Rini Kaplan, MSc, MA

Research Interests

In general, I am interested in studying the neuropsychology of cognitive aging and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with the aim to gain a better understanding of aging and disease processes and how they relate to functional outcomes. I also have an interest in incorporating technology, especially neuroimaging methods, into neuropsychological research, and eventually clinical practice. Finally, I am interested in examining how cognitive and affective processes interact in the appreciation and understanding of humor, and how such processes are affected in neurodegenerative diseases such as PD.

Relevant Experience

While completing my Master of Science at the University of Edinburgh, I conducted research investigating how neuropsychological test performance is influenced by subjects’ prior research experience and recruitment methods. I also worked on a study comparing differences in performance in real-world and virtual reality environments. Prior to coming to BU, I worked at the University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, primarily for the Alzheimer’s and Cognition Center, where my focus was on projects using transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), electroencephalogram (EEG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate whether tES can modify underlying brain activity during sleep and in clinical populations (e.g. dystonia, mild cognitive impairment). Additionally, I worked on a study that assessed visual field and retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) in healthy older adults and in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and administered neuropsychological assessments to individuals with AD and PD.

Since beginning my doctoral training at BU, I have examined how similar (concordant) responses on self-report measures of motor and non-motor symptoms are between persons with PD and informants through the Boston University Online Survey Study of PD (BOSS-PD). I have also examined how persons with PD used various coping styles during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, I am also developing a study to examine humor comprehension and appreciation in persons with PD using fNIRS, computerized assessment of humor, and online survey methods.

Current Projects

I work with Dr. Cronin-Golomb on studies utilizing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to study PD. We are currently collaborating with colleagues in Biomedical Engineering and Sargent College on a project called “Neuroscience of the Everyday World” where the aim is to apply fNIRS (and other forms of technology such as EEG and eye tracking) to examine brain activity during everyday tasks. Our role in this project is apply fNIRS to the study of dual-task walking in persons with PD. Additionally, we are applying fNIRS to examine brain activity during a sustained attention task.

Hobbies and Interests

During my spare time, I enjoy cooking, gardening, getting outside to explore the city, and watching a good (or sometimes not so good) movie, TV show, or comedy special. I am also a big sports fan and watch a lot of college basketball and soccer.

Publications

Fox-Fuller, J.T., Ngo, J., Pluim, C.F., Kaplan, R.I., Kim, D. Anzai, J.A.U., Yucebas, D., Briggs, S.M., Auden, P.A., Cronin-Golomb, A., & Quiroz, Y.T. (2021). Initial investigation of test-retest reliability of home-to-home teleneuropsychological assessment in healthy, English-speaking adults. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 1-15.

McConnell, B.V., Kronberg, E., Teale, P.D., Fishback, G.M., Kaplan, R.I., Fought, A.J., Sillau, S.H., Dhanasekaran, A.R., Berman, B.D., Ramos, A.R., McClure, R.L., & Bettcher, B.M. (2021). The aging slow wave: A shifting amalgam of distinct slow wave and spindle coupling subtypes define slow wave sleep across the human lifespan. SLEEP 44(10).

Bateman, J.R., Filley, C.M., Kaplan, R.I., Heffernan, K., & Bettcher, B.M. (2019). Lifetime surgical exposure is associated with lower measures of episodic memory in a cohort of healthy aging subjects. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 41(10), 1048-1059.

McConnell, B.V., Kaplan, R.I., Teale, P.D., Kronberg, E., Broussard, J.L., Guzzetti, J.R., Sillau, S.H., Dhanasekaran, A.R., Kluger, B.M., & Berman, B.D. (2019). Feasibility of home-based automated transcranial electrical current stimulation during slow wave sleep. Brain Stimulation, 12I, 813-815.

Parra, M.A., & Kaplan, R.I. (2019). Predictors of performance in real and virtual scenarios across age. Experimental Aging Research, 45 (2), 180-198.

Selected Poster Presentations

Kaplan, R.I., Wall, J., Pluim, C.F., & Cronin-Golomb, A. (2021, February 3-6). Discordance Between Reports of Symptoms in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease and Informants in an Online Survey Sample [Poster Session]. International Neuropsychological Society Conference, San Diego, CA, United States (virtual).

Pluim, C.F., Kaplan, R.I., Fox-Fuller, J.T., Kinger, S.B., Neargarder, S., Salazar, R.D., & Cronin-Golomb, A. (2020, April 16-19). Discordance in rating of quality of life in persons with Parkinson’s disease and their informants through online survey [Poster Session]. Cognitive Aging Conference, Atlanta, GA, United States. (Conference canceled).

Fox-Fuller, J.T., Kinger, S.B., Pluim, C.F., Kaplan, R.I., McLarin, A., Moran, J.M., Salazar, R.D., Neargarder, S., Cronin-Golomb, A. (2020, April 16-19). Association between perceived stigma and discussion of experiences in Parkinson’s disease: Findings from an online survey. [Poster Session]. Cognitive Aging Conference, Atlanta, GA, United States. (Conference canceled).

McClure, R.L., McConnell, B., Kronberg, E., Kaplan, R.I., Teale, P., & Berman, B. (2019, April). Synaptic regulation and slow wave, sleep spindle, and theta burst event order in slow wave sleep [Poster session]. Colorado Neuroscience Symposium, Denver, CO, United States.

Kaplan, R.I., Kronberg, E., Teale, P.D., & McConnell, B.V. (2019, March). Analysis of theta bursts and slow spindles during sleep: Insights into the phase coupling memory consolidation model [Poster session]. American Neuropsychiatric Association-30^th Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, United States.