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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Regulation Of Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Gdnf) Production In Voluntary And Involuntary Muscle, John-Mary Vianney
Regulation Of Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Gdnf) Production In Voluntary And Involuntary Muscle, John-Mary Vianney
Dissertations
Glia cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a survival factor for subpopulations of neurons, including somatic and autonomic motor neurons. These neurons depend, in part, on GDNF that is synthesized and secreted by their target tissues. It has been shown that a number of tissues in the periphery express GDNF and these target tissues differ in their composition, function, and in the case of different muscle cell types, their contractile characteristics. Whether the processes regulating GDNF production in these different tissues is similar or different is poorly understood. The broad goal of this study is to examine factors that normally …
Glycine Receptor Alpha Subunit (Glyra) Specific Inhibition Contributes To Ganglion Cell Signaling In Mouse Retina., Chi Zhang
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In the retina, numerous types of neurons are wired together in a highly specific albeit complex pattern. This sophisticated retinal network allows extraction and encoding of more than 20 representations of the visual scene in its output neurons, the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Within the inner plexiform layer (IPL) of retina, glycine receptors (GlyRs) are expressed on different cell classes and modulate RGC visual activity to light onset (ON RGCs) and to light offset (OFF RGCs), for example, their temporal precision and gain control. There are four GlyR alpha subunits (GlyRα1-4) with differential expression patterns in IPL. Each mediates spontaneous …
Enhanced Cgmp-Dependent Signaling In Astrocytes: Novel Therapeutic Target In Alzheimer's Disease, Nyema M. Woart
Enhanced Cgmp-Dependent Signaling In Astrocytes: Novel Therapeutic Target In Alzheimer's Disease, Nyema M. Woart
PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship
Over five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), with an expected 34% increase in the incidence in this disease over the next decade. Unfortunately, there is no cure for AD. Recent studies have indicated that drugs which increase the levels of cyclic guanosine-3’5’-monophosphate (cGMP) may help preserve learning and memory in AD and enhance cognition in the aging brain; however, the mechanism(s) of how cGMP exerts this beneficial effect is unknown. The present findings now suggest that elevation of cGMP in astrocytes depresses inhibitory potassium currents in these cells to stimulate their protective influence on neuronal activity. Cellular currents …