Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Neuroanatomical Tracing Of The Gut -- Brain Axis, Ricardo P. Torres, Elizabeth A. Davis, Coltan G. Parker, Megan J. Dailey

PRECS student projects

This poster summarizes a variety of methods to further characterize the gut-brain axis by tracing motor and sensory nerves between the gut and brain and identifying cell bodies in the sensory ganglia. Determines the meth method to trace the sensory and motor nerves was through fluorescence and the best method to identify sensory neuron cell bodies was the Nissi stain.

Girk2 And Gababr1 Downregulate In Response To Ttx As Girk2, Gababr1, And Gababr2 Are Not Affected By Bc Treatment, Staci E. Hammer, Amanda Weiss, Hee Jung Chung

PRECS student projects

Homeostatic plasticity is the response neurons undergo to regulate changes in excitability levels and bring the cells back to homeostasis. Research on homeostatic plasticity at the molecular level can lead to improved treatments for neurological diseases such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and schizophrenia. The research featured in this poster looks at the response of GIRK (G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium) channels and GABAb (gamma-amniobutyric acid) receptors to neurotoxins, tetrodotoxin (TTX) or bicuculline (BC).

Prolonged activity blockade of 48 hour TTX treatment significantly reduced GABABR1 and GIRK2 expression. This supports the idea that because these two proteins inhibit action potentials, there will …

Axon Guidance Autonomy And Tensional Requirement For Synaptic Function: Is Learning A Forced Response?, Scott Siechen

Natural Science Faculty

Individual neurons extend multiple processes whose growth cones exhibit different responses to their environment. In culture, detached growth cones display guidance autonomy, contain mRNA for cytoskeletal and other axonal components, and are capable of synthesizing protein locally. However, the extent to which growth cone's autonomy contributes to its pathfinding function within the complex in vivo environment is unknown. Here, we show that detached axonal growth cones from identified Drosophila motoneurons maintain balanced filopodial activities as they extend, navigate and target postsynaptic partner cells normally. After detachment, the growth cones continue to synthesize the synaptic vesicle protein Synaptotagmin but, upon contacting …