Life Sciences Commons^™

Β-Catenin Regulation Of Adult Skeletal Muscle Plasticity, Yuan Wen

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Adult skeletal muscle is highly plastic and responds readily to environmental stimuli. One of the most commonly utilized methods to study skeletal muscle adaptations is immunofluorescence microscopy. By analyzing images of adult muscle cells, also known as myofibers, one can quantify changes in skeletal muscle structure and function (e.g. hypertrophy and fiber type). Skeletal muscle samples are typically cut in transverse or cross sections, and antibodies against sarcolemmal or basal lamina proteins are used to label the myofiber boundaries.

The quantification of hundreds to thousands of myofibers per sample is accomplished either manually or semi-automatically using generalized pathology software, and …

Alterations In Gabaergic Nts Neuron Function In Association With Tle And Sudep, Isabel Diane Derera

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that is characterized by aberrant electrical activity in the brain resulting in at least two unprovoked seizures over a period longer than 24 hours. Approximately 60% of individuals with epilepsy are diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and about one third of those individuals do not respond well to anti-seizure medications. This places those individuals at high risk for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). SUDEP is defined as when an individual with epilepsy, who is otherwise healthy, dies suddenly and unexpectedly for unknown reasons. SUDEP is one of the leading causes of death in …