Digital Commons Network^™

Axon Initial Segment Integrity In Aging And Traumatic Brain Injury, Mazen M. Gouda

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) report to the Congress, there are 2.2 million emergency department visits; 80,000 hospitalizations; and 50,000 deaths each year due to traumatic brain injury. Adults 65 years and older account substantially for the majority of the hospitalization and deaths. Over 70% of the traumatic brain injuries of the older adults are classified as mild to moderate; however, even with these milder injuries, older adults present with a significantly higher morbidity and mortality compared to all other age groups (LeBlanc et al., 2006). With that in mind, it seems essential to develop a deeper …

The Effects Of Notch Signaling On Functional Recovery Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Jyoti Lodha

Theses and Dissertations

2.5 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) annually in the United States. Although there is potential for functional recovery following TBI, there is no definitive treatment to improve recovery after TBI. Our lab has shown that TBI enhances an endogenous neurogenic response in the subventricular zone and hippocampus. TBI-induced neural stem cells (NSCs) can integrate into regions such as the hippocampus and olfactory bulb. Although the mechanism behind TBI-enhanced neurogenesis remains unknown, the Notch signaling pathway has been implicated as a regulator in the maintenance and survival of NSCs.

This thesis explores the effects of Notch pathway manipulation …