Improved injury detection through harmonizing multi-site neuroimaging data after experimental TBI: a Translational Outcomes Project in Neurotrauma consortium study.

Multi-site neuroimaging studies have become increasingly common in order to generate larger samples of reproducible data to answer questions associated with smaller effect sizes. The data harmonization model NeuroCombat has been shown to remove site effects introduced by differences in site-related technical variance while maintaining group differences, yet its effect on improving statistical power in pre-clinical models of CNS disease is unclear. The present study examined fractional anisotropy data computed from diffusion weighted imaging data at 3 and 30 days post-controlled cortical impact injury from 184 adult rats across four sites as part of the Translational-Outcome-Project-in-Neurotrauma (TOP-NT) Consortium.

Differential age effects on functional network development link to contextual memory disruption in APOE4 versus APOE3 homozygous mice.

Apolipoprotein-ε4 (APOE4) homozygosity is the strongest genetic risk-factor for Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The combined effects of APOE4 with age on the brain are unclear. In the present work, we tested the hypothesis that age alters contextual fear memory, functional network topology, diffusion imaging measures, and RNA expression differentially between APOE4 and APOE3 homozygous mice.

Effects of cannabis smoke and oral Δ9THC on cognition in young adult and aged rats.

Rationale: With increasing legalization of recreational and medical cannabis, use of this drug is growing rapidly among older adults. As cannabis can impair cognition in young adults, it is critically important to understand how its consumption interacts with the cognitive profile of aged subjects, who are already at increased risk of decline.

Objectives: The current study was designed to determine how cannabis influences multiple forms of cognition in young adult and aged rats of both sexes when delivered via two translationally-relevant routes of administration.

Cannabidiol interactions with oxycodone analgesia in an operant orofacial cutaneous thermal pain assay following oral administration in rats.

Previous studies have driven the notion that the cannabis constituent cannabidiol could be an effective adjunct to opioid administration for managing pain. Most of these studies have used experimental rodents with routes of administration, such as subcutaneous and intraperitoneal, that do not correspond with the routes used in clinical practice. In response to this, we tested the ability of cannabidiol co-administration to augment opioid analgesia via the more clinically-relevant oral route of administration.

Translational Outcomes Project in Neurotrauma (TOP-NT) Pre-Clinical Consortium Study: A Synopsis.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has long been a leading cause of death and disability, yet research has failed to successfully translate findings from the pre-clinical, animal setting into the clinic. One factor that contributes significantly to this struggle is the heterogeneity observed in the clinical setting where patients present with injuries of varying types, severities, and comorbidities. Modeling this highly varied population in the laboratory remains challenging.