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Some WTC 911 responders are suffering from PTSD and cognitive disorders many years after 911. Researchers are trying to determine why as they continue monitoring patients. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program

Twenty-two years after the September 11 World Trade Center attacks, responders who have suffered physical and cognitive illnesses resulting from exposures continue to be monitored by healthcare providers. Ongoing studies by investigators at the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program reveal that assessments of this patient population’s mental health and cognitive status remain on the forefront of research as we move further away from that fateful day of 9/11.

Benjamin Luft, MD, Director and Principal Investigator of the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program, and the Edmund D. Pellegrino Professor of Medicine at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and his colleagues study all aspects of responders’ health status. The program monitors approximately 13,000 WTC responders.

Previous research has shown that some responders may be experiencing cognitive difficulties earlier in life than the general population, and that PTSD, which remains one of their most common ailments, may be associated with cognitive problems and/or physical illnesses.

A compilation of new research published over the past year  suggests  the need to delve further into investigating the brain status of responders and their cognitive problems.

A study in the Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology assessed more than 700 responders, many with chronic PTSD, and the relationship between having cortical atrophy and behavioral impairments. They found that individuals with PTSD start to experience more mental health symptoms as a secondary symptom to cognitive impairments. Specifically, responders with an increased risk of cortical atrophy showed behavioral impairment in motivation, mood, disinhibition, empathy and psychosis.

Published in Molecular Neurobiology, another study revealed that there are associations between WTC exposure duration and inflammation in the brains of responders among 99 responders who participated from 2017 to 2019, with the average age being only 56 years. Neuroinflammation was evident both in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that helps to regulate emotions and memory, and throughout much of the cerebral white matter.

A paper published in Psychological Medicine highlights research that may reveal a better way to  understand responders’ PTSD symptoms, as opposed to self-reporting or screening. This work found that by using an AI program that reads the words of responders can predict their current PTSD and even the future trajectory of the illness.

Moreover, WTC investigators are developing AI programs to identify and predict psychological symptoms from facial expressions and tone of voice. AI analyzes video recordings of WTC responders. Importantly, when these methods are fully developed, they may be able to offer objective diagnostic tests for PTSD and other mental disorders.

Many responders to date have experienced mild cognitive impairment in comparison to non-responders their age.

A study that measured a key aspect of brain chemistry — proteins or biomarkers often associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease — may provide specific evidence that responders need to be monitored for earlier onset dementia.

Published in the Alzheimer’s Association’s Diagnosis, Assessment and Disease Monitoring, this study illustrates that among approximately 1,000 responders —  average age at 56.6 years, and some who have dementia — associations exist between WTC exposures and the prevalence of neurodegenerative proteins in their brains.

Lead author Sean Clouston, PhD, Professor in the Program of Public Health, and the Department of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine, and colleagues found that 58 percent of responders with dementia had at least one elevated biomarker and nearly 3.5 percent had elevations in all biomarkers. The overall cohort had an increased risk of dementia associated with plasma biomarkers indicative of neurodegenerative disease.

Another core member of the Stony Brook research team, Pei-Fen Kean, PhD, Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, is involved in several ongoing multi-omics research projects to help explicate pathophysiology of these disorders on molecular level and identify novel blood-based biomarkers. For example, a study in the Translational Psychiatry identified the metabolomic-proteomic signatures associated with PTSD to enhance understanding of the biological pathways implicated in PTSD.

As the collaborative work of the research teams affiliated with the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program moves forward, they will use previous findings and new methods to build their work to best assess the mental and physical health conditions of responders.

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The Sand Tiger Shark, shown here in the NY Aquarium, is a common species that lives and feeds in coastal New York area waters. Credit: Julie Larsen, Wildlife Conservation Society

Scientists call for more research and key steps to gathering evidence around human-shark interactions, perspective published in Journal of Fish Biology

The lack of evidence about shark biology, their prey, and changes in the ecosystems of New York area coastal waters is a driving force to expand research about sharks and their populations in the region, so say a team of scientists in an article published in the Journal of Fish Biology.

As the 2023 summer season wraps up and marine biologists look to a new season and coming summers, the perspective piece challenges an emerging view that there is a growing number of human-shark interactions in the New York Bight (a triangular coastal region encompassing ocean and bay waters from New Jersey to the NYC metro area and Long Island) – all this because of growing shark populations and their feeding habits.

Lead author Oliver N. Shipley, PhD, a Research Assistant Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University, and colleagues describe the current knowledge of shark biology in the region and detail the misalignment between scientific knowledge and anecdotal information reported in recent years in the media about sharks in the region. They provide several critical areas for future research that they hope will promote positive attitudes of sharks and their conservation and help mitigate future human-shark conflicts.

“Shark populations are poorly studied in the New York Bight. When human-shark interactions occur, this paucity of scientific data has resulted in inaccurate messages from some mainstream media trying to assign causality to these incidents,” says Shipley. “We are calling for steps to be taken to advance scientific knowledge in order to better understand shark populations and why human-shark interactions may be occurring.”

According to the authors, population declines of sharks and their relatives have been well documented over the last several decades, globally, primarily because of targeting fishing and bycatch from commercial and recreational fisheries. Yet in the temperate waters of the New York Bight, sharks have received heighted attention due to a reported increase in their activity close to the shore. And the complex relationship between sharks and humans has been further ignited by a recent spike in human-shark interactions along the coastal New York Bight.

The authors write: “Although we acknowledge both sightings of sharks and reporting of negative human-shark interactions has increased in recent years, assigning any immediate causality would be irresponsible and risky to both sharks and human stakeholders in the absence of scientific support.”

To counter the easily perceived immediate causality to the human-shark encounters, Shipley and colleagues recommend that going forward the following research avenues are necessary to gather evidence about shark populations in the region:

There needs to be an expansion of coastwide monitoring programs in the context of climate change. They suggest shark monitoring methods can include multiple approaches, such as coastal drone surveys, environmental DNA assessments, and robust spatial analyses that quantify interactions between climate and sharks, and their prey across time.

Michael Frisk, PhD, a Professor at SoMAS and senior author on the paper, explains that such surveys would lead to novel long-term data that can be used to assess the distribution of sharks in response to prey movements and environmental conditions. It would also help to better understand the environmental conditions that increase the potential overlap between sharks and humans, and therefore help to gauge the possibilities of such encounters and potentially reduce or prevent them.

At SoMAS, several research groups are undertaking research that examines so-called “hotspots” of shark-prey interactions along southern Long Island, and where these may be impacted by warming ocean conditions.

Shipley says he and fellow researchers intend to begin systematic drone surveys at several pilot beaches to support townships and state shark monitoring initiatives, in hopes of providing new data on the probability of human-shark overlap and what conditions may drive such overlap.

Co-authors of the position paper include: Michael G. Frisk of SoMAS; Jill A. Olin of the Great Lakes Research Center, Michigan Technological University; Christopher Scott, Division of Marine Resources, New York Department of Environmental Conservation; and Merry Camhi, of the New York Seascape Program at the New York Aquarium and Wildlife Conservation Society.

 

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Concorso d’Eleganza at SU

The Concorso d’Eleganza car show scheduled for Sunday, September 10, at 10 a.m. on the grounds of Stony Brook University has been cancelled due to inclement weather. Thunderstorms and heavy rain have been in the forecasts for Sunday for the past 48 hours. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, the organizers have decided to cancel.

Please note that a related event will be taking place as planned, since they are both located inside the Center for Italian Studies, F. Melville Library E4340, Stony Brook University:

“Vertigomania: An evening of manic speeds and Italian theater”

Tuesday, Sept. 12, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Center for Italian Studies, F. Melville Library, E4340

The students of ITL 411, led by Dr. Loredana Polezzi, will be doing a stage reading of Autosuggestiosupernevrasterminamobilismovertiginomanìa, a 1907 proto-Futurist monologue created by playwright and actor Ugo Farulli (1869-1928). With its surreal humor, it poked fun at the automotive frenzy that swept through Italy and France at the dawn of the 20th century, capturing  the psychological consequences of driving at high speeds. The monologue will be read by the students in both Italian and English, based on the original text edited and translated by Dr. Andrea Fedi. Light refreshments and coffee/tea will be served, and a virtual exhibit on famous racecar driver Tazio Nuvolari will be inaugurated.

For more information, call 631-632-7444.

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Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook secondary registered three interceptions, but the Seawolves were unable to overcome three of their own along with a big day from No. 22 Delaware’s passing attack, as Stony Brook was defeated 37-13 at LaValle Stadium on Aug. 31.

Delaware improved to 1-0 on the year and 1-0 in CAA play, while SBU fell to 0-1 overall and in conference matchups.

Redshirt freshman Johnny Martin III led all SBU rushers with 63 yards in the contest, picking up 7.9 yards per carry. Redshirt junior Roland Dempster added 50 yards and one touchdown on the ground, averaging five yards per carry. On the receiving end, Jayce Freeman reeled in five catches for 62 yards to lead Stony Brook. In his first career collegiate start, graduate student Casey Case passed for 163 yards on 14-of-40 passing, throwing three interceptions.

Redshirt junior Nick Chimienti showed out for the Stony Brook defense, collecting two interceptions and adding five tackles. Redshirt freshman Anthony Ferrelli added five tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, 1.0 sack, and one recovered fumble while Noah Rodriguez had nine tackles and one interception in the loss.

The Seawolves led the ground game 164-145, but Delaware took advantage through the air, with 414 yards compared to 163 for Stony Brook. 

For Delaware, Ryan O’Connor passed for 346 yards and a touchdown on 24-for-38 passing. Marcus Yarns ran for 107 yards and a pair of scores while Kyron Cumby added 39 yards and a score on the ground. Chandler Harvin reeled in five catches for 100 yards while Kym Wimberly Jr. also grabbed five for 81 yards and a score.

“It was a learning experience. I knew Delaware was a good football team. I think we played hard … winning today was obviously our goal but getting better was definitely our goal also and I think we got better,” said head coach Chuck Priore after the game.

Up next, the team will head across the Sound and continue CAA play in a Friday night matchup against Rhode Island on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on FloFootball.

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Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s soccer team cruised to a 4-0 shutout victory over Elon to open conference play on Sept. 2 at LaValle Stadium. Edmond Kaiser earned his first clean sheet of the season and Olsen Aluc, Moses Bakabulindi, Alex Fleury and Amit Magoz all supplied goals in the win.

Magoz opened the scoring in the 16th minute with his second goal in as many games. Jonas Bickus and Caleb Danquah were credited with assists on Magoz’s goal that broke the ice. Magoz nearly had another in the 39th minute, but would settle for an assist after Aluc put home a rebound after the initial shot by Magoz was saved.

 Early in the second half, Bakabulindi padded the Seawolves’ lead, blasting a shot off of the left post after a perfect cross from Jon Jelercic. Fleury provided the icing on the cake, netting the first goal of his collegiate career in the 88th minute.

“It’s great to start conference play off with three points,” head coach Ryan Anatol commented postgame. “I thought the guys did very well on both sides of the ball. I thought we defended really well, happy to get the clean sheet, and we were dangerous in the attack to score four good goals.”

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Join Stony Brook University for a CancerWise Cafe at the Charles B. Wang Center, 100 Circle Road, Stony Brook on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Cancer Center experts will discuss the latest advances in screening, prevention, diagnosis, management, and treatment of several types of cancer, including breast, lung, blood, head and neck, gastrointestinal, gynecological and skin.

Attendees can also eat, learn and chat with Cancer Center healthcare staff, view educational displays and visit the community organization resource tables. Free lunch is included.

FREE parking is available in the Administration Parking lot, across from the Charles B. Wang Center.

Watch from Home!
This event will also be LIVESTREAMED.
You can click on this link on
Saturday, Sept. 9 at 9 am.
stonybrook.edu/live

Register for the in-person event at stonybrook.info/cancertalk. Questions? Call 631-444-4263 or email [email protected]. If you need a disability-related accommodation, call (631) 444-4000.

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Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook volleyball team ended their weekend at the Saint Francis Tournament in Loreto, PA with a straight-set victory over Manhattan, followed by a defeat in the five-set thriller to Saint Francis (PA) on Sept. 2.

Setter Torri Henry was garnished to the All-Tournament Team for the 2023 Red Flash Classic after finishing her weekend with 133 assists (49,33,51), 22 digs, eight kills, and four aces in three matches.

In their first set of the afternoon, the Seawolves came out firing from the service line by tallying five aces to ultimately take the set. After trailing 15-12, Stony Brook stormed back to score 9 of the next points to take the 21-16 lead. Madison Cigna notched two assists and Leoni Kunz and Abby Campbell each tallied two kills to push the run. Ashleigh Woodruff ended the set with a kill to secure the 25-22 first set victory. 

Stony Brook wasted no time in the second set as they jumped out to a 5-1 lead after the Seawolves tallied four consecutive kills, including two by Abby Stanwood. The Jaspers did cut the deficit to 7-6, but the squad tallied 12 of the next 16 points to ultimately take the second set, 25-15. 

To complete the sweep, Stony Brook leaped to a 10-3 lead to begin the set and did not look back. The Seawolves ended the set by claiming its biggest lead, 12 points, to close out the Jaspers, 25-13, and finish off the sweep. 

Looking to bounce back following the 25-20 defeat in the opening set against the Friars, Stony Brook led by as many as nine points at 15-6 before finishing off the second set with a 25-20 victory, totaling 15 kills in the process. Stony Brook’s front row led by Campbell, Henry, and Moore had a spectacular defensive performance, blocking four Saint Francis (PA) attacks in the stanza. 

Stony Brook built on that second-set success with a 25-11 win in set number three to open up a lead at two sets to one. The Seawolves led from the first point on to secure the 25-11 victory. The squad claimed its biggest lead, 14 points, to close out the set after recording five blocks and three aces during the stretch. 

Following the 25-20 defeat in the fourth set to force a deciding fifth set, the Seawolves took an early 4-3 lead after Moore tallied one of her team-high 24 kills. Saint Francis (PA) and Stony Brook went back-and-forth to force a 15-15 tie, but the Friars would tally three of the final four points to take the set 18-16 and ultimately the match in five sets. 

MATCH 1: STONY BROOK – 3, MANHATTAN – 0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-13)

  • Moore had a match-high three aces in the win.
  • Stony Brook served up five aces on the way to a first-set victory.
  • Stony Brook never trailed in the second or third set.
  • Stanwood had a match-high and new career-high 14 kills for Stony Brook.
  • Stony Brook got a match-high five digs from Moore.
  • Stony Brook attackers were helped by a match-high 33 assists from Henry.
  • Stony Brook is now 9-6 all-time against Manhattan.

MATCH 2: STONY BROOK 2 – , SAINT FRANCIS (PA) – 3 (20-25, 25-20, 25-11, 20-25, 16-18)

  • Stony Brook had three players in double figures in digs (Patsos, Henry, and Moore)
  • Henry had a match-high three aces in the loss.
  • Moore registered a double-double with 24 kills and 10 digs. It was the most kills by any Seawolf this season and a new career-best for the sophomore.
  • Stony Brook never trailed on the way to winning the third set 25-11.
  • Stony Brook got a match-high 17 digs from Julia Patsos. She now has 10 or more digs in four of the six matches this season.
  • Stony Brook attackers were helped by a match-high and season-high 51 assists from Henry. It was her most since she had 53 against Fordham on August 28, 2022.
  • The Seawolves are now 7-1 all-time against Saint Francis.
  • Tonight marks the first time this season that the Seawolves played five sets.

“While the results from this weekend aren’t fully what we wanted, I am seeing good growth in our group, especially as we’re still tinkering with the lineup. It was great to bounce back and get a sweep of Manhattan. I’m happy with our group’s fight in the second match of the day but we need to play a cleaner game to finish the job. We are excited to compete in front of our home crowd on Wednesday and look forward to a packed Pritchard,” said head coach Kristin Belzung. 

NEXT UP
Stony Brook will return to the court on Wednesday as they host Columbia University inside Pritchard Gymnasium for their first home match of the season. The Seawolves are looking to continue their success against the Lions, as they are 6-2 all-time against the Ivy League opponent. The matchup is set to begin at 6:31 p.m. and can be streamed on FloSports! 

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SBU Men's Cross Country Team 2023. Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook University men’s cross country team started the 2023 season on a high note, finishing first in the Stony Brook Season Opener on Sept. 2. As a unit, Stony Brook collected 17 points and took first in the 6K race with four individual runners finishing inside the top-six.

Shane Henderson was Stony Brook’s top performer, winning the 6K event with a time of 18:42.8, nearly seven seconds faster than second place. Evan Brennan (18:50.2) finished third, one second behind the second-place finisher; Carlos Santos Jr. followed behind Brennan, taking fourth while freshman Collin Gilstrap raced to a sixth-place finish in his first collegiate event.

Two more Seawolves registered top-20 finishes, with Michael Hawkes taking 16th and Steven Struk placing 20th. Four more runners (Michael Fama, Nick Tardugno, Eric Shu and Henry Gartner) placed inside the top-30.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Henderson started his senior year with a first-place finish. He posted an average mile of 4:51.7 to lead the pack.
  • Brennan grabbed third place, posting an average mile time of 4:53.6. Brennan joined Henderson and LIU’s Elyas Ayyoub as one of three runners in the field to finish in less than 19 minutes.
  • Santos (4th) and Gilstrap (6th) rounded out Stony Brook’s top-10 performers.

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SBU Women’s Cross Country Team 2023. Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook University women’s cross country team finished in second place at the Stony Brook Season Opener on Sept.2 . Junior Grace Weigele finished first individually in the 4K to pace the Seawolves as a squad.

Quinnipiac won the Stony Brook Season Opener, finishing with a team total of 33 points, seeing five runners finish in the top 10. Weigele led the way for Stony Brook, pacing the entire field with a time of 13:58.9 and an average mile time of 5:29.0. Three more Seawolves finished inside the top-15: Nicole Garcia (6th), Grace Sisson (11th) and Niamh Durcan (12th).

Amelie Guzman was Stony Brook’s only other top-20 performer, clocking in at 14:52.0 in the 4K event. Rebecca Clackett (41st), Ava Carlsey (44th), Logan Barsalow (58th) and Julia Samuelson (61st) rounded out the field for the Seawolves.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Weigele was the individual winner in the 4K event, leading the pack with the only sub-14 minute race of the event. Her 13:58.9 clocking was nearly 10 seconds faster than second place.
  • Garcia’s 14:20.5 time was good for sixth place. Sisson (11th) and Durcan (12th) were Stony Brook’s other top performers.

“Good opener for both teams, the goal today was just to get some of the rust off and get the season underway,” head coach Andy Ronan noted.

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#21 Alex Fleury during Monday's game. Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook men’s soccer dropped a mid-week contest to Iona, 3-2, at LaValle Stadium on Aug. 28. Amit Magoz and Olsen Aluc tallied goals for the Seawolves in the defeat.

Iona grabbed an early 1-0 lead when Camil Azzam Ruiz netted his first goal of the night in the 33rd minute. The Seawolves evened the match thanks to Amit Magoz; Moses Bakabulindi and Bas Beckhoven assisted on Magoz’s first tally of the 2023 season.

Minutes later, Azzam Ruiz broke the tie. The Gaels took a 3-1 lead after Azzam Ruiz scored his third goal of the evening in the 67th minute. Stony Brook stormed back, cutting the deficit to one goal after Olsen Aluc found a rebound in front of the net and buried it. The initial shot from Trevor Harrison was saved but caromed out to Aluc who found twine.

The Seawolves would play down a man for the final 18-plus minutes of action after Harrison was issued his second yellow of the night. Stony Brook’s best chance at an equalizer came on a Bakabulindi shot in space that sailed high above the crossbar in the 74th minute.

“The second half I thought was much better; the guys fought until the end, which is a positive,” head coach Ryan Anatol noted. “We still created chances although we went down a man. But we’ve got to put two halves together. We’ve got to put 90 minutes together if we want to get a result.”

Next up, the team kicks off conference play on Sept. 2, hosting Elon at LaValle Stadium for a 2  p.m. start. The second-ever meeting between the Seawolves and Elon will stream live on FloFC.

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Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

After the Stony Brook women’s soccer team won their first game of the season defeating Lafayette College (2-1, 0-0 Patriot League) 3-1 on Aug. 24 at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, they secured their second consecutive victory and first win on the road this season after defeating Merrimack College 2-1, at Matone-Mejail field in North Andover, Mass on Aug. 27.

After nearly 18 minutes of scoreless soccer, sophomore Gabrielle Côté shined bright for the Seawolves again after scoring the first goal of the game by making the most of a ball sent into the box that the Canadian used her fancy-footwork to put into the back of the net. 

Heading into the break, the Seawolves and Warriors were all tied up at 1-1. However, the Stony Brook offense was in control for most of the first half as they tallied six shots on goal, compared to the three shots on goal by the Warriors.

Making her first appearance of the season in net was Ava King and the sophomore did not disappoint. She tallied three saves in the second half, including a game-saving play at the 60th minute for her first save of the season that kept the match tied. The squad would break the draw in the 76th minute after sophomore Ashley Manor tallied her first goal of the season by launching a shot from nearly 35 yards away into the top of the net to give Stony Brook the lead and ultimately the 2-1 victory. This was th first-ever victory over Merrimack in program history.

“I’m proud of the team and the grit that we showed to get a result today. Away games are never easy. We had some good phases in the game and some phases we need to improve. Overall, I’m happy with the two wins this week,” said women’s soccer head coach Tobias Bischof.

The team is back on the road on Aug. 31 as they make the short trip to the Bronx to battle Fordham University at 6 p.m. The Seawolves will look to continue their recent success against the Rams after winning their previous three meetings and owning a 5-3-1 overall record against Fordham. The match will be streamed on ESPN+. 

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