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Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology
Effect Of S100b Deletion On Membrane Properties And Localization Of Ncald And Hpca, Natasha Hesketh
Effect Of S100b Deletion On Membrane Properties And Localization Of Ncald And Hpca, Natasha Hesketh
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations
Calcium signaling is particularly important for neuronal function. Neurons utilize a wide range of calcium-binding proteins. Dysregulation of such proteins is linked to neurodegeneration. Neurocalcin delta (NCALD), hippocalcin (HPCA), and S100B are calcium sensors that are expressed in the hippocampus, a brain region essential to memory and severely damaged in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Despite the potential importance of these proteins, we do not fully understand the physiological significance of their relationship. Because NCALD and HPCA are known to interact with S100B, we hypothesized that the loss of S100B affects NCALD and HPCA localization, and therefore electrical properties, of hippocampal neurons. …
Brain Energy Homeostasis And The Regulation Of N-Acetyl-Aspartate Metabolism In Development And Disease, Samantha Zaroff
Brain Energy Homeostasis And The Regulation Of N-Acetyl-Aspartate Metabolism In Development And Disease, Samantha Zaroff
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations
N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is a non-invasive clinical marker of neuronal metabolic integrity because of its strong proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS) peak and direct correlation with energetic integrity. Specifically, NAA is used to track the progression of neurodegenerative diseases due to the characteristic reduction of whole brain levels of NAA which occur simultaneously with reduced glucose utilization and mitochondrial dysfunction, but prior to the onset of disease specific pathology. However, NAA will also significantly increase simultaneously with energetic integrity during periods of recovery or remission in applicable disorders, such as traumatic brain injuries. Unfortunately, it remains enigmatic exactly why NAA is …
Blood-Tissue Barriers And Autoantibodies In Neurodegenerative Disease Pathogenesis: An Approach To Diagnostics And Disease Mechanism, Eric Luria Goldwaser
Blood-Tissue Barriers And Autoantibodies In Neurodegenerative Disease Pathogenesis: An Approach To Diagnostics And Disease Mechanism, Eric Luria Goldwaser
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations
Brain homeostasis can be affected in a number of ways that lead to gross anatomical, cellular, and molecular disturbances giving rise to diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias. Unfortunately, the mechanistic pathoetiology of AD’s hallmark features of cerebral amyloid plaque buildup and neuronal death are still disputed. Using human brain AD sections, immunohistochemistry experiments revealed internalized surface proteins, co-localized to an expanded lysosomal compartment. Other stains for amyloid-β1-42 (Aβ42) and various immunoglobulin (Ig) species displayed them leaking out of the cerebrovasculature through a dysfunctional blood-brain barrier (BBB), binding to neurons in the vicinity, and localizing to intracellular vesicles …
Utility And Origin Of Blood-Based Autoantibodies For Early Detection And Diagnosis Of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Cassandra Demarshall
Utility And Origin Of Blood-Based Autoantibodies For Early Detection And Diagnosis Of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Cassandra Demarshall
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations
Autoantibodies are self-reactive antibodies that have been widely implicated as causal agents of autoimmune diseases. They are found in the blood of all human sera, regardless of age, gender, or the presence or absence of disease. While the underlying reason for their ubiquity remains unknown, it has been hypothesized that they participate in the clearance of blood-borne cell and tissue debris generated in both healthy and diseased individuals on a daily basis. Although much evidence supports this debris clearance role, recent studies also suggest a causal role for autoantibodies in disease. My thesis work has focused on this "cause and/or …