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Medical Neurobiology

Theses/Dissertations

2021

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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Test Transferability Of 3d-Mot Training On Soccer Specific Parameters, Micaela Dusseault Dec 2021

Test Transferability Of 3d-Mot Training On Soccer Specific Parameters, Micaela Dusseault

Honors Theses

Objective: The benefits of perceptual-cognitive training in elite level athletes has recently been investigated in multiple sports such as basketball, soccer, and archery, but conclusive evidence proving test transferability of 3D-MOT training is lacking. The purpose of this research is to examine the transferability of perceptual-cognitive training to on-field soccer performance parameters. Participants: NCAA Division I women’s soccer players (n=22) between the ages of 18-25 who were placed into either the experimental group (n=10) or control group (n=12). After baseline testing for both groups to determine visual tracking speed (VTS), the experimental group completed 10 3D-MOT training sessions with NeuroTracker …


Axon Initial Segment Morphology Across Typical Cortical Development And In Mouse Models Of Neurodevelopmental Disorders With A High Incidence Of Epilepsy, Rachel Ali Rodriguez Dec 2021

Axon Initial Segment Morphology Across Typical Cortical Development And In Mouse Models Of Neurodevelopmental Disorders With A High Incidence Of Epilepsy, Rachel Ali Rodriguez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are commonly associated with a high incidence of epileptic seizures which result from excessive firing of neurons. The axon initial segment (AIS) is a neuronal compartment essential for the control of activity patterns of neurons. The AIS undergoes important modifications during development, but the molecular mechanisms that affect the development, morphology, and protein composition of the AIS are still not well understood. We examined AIS morphology of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) pyramidal neurons in wildtype mice across development and in two mouse models of NDDs. Results indicate restructurings at the AIS during typical development, some of which …


Designs And Outcomes Of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Tms) And Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Rtms) Circuits, Daniel Senda Dec 2021

Designs And Outcomes Of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Tms) And Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Rtms) Circuits, Daniel Senda

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis reports the design and outcomes of several circuits intended for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) research. In simple terms, TMS circuits are composed of four main blocks: high voltage power source, energy storage bank, control switch, and coil. Each one of these blocks has characteristics that influence how well the circuit will perform for TMS procedures. A successful TMS research circuit must have the ability to emit controlled electromagnetic pulses through a coil connected to it. For the first block, voltages ranging from 50 V to 2 kV were used. In the second …


Multiple Approaches To Auditory Rhythm: Development Of Sustained Musical Beat And The Relation To Language, Development Of Rhythmic Categories Via Iterated Production, And A Meta-Analytic Study Of Neural Entrainment To Beat, Karli Marie Nave Dec 2021

Multiple Approaches To Auditory Rhythm: Development Of Sustained Musical Beat And The Relation To Language, Development Of Rhythmic Categories Via Iterated Production, And A Meta-Analytic Study Of Neural Entrainment To Beat, Karli Marie Nave

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Rhythm is ubiquitous to human communication, coordination, and experience of music. In this dissertation, I address three empirical questions through three different methodologies, all of which contribute to the growing body of literature on human auditory rhythm processing. In Chapter 2, I present a registered report detailing the results of independent conceptual replications of Nozaradan, Peretz, Missal, & Mouraux (2011), all using the same vetted protocol. Listeners performed the same tasks as in Nozaradan et al. (2011), with the addition of behavioral measures of perception. In neuroscience, neural correlates to musical beat perception have been identified, yet little to no …


Poster: Sars-Cov-2 Neuroinvasion, Heather M. Tatusko Jul 2021

Poster: Sars-Cov-2 Neuroinvasion, Heather M. Tatusko

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Over the last century, science and literature has reported neurological manifestations during various disease outbreaks as well as long-term sequelae following epidemics and pandemics. Some of the first neurological symptoms reported with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19; caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-Cov-2]) were anosmia and dysgeusia, suggesting SARS-CoV-2 penetrance of the central nervous system (CNS). To date, the definite clinical and pathological basis of CNS involvement of SARS-CoV-2 remains poorly understood, with the neurovirulence of SARS-CoV-2 and its neuroinvasive potential remaining largely unknown. The author’s poster will explore neurological manifestations of COVID-19 disease, the direct and indirect …


Taste Learning In Insular Cortex: Plasticity Is Influenced By Experience Type, Stephanie Marie Staszko Jul 2021

Taste Learning In Insular Cortex: Plasticity Is Influenced By Experience Type, Stephanie Marie Staszko

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The gustatory cortex (GC) has long been studied as the main cortical area encoding taste stimuli and likely integrates sensory, visceral, and emotional information to guide taste-related behaviors. However, our understanding of cortical taste coding on a single-cell level has only become clear in recent years. The anatomical location of GC on the lateral and ventral surface of the brain makes it difficult to target with traditional imaging methods. Thus, much of what we know about cortical taste coding and cortical taste plasticity has been derived either from multiunit electrode recordings or anesthetized imaging experiments, techniques which lack the ability …


Effects Of Genetics And Sex On Hippocampal Gene Expression And Adolescent Behaviors Following Neonatal Ethanol Exposure In Bxd Recombinant Inbred Mice, Jessica A. Baker Jul 2021

Effects Of Genetics And Sex On Hippocampal Gene Expression And Adolescent Behaviors Following Neonatal Ethanol Exposure In Bxd Recombinant Inbred Mice, Jessica A. Baker

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are the leading preventable neurodevelopmental disorders in the western world. A hallmark symptom of FASD is cognitive and learning deficits that present in early childhood and continue throughout adulthood. Teratogenic effects of alcohol include increased cell death in the hippocampus, a brain region critically important in learning and memory. Genetics have been shown to have a role in the severity of alcohol’s teratogenic effect on the developing brain. Previous work in our lab identified differential vulnerability to ethanol-induced call death in the hippocampus using fourteen BXD strains and the two parental strains. The goal of …


Machine Learning Classification Of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients Versus Healthy Controls Using Arterial Spin Labeled Perfusion Mri, Vanessa I. Grass Jun 2021

Machine Learning Classification Of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients Versus Healthy Controls Using Arterial Spin Labeled Perfusion Mri, Vanessa I. Grass

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most common causes of death and disability worldwide, yet accurate in vivo detection of TBI neuropathology remains challenging due to complexities in the structural and functional changes observed post-injury as well as limitations in conventional neuroimaging modalities. Although advanced neuroimaging techniques such as arterial spin labeling (ASL) can noninvasively assess cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes observed post-injury, this technique is underutilized in TBI research partly due to the low signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) inherent in ASL imaging. The aim of the current study is to examine the use of machine learning, specifically a Support …


Development Of A Novel Cognitive-Motor Dual Task Assessment Battery In Neurodegenerative Disease, Jason Longhurst May 2021

Development Of A Novel Cognitive-Motor Dual Task Assessment Battery In Neurodegenerative Disease, Jason Longhurst

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Automaticity --- the ability to perform a task with directing attentional resources to its completion --- is commonly reduced among individuals with neurodegenerative diseases. These automaticity deficits result in impaired functional and daily activities and are sensitive to subtle, subclinical impairments. However, current measurement of automaticity by dual task paradigms is methodologically limited. In order to gain insight into the current state of the literature regarding cognitive-motor interference in symptomatic and prodromal neurodegenerative disease, the author of this dissertation conducted a scoping review (Chapter 1). To address the methodological limitations of current measurement of automaticity, a new measurement tool was …


Long-Term Impacts Of Acute Stressor Exposure On Locus Coeruleus Function And Anxiety-Like Behavior In Rats, Olga Borodovitsyna Apr 2021

Long-Term Impacts Of Acute Stressor Exposure On Locus Coeruleus Function And Anxiety-Like Behavior In Rats, Olga Borodovitsyna

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Stress is a physiological state characterized by behavioral arousal that occurs during exposure to harmful or threatening stimuli, and usually facilitates an adaptive behavioral response. The persistence of stress sometimes causes it to become maladaptive, potentially contributing to disease development, including physiological complications with altered neuroendocrine signaling and impaired function of organ systems, and psychological conditions including depression and anxiety. Anxiety disorders in particular are associated with a history of stress and are the most common class of mental disorders, with a lifetime prevalence of 33.7% in the general population. The locus coeruleus (LC) is a major node in the …


Pre-Clinical Advancements In Biomarkers, Tools, And Therapeutics For A Metabolic Neurodegenerative Disease, Zoë Simmons Jan 2021

Pre-Clinical Advancements In Biomarkers, Tools, And Therapeutics For A Metabolic Neurodegenerative Disease, Zoë Simmons

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Glycogen is the storage form of glucose and a highly important substrate for cellular metabolism. Characterization of the enzymes and mechanisms of glycogen metabolism began over 70 years ago and over the last 20 years, a previously unknown protein called laforin has emerged as an important contributor to glycogen metabolism homeostasis. Multiple labs demonstrated that laforin is a glycogen phosphatase and mutations in the gene encoding laforin cause the formation of aberrant glycogen-like aggregates called Lafora bodies (LBs). LBs are cytoplasmic, water-insoluble aggregates that drive neurodegeneration and early death in Lafora disease (LD) patients. The direct relationship between mutated laforin, …


The Effect Of The Interaction Of Exercise Training And Isolation On The Serotonergic System Of App/Ps1 Mice, Bailey J. Dansby Jan 2021

The Effect Of The Interaction Of Exercise Training And Isolation On The Serotonergic System Of App/Ps1 Mice, Bailey J. Dansby

MSU Graduate Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the deposition of amyloid beta (Ab) peptides and, consecutively, by a loss of memory and cognitive functions. The amyloid cascade hypothesis suggests that Ab deposition is the main pathogenic of AD. There is evidence that both changes in production and clearance of Ab may be involved in AD pathology. Past studies have shown that exercise training leads to an upregulation in proteins directly involved with Ab clearance. Chronic stress is thought to exacerbate AD pathology by increasing production of Ab. Studies have also demonstrated a link between serotonin …


Janus Kinase 1 Drives Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Induced Transcriptional Reprogramming In Astrocytes, Savannah Graham Sims Jan 2021

Janus Kinase 1 Drives Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Induced Transcriptional Reprogramming In Astrocytes, Savannah Graham Sims

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Neurological and neurodegenerative diseases are heterogenous and devastating diseases with limited therapeutic options and no cures. The broad, long-term goal of this project was to elucidate therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative conditions that attenuate damaging inflammation while leaving the beneficial immune response intact and avoiding broad immunosuppression. Inflammation and the accumulation of misfolded proteins are associated with a wide variety of neurological diseases. Here, we have examined how the accumulation of misfolded proteins shapes inflammatory signaling in the glial cell population astrocytes. Astrocytes are the most populous cell in the central nervous system (CNS) and provide physical and trophic support to …


Protocadherin-19 Expression And Function In Vertebrate Brain Review, Makana Mcguire Jan 2021

Protocadherin-19 Expression And Function In Vertebrate Brain Review, Makana Mcguire

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For this project, a systematic review will be conducted on published studies on protocadherin-19 expression and function in vertebrate central nervous system development in the last 10 years. Protocadherin-19 (pcdh19) is a member of the cadherin superfamily. Cadherins are calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecules show to play important roles in vertebrate tissue development including the formation of the central nervous system. Understanding molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the function of pcdh19 will help aid in understanding disease(s) caused by malfunction of this molecule, and lead to potential strategies for treatment. Data will be collected via online search of databases. The project …


Neural Stem Cell Metabolic Changes In The Presence Of Interferon-Gamma, Dylan Mckibben Jan 2021

Neural Stem Cell Metabolic Changes In The Presence Of Interferon-Gamma, Dylan Mckibben

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Spinal cord injury results in significant disability and health care costs due to an inability of the mature central nervous system to regenerate. One potential therapy would be implantation of neural stem cells to the injury site and stimulation of their differentiation to mature neurons. Previous work has shown that the cytokine interferon-gamma can promote this process; however, the signaling pathways induced in neural stem cells have not been well-defined. This proposal examines neural stem cell metabolic responses to signaling induced by interferon-gamma. Two questions will be answered: i) What specific metabolic pathway is activated to guide neural stem cell …