Behavioral Neurobiology Commons^™

Identification Of Novel Sleep Related Genes From Large Scale Phenotyping Experiments In Mice, Shreyas Joshi

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Humans spend a third of their lives sleeping but very little is known about the physiological and genetic mechanisms controlling sleep. Increased data from sleep phenotyping studies in mouse and other species, genetic crosses, and gene expression databases can all help improve our understanding of the process. Here, we present analysis of our own sleep data from the large-scale phenotyping program at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), to identify the best gene candidates and phenotype predictors for influencing sleep traits.

The original knockout mouse project (KOMP) was a worldwide collaborative effort to produce embryonic stem (ES) cell lines with one of …

Role Of Mitochondrial Beta-Oxidation In Ethanol Response: A Candidate Gene Study Using Caenorhabditis Elegans, Harini Pallikarana Tirumala

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the fourth leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and the fifth leading risk factor for premature death and disability, globally. There are currently very few treatment options for AUD and there is a need for effective preventive and treatment strategies for this condition. AUD risk has a significant hereditary component, with the contribution of genetic factors being estimated to be about 50%. The Davies-Bettinger laboratory uses C. elegans as a model organism to study the contribution of genetic factors in modulating neuronal responses to ethanol. In this project, we examined the role …

Reverse Genetic Screening Of Innexin Gap Junction Proteins In Drosophila Neurons, Shannon P. Fox

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The reflexive response and perception of pain (nociception) is an evolutionarily conserved process in animals. Pain can be a major health concern and current treatments often prove insufficient, especially in regards to chronic pain. Greater understanding of the molecular processes underlying pain sensation could lead to new and more effective treatments. The aim of this study is to investigate the molecular mechanisms of cold nociception in Drosophila melanogaster. A specific subset of peripheral sensory neurons (Class III dendritic arborization (da) neurons), are implicated in Drosophila larvae’s response to noxious cold.

Previous literature has associated a family of gap junction protein, …

The Effects Of Chronic Partial Sleep Deprivation And Chronic Voluntary Alcohol Consumption On Δfos B Accumulation, Kristian Ponder

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The present study explores the relation between sleep restriction and alcohol use and the neural substrates that result from chronic behaviors. Accumulation of the transcription factors ΔFosB is suggested as a possible outcome of chronic behaviors, such as addiction. Sleep is discussed as possible mediating factor in the relationship between ΔFosB and chronic alcohol consumption. There were four experimental groups in this study: Control (C), Sleep Deprivation only (SD), Alcohol Exposure only (AO), and both sleep deprivation and alcohol exposure (B). Levels of ΔFosB accumulation in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) revealed a significant main effect of sleep deprivation, but no …

The Effects Of Chronic Partial Sleep Deprivation On Alcohol Consumption And Delta Fos B Accumulation, Kristian Ponder

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

The present study explores the relation between sleep restriction and alcohol use and the neural substrates that result from chronic behaviors, such as transcription factors. Transcription factor activity is suggested as a possible outcome of chronic behaviors, such as addiction. Sleep is discussed as possible mediating factor in the relationship between specific transcription factors and alcohol. Analysis will focus on brain areas related to both sleep and reward.

Associations Between Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis System Gene Variants And Cortisol Reactivity In Preschoolers: Main Effects And Gene-Environment Interactions, Haroon I. Sheikh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Exposure to stressful events during early development has consistently been shown to produce long lasting effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which may increase vulnerability to mood and anxiety disorders. Recently reported genetic association studies indicate that these disorders may be influenced, in part, by gene-environment interactions (GxE) involving polymorphisms within the corticotrophin-releasing hormone and monoaminergic system genes. However, little is known about how genetic variants and life stress work to shape children’s neuroendocrine reactivity and emerging symptoms. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to examine main effects of candidate genes and GxE on the neuroendocrine stress response and …

Functional Analysis Of Corazonin And Its Receptor In Drosophila Melanogaster, Kai Sha

Doctoral Dissertations

Corazonin (Crz) is an amidated undecapeptide originally isolated from the American cockroach. It has been shown to affect diverse physiological functions in a species-specific manner. However, the functionality of Crz in Drosophila melanogaster has not yet been determined. To gain insight into the role of Crz signaling in vivo, Crz and CrzR null alleles were obtained by transposable element mobilization. Flies carrying a deficiency uncovering Crz and pr-set7 loci were generated via P-element excision, and the latter was rescued by wild-type pr-set7 transgene. A mutation of Crz receptor (CrzR) was generated by Minos-element mobilization from …

Characterization Of The Apoptotic Functions Of The Hid Hmolog Isolated From Megaselia Scalaris, Shannon Smith

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Cocaine Dependence: The Role Of Serotonin Genes In, Lorena Maili

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Animal studies have shown that behavioral responses to cocaine-related cues are altered by serotonergic medications. The effects of pharmacological agents on serotonin receptors 2a (5-HT2A) and 2c (5-HT2C), have yielded results suggesting that selective 5-HT2A antagonists and 5-HT2C agonists promote the disruption of cocaine-associated memories. One measure of cocaine related cues in humans is attentional bias, in which cocaine dependent individuals show greater response latency for cocaine related words than neutral words. Data from our laboratory shows that cocaine dependent subjects have altered attentional bias compared to controls. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the role of the …

Molecular-Genetic Mapping Of Zebrafish Mutants With Variable Phenotypic Penetrance, Roshan Jain, Marc Wolman, Lauren Schmidt, Harold Burgess, Michael Granato

Roshan A Jain

Forward genetic screens in vertebrates are powerful tools to generate models relevant to human diseases, including neuropsychiatric disorders. Variability in phenotypic penetrance and expressivity is common in these disorders and behavioral mutant models, making their molecular-genetic mapping a formidable task. Using a ‘phenotyping by segregation’ strategy, we molecularly map the hypersensitive zebrafish houdini mutant despite its variable phenotypic penetrance, providing a generally applicable strategy to map zebrafish mutants with subtle phenotypes.

Characterizing And Treating The Neuropathology Of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex In The Mouse, Sharon W. Way

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a multisystem, autosomal dominant disorder affecting approximately 1 in 6000 births. Developmental brain abnormalities cause substantial morbidity and mortality and often lead to neurological disease including epilepsy, cognitive disabilities, and autism. TSC is caused by inactivating mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2, whose protein products are known inhibitors of mTORC1, an important kinase regulating translation and cell growth. Nonetheless, neither the pathophysiology of the neurological manifestations of TSC nor the extent of mTORC1 involvement in the development of these lesions is known. Murine models would greatly advance the study of this debilitating disorder. This thesis …

Genetic Analysis Of The Function Of The Drosophila Doublesex-Related Factor Dmrt93b, Diana O'Day

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

DMRT (Doublesex and Mab-3 related transcription factor) proteins generally associated with sexual differentiation in many organisms share a common DNA binding domain and are often expressed in reproductive tissues. Aside from doublesex, which is a central factor in the regulation of sex determination, Drosophila possesses three different dmrt genes that are of unknown function. Because the association with sexual differentiation and reproduction is not universal and some DMRT proteins have been found to play other developmental roles we chose to further characterize one of these Drosophila genes. We carried out genetic analysis of dmrt93B, which was previously found to be …

Sheep Updates 2005 - Part 1, R. W. Kelly, R. Kingwell, A. R. Bray, Chris Oldham, Graeme Martin, D. Blanche, D. Ferguson, Keith Crocker, Di Evans

Sheep Updates

This session covers seven papers from different authors: Boosting lambing percentages of WA sheep flocks. R.W. Kelly CSIRO Livestock Industries, Floreat WA , R. Kingwell Department of Agriculture WA, Kiwis can fly - 30% higher lambing in 15 years, AR Bray, Meat and Wool New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand Rams are not a trivial expense, so what can you do to maximise on your investment? Chri Oldham, Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Graeme Martin, University of West Australia. Care for mun - fetal programming, lamb survival and lifetime performance. RW Kelly CSIRO Livestock Industries, Floreat WA Boost lamb survival - …