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Full-Text Articles in Behavioral Neurobiology
Sleep Modifications In A Drosophila Melanogaster Model Of Fragile X Syndrome, Morgan Mclaughlin
Sleep Modifications In A Drosophila Melanogaster Model Of Fragile X Syndrome, Morgan Mclaughlin
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disabilities, disruptions in sleep, and autism in humans. Mutations in Fragile X Mental Retardation gene 1 (FMR1), which codes for a protein that modifies the expression of many target proteins, are primarily responsible for this disorder. Genetic modifications of FMR1 can increase or decrease the overall amount of sleep in humans. A potential pharmaceutical target of FXS is dopamine, a critical neurotransmitter in the regulation of sleep and wakefulness. In fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) dopamine has been shown to alter sleep. The mushroom body, a structure in …
Examining The Neuronal Dopaminergic Pathway Underlying Sleep Behavior And Related Dopamine Sleep Disorders, Mary Beth Putz
Examining The Neuronal Dopaminergic Pathway Underlying Sleep Behavior And Related Dopamine Sleep Disorders, Mary Beth Putz
Undergraduate Honors Theses
The human brain is an extremely complex organ with approximately 100 billion different neurons that are constantly sending and receiving messages. These messages are sent using the chemical messengers of the brain: neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. Mechanisms of neural control of sleep are substantially conserved across species. Evidence from multiple animal models including flies, zebrafish, and mice shows that the arousal, or wake phase, is regulated by conserved neuromodulators such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Since these neurotransmitter systems are distributed throughout the brain and sub-serve many functions in addition to sleep, the precise circuit mechanisms by which these neurotransmitters regulate …