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A Cellular Mechanism For Dendritic Spine Loss Following Traumautic Brain Injury In Rat, Brian Low

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. The injury is often composed of two processes: the primary injury, which can involve irreversible loss of tissue, and the secondary injury, which involves a cascade of reactive processes such as excitotoxicity that occur in the hours and days after the initial insult. Excitotoxic stimulation of neuronal circuits can lead to cellular dysfunction and modulation of neuronal sensitivity. One mechanism of dysfunction involves the calcium-regulated phosphatase, calcineurin. Calcineurin has been shown to be involved in the modulation of the neuronal post-synaptic structures known as dendritic …