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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Dissecting The Neural Circuits Mediating Pain-Induced Negative Affect And Drug-Seeking Behaviors, Tamara Markovic
Dissecting The Neural Circuits Mediating Pain-Induced Negative Affect And Drug-Seeking Behaviors, Tamara Markovic
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Understating the function of neural circuits and the state-depended adaptations within them is one of the fundamental aims in the field of neuroscience. With recent technical developments in monitoring circuit dynamic, such as calcium (Ca2+) imaging, visualizing synaptic connections using viral approaches and manipulating neuronal activity in cell-specific manner such as optogenetic and chemogenetics, we are now able to mechanistically link the activity and function of neural circuits with behavioral outcomes.Using the above-mentioned techniques, I demonstrate that pain induces somatic adaptations in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons to drive anhedonia-like behaviors. Pain is a complex phenomenon composed …
Wheelchair Propulsion For Everyday Manual Wheelchair Users: Repetition Training And Machine Learning-Based Monitoring, Pin-Wei Chen
Wheelchair Propulsion For Everyday Manual Wheelchair Users: Repetition Training And Machine Learning-Based Monitoring, Pin-Wei Chen
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Upper limb pain and injuries are prevalent among manual wheelchair users and can restrict their participation and daily activities. Due to the high repetition and force in wheelchair propulsion, chronic wheelchair propulsion has been linked to the risk of upper limb pain and injury. Prevention of upper limb pain and injury is a high priority in wheelchair-related research. Decades of research in wheelchair propulsion biomechanics have led to clinical practice guidelines (CPG). Unfortunately, a decade after the publication of the CPG, CPG-recommended propulsion is still uncommon. Hence, for the first aim, a randomized controlled trial pilot study with two groups …
Molecular Mediators Of Acute And Chronic Itch In Mouse And Human Sensory Neurons, Manouela Valtcheva
Molecular Mediators Of Acute And Chronic Itch In Mouse And Human Sensory Neurons, Manouela Valtcheva
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Itch is a distinct sensation that arises from the activation of small-diameter pruriceptive nerve fibers innervating the skin. Recent strides in the field have identified several histamine-dependent and -independent pruriceptive pathways and receptors that contribute to acute and chronic itch. The work presented in this thesis further investigates the molecular mechanisms involved in the signaling, development, and sensitization of itch in mouse and human. Most pruritogen receptors are Gq-Protein Coupled Receptors (GqPCR), which canonically activate protein kinase C (PKC); however, little is known about whether specific PKC isoforms regulate itch. The first study in this thesis demonstrates that the isoform …
Bridging The Translational Gap Between Rodent And Human Pain Research, Tayler Diane Sheahan
Bridging The Translational Gap Between Rodent And Human Pain Research, Tayler Diane Sheahan
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The treatment of chronic pain is an immense clinical and societal burden rooted in the ineffectiveness and adverse side effects of existing analgesics. Extensive efforts have been directed towards the development of novel pain therapies with maximal efficacy and minimal unwanted effects; however, putative therapeutic targets identified in preclinical rodent models rarely translate in clinical trials. The poor translational record of basic pain research findings has been attributed, in part, to the use of suboptimal rodent pain models and behavioral endpoints used to assess putative analgesics, as well as differences in the pharmacological profiles of rodents and humans. The work …
The Molecular And Cellular Basis For Cold Sensation, Daniel Brenner
The Molecular And Cellular Basis For Cold Sensation, Daniel Brenner
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The ability to sense changes in temperature is crucial to surviving harsh environments. Over the last decade several ion channels that have been proposed to be cold sensitive have been identified, most notably TRPM8 and TRPA1. Although these molecules have been extensively studied in vitro, their exact roles in cold sensation in vivo are still debated. This uncertainty is in large part due to problems with the standard methods of testing cold sensitivity in vivo, which often rely on subjective measures of cold responsiveness. Experiments using these subjective measures have been repeated by different groups and have yielded conflicting results, …