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Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Commons™

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Doctoral Dissertations

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Integration Of Raman Spectroscopy And Python-Based Data Analysis For Advancing Neurobiological Research, Natalie E. Dunn Dec 2023

Integration Of Raman Spectroscopy And Python-Based Data Analysis For Advancing Neurobiological Research, Natalie E. Dunn

Doctoral Dissertations

The field of Raman spectroscopy continues to expand into biological applications due to its usefulness as a non-invasive technique that can be utilized qualitatively and quantitatively. However, the inherent weakness of Raman scattering leads to the need for each collected spectra to undergo a preprocessing step to remove noise, background drift, and cosmic rays. Biological research in particular needs large datasets due to the increased variability in samples. As datasets grow, the need to perform preprocessing on each individual spectra becomes daunting. Often, these steps are done by hand with the help of specialized software programs. Preprocessing can be accelerated …

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Phenotyping Regression In A Female Mouse Model For Rett Syndrome Using Computational Neuroethology Tools, Michael J. Mykins Aug 2023

Phenotyping Regression In A Female Mouse Model For Rett Syndrome Using Computational Neuroethology Tools, Michael J. Mykins

Doctoral Dissertations

Regression is defined as loss of acquired skills over time and is a key feature of many neurodevelopmental disorders such as Rett syndrome (RTT). RTT is caused by mutations in the X-linked gene Methyl CpG-Binding Protein 2 (MECP2) and is characterized by a period of typical development with subsequent regression of previously acquired motor and speech skills in girls. In human and animal models, it is clear syndromic phenotypes are dynamic over time but phenotyping regression over time in animal models has remained elusive. Lack of established timelines to study the molecular, cellular, and behavioral features of regression in female …

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Using The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus As A Model System To Assess Tolerance And Withdrawal To Alcohol, Jonathan Houghton Lindsay Aug 2017

Using The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus As A Model System To Assess Tolerance And Withdrawal To Alcohol, Jonathan Houghton Lindsay

Doctoral Dissertations

Alcohol abuse induces many disorders including depression, metabolic syndrome, and sleep disturbances. The strong link between alcohol abuse and sleep problems, along with the close connection between sleep and circadian rhythms, led us to investigate ethanol’s effects on the circadian clock. Previous work has shown that acute ethanol blocks photic phase shifts in vivo and glutamatergic phase shifts in vitro. However, neural systems become tolerant to ethanol across different timeframes. Despite both ethanol tolerance and ethanol withdrawal syndrome being listed as criteria for developing alcohol use disorders, little is known about how ethanol tolerance and withdrawal induced hyperexcitability develop and …

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Functional Role Of Each Component In Gamma Secretase Complex, Chen Hu May 2016

Functional Role Of Each Component In Gamma Secretase Complex, Chen Hu

Doctoral Dissertations

Amyloid hypothesis is widely accepted as the centerpiece of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. It is believed that the accumulation of amyloid beta (Ab) is the major deterministic factor of AD and the most important causative factor is the ratio of Ab42/Ab40. Gamma(g)-secretase defines the length of Ab and is composed of at least four subunits: presenilins (PS1 or PS2), nicastrin (NCT), anterior pharynx-defective 1 (Aph-1), and presenilin enhancer 2 (Pen-2). They have been reported to have different roles in g-secretase. For example, PS were believed as the catalytic components in g-secretase; NCT was recognized as a substrate receptor; Pen-2 was …

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Functional Analysis Of Corazonin And Its Receptor In Drosophila Melanogaster, Kai Sha Aug 2013

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 …

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Fibrinolytic Proteins And Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Modulation Of Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Circadian Clock, Xiang Mou Aug 2010

Fibrinolytic Proteins And Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Modulation Of Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Circadian Clock, Xiang Mou

Doctoral Dissertations

Mammalian circadian rhythms are controlled by a clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The mechanisms through which light phase-shifts the SCN circadian clock are similar to those underlying memory formation and long-term potentiation (LTP). Several secreted proteins, including tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), have been implicated in this process. These same proteins are important for photic phase-shifts of the SCN circadian clock. Early night glutamate application to SCN containing brain slices resets the circadian clock. Our experiments find that the endogenous tPA inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1(PAI-1), blocked these shifts in slices from wildtype …

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