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Full-Text Articles in Neuroscience and Neurobiology

Chronic Stress Elevates Telomerase Activity In Rats, Annaliese K. Beery, Jue Lin, Joshua S. Biddle, Darlene D. Francis, Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Elissa S. Epel Dec 2012

Chronic Stress Elevates Telomerase Activity In Rats, Annaliese K. Beery, Jue Lin, Joshua S. Biddle, Darlene D. Francis, Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Elissa S. Epel

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

The enzyme telomerase lengthens telomeres—protective structures containing repetitive DNA sequences at chromosome ends. Telomere shortening is associated with diseases of ageing in mammals. Chronic stress has been related to shorter immune-cell telomeres, but telomerase activity under stress may be low, permitting telomere loss, or high, partially attenuating it. We developed an experimental model to examine the impacts of extended unpredictable stress on telomerase activity in male rats. Telomerase activity was 54 per cent higher in stressed rats than in controls, and associated with stress-related physiological and behavioural outcomes. This significant increase suggests a potential mechanism for resilience to stress-related replicative …


Long-Term Effects Of Estradiol Replacement In The Olfactory System, Britto P. Nathan, Michael Tonsor, Robert G. Struble Sep 2012

Long-Term Effects Of Estradiol Replacement In The Olfactory System, Britto P. Nathan, Michael Tonsor, Robert G. Struble

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Olfactory dysfunction often precedes other clinical symptoms in chronic neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Estrogen deficiency and apoE genotype are known risk factors in these diseases and these factors also affect olfaction. Therefore we examined the effects of estradiol replacement following ovariectomy on expression of apoE and markers of cell proliferation, neuronal maturation, synaptogenesis and reactive gliosis in the primary olfactory pathway of wild-type (WT) and apoE knockout (KO) mice. Estradiol replacement increased apoE staining in the olfactory nerve and glomerular layers. Estradiol increased astrocyte density and olfactory epithelium (OE) thickness regardless of the genotype. In addition estradiol …


Long-Term Effects Of Estradiol Replacement In The Olfactory System, Britto Nathan, Michael Tonsor, Robert Struble Sep 2012

Long-Term Effects Of Estradiol Replacement In The Olfactory System, Britto Nathan, Michael Tonsor, Robert Struble

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Olfactory dysfunction often precedes other clinical symptoms in chronic neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Estrogen deficiency and apoE genotype are known risk factors in these diseases and these factors also affect olfaction. Therefore we examined the effects of estradiol replacement following ovariectomy on expression of apoE and markers of cell proliferation, neuronal maturation, synaptogenesis and reactive gliosis in the primary olfactory pathway of wild-type (WT) and apoE knockout (KO) mice. Estradiol replacement increased apoE staining in the olfactory nerve and glomerular layers. Estradiol increased astrocyte density and olfactory epithelium (OE) thickness regardless of the genotype. In addition estradiol …


Preserved Self-Awareness Following Extensive Bilateral Brain Damage To The Insula, Anterior Cingulate, And Medial Prefrontal Cortices, Carissa Philippi, Justin Feinstein, Sahib Khalsa, Antonio Damasio, Daniel Tranel, Gregory Landini, Kenneth Williford, David Rudrauf Aug 2012

Preserved Self-Awareness Following Extensive Bilateral Brain Damage To The Insula, Anterior Cingulate, And Medial Prefrontal Cortices, Carissa Philippi, Justin Feinstein, Sahib Khalsa, Antonio Damasio, Daniel Tranel, Gregory Landini, Kenneth Williford, David Rudrauf

Psychology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.


A Drosophila Deg/Enac Subunit Functions Specifically In Gustatory Neurons Required For Male Courtship Behavior, E. Starostina, T. Liu, V. Vijayan, Zheng Zheng , '11, Kathleen King Siwicki, C. W. Pikielny Mar 2012

A Drosophila Deg/Enac Subunit Functions Specifically In Gustatory Neurons Required For Male Courtship Behavior, E. Starostina, T. Liu, V. Vijayan, Zheng Zheng , '11, Kathleen King Siwicki, C. W. Pikielny

Biology Faculty Works

Detection of specific female pheromones stimulates courtship behavior in Drosophila melanogaster males, but the chemosensory molecules, cells, and mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Here we show that ppk25, a DEG/ENaC ion channel subunit required for normal male response to females, is expressed at highest levels in a single sexually dimorphic gustatory neuron of most taste hairs on legs and wings, but not in neurons that detect courtship-inhibiting pheromones or food. Synaptic inactivation of ppk25-expressing neurons, or knockdown of ppk25 expression in all gustatory neurons, significantly impairs male response to females, whereas gustatory expression of ppk25 rescues the courtship behavior of …


Integration Of Subthreshold And Suprathreshold Excitatory Barrages Along The Somatodendritic Axis Of Pyramidal Neurons, Hysell V. Oviedo, Alex D. Reyes Mar 2012

Integration Of Subthreshold And Suprathreshold Excitatory Barrages Along The Somatodendritic Axis Of Pyramidal Neurons, Hysell V. Oviedo, Alex D. Reyes

Publications and Research

Neurons integrate inputs arriving in different cellular compartments to produce action potentials that are transmitted to other neurons. Because of the voltage- and time-dependent conductances in the dendrites and soma, summation of synaptic inputs is complex. To examine summation of membrane potentials and firing rates, we performed whole-cell recordings from layer 5 cortical pyramidal neurons in acute slices of the rat’s somatosensory cortex. We delivered subthreshold and suprathreshold stimuli at the soma and several sites on the apical dendrite, and injected inputs that mimic synaptic barrages at individual or distributed sites. We found that summation of subthreshold potentials differed from …


Pten Regulation Of Local And Long-Range Connections In Mouse Auditory Cortex, Qiaojie Xiong, Hysell V. Oviedo, Lloyd C. Trotman, Anthony M. Zador Feb 2012

Pten Regulation Of Local And Long-Range Connections In Mouse Auditory Cortex, Qiaojie Xiong, Hysell V. Oviedo, Lloyd C. Trotman, Anthony M. Zador

Publications and Research

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are highly heritable developmental disorders caused by a heterogeneous collection of genetic lesions. Here we use a mouse model to study the effect on cortical connectivity of disrupting the ASD candidate gene PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10). Through Cre-mediated recombination, we conditionally knocked out PTEN expression in a subset of auditory cortical neurons. Analysis of long-range connectivity using channelrhodopsin-2 revealed that the strength of synaptic inputs from both the contralateral auditory cortex and from the thalamus onto PTEN-cko neurons was enhanced compared with nearby neurons with normal PTEN expression. Laser-scanning photostimulation showed …