Life Sciences Commons^™

Global Impact Of Proteoglycan Science On Human Diseases, Christopher Xie, Liliana Schaefer, Renato V. Iozzo

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

In this comprehensive review, we will dissect the impact of research on proteoglycans focusing on recent developments involved in their synthesis, degradation, and interactions, while critically assessing their usefulness in various biological processes. The emerging roles of proteoglycans in global infections, specifically the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and their rising functions in regenerative medicine and biomaterial science have significantly affected our current view of proteoglycans and related compounds. The roles of proteoglycans in cancer biology and their potential use as a next-generation protein-based adjuvant therapy to combat cancer is also emerging as a constructive and potentially beneficial therapeutic strategy. We will discuss …

Palmitoylation As A Regulator Of Maguk Proteins Postsynaptic Localization, Rozena Shirvani-Arani, Santiago Balderas, Yonghong Zhang, Xioaqian Fang

Research Symposium

Synaptic plasticity is the ability of the brain to make changes and the changes occur at synapses. To achieve the complicated functions, a good number of proteins are present at synapse and are called synaptic proteins. To stabilize these proteins at synapses, proteins are modified through posttranslational modifications (PTMs). The most studied PTMs include phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, glycosylation, palmitoylation, etc. Palmitoylation is a type of lipid modification and has received more attention recently for its contribution to protein trafficking, localization, and interaction in various synaptic plasticity. The membrane-associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family includes PSD-95, PSD-93 (also known as chapsyn-110), SAP102, …

The Mandelbrot Set For Networks, Templates And Mutated Systems, Anca R. Radulescu

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Intermittent Synchronization In Gamma-Band Neural Oscillations, Anh Nguyen, Leonid L. Rubchinsky

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Eco-Interoception: What Plants, Fungi And Protista Have Taught My Body, Sara Riley Dotterer

Art Theses and Dissertations

To me, ecology is the relational, full-body awareness that I am made up of and deeply connected to everything around me; and for better or worse, this is reciprocal. I form ecotones, an ecological transitional zone between two ecosystems, with the world around me. I use this ecotonal lens to blur binaries and dissolve boundaries between me and the world “outside my body.” During my Masters of Fine Arts at Southern Methodist University, I have continuously explored and represented the lives of various more-than-human species outside of my body, including plants, fungi and protista through an ecotonal lens. Although these …

Adolescents With Family History Of Alcohol-Use Disorders Have Reduced Structural Coherence Of Anterior Insula To Nucleus Accumbens Tract, Grace Wood

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Genetics play a significant role in predisposition towards alcohol use disorders. Analyzing the neural phenotypes related to alcohol use disorder development could allow researchers to predict one’s predisposition. The anterior insula (AIns) contributes to binge drinking tendencies while exhibiting downstream signaling towards the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Recent research has examined this relationship simultaneously with alcohol consumption, but the genetic effect of the AIns and NAcc functional relationship prior to alcohol consumption has yet to be examined. In this study, we used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study to analyze the structural coherence of the AIns to NAcc …

Role Of Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine Receptor Signaling In The Suppression Of Punished Reward Seeking, Grace M. Joyner, Anna Caroline Toburen

Senior Theses

Previous studies have shown that within the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a brain region associated with motivation and reinforcement learning, activity of neurons expressing the dopamine D2 receptor (D2R neurons) act as a “break” on risky behavior associated with negative outcomes. Moreover, when these neurons are stimulated, rats were found to become more risk averse. However, the impact of dopamine signaling through NAc D2R neurons in risk avoidance is still unclear. To further explore the role of NAc dopamine signaling in punished reward-seeking, we tested rats in a novel punished food-seeking paradigm in which subjects are trained to choose between a …

Treatment Of Anxiety By Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation: A Retrospective Chart Review, Rhea Gandhi

CMC Senior Theses

Surgical vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) was FDA cleared for depression (2005) and epilepsy. (1997). In the surgical procedure, a pacemaker is implanted below the collarbone (clavicle) and connected to the vagus nerve in the neck. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) is a non-surgical alternative to VNS and there is evidence supporting its effectiveness for several conditions. Advantages include lower cost and fewer adverse side effects.

Anxiety is tied to excess or unopposed sympathetic nervous system activity, while the parasympathetic nervous system, especially the vagus nerve, is relatively underactive. This study aimed to investigate a potential impact of regular tVNS stimulation …

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Tdcs) To Improve Lower Limb Motor Recovery Following Stroke: A Review And Study Proposal, Jessica Fantz-Sands

Scripps Senior Theses

Strokes are the result of restricted blood flow to particular areas of the brain classified by their cause. The neural damage they cause are of growing concern as the number of young adults experiencing strokes has increased by 11% in the last decade. Following stroke, there is an imbalance of inhibitory and excitatory neuronal activity, and disruption of neural networks. These changes lead to neuronal death and loss of synaptic connections that, depending on which part of the brain is affected, result in behavioral deficits such as weakness, limb hemiparesis, and loss of coordination, as well as speech and cognitive …

Glyphosate And Dopaminergic Neurotoxicity: Herbicide Impacts On Parkinson's Disease Development, Lojy Hozyen

Undergraduate Research Posters

Nearly one million individuals in the United States are living with Parkinson’s disease (PD). In the past two decades, the death rate from PD has risen by about 63 percent in the United States. Major findings have been made in the past five years about the potential impact of glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine) exposure on the onset of PD symptoms. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to provide a compiled update on the chemical and biological alterations that glyphosate imposes on the human brain. A meta-analysis was conducted to create a quantitative estimate of the connection between PD and glyphosate. Findings …