain moral beliefs. Both groups of children were more certain that peers with, versus without, an incarcerated parent were less knowledgeable about morality. However, this effect was strongest among older children. This suggests that negativity toward children of incarcerated parents is socially reinforced and that children whose parents are imprisoned may face different peer responses depending on their age. Further, regardless of age, participants shared more resources with the peer whose parent was not incarcerated compared to the peer with an incarcerated parent. Taken together, these data clarify children’s moral cognition and pro-social behavior. They also shed light on the social realities that children of incarcerated parents may face.

Many neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and major depression are linked to deficits in memory and decision making. The hippocampus (HPC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are two brain structures that communicate during these cognitive operations through synchrony at the theta rhythm (4-12hz). Understanding faulty communication between HPC and mPFC may bring us closer to developing treatments to help individuals suffering from these neuropsychiatric disorders. The focus of this research was to uncover whether disrupting HPC-mPFC communication at specific phases of the theta cycle (peak/trough) would reveal distinct spatial working memory impairments. We employed a novel closed-loop system that allowed us to record and detect the peak and troughs of the HPC theta rhythm of rats performing on a spatial working memory task that is known to be HPC and mPFC dependent. Upon theta phase detection, the mPFC was stimulated to disrupt the flow of information being sent between these two structures. Disrupting this communication at specific phases of the theta cycle may affect different memory processes such as encoding and retrieval. Thus we varied disruption along 3 different task epochs in which different mnemonic functions are thought to occur. Initial findings revealed no significant theta-phase effect. However, there was a significant accuracy deficit when HPC-mPFC communication was disrupted during the choice epoch compared to other epochs. Our findings suggest that there is something unique about HPC-mPFC interactions at the choice point that is necessary for accurate spatial working memory. Our findings support the view that miscommunications between the HPC and mPFC leads to poorer memory function. Future research can determine if neuropsychiatric patients suffer from impaired communication between the HPC and mPFC.

The hippocampus (HPC) and lateral habenula (LHb) work together to guide flexible responding as one’s environment changes. The HPC plays a critical role in learning and remembering events. While the LHb has been shown to encode information about rewards and aversive events, it also enables flexible responding during HPC-dependent tasks. Therefore, we hypothesized that the LHb and HPC communicate during choices, as this should be when the two structures combine reward information and spatial memory to make a decision. It is generally thought that brain structures are communicating when their neural oscillatory activity is coupled. Thus, we measured the activity of large populations of cells in the LHb and HPC while rats performed a spatial memory task. We expected to see higher coherence of oscillatory activity during choices than during other phases of the task, as this would suggest the HPC and LHb are interacting to process reward information and spatial memory in a flexible manner. However, our preliminary results showed that the population activity recorded in the LHb is likely inherited from the HPC by volume conduction, which means that the LHb oscillation is not locally generated. A future direction is to improve our recording method and investigate single-cell characteristics in the LHb with respect to hippocampal oscillations. Overall, this work is important because it guides future steps for studying the communication between the LHb and HPC, which could provide insights on pathological conditions where a person is unable to flexibly respond in a changing context (such as in depression, addiction, or memory disorders). Therefore, future findings from our research may have important clinical applications, with the potential to inform and improve upon existing interventions for disorders of memory and mood.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is commonly associated with deficits in social, adaptive, and communication skills. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that impairs functioning. Previous research estimates that between 30 and 50% of individuals with ASD manifest ADHD symptoms. Although research has shown that individuals with ASD tend to have decreased community involvement, it is not well studied in individuals who have co-occurring ASD and ADHD. The current study explores the relationship between social or community engagement (involvement in organizations, sports, organized group activities) and adaptive skills of individuals with ASD or ASD+ADHD. Participants included 110 youth (m=66, f=44), 8-17 years of age with ASD from the ACE GENDAAR network, a four-site NIH funded project examining sex-based neural differences in children with ASD. All participants included in the sample met ASD criteria on standardized autism assessments (ADOS-2 and ADI-R) and scored ≥70 on a measure of verbal IQ (DAS-II). Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) reporting on child activity (involvement in sports, organizations, hobbies, chores), ADHD symptoms, overall behavioral problems, and overall competence. Parents also completed the Vineland-II, a parent interview assessing adaptive skills. We hypothesize that there will be a positive correlation between social activity involvement and adaptive skills. That is, children with more community participation will have better adaptive ability. Furthermore, we expect that children with ASD+ADHD compared to children with ASD only, will have greater impairment in adaptive skills and will score lower on the activities scale. The results of this study will provide further understanding of ASD+ADHD and barriers to children participating in community activities and organizations.

The network model of memory proposes that concepts are linked together in the mind. When a concept is activated in the mind (e.g., “ocean”), this activation spreads to semantically, or meaning, related concepts (e.g., “boat”), making them easier to recognize. Expanding on this model, the present study investigated whether concepts presented without conscious awareness could still facilitate faster recognition of semantically related stimuli. Participants first completed a rating task, where they rated how much they liked a word, and then completed a lexical decision task, where they decided if a string of letters was a real word or not. In both tasks, some words were related to the concept “school”. Thus, the goal of the rating task was to implicitly prime, or unconsciously activate, the concept and make recognition of “school”-related words in the lexical decision task easier. Participants were not informed of the relationship between the tasks. We found that implicitly primed words (words related to the concept “school”) had faster reaction times and higher accuracy in the lexical decision task than words that were not primed (not related to the concept “school”). Our results expand on the network model, providing evidence that priming can elicit easier word recognition even when a participant lacks conscious awareness of the priming and when there is a time delay between the prime and target. This provides a potential mechanism for how our behavior is affected by the stimuli we encounter in everyday life, without us knowing it.

Foveal vision processes fine details while peripheral vision gathers broad information. Our study investigates how foveal stimuli paired with peripheral stimuli impacts concept processing. We hypothesized that semantically related peripheral information facilitates one’s processing of foveally-presented information. Participants identified backward-masked words while being exposed to peripheral imagery that was either congruent (related) or incongruent (unrelated) to the words, or exposed to no peripheral images. We predicted that congruent images would facilitate greater recognition accuracy of foveally-presented words compared to incongruent images or no images. Participants had higher accuracy in the congruent condition, followed by the no images and incongruent conditions. This supports our hypothesis that peripheral imagery impacts accuracy recognition of masked words and that theoretically, peripheral stimuli facilitate recognition of related foveally-presented stimuli.

For many years, the primary mode of treatment for people experiencing alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been abstinence-based treatment. Research has indicated, however, that abstinence-based treatment does not optimally engage or treat more severely affected populations, such as people experiencing AUD and homelessness. Instead, harm-reduction treatment approaches are more desirable for this population and can serve as an effective treatment alternative for people experiencing AUD and homelessness. Harm-reduction treatment entails a set of compassionate and pragmatic strategies to emphasize client autonomy, mitigate substance-related harm, and promote quality of life (QoL) without the need for abstinence or use-reduction. Specific components include assessment and tracking of harm-reduction metrics, harm-reduction goal-setting, and implementation of safer-use strategies. This secondary study (N = 213) served to qualitatively and quantitatively explore harm-reduction goals generated by participants in a larger, 4-arm randomized control trial of harm-reduction treatment for people experiencing homelessness and AUD. The three treatment groups included in this secondary study received: a) harm-reduction counseling only, b) harm-reduction counseling + medication assisted treatment (i.e., extended-release naltrexone), and c) harm-reduction counseling + placebo. Participant goals were recorded using the Safer Drinking and Harm Reduction Efforts (SHaRE) scale at baseline assessments and weeks 4, 8, and 12. Qualitative analyses will be conducted to determine the kinds of goals participants generated throughout the 12-week treatment period. Additional descriptive, quantitative analyses will establish quantity of participant goals set at each time point. Finally, inferential statistics will be used to test harm-reduction goals as correlates of alcohol outcomes across the 12-week treatment period. It is expected that a) the combined pharmacotherapy group will generate, progress toward, and achieve more goals than other study conditions; and b) quality-of-life goals will be more strongly associated with reduced alcohol-related harm than drinking-related goals.

A recent neuroimaging study suggests that early blind (EB) individuals have enhanced auditory frequency selectivity within auditory areas in the brain. Some previous studies have found that early blind (EB) individuals have enhanced pitch discrimination abilities compared to sighted controls but these results were not been replicated in later studies. Here, we measured performance in two types of auditory frequency task: one designed to tap into early stages of processing near the cochlea (notch task) and the other thought to reflect early stages of cortical processing (pitch task), within the same EB and SC individuals. The two groups were carefully matched in their age and musical training, since musicians have enhanced pitch perception. In the notch task, participants detected the presence of a target tone (1200 Hz) among simultaneously presented two filtered noise bands. We manipulated the notch width (i.e., the frequency separation between the two noise bands) to probe frequency selectivity. In the pitch task, participants judged whether two tones (500-1200 Hz), presented consecutively, were rising or falling in pitch. For each task they completed three blocks to see the effects of learning. Preliminary results show that, overall, there was no difference between EB and SC for either of the tasks. In the pitch task, both of the groups became better in pitch discrimination with more blocks, but there was no significant difference between EB and SC individuals. The results suggest that the neural differences found in auditory cortex of EB individuals may reflect more complex auditory processes then those that underlie either the notch or the pitch task.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with severe alcohol-related harm, especially in vulnerable populations. People experiencing homelessness comprise one such population that is disproportionately affected by AUD and its sequelae. Although traditional abstinence-based treatment does not adequately reach or engage this population, a growing body of research has indicated that harm-reduction treatment may present an efficacious alternative. Harm-reduction treatment uses a compassionate and pragmatic approach to help people who use substances and their communities reduce substance-related harm and improve quality of life without requiring abstinence or even use reduction. Primary components of harm-reduction treatment for AUD can include medication-assisted treatment alongside counseling, in which interventionists assess and track harm-reduction metrics, help patients set harm-reduction goals, and discuss safer-use strategies. Studies that have implemented safer-use strategies, or means of staying safer and healthier even if patients are drinking, have shown efficacy in reducing alcohol-related harm. However, no studies to date have explored the associations between implementation of safer-use strategies and alcohol-related harm in people experiencing homelessness and AUD. This secondary study (N=213) was conducted in the context of a larger randomized controlled trial (N=308) of harm-reduction pharmacological and behavioral treatments with people experiencing homelessness and AUD. We aim to quantitatively and qualitatively describe treated patients’ engagement with safer-use strategies over the three-month treatment course and examine the longitudinal association between safer-use strategies and alcohol-related harm. We expect to see inverse associations between the application of safer-use strategies and alcohol-related harm. These findings may help clinicians and counselors better understand what kinds of safer-use strategies are most commonly endorsed by this population and their relative contribution to the reductions in alcohol-related harm and improvements in quality of life observed in the context of harm-reduction treatment with people experiencing homelessness and AUD.

Pain catastrophizing (PC) and pain-related self-efficacy (PSE) have both been shown to be associated with patient function in individuals with chronic pain, but the extent to which they may contribute independent variance to the prediction of pain and pain interference has been rarely examined. We conducted a secondary analysis of baseline data from a randomized controlled clinical trial with 177 individuals with chronic low back pain and/ or chronic pain associated with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, acquired amputation, and/ or spinal cord injury. We hypothesized PSE and PC would each be associated with pain interference (BPI), over and above the variance they share with each other and with a measure of pain intensity (0-10 NRS). Linear regression analyses revealed PC and PSE were each uniquely associated with BPI, after accounting for their shared variance and NRS. PC and PSE together accounted for substantial variance in BPI, over and above pain intensity, ΔR² = .20, F(1,170) = 59.74, p < .001, PC (B = 0.35, p < .001) and PSE (B = -0.20, p < .01). The findings indicate PSE and PC may play unique roles in adjustment to chronic pain, although PC may have larger effects. Conclusions regarding the causal role of PSE and PC on patient function cannot be determined from this cross-section study. However, future research should evaluate temporal and possible causal associations between PC, PSE, and subsequent changes in BPI and other important pain-related domains. Findings from such research would inform the potential importance of targeting these variables to maximize treatment benefits in individuals with chronic pain.

Prior research has established that the occurrence of headache in adolescence is more likely if one or more parents have a headache history. However, little is known about the prevalence of non-headache (i.e. musculoskeletal or abdominal) pain history among parents of adolescents with headaches, and whether adolescent headache characteristics (frequency, pain intensity, functional disability) differ among different parental pain histories. This analysis aimed to characterize the parental pain history of adolescents with recurrent migraine and tension-type headaches and examine if differences in parental pain history predicted different adolescent headache characteristics. 238 adolescents (mean age = 14.64 years (SD = 1.86), 67% female) who reported at least 10 headaches days per month completed a 28-day headache diary and a self-report questionnaire on headache-related disability. Parents (mean age = 44.06 years, SD = 6.04; 94% mothers) completed a pain history checklist. Results indicated that most parents had a positive pain history (78%). Parental musculoskeletal pain (55%) was just as prevalent as parental headache (54%; χ²(N = 226) = .098, p = .754), but abdominal pain (27%) was significantly less common (Headache: χ²(N = 227) = 30.306, p < .001; Musculoskeletal pain: χ²(N = 226) = 44.298, p < .001). Most parents reported pain at one site (35%), followed by two sites (29%), having no pain (23%), and pain at all three sites (14%). Adolescent headache characteristics were similar between parents with or without a pain history and when parents had a headache and/or musculoskeletal pain history, and were not associated with the number of parental pain sites (ps > .05). These findings indicate that any connection between parental and adolescent pain characteristics may be more complicated than a simple direct relationship. Future research should examine whether the characteristics of parental pain (e.g., parental pain intensity) are associated with headache characteristics in adolescents.

Abnormal activity in the extended face processing system has been implicated in face processing challenges in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the impact of comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in individuals with ASD (ASD-ADHD) on social impairment and the neural substrates underlying face processing has not been investigated. To address this, we conducted an fMRI study of emotional face processing in participants with ASD-ADHD, ADHD and significant sensory processing challenges (ADHD), ASD, and typically developing children (TD). After excluding for motion, 16 children with ASD (Age M (SD) = 9.57 (0.06)), 16 children with ASD-ADHD (Age M (SD) = 10.08 (0.07)), 20 ADHD (Age M (SD) = 9.46 (0.06) and 40 TD controls (M (SD) = 10.04 (0.06)) were included. Social functioning between autism groups were compared using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). MR data were collected on a 3T Philips Achieva system. For the fMRI task, 54 volumes of high resolution data (2.3mm3) were collected. Participants were shown blocks of rapidly-presented (150 ms) fearful faces, houses and scrambled images. fMRI data were processed in FSL using standard processing methods. We tested group differences in the contrasts faces > houses and faces > scramble. The ASD participants were rated significantly higher than the ASD-ADHD group on the ADI-R social domain (ASD M=17.88, SD=6.18, ASD-ADHD M=12.33, SD=6.29, p<0.05). Children with ASD-ADHD exhibited reduced left amygdala (p = .025) and left fusiform (p = .03) activity compared to children with ADHD for faces > scramble contrast. However, activation in these areas did not significantly differ between the ADHD and ASD groups. These preliminary results indicate significantly altered brain activation during face processing in children with comorbid ASD and ADHD when compared to children with ASD alone, suggesting a possible additive effect of comorbidity on social difficulties.