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Behavioral Neurobiology Commons

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

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Articles 1 - 14 of 14

Full-Text Articles in Behavioral Neurobiology

Characterization Of Sensory And Shelter Enrichment In The Rodent Research Habitat, Amber M. Paul, Yasaman Shirazi-Fard, America Reyes, Moniece Lowe, Margareth Cheng-Campbell, Sungshin Choi, Eduardo Almeida, April Ronca, Ruth K. Globus Nov 2019

Characterization Of Sensory And Shelter Enrichment In The Rodent Research Habitat, Amber M. Paul, Yasaman Shirazi-Fard, America Reyes, Moniece Lowe, Margareth Cheng-Campbell, Sungshin Choi, Eduardo Almeida, April Ronca, Ruth K. Globus

Publications

The ISS provides a platform for conducting Rodent Research (RR) in microgravity and 9 missions have been successfully conducted. The results from these experiments have begun to provide new insights into the effects of spaceflight on mammalian physiological systems. After RR-1-4, the Flight IACUC required inclusion of additional cage enrichment into the Rodent Habitats (RH) to “enhance animal well-being by providing animals with sensory and motor stimulation, through structures and resources that facilitate the expression of species typical behaviors”. A Hut, in the form of a rigid, mesh igloo-like shelter was implemented beginning with RR-5. The potential influence of the …


Influence Of Social Isolation During Prolonged Simulated Weightlessness By Hindlimb Unloading, Candice G.T. Tahimic, Amber M. Paul, Ann-Sofie Schreurs, Samantha M. Torres, Linda Rubinstein, Sonette Steczina Sep 2019

Influence Of Social Isolation During Prolonged Simulated Weightlessness By Hindlimb Unloading, Candice G.T. Tahimic, Amber M. Paul, Ann-Sofie Schreurs, Samantha M. Torres, Linda Rubinstein, Sonette Steczina

Publications

The hindlimb unloading (HU) model has been used extensively to simulate the cephalad fluid shift and musculoskeletal disuse observed in spaceflight with its application expanding to study immune, cardiovascular and central nervous system responses, among others. Most HU studies are performed with singly housed animals, although social isolation also can substantially impact behavior and physiology, and therefore may confound HU experimental results. Other HU variants that allow for paired housing have been developed although no systematic assessment has been made to understand the effects of social isolation on HU outcomes. Hence, we aimed to determine the contribution of social isolation …


Effects Of Altered Gravity On The Central Nervous System Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Amber M. Paul, Siddhita Mhatre, Janani Iyer, Jhony A. Zavaleta, Ravikumar Hosamani Mar 2019

Effects Of Altered Gravity On The Central Nervous System Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Amber M. Paul, Siddhita Mhatre, Janani Iyer, Jhony A. Zavaleta, Ravikumar Hosamani

Publications

A comprehensive understanding of the effects of spaceflight and altered gravity on human physiology is necessary for continued human space exploration and long-term space habitation. Spaceflight includes multiple factors such as microgravity, hyper gravity, ionizing radiation, physiological stress, and disrupted circadian rhythms and these have been shown to contribute to pathophysiological responses that target immunity, bone and muscle integrity, cardiovascular and nervous systems. In terrestrial conditions, some of these factors can lead to cancer and neuroimmunological disorders. In this study, we used a well-established spaceflight model organism, Drosophila melanogaster, to assess spaceflight-associated changes in the nervous system. We hypothesize that …


Differential Expression Of Genes Related To Innate Immune Responses In Ex Vivo Spinal Cord And Cerebellar Slice Cultures Infected With West Nile Virus, Amber M. Paul, Parminder J.S. Vig, Deyin Lu, Ram Kuwar, Maria Lopez, Dobrivoje S. Stokic, A. Arturo Leis, Michael R. Garrett, Fengwei Bai Dec 2018

Differential Expression Of Genes Related To Innate Immune Responses In Ex Vivo Spinal Cord And Cerebellar Slice Cultures Infected With West Nile Virus, Amber M. Paul, Parminder J.S. Vig, Deyin Lu, Ram Kuwar, Maria Lopez, Dobrivoje S. Stokic, A. Arturo Leis, Michael R. Garrett, Fengwei Bai

Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) infection results in a spectrum of neurological symptoms, ranging from a benign fever to severe WNV neuroinvasive disease with high mortality. Many who recover from WNV neuroinvasive infection present with long-term deficits, including weakness, fatigue, and cognitive problems. While neurons are a main target of WNV, other cell types, especially astrocytes, play an important role in promoting WNV-mediated central nervous system (CNS) damage. Conversely, it has been shown that cultured primary astrocytes secrete high levels of interferons (IFNs) immediately after WNV exposure to protect neighboring astrocytes, as well as neurons. However, how intrinsic responses to WNV …


Neutrophil To Lymphocyte Ratio: A Prognostic Indicator For Astronaut Health, Amber M. Paul, Siddhita D. Mhatre, Egle Cekanaviciute, Ann-Sofie Schreurs, Candice G.T. Tahimic, Ruth K. Globus, Brian Crucian, Sharmila Bhattacharya Oct 2018

Neutrophil To Lymphocyte Ratio: A Prognostic Indicator For Astronaut Health, Amber M. Paul, Siddhita D. Mhatre, Egle Cekanaviciute, Ann-Sofie Schreurs, Candice G.T. Tahimic, Ruth K. Globus, Brian Crucian, Sharmila Bhattacharya

Publications

Short-term and long-term spaceflight missions can cause immune system dysfunction in astronauts. Recent studies indicate elevated white blood cells (WBC) and polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) in astronaut blood, along with unchanged or reduced lymphocyte counts, and reduced T cell function, during short-(days) and long-(months) term spaceflight. A high PMN to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can acts as a strong predictor of poor prognosis in cancer, and as a biomarker for subclinical inflammation in humans and chronic stress in mouse models, however, the NLR has not yet been identified as a predictor of astronaut health during spaceflight. For this, complete blood cell count …


Stress-Induced Heat Shock Protein 40 And Immune Function In Altered Gravity, Amber M. Paul, Brooke D. Shepard, Sharmila Bhattacharya Oct 2018

Stress-Induced Heat Shock Protein 40 And Immune Function In Altered Gravity, Amber M. Paul, Brooke D. Shepard, Sharmila Bhattacharya

Publications

In space, astronauts are more susceptible to pathogens, viral reactivation and immunosuppression, which poses limits to their health and the mission. Interestingly, during space flight, stress-inducible heat shock proteins (HSP) are robustly induced, and the overexpression of HSPs have been implicated in immune dysregulation, therefore HSPs may be critically involved in regulating immune homeostasis. HSP40/DNAJ1 plays a major role in proper protein translation and folding. Its loss of function has been implicated in susceptibility to microbial infection, while its overexpression has been implicated in autoimmunity, collectively suggesting its complicated, but necessary, role in maintaining immunological function. To determine the role …


Congenital Zika Virus Infection In Immunocompetent Mice Causes Postnatal Growth Impediment And Neurobehavioral Deficits, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Biswas Neupane, E. Ashley Thompson, Gabriel Gonzalez-Fernandez, Katherine M. Copeland Aug 2018

Congenital Zika Virus Infection In Immunocompetent Mice Causes Postnatal Growth Impediment And Neurobehavioral Deficits, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Biswas Neupane, E. Ashley Thompson, Gabriel Gonzalez-Fernandez, Katherine M. Copeland

Publications

A small percentage of babies born to Zika virus (ZIKV)-infected mothers' manifest severe defects at birth, including microcephaly. Among those who appeared healthy at birth, there are increasing reports of postnatal growth or developmental defects. However, the impact of congenital ZIKV infection in postnatal development is poorly understood. Here, we report that a mild congenital ZIKV-infection in pups born to immunocompetent pregnant mice did not display apparent defects at birth, but manifested postnatal growth impediments and neurobehavioral deficits, which include reduced locomotor and cognitive deficits that persisted into adulthood. We found that the brains of these pups were smaller, had …


Calnexin Is Necessary For T Cell Transmigration Into The Central Nervous System, Amber M. Paul, Joanna Jung, Paul Eggleton, Alison Robinson, Jessica Wang, Nick Gutowski Mar 2018

Calnexin Is Necessary For T Cell Transmigration Into The Central Nervous System, Amber M. Paul, Joanna Jung, Paul Eggleton, Alison Robinson, Jessica Wang, Nick Gutowski

Publications

In multiple sclerosis (MS), a demyelinating inflammatory disease of the CNS, and its animal model (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; EAE), circulating immune cells gain access to the CNS across the blood-brain barrier to cause inflammation, myelin destruction, and neuronal damage. Here, we discovered that calnexin, an ER chaperone, is highly abundant in human brain endothelial cells of MS patients. Conversely, mice lacking calnexin exhibited resistance to EAE induction, no evidence of immune cell infiltration into the CNS, and no induction of inflammation markers within the CNS. Furthermore, calnexin deficiency in mice did not alter the development or function of the immune …


Osteopontin Facilitates West Nile Virus Neuroinvasion Via Neutrophil “Trojan Horse” Transport, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Laurel Duty, E. Ashley Thompson, Linda Le, Dobrivoje S. Stokic, A. Arturo Leis, Fengwei Bai Jul 2017

Osteopontin Facilitates West Nile Virus Neuroinvasion Via Neutrophil “Trojan Horse” Transport, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Laurel Duty, E. Ashley Thompson, Linda Le, Dobrivoje S. Stokic, A. Arturo Leis, Fengwei Bai

Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) can cause severe human neurological diseases including encephalitis and meningitis. The mechanisms by which WNV enters the central nervous system (CNS) and host factors that are involved in WNV neuroinvasion are not completely understood. The proinflammatory chemokine osteopontin (OPN) is induced in multiple neuroinflammatory diseases and is responsible for leukocyte recruitment to sites of its expression. In this study, we found that WNV infection induced OPN expression in both human and mouse cells. Interestingly, WNV-infected OPN deficient (Opn−/−) mice exhibited a higher survival rate (70%) than wild type (WT) control mice (30%), suggesting OPN plays a …


Interleukin-17a Promotes Cd8 T Cell Cytotoxicity To Facilitate West Nile Virus Clearance, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Penghua Wang, Jianfeng Dai, David Gate Oct 2016

Interleukin-17a Promotes Cd8 T Cell Cytotoxicity To Facilitate West Nile Virus Clearance, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Penghua Wang, Jianfeng Dai, David Gate

Publications

CD8 T cells are crucial components of immunity and play a vital role in recovery from West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Here, we identify a previously unrecognized function of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in inducing cytotoxic-mediator gene expression and promoting CD8 T cell cytotoxicity against WNV infection in mice. We find that IL-17A-deficient (Il17a/) mice are more susceptible to WNV infection and develop a higher viral burden than wild-type (WT) mice. Interestingly, the CD8 T cells isolated from Il17a/ mice are less cytotoxic and express lower levels of cytotoxic-mediator genes, which can be restored by supplying recombinant IL-17A in vitro and in …


An Ultrasensitive Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence-Based Immunoassay For Specific Detection Of Zika Virus, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Pradip Bastola, Linda Le, Estenfani Fernandez, Michael S. Diamond, Wujian Miao, Fengwei Bai Aug 2016

An Ultrasensitive Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence-Based Immunoassay For Specific Detection Of Zika Virus, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Pradip Bastola, Linda Le, Estenfani Fernandez, Michael S. Diamond, Wujian Miao, Fengwei Bai

Publications

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a globally emerging mosquito-transmitted flavivirus that can cause severe fetal abnormalities, including microcephaly. As such, highly sensitive, specific, and cost-effective diagnostic methods are urgently needed. Here, we report a novel electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL)-based immunoassay for ultrasensitive and specific detection of ZIKV in human biological fluids. We loaded polystyrene beads (PSB) with a large number of ECL labels and conjugated them with anti-ZIKV monoclonal antibodies to generate anti-ZIKV-PSBs. These anti-ZIKV-PSBs efficiently captured ZIKV in solution forming ZIKV-anti-ZIKV-PSB complexes, which were subjected to measurement of ECL intensity after further magnetic beads separation. Our results show that the anti-ZIKV-PSBs …


Loss Of Glycosaminoglycan Receptor Binding After Mosquito Cell Passage Reduces Chikungunya Virus Infectivity, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, John F. Anderson, Faqing Huang, Fengwei Bai Oct 2015

Loss Of Glycosaminoglycan Receptor Binding After Mosquito Cell Passage Reduces Chikungunya Virus Infectivity, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, John F. Anderson, Faqing Huang, Fengwei Bai

Publications

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that can cause fever and chronic arthritis in humans. CHIKV that is generated in mosquito or mammalian cells differs in glycosylation patterns of viral proteins, which may affect its replication and virulence. Herein, we compare replication, pathogenicity, and receptor binding of CHIKV generated in Vero cells (mammal) or C6/36 cells (mosquito) through a single passage. We demonstrate that mosquito cell derived CHIKV (CHIKVmos) has slower replication than mammalian cell derived CHIKV (CHIKVvero), when tested in both human and murine cell lines. Consistent with this, CHIKVmos infection in both cell lines produce less cytopathic …


Neurosteroid-Mediated Regulation Of Brain Innate Immunity In Hiv/Aids: Dhea-S Suppresses Neurovirulence, Amber Paul, Ferdinand G. Maingat, Maria J. Polyak, Pornpun Vivithanaporn, Farshid Noorbakhsh, Samir Ahboucha, Glen B. Baker, Keir Pearson, Christopher Power Oct 2012

Neurosteroid-Mediated Regulation Of Brain Innate Immunity In Hiv/Aids: Dhea-S Suppresses Neurovirulence, Amber Paul, Ferdinand G. Maingat, Maria J. Polyak, Pornpun Vivithanaporn, Farshid Noorbakhsh, Samir Ahboucha, Glen B. Baker, Keir Pearson, Christopher Power

Publications

Neurosteroids are cholesterol-derived molecules synthesized within the brain, which exert trophic and protective actions. Infection by human and feline immunodeficiency viruses (HIV and FIV, respectively) causes neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, leading to neurological deficits. Secretion of neuroinflammatory host and viral factors by glia and infiltrating leukocytes mediates the principal neuropathogenic mechanisms during, although the effect of neurosteroids on these processes is unknown. We investigated the interactions between neurosteroid mediated effects and lentivirus infection outcomes. Analyses of HIV-infected uninfected human brains disclosed a reduction in neurosteroid synthesis enzyme expression. Human neurons exposed to supernatants from HIV macrophages exhibited suppressed enzyme expression without …


Trends. Terrorist Brains, Ibpp Editor Nov 2002

Trends. Terrorist Brains, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the construct of biological reductionism in the context of the case of Red Army Faction member Ulrike Meinhof. For the author, overly emphasizing the biological aspects of Ms. Meinhof’s case might obscure legitimate grievances, and ultimately, lead to more cases of violence associated with terrorism.