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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Fear Learning And The Olfactory Bulb: Neural Correlates Of Behavioral Fear Generalization, Jordan Marie Ross
Fear Learning And The Olfactory Bulb: Neural Correlates Of Behavioral Fear Generalization, Jordan Marie Ross
Theses and Dissertations (ETD)
The exploration of how learning alters neural coding to guide behaviors remains fundamental to neuroscience. At the most basic level, the ability for organisms to flexibly adapt to changing environments and situations is paramount to biological success and often manifests in behavioral responses controlled by neural activity. For example, organisms must modify their behavior to defensive responses in the face of biological threat. Neural circuitry is involved in coordinating an initial defensive behavioral response but must undergo reorganization in order to reliably employ defensive responses in subsequent encounters based on a cue that signals imminent danger. One such form of …
Using Genetic Diversity To Understand Susceptibility To Cognitive Decline In Aging And Alzheimer’S Disease, Sarah M. Neuner
Using Genetic Diversity To Understand Susceptibility To Cognitive Decline In Aging And Alzheimer’S Disease, Sarah M. Neuner
Theses and Dissertations (ETD)
An individual's genetic makeup plays an important role in determining susceptibility to cognitive aging and transition to dementia such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Identifying the specific genetic variants that contribute to cognitive aging and AD may aid in early diagnosis of at-risk patients, as well as identify novel therapeutics targets to treat or prevent development of symptoms. Challenges to identifying these specific genes in human studies include complex genetics, difficulty in controlling environmental factors, and limited access to human brain tissue. Here, we turned to genetically diverse mice from the BXD genetic reference panel (GRP) to overcome some of the …
Investigation Of Cell-Type-Specific Effects And Synergistic Interactions Between Genes In Duplication 15q Syndrome, Kevin A. Hope
Investigation Of Cell-Type-Specific Effects And Synergistic Interactions Between Genes In Duplication 15q Syndrome, Kevin A. Hope
Theses and Dissertations (ETD)
Duplication 15q syndrome (Dup15q) is a genetic disorder caused by duplications of the 15q11.2-q13.1 region and is characterized by developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, and treatment resistant epilepsy. Extra copies of the E3 ubiquitin ligase UBE3A and elevated levels of UBE3A expression in neurons are thought to be the primary cause of Dup15q phenotypes. However, animal models overexpressing UBE3A in neurons have not successfully recapitulated all aspects of Dup15q syndrome, especially epilepsy. Here, we used Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) to investigate Dup15q syndrome. In Chapter 2 we explored whether Dube3a, the Drosophila homolog of UBE3A, is imprinted in the fly …