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Sex Differences In Context Fear Neural Circuitry And Behavior Across Development, Lorianna Marie Colon
Sex Differences In Context Fear Neural Circuitry And Behavior Across Development, Lorianna Marie Colon
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Over the span of five decades, staggering progress has been made in elucidating the neural circuits involved in fear learning. Research focused on rodents and healthy individuals has been instrumental in elucidating how abnormalities in this circuitry may lend to increased prevalence of various fear and anxiety disorders. However, many of the key findings concerning the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of fear memories have been established in the adult male rodent, leaving a gap in knowledge as to whether females and developing animals process fear and stress inducing information in a similar fashion. Compared to men, women are twice as …
Multiple Approaches To Auditory Rhythm: Development Of Sustained Musical Beat And The Relation To Language, Development Of Rhythmic Categories Via Iterated Production, And A Meta-Analytic Study Of Neural Entrainment To Beat, Karli Marie Nave
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
Rhythm is ubiquitous to human communication, coordination, and experience of music. In this dissertation, I address three empirical questions through three different methodologies, all of which contribute to the growing body of literature on human auditory rhythm processing. In Chapter 2, I present a registered report detailing the results of independent conceptual replications of Nozaradan, Peretz, Missal, & Mouraux (2011), all using the same vetted protocol. Listeners performed the same tasks as in Nozaradan et al. (2011), with the addition of behavioral measures of perception. In neuroscience, neural correlates to musical beat perception have been identified, yet little to no …
Activation Of Nrf2 At Critical Windows Of Development Alters Protein S-Glutathionylation In The Zebrafish Embryo (Danio Rerio), Emily G. Severance
Activation Of Nrf2 At Critical Windows Of Development Alters Protein S-Glutathionylation In The Zebrafish Embryo (Danio Rerio), Emily G. Severance
Masters Theses
Perturbation of cellular redox homeostasis to a more oxidized state has been linked to adverse human health effects such as diabetes and cancer. However, the impact of altering the regulation of redox homeostasis during development is not fully understood. Specifically, this project investigates the role of the Nrf2 antioxidant response pathway and its effect on glutathione (GSH; cellular redox buffer) at critical windows of development. To explore this, we used zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio) as a model due to the function of GSH and the Nrf2 being conserved among vertebrates. We exposed zebrafish embryos to three Nrf2 activators: two antioxidant …
The Role Of Tbx2 In Germ Layer Suppression And Dorsoventral Patterning During Early Vertebrate Development, Shoshana Reich
The Role Of Tbx2 In Germ Layer Suppression And Dorsoventral Patterning During Early Vertebrate Development, Shoshana Reich
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
The differentiation of the three primary germ layers is precisely regulated by inductive cues, the intracellular networks through which these signals are transduced, and a broad array of nuclear proteins, such as transcription factors and epigenetic modifiers. Precise regulation of these various factors is crucial to proper development. Members of the T-box family of DNA-binding proteins play a prominent role in the differentiation of the three primary germ layers. VegT, Brachyury, and Eomesodermin function as transcriptional activators, are expressed in the presumptive mesendoderm and, in addition to directly activating the transcription of endoderm- and mesoderm-specific genes, serve variously as regulators …
Functional Optical Imaging Of The Developing Mouse Cortex In Health And Disease, Rachel Marlene Rahn
Functional Optical Imaging Of The Developing Mouse Cortex In Health And Disease, Rachel Marlene Rahn
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are a heterogeneous family of disorders characterized by the presence of abnormal developmental trajectories. Functional connectivity (FC) neuroimaging provides a minimally-invasive method by which to investigate the progression of these disorders and identify potential biomarkers of disease-related dysfunction for use in therapeutics’ development. My thesis work therefore took several approaches to the question of how the functional connectome reflects developmental change as well as system-wide perturbations from environmental or genetic factors. I explored the use of optical fluorescence and intrinsic signal imaging to characterize FC and stimulation-derived responses in a NDD model of perinatal exposure to selective …
The Origins & Functional Effects Of Postzygotic Mutations Throughout The Human Lifespan, Nicole Briana Rockweiler
The Origins & Functional Effects Of Postzygotic Mutations Throughout The Human Lifespan, Nicole Briana Rockweiler
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Mosaicism is pervasive in humans and yet we understand little of its causes and functional consequences across the lifespan. To help solve these mysteries, we developed a suite of tools, called Lachesis, to analyze postzygotic mutations (PZMs). LachesisDetect is a novel and accurate method to detect PZMs with VAFs as low as 0.04% from bulk RNA-seq samples. LachesisMap is an innovative supervised method to reconstruct postzygotic mutation phylogenies from putative prenatal PZMs. We applied Lachesis to 17,382 samples derived from 948 donors across 54 diverse tissues and cell types from the NIH’s Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project to produce the most …
Vestibulospinal Circuit In The Larval Zebrafish, Zhikai Liu
Vestibulospinal Circuit In The Larval Zebrafish, Zhikai Liu
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The vestibular system sense gravity and self-motion to help animals maintain body balance. Although vestibular signals inform the brain of the directions and speed of our body movements, it still remains unclear how these sensory information are processed and organized in the central nervous system. My thesis aims to illustrate neural computation underlying central vestibular tuning and the topographic organization of the vestibular circuits. First I established a novel approach to perform whole-cell recording of synaptic inputs in vivo during multi-axis movements in the central vestibular neurons. This technical advance allowed me to simultaneously measure presynaptic and postsynaptic tuning, along …
Negative Regulation Of The Kinase Lin-45 By The E3/E4 Ubiquitin Ligase Ufd-2, Augustin Deniaud
Negative Regulation Of The Kinase Lin-45 By The E3/E4 Ubiquitin Ligase Ufd-2, Augustin Deniaud
Theses and Dissertations
The serine/threonine kinase BRAF is a key part of the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK pathway, an inducer of cell growth, differentiation, and survival. In humans, activating mutations, most commonly BRAF(V600E), have been detected in several cancers, including melanoma and thyroid cancer. In the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog LIN-45, the equivalent mutation LIN-45(V627E) results in elevated Raf-MEK-ERK signaling. We performed an unbiased genetic screen to identify negative regulators of LIN-45(V627E). Here, we report the identification of the E3/E4 ubiquitin ligase UFD-2, and show it is a negative regulator of LIN-45 protein activity and levels. Loss of UFD-2 leads to accumulation of wild-type LIN-45 protein as …
Targeting Ampa Receptor Modulation During Early Life Adversity: A Mediator For Threat Associated Memories, Roseanna M. Zanca
Targeting Ampa Receptor Modulation During Early Life Adversity: A Mediator For Threat Associated Memories, Roseanna M. Zanca
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Early life adversity (ELA) is the exposure to a single or to multiple traumatic events before the age of 18 that go beyond the child’s coping. These adverse events are often exacerbated during adolescence particularly when cognitive performance is compromised. Adolescents who experienced ELA may show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while not vividly recalling the early life trauma. These individuals show atypical connectivity between prefrontal-amygdala and hippocampus, all of which is associated with an increased risk of experiencing a traumatic event again later in life. While clinical research has increasingly stressed the importance in addressing the long-lasting consequences …
Early Communication Abilities Of 24-Month-Old Children With Williams Syndrome As Measured By The Communication Complexity Scale., Sean B. Woods
Early Communication Abilities Of 24-Month-Old Children With Williams Syndrome As Measured By The Communication Complexity Scale., Sean B. Woods
College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses
Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with intellectual disability accompanied by a distinct cognitive profile. Despite their socially outgoing nature, children with WS exhibit delayed communication development and specific deficits across various functions of communication. The purpose of this study was to describe the range of communication complexity observed in 24-month-olds with WS and determine relations between communication complexity and other areas of cognitive development. The communication complexity of 17 24-month-old children with WS was measured using the Communication Complexity Scale (CCS), which quantifies optimal and typical communication complexity, as well as optimal communication for Joint Attention (JA) …
Determinants Of Female Bargaining Power In Northern Mozambican Households, Sara Marilyn Gardner
Determinants Of Female Bargaining Power In Northern Mozambican Households, Sara Marilyn Gardner
Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses
Melinda Gates stated, “If you search for poverty, you will find women who don’t have power. If you explore prosperity, you will find women who do have power and use it.” Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, women are expected to perform disproportional amounts of labor but are often ignored in household decision-making regarding social and economic matters. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) states that women in Mozambique are highly disadvantaged, relative to men, due to low levels of education, maternal health risks, restricted economic prospects, and cultural norms. This study aims to better understand the causes of female empowerment in Northern …
Developmental Regression Analysis And Investigation Of Genotype Correlations In Individuals With Classic Rett Syndrome, Aubrey Lynn Rose
Developmental Regression Analysis And Investigation Of Genotype Correlations In Individuals With Classic Rett Syndrome, Aubrey Lynn Rose
Theses and Dissertations
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder impacting 1 in 10,000 females worldwide, making it one of the most common causes of complex disability in girls. RTT is caused by pathogenic variants in the MECP2 gene and is characterized by developmental regression, stereotypical hand movements, and an abnormal gait. Despite consistency in the presence of these core features, a wide range of features and varying severity can be observed in girls with RTT. Similarly, the particular type of MECP2 variant present also differs between patients. Previous studies have assessed correlations between genotype and phenotype in patients with RTT. While past …
Evolution And Development Of Staminodes In Paronychia (Caryophyllaceae), Andrea D. Appleton
Evolution And Development Of Staminodes In Paronychia (Caryophyllaceae), Andrea D. Appleton
Honors College Theses
Staminodes are infertile stamens that have evolved numerous times in flowering plants and exhibit a vast array of forms and functions. Variation in staminodes suggests that numerous evolutionary processes underlie their origins, but to understand their how and why they evolved, comparative studies are needed in groups of closely related species. Identifying structures as staminodes is not always straightforward and sometimes requires corroborating phylogenetic and developmental evidence. Staminodial structures in Paronychia (Caryophyllaceae), for example, vary in shape and size and have been referred to as both petals and staminodes, rendering their homology uncertain. The development of staminodes was compared across …
The Influence Of Autism Linked Gene Topoisomerase 3b (Top3b) On Neural Development In Zebrafish, Sydney Doolittle
The Influence Of Autism Linked Gene Topoisomerase 3b (Top3b) On Neural Development In Zebrafish, Sydney Doolittle
Honors College Theses
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a class of developmental disabilities characterized by a spectrum of social, communication, and behavioral impairments in affected individuals. Studies have shown these defects stem from abnormal brain development during critical periods during early development. The underlying genetic cause of these impairments is not well understood but is believed to be a combination of a complex pairing of genetic and environmental factors. One of the genetic factors that has been recognized to influence the phenotypic symptoms of ASD is the enzyme topoisomerase 3β (top3β.) Topoisomerases are responsible for the prevention of supercoiling during DNA replication. Top3β is …
Shorebird Response To Human-Induced Changes At Three Pinellas County Beaches, Rebecca J. Ruthberg-Campagna
Shorebird Response To Human-Induced Changes At Three Pinellas County Beaches, Rebecca J. Ruthberg-Campagna
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Worldwide, shorebird habitat is being destroyed and degraded by development and sea level rise. Shorebirds depend on availability of pristine, undisturbed coastal habitats for resting and feeding during migration as well as for reproduction. Migratory shorebirds using the East Atlantic Flyway visit the Gulf of Mexico Beaches of Pinellas County, Florida as a stopover site during Fall and Spring migration. In addition to hosting migratory species, Pinellas County beaches are home to several year-round resident species that breed during Summer. Pinellas County is the most densely populated county in Florida, and its Gulf Coast is heavily developed with commercial and …
Rab35 Centered Membrane Trafficking Pathway Directs Apical Constriction During Drosophila Gastrulation, Hui Miao
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Force generation in epithelial tissues is often pulsatile, with actomyosin networks generating high-tension contractile forces at the cell cortex before cyclically disassembling. This pulsed nature of cytoskeletal forces implies that there must be cellular processes to extract unidirectional changes that drive processive transformations in cell shape. During Drosophila melanogastergastrulation, the invagination of the prospective mesoderm is driven by the pulsed constriction of apical surfaces. Here, we address the mechanisms by which the irreversibility of pulsed events is achieved while also permitting uniform epithelial behaviors to emerge. We use MSD-based analyses to identify contractile steps and find that when a …