Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

An Investigation Into The Combined Effects Of Β-Amyloid Toxicity And Cerebral Ischemia On The Pathological Expression Of Gangliosides., Jeffrey D. Hepburn

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Identifying mechanisms underlying the synergistic pathological interaction between stroke and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can effectively guide future therapeutic strategies for these highly co-morbid conditions. Aberrant ganglioside expression marked by the pathological accumulation of ganglioside GM3 is common to stroke and AD, yet it is unclear whether GM3 is synergistically enhanced in a comorbid model, or if GM3 is a viable therapeutic target. Adult male Wistar rats received a unilateral ischemic striatal infarct via endothelin-1 (ET-1) injection alone or in combination with bilateral intracerebroventricular injection of the β-Amyloid 25-35 peptide (Aβ) to induce generalized Aβ toxicity (Aβ/ET-1). Animals were sacrificed after …

Neuroprotective Effects Of Long-Term Endurance Training On The Cortical Autonomic Network In The Aging Brain, Torri A. Luchyshyn

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study tested whether long-term endurance training in older adults (ET; n = 15, 55 ± 4 years, relative VO₂max = 50 ± 8 ml/kg/min) would alter cardiovagal control and preserve the cortical autonomic network compared to age-matched controls (CON; n = 15, 56 ± 4 years, relative VO₂max = 37 ± 9 ml/kg/min). The hypothesis predicts 1) altered deactivation patterns of the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) in response to isometric hand grip (IHG) and 2) greater indices of cardiovagal control; a) increased baroreflex sensitivity at rest, b) greater heart rate change (ΔHR) and c) …

Familiality Of Auditory Evoked Potentials: Preliminary Investigation Of The Auditory Brainstem Response And Late Latency Cortical Response, Matthew B. Lucas

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Twenty-four participants, consisting of six sibling pairs and six non-sibling pairs, participated in this study investigating the familiality of auditory evoked potentials (AEPs). The auditory brainstem response (ABR) recorded at high stimulus rates, revealed that Wave V latency increases, while amplitude decreases as stimulus rate increases. ABR Wave V latency was also found to increase with click position within a stimulus train, plateauing by the third stimulus. No evidence for familiality was found with respect to the ABR Wave V under these conditions. The late latency response (LLR) components N1 and P2 were found to decrease between the first and …

Investigating Binding Partners Of The Neuronal Adaptor Protein Shcc Involved In Learning And Memory, Kayla Rm Driver

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Learning and memory are complex processes: many signaling pathways must come together to start the process of long-term potentiation (LTP), an improvement in the connection between two neurons as a result of a previous signal. LTP involves both the TrkB and NMDA receptor signaling cascades, and there is evidence to support cross-talk between TrkB and the NMDA receptor subunit NR2B using adaptor proteins. ShcC is thought to be involved in learning and memory as ShcC knockout mice have increased hippocampal LTP and better performance in Spatial Memory tasks (Miyamoto et al., 2005). Our results indicate that ShcC binds to both …

Sleep Hygiene And Problem Behaviors In Snoring And Non- Snoring School-Age Children, Lisa A. Witcher, David Gozal, Dennis L. Molfese, Scott M. Salathe, Karen Spruyt, Valerie Mclaughlin Crabtree

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Objectives—The effects of sleep-disordered breathing, sleep restriction, dyssomnias, and parasomnias on daytime behavior in children have been previously assessed. However, the potential relationship(s) between sleep hygiene and children’s daytime behavior remain to be explored. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between sleep hygiene and problematic behaviors in non-snoring and habitually snoring children.

Methods—Parents of 100 5- to 8-year-old children who were reported to snore “frequently” to “almost always,” and of 71 age-, gender-, and ethnicity-matched children who were reported to never snore participated in this study. As part of a larger, ongoing study, …

Placental Insufficiency Resulting In Fetal Growth Restriction Alters Synaptic Development And Neuronal Myelination In Guinea Pigs At Term, Karolina Piorkowska

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Aberrant neuronal connectivity in utero may underlie the association between fetal growth restriction (FGR) and increased risk for later cognitive disorders and encephalopathy. This study examines changes in synaptic development and myelination focussing on the hippocampus using a guinea pig model of placental insufficiency. Placental insufficiency was induced at mid-gestation by uterine artery ligation or cauterization which produced fetuses with a range of body weight and proportion at term. Synaptic markers, synaptophysin and synaptopodin, were decreased in FGR animals suggesting fewer synapses were formed and furthermore that fewer synapses matured with symmetrical growth restriction when compared to appropriate for gestational …

Evidence For Pit-Type (Slc20) And Napi-Ii-Type (Slc34) Transporters In The Rat Choroid Plexus, Hien M. Le

Honors Scholar Theses

: A major function of the brain choroid plexus (CP) is to regulate the exchange of solutes between the blood plasma and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using selective transporters. CSF inorganic phosphate (P_i) concentration is maintained at about one-half that of plasma and is potentially important because of its regulatory, structural, and biochemical functions. Phosphate is critical for ATP and DNA formation, the linked regulation between phosphate and calcium, and as an intracellular buffer. The human body has two major P_i transporter gene families known as SLC34 (NaPi-II) and SLC20 (PiT), which have wide tissue distribution. Although …

Role Of Trp Channels In Mediating The Calcium Signaling Response Of Brain Endothelial Cells To Mechanical Stretch, Jonathan Berrout

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in disruption of the blood brain barrier (BBB), which is an integral component to maintaining the central nervous system homeostasis. Recently cytosolic calcium levels ([Ca²⁺]i), observed to elevate following TBI, have been shown to influence endothelial barrier integrity. However, the mechanism by which TBI-induced calcium signaling alters the endothelial barrier remains unknown. In the present study, an in vitro BBB model was utilized to address this issue. Exposure of cells to biaxial mechanical stretch, in the range expected for TBI, resulted in a rapid cytosolic calcium increase. Modulation of intracellular and extracellular …

Selective Serotonergic Excitation Of Callosal Projection Neurons, Daniel Avesar, Allan T. Gulledge

Dartmouth Scholarship

Serotonin (5-HT) acting as a neurotransmitter in the cerebral cortex is critical for cognitive function, yet how 5-HT regulates information processing in cortical circuits is not well understood. We tested the serotonergic responsiveness of layer 5 pyramidal neurons (L5PNs) in the mouse medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and found three distinct response types: long-lasting 5-HT_1A (1A) receptor-dependent inhibitory responses (84% of L5PNs), 5-HT_2A (2A) receptor-dependent excitatory responses (9%), and biphasic responses in which 2A-dependent excitation followed brief inhibition (5%). Relative to 5-HT-inhibited neurons, those excited by 5-HT had physiological properties characteristic of callosal/commissural (COM) neurons that project to the …

Dynamic L-Glutamate Signaling In The Prefrontal Cortex And The Effects Of Methylphenidate Treatment, Catherine Elizabeth Mattinson

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is an area of the brain that is critically important for learning, memory, organization, and integration, and PFC dysfunction has been associated with pathologies including Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and drug addiction. However, there exists a paucity of information regarding neurochemical signaling in the distinct sub-regions of the PFC, particularly the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The mPFC receives glutamatergic input from a number of brain areas, and functional glutamate signaling is essential for normal cognitive processes. To further understand glutamate neurotransmission, in vivo measurements of glutamate were performed in the cingulate cortex, prelimbic cortex, and infralimbic cortex …

Cognitive Effects Of One Season Of Head Impacts In A Cohort Of Collegiate Contact Sport Athletes, Thomas W. Mcallister,, Laura A. Flashman, Arthur C. Maerlender, Richard M. Greenwald, Jonathan G. Beckwith, Tor D. Tosteson, Joe Crisco, Per Gunner Brolinson, Stefan Duma, Ann-Christine Duhaime, M. R. Grove, John H. Turco

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Objective: To determine whether exposure to repetitive head impacts over a single season negatively affects cognitive performance in collegiate contact sport athletes.

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study at 3 Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association athletic programs. Participants were 214 Division I college varsity football and ice hockey players who wore instrumented helmets that recorded the acceleration-time history of the head following impact, and 45 noncontact sport athletes. All athletes were assessed prior to and shortly after the season with a cognitive screening battery (ImPACT) and a subgroup of athletes also were assessed with 7 measures from a …

Dr. Sulie Lin Chang's Website, Sulie Chang

Sulie Chang

No abstract provided.