Measuring Memory in an Alzheimer's Treatment Trial Using a Visual Search Task

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dc.contributor.advisorHoffman, Kari
dc.creatorDragan, Michelle
dc.date.accessioned2015-01-26T14:28:31Z
dc.date.available2015-01-26T14:28:31Z
dc.date.copyright2014-06-17
dc.date.issued2015-01-26
dc.date.updated2015-01-26T14:28:31Z
dc.degree.disciplineBiology
dc.degree.levelMaster's
dc.degree.nameMSc - Master of Science
dc.description.abstractAlzheimer’s Disease (AD) is characterized by episodic memory deficits attributed to damage to the hippocampal formation. AD therapies specifically targeting hippocampal function may be best evaluated through the use of selective hippocampal tasks. I used a nonverbal hippocampal-dependent target-in-scene detection task to determine if task performance shows age-related decline and/or AD-related impairments. Participants located objects (‘targets’) that appeared/disappeared in flickering natural scenes, yielding faster search times for remembered targets than for forgotten ones. AD patients took longer and required more fixations to detect targets, indicating impaired memory. Furthermore, the AD and aged populations exhibited slower pupillary responses. As part of a clinical trial, I next asked whether deep-brain stimulation of the extended hippocampal circuit would modify memory performance in patients with early AD. The double-blind treatment trial is still underway, thus treatment efficacy is yet to be evaluated, however, trial participants showed a measurable, progressive memory impairment in this task.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10315/28201
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subjectNeurosciences
dc.subjectHealth sciences
dc.subjectCognitive psychology
dc.subject.keywordsAgingen_US
dc.subject.keywordsAlzheimer's Diseaseen_US
dc.subject.keywordsDeep Brain Stimulationen_US
dc.subject.keywordsAlzheimer's Diseaseen_US
dc.subject.keywordsEpisodic memoryen_US
dc.subject.keywordsMemoryen_US
dc.subject.keywordsHippocampusen_US
dc.subject.keywordsMedial Temporal Lobeen_US
dc.subject.keywordsAutonomic dysfunctionen_US
dc.subject.keywordsPupillary responseen_US
dc.subject.keywordsLocus Coeruleusen_US
dc.subject.keywordsObject-in-scene tasken_US
dc.subject.keywordsChange detectionen_US
dc.subject.keywordsVisual searchen_US
dc.titleMeasuring Memory in an Alzheimer's Treatment Trial Using a Visual Search Task
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

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