Clara Zundel

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Wayne State University

Recent studies reveal that secondhand cannabis smoke (SHCS) contains extremely high concentrations of air pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM), which are known neurotoxicants. This chapter reviews the current literature on the prevalence of SHCS exposure among youth, the concentrations of PM in SHCS, and the associated physical and neurobeha...

Background The endocannabinoid signaling system regulates stress and is implicated in depression, with altered circulating endocannabinoid concentrations frequently reported in adults with depression compared to without. Maternal depression is a well-established predictor of depressive symptoms in youth. However, few studies have examined the relat...

Introduction Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution is associated with increased internalizing symptoms (e.g. depressive and anxiety symptoms), particularly during adolescence—a critical period for the emergence of anxiety disorders and vulnerability to neurotoxicants. Preclinical studies suggest that inflammation, including cytokines, react...

Background The endocannabinoid system, which regulates fear- and anxiety-related behaviors, is dysregulated in adults with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as indicated by higher circulating anandamide (AEA) concentrations. The C385A (rs324420) polymorphism in the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) gene, which catabolizes AEA, is linked to high...

The Brain Sciences Editorial Office retracts the article, “Sex-Based Differences in Plasma Autoantibodies to Central Nervous System Proteins in Gulf War Veterans versus Healthy and Symptomatic Controls” [...]

Background: The positive impact of physical activity (PA) on children's health and development is well-documented. However, a decreasing emphasis on PA in school and home environments may contribute to the rising prevalence of mental health issues among youth. As such, the purpose of this ongoing randomized controlled trial is to examine the effect...

Air pollution exposure has been associated with adverse cognitive and mental health outcomes in children, adolescents, and adults, although youth may be particularly susceptible given ongoing brain development. However, the neurodevelopmental mechanisms underlying the associations among air pollution, cognition, and mental health remain unclear. We...

Background: Dysregulation of the endocannabinoid (eCB) system is implicated in various stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders (SRDs), including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this systematic review and meta-analysis, our objectives were to characterize circulating anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2...

Objective Memory complaints have been a concern of Gulf War (GW) veterans since their return from the war in 1991, and over time it has been reported that exposures to neurotoxicants during the war have been associated with memory decline from premorbid levels. However, many of the studies that have shown slight or no memory decrements only looked...

Objective Gulf War (GW) veterans were exposed to many neurotoxicants during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. Neurotoxicants included: chemical warfare such as sarin nerve gas, combustion byproducts from oil well fires and diesel fuels from tent heaters, pesticides, and prophylactic anti- nerve gas pyridostigmine bromide pills (PB); all of which have been as...

Background Cannabis is the most used federally illicit substance among pregnant people in the United States. However, emerging preclinical data show that a significant portion of cannabis constituents, such as Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol and its bioactive metabolites, readily cross the placenta and accumulate in the fetal brain, disrupting neurodevelop...

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition characterized by altered arousal, mood, and cognition. Studies report attentional alterations such as threat bias in individuals with PTSD, though this work has largely been conducted within emotionally-charged contexts (e.g., threatening stimuli). Emerging behavioral evidence suggest...

Purpose: Children with cancer and survivors frequently report posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), which are associated with volumetric changes in stress-sensitive brain regions, including the hippocampus. Methods: We examined the impact of a novel, 4-week martial-arts-based meditative intervention on cancer-related PTSS in 18 pediatric patient...

Pediatric cancer patients and survivors frequently report posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), which are associated with variation in stress-sensitive brain regions, including the hippocampus. We examined the impact of a novel, four-week martial-arts-based meditative intervention on cancer-related PTSS in pediatric patients and survivors, and whet...

Cannabis use among pregnant people has increased over the past decade. This is of concern as prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) is associated with cognitive, motor, and social deficits among offspring. Here, we examined resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the salience network (SN)-a core neurocognitive network that integrates emotional an...

Accumulating data suggest that air pollution increases the risk of internalizing psychopathology, including anxiety and depressive disorders. Moreover, the link between air pollution and poor mental health may relate to neurostructural and neurofunctional changes. We systematically reviewed the MEDLINE database in September 2021 for original articl...

Gulf War veterans (GWVs) were exposed to neurotoxicants, including sarin nerve gas, anti–nerve agent pills, pesticides, oil well fires, and fumes from unvented tent heaters, all of which have been associated with subsequent adverse health. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have also been associated with GW deployment; however, associati...

Background Thirty years ago, Gulf War (GW) veterans returned home with numerous health symptoms that have been associated with neurotoxicant exposures experienced during deployment. The health effects from these exposures have been termed toxic wounds. Most GW exposure-outcome studies utilize group analyses and thus individual fluctuations in sympt...

Aims Gulf War Illness (GWI), a chronic debilitating disorder characterized by fatigue, joint pain, cognitive, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and skin problems, is currently diagnosed by self-reported symptoms. The Boston Biorepository, Recruitment, and Integrative Network (BBRAIN) is the collaborative effort of expert Gulf War Illness (GWI) researc...

Aims This study analyzed deployment-related exposures and risk of Persian Gulf War Illness (GWI) in women veterans from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Cooperative Studies Program 585 Gulf War Era Cohort and Biorepository (GWECB CSP#585). Main methods We examined the associations between GW deployment-related exposures and case definitions for GWI in de...

Veterans from the 1991 Gulf War (GW) have suffered from Gulf War illness (GWI) for nearly 30 years. This illness encompasses multiple body systems, including the central nervous system (CNS). Diagnosis and treatment of GWI is difficult because there has not been an objective diagnostic biomarker. Recently, we reported on a newly developed blood bio...

Gulf War veterans (GWVs) were exposed to numerous neurotoxicants during deployment. Upon returning home, many reported a multitude of symptoms including fatigue, pain, gastrointestinal and respiratory issues, and neurological, cognitive, and mood complaints, collectively termed “Gulf War Illness (GWI).” Now, nearly 30 years post-war, many GWVs cont...

Neurodevelopmental explanations for adolescent substance use have focused on heightened sensitivity of mesolimbic circuitry, centered on the ventral striatum (VS). Recent evidence suggests that, relative to adults, adolescents show a stronger link between reinforcement learning and episodic memory for rewarding outcomes and greater functional conne...

Objective: This analysis examined the relationship between GW exposures and health symptoms reported in three time periods over 20 years in Ft. Devens Cohort veterans. Methods: Repeated logistic regression models examined the association of exposures and health symptoms over time. Models included baseline age, active duty status, PTSD status, se...

Neurodevelopmental explanations for adolescent substance use have focused on heightened sensitivity of the brain's reward system, centered around the ventral striatum (VS). Recent evidence demonstrates increased functional connectivity between the VS and hippocampus in adolescents relative to adults, suggesting that the adolescent brain may learn f...

This review paper summarizes the accumulation of research investigating neuropsychological outcomes in veterans with Gulf War illness (GWI). Earlier research focused on Gulf War veterans (GW) who were deployed versus non-deployed, as well as those who were symptomatic versus asymptomatic, or compared neuropsychological test results to published nor...

Prevalence of nine chronic medical conditions in the population-based Ft. Devens Cohort (FDC) of GW veterans were compared with the population-based 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cohort. Excess prevalence was calculated as the difference in prevalence estimates from the Ft. Devens and NHANES cohorts; and confid...

The Gulf War Illness Consortium (GWIC) was designed to identify objective biomarkers of Gulf War Illness (GWI) in 1991 Gulf War veterans. The symptoms of GWI include fatigue, pain, cognitive problems, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and skin problems. Neurotoxicant exposures during deployment, such as pesticides, sarin, and pyridostigmine bromide pi...

Individuals differ in their tendency to perceive negativity in ambiguous situations or facial expressions. Prior research demonstrates that this so-called "negativity bias" is exaggerated in children; for instance, when they rate the emotional content of neutral facial expressions. However, neutral faces are frequently used as a baseline condition...

Connections between the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are considered critical for the expression and regulation of emotional behavior. Abnormalities in frontoamygdala circuitry are reported across several internalizing conditions and associated risk factors (for example, childhood trauma), which may underlie the strong phenotypic ove...