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Sleep Modifications In A Drosophila Melanogaster Model Of Fragile X Syndrome, Morgan Mclaughlin
Sleep Modifications In A Drosophila Melanogaster Model Of Fragile X Syndrome, Morgan Mclaughlin
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disabilities, disruptions in sleep, and autism in humans. Mutations in Fragile X Mental Retardation gene 1 (FMR1), which codes for a protein that modifies the expression of many target proteins, are primarily responsible for this disorder. Genetic modifications of FMR1 can increase or decrease the overall amount of sleep in humans. A potential pharmaceutical target of FXS is dopamine, a critical neurotransmitter in the regulation of sleep and wakefulness. In fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) dopamine has been shown to alter sleep. The mushroom body, a structure in …