Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a psychiatric condition marked by instability in interpersonal relationships, behaviour, mood and self-image. BPD is associated with high rates of suicide, self-harm, substance abuse and hospitalization, and comes at a significant cost to both individuals and society. One symptom of BPD is an inability to maintain a stable sense of identity, which is associated with distress and health risk behaviours. However, the specific types of identity problems, the factors that contribute to identity problems, and the effects of identity disturbance in BPD are unclear. In recent decades, it has been proposed that personal identity is related to life narratives, where a cohesive life story helps a person to maintain a stable sense of identity. Nathalie Lovasz is clarifying the specific identity problems experienced by persons with BPD. Using measures of identity disturbance, she is comparing people with and without BPD. She is also examining potential contributors to identity disturbance in BPD, focusing in particular on whether narrative coherence mediates or accounts for identity disturbance, and the relationship between identity disturbances and emotional states. This research could help clinicians zero in on the specific types of identity problems faced by people with BPD. This research could also lead to improved diagnosis, identifying components of the symptom that are most unique and important to BPD.
Year: 2008
Neural connectivity and memory in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls
Schizophrenia is a brain disease that affects one per cent of Canadians — more than 300,000 people — causing hallucinations, disordered thought and memory dysfunction. Two specific types of memory are known to be affected in schizophrenia: working memory, or the ability to temporarily store and manipulate information (e.g. remembering a phone number until you can write it down); and source memory – the ability to recall where a memory, idea or piece of information came from (e.g. remembering that it was your sister who told you that Oslo is the capital of Norway). Paul Metzak is measuring brain activity during these two types of memory in both healthy volunteers and schizophrenia patients. His goal is to see how differences in activity in various areas of the brain can lead to selective memory impairments. He is using newly-developed statistical tools to look at how networks of brain areas interact to give rise to successful remembering. These tools also enable him to determine how the different components of successful remembering are affected in the schizophrenic brain – whether memory impairment arises from a failure in storing the memory properly, or from an inability to retrieve the correct item once it has already been stored. By identifying the dysfunctional components of brain activity that give rise to memory disorders in schizophrenia, Metzak’s research provides a vital first step on the road to improving memory problems. This work could lead to the development of strategies, therapies, and techniques that can minimize the impact of memory deficiencies in the day-to-day life of patients suffering from these impairments.
Temporal processing deficits in developmental dyslexia – a functional MRI study
Developmental dyslexia is defined as the difficulty in learning to read, and affects between 5 and 17.5 per cent of school-age children. The cause of dyslexia is unknown, but there may be a neurobiological basis. Current diagnostic tests for dyslexia are typically conducted by grade two or three, however by this time, the child already displays significant reading difficulties and may never catch up to their peers. Developing diagnostic tests to assess or predict reading difficulties at an earlier age could allow for earlier intervention and prevention of academic and social difficulties associated with dyslexia. For many children, the main problem in dyslexia involves sound (phonological) processing. For instance, the child may not be able to link sounds to letters, or break words up into their individual sounds. Also, people with dyslexia may show deficits in visual and auditory temporal processing, which is the perception and integration of rapidly presented stimuli. For example, the child may have difficulty with determining the direction of motion or sound. It is unknown whether there is a link between reading and temporal processing skills. Marita Partanen is examining whether reading and temporal processing use overlapping brain networks, and whether these brain areas are affected in children with dyslexia. She is using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to track brain activation in children as they complete simple tasks. If a link between reading ability and temporal processing can be established, there is potential for simpler and earlier diagnostic tests for dyslexia that assess temporal processing. Ultimately, the ability to diagnose dyslexia at a younger age may lead to new programs that can improve academic and social outcomes for people with dyslexia.
Measuring confidence with wheelchair mobility
In 2000/01, approximately 264 000 Canadians required a wheelchair for mobility. Independence with mobility is important for day-to-day living, social activities, and overall quality of life. However, although wheelchair skills training has become much more prevalent in the past decade, more than half of Canadians using a wheelchair are not independent and require assistance with their mobility. One factor that has not yet been explored by research is the impact of confidence on a person’s mobility and independence. Confidence contributes to the acquisition of knowledge and refinement of new abilities. It also influences an individual’s choice of activities, motivational level, effort, resilience, life choices, and perseverance in the face of difficulties. Preliminary research suggests that confidence may affect wheelchair mobility, but there is currently no tool to assess or address this important factor. Paula Rushton is developing and validating an assessment tool to measure wheelchair skills confidence. The creation of this tool involves input from occupational therapists, physical therapists and physicians, as well as wheelchair users in the community. The second phase of her project will involve testing the tool with one hundred community dwelling wheelchair users. The creation and validation of this tool is an important first step in developing treatment strategies that could address low confidence with wheelchair mobility. Ultimately, this work could result in better mobility and independence for people who use wheelchairs, and a decreased burden on the health care system and on caregivers.
Motion perception deficits in children with amblyopia: a functional MRI investigation
Amblyopia – commonly known as “”lazy eye”” – is a developmental disorder that causes poor vision in one eye compared to the other eye. Amblyopia can arise from an inward or outward turn of the weaker eye. This prevents both eyes from working together to form one image and results in double vision. It can also arise when one eye has much better focus than the other eye. In both cases, as the brain matures it will begin to ignore the image coming from the weaker eye, eventually causing vision in that eye to deteriorate. Regardless of how amblyopia arises, the most common treatment is to place an eye patch over the good eye. This forces the maturing brain to start using the weaker eye, so that vision in this eye will “”catch up”” to the vision of the good eye. This form of treatment has been very effective in treating some cases of amblyopia, but not other cases. Currently, eye care professionals primarily use letter charts to assess how the ability to process form is affected in amblyopia. Research over the years has found that in addition to abnormalities in processing form, there are also abnormalities in motion processing. Typically, eye care professionals do not assessmotion perception, so any abnormalities in motion processing that may develop currently do not get treated. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), John Secen is looking at differences in brain activity between children with and without amblyopia as they perform a motion processing task. This research will improve upon the current understanding of the neural basis behind motion-processing deficits in amblyopia, and hopefully, this knowledge could lead to the development of new screening techniques so that these abnormalities in motion processing can be detected and treated.
Examining the link between cognitive deficits in the elderly and suboptimal activity of the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system
A working brain produces electrical activity that can be recorded at the scalp. An event-related potential (ERP) is a characteristic electrophysiological response to any specific category of stimulus or event. The P300 is an ERP associated with stimuli that must be attended. It has been suggested that the P300 may be a manifestation of functioning in the locus coeruleus – norepinephrine system (LC-NE system), a neuromodulatory system that is associated with arousal , vigilance and attention. A link has been suggested between cognitive deficits in the elderly and suboptimal activity in the LC-NE system. Christopher Warren is attempting to demonstrate the link between the P300 and the LC-NE system, and describe the related changes in the brain that occur with age. He is assessing the performance of elderly participants on a specific attentional task, while simultaneously recording the electrophysiological activity of their brain using electroencephalograph recording equipment. The data will be compared with a control group of younger participants. Chris is looking for specific, key differences in electrophysiological activity and behavioural performance between elderly participants and controls, which will support the link between the LC-NE system and the P300, and will allow inference as to how the LC-NE system is behaving in the elderly participants.. Chris’s results will describe, and possibly implicate suboptimal function of the LC-NE system in cognitive decline with age. This research has direct implications for understanding the cognitive decline associated with healthy aging, potentially describing the function and malfunction of the LC-NE system in aging populations. It could also generate a model that could be applied to understanding LC-NE function in people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, dementia, schizophrenia, or traumatic brain injury. A comprehensive theory of the LC-NE system could inform the development of clinical strategies and tools to help elderly citizens effectively work around attention-related cognitive deficits that occur with age
Stress-hormone production and health: the importance of forgiveness
When they are functioning well, intimate relationships contribute to better health and increased longevity. A cornerstone of well-functioning relationships is the ability to forgive a partner for relationship transgressions, such as telling lies, flirting with another person, or saying hurtful things. Repairing a relationship following the hurtful actions of one partner has consequences, not only for relationship quality, but also for physical health. One way that the act of forgiveness may be associated with health relates to cortisol production. Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenal gland during times of stress. Chronic elevations of cortisol have negative effects on cardiovascular, immune, and brain systems and potentially increase the risk for diabetes, hypertension, immune system deficiency, and other illnesses. Being unforgiving has been shown to produce cortisol in a similar pattern to that which is experienced during other stress responses. Kim Watt is examining whether cortisol production is a mechanism for the link between forgiveness and general physical health. She is conducting her study with 200 newlywed couples, recording their physical health and measuring their cortisol levels at baseline and following a set of emotionally stressful marital discussions. Results from this study will contribute to a clearer understanding of the risk pathways by which negative relationship processes may lead to poor physical health. This may suggest that a focus on strengthening close relationships by improving couples’ skills when discussing relationship issues is a way of ultimately reducing health problems.
Modeling Dynamical Neural Activity of Magnetoencephalography Measurements using a Real Time Hardware Phantom
The acts of perceiving, thinking, doing or feeling are marked by complex patterns of electrical activity in the brain. Dysfunction in neuronal activity is observed in many diseases and conditions, including epilepsy, dyslexia and Down syndrome. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a leading edge technology that images functional brain activity in the human cerebral cortex. The MEG installed in the Vancouver/Burnaby (V/B) MEG laboratory contains an array of 151 sensors configured to record minute magnetic fields that are generated when neurons depolarize in the brain. MEG is used to study neural patterns and pathways using human subjects. However, creating a phantom model to artificially activate sequences of simulated neurons in realistic patterns could help researchers explore dynamic neural networks in more detail. Using a phantom model would allow for more complex studies of brain activity and would also allow researchers to test what happens when pathways are “virtually” altered or severed. Using neuroscience, physics and engineering, Teresa Cheung is developing a phantom model of the cerebral cortex. She will use a series of magnetic dipoles to simulate the brain’s magnetic fields and write the software to control the activation of these fields. By creating a model that accurately simulates brain activity in healthy and dysfunctional states, Cheung’s research will help researchers better understand the complex workings of the brain.
The impact of therapeutic design on social engagement among residents with dementia during programmed activities in dementia care units
Dementia special care units (SCU) and freestanding special care facilities (SCF) for people with dementia are built using design principles that have been shown to enhance quality of life and reduce responsive behaviours that often occur when residents are disoriented or overstimulated by their surroundings. More supportive environments in these facilities are created through smaller unit sizes, homelike ambience, increased wayfinding, smaller activity spaces, and access to safe and secure wandering paths. Architectural planning and design features can improve the physical context where programmed activities such as music therapy, exercise sessions, creative arts, and therapy gardening occur. However, these specially designed spaces offer few therapeutic benefits without appropriate staff resources and family involvement to make the programs succeed, and consideration must be given to the combined effects of physical design, programs and policies, and staffing issues. Few studies have systematically assessed how modifications to the physical environment work in concert with social and organizational factors to enhance opportunities for residents to engage in positive social interactions through meaningful programmed activities. Krista Frazee is exploring the impact of the physical and social environments of care settings on residents’ social engagement during programmed activities in SCUs and SCFs, versus traditional integrated care facilities. She will also assess staff and family caregiver perceptions of activity spaces in helping them provide meaningful planned activities for residents. The findings from this study will be used to inform architects, interior designers, facility administrators and staff in various ways they can support the care and quality of life of residents with dementia through the integration of physical design and programmed activities.
CD-based ELISA for point-of-care diagnostics
Current methods of medical diagnostics, such as imaging and laboratory tests, tend to be time-consuming, labour intensive, and often limited to biomedical laboratories or hospital settings that have specialized equipment. In contrast, point-of-care diagnostic tools allow testing and diagnosis to be performed in a doctor’s office, at a significantly reduced cost and in a shorter time to obtain test results. This contributes to faster treatment decisions and better follow-up post treatment. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a popular tool for analyzing environmental or biomedical samples. The ELISA method uses a number of biochemical steps to detect the presence of a specific protein (such as an antigen or antibody) in a sample on a microscope slide, which is read by a robotic spotter or microplate reader. Preliminary research has suggested that these bioassays could be prepared on the surface of a compact disc (CD), and the results could be read by a standard computer drive equipped with special software. With commercialization, this method would undoubtedly reduce the cost of biomedical screening. Miao-Ling Ou is developing a diagnostic assay for detecting thrombin using this CD technology. Thrombin is a blood clotting factor that is the focus of many research studies on anticoagulation and cardiovascular disease therapy. Once fully developed, this CD-based ELISA method could be extended to other types of biomolecular interactions, such as those used in the screening of gene mutations or antibody-antigen interactions.