Nervous System Commons^™

Role Of Adenylyl Cyclase Type 7 In Functions Of Bv-2 Microglia, Yawen Hu, Rebecca A. Hill, Masami Yoshimura

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

To assess the role of adenylyl cyclase type 7 (AC7) in microglia’s immune function, we generated AC7 gene knockout (AC7 KO) clones from a mouse microglial cell line, BV-2, using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system. The ability of BV-2 cells to generate cAMP and their innate immune functions were examined in the presence or absence of ethanol. The parental BV-2 cells showed robust cAMP production when stimulated with prostaglandin-E1 (PGE1) and ethanol increased cAMP production in a dose-dependent manner. AC7 KO clones of BV-2 cells showed diminished and ethanol-insensitive cAMP production. The phagocytic activity of the parental BV-2 cells was …

Use Of Integrated Clinical Scenarios In Neuroanatomy Laboratory Sessions A Strategy To Foster Students’ Learning, Ahmed Yaqinuddin, Amna Siddiqui, Muhammad Faisal Ikram, Junaid Kashir

International Journal of Health and Allied Sciences

Objective: Combinations of various teaching strategies have been employed to enhance neuroanatomy teaching, to little success. Herein, we describe the use of integrated clinical scenarios in anatomy laboratory sessions as an educational strategy to improve the learning process for students undertaking neuroscience course. Methods: We assessed the perception and performance of students who utilised the integrated clinical resources in the neuroanatomy labs. We also compared the performance of the students on their neuroscience course with the performance of the previous year's students (who did not use the clinical scenarios). Results: A total of (130) 88% of the registered student both …

The Clinical Value Of Oculomotor Assessments Across The Continuum Of Concussion, Dillon Richards

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Concussions are complex conditions that are difficult to manage medically. Variations in symptom presentation, intricate neurophysiological processes, and the availability of a variety of possible assessment tools may contribute to this complexity. Clinicians must use a broad approach, employing both subjective symptom assessment and objective assessments to confirm a diagnosis and/or monitor progression and recovery. Oculomotor function after concussion may be an important indicator of injury, given the interconnectedness of oculomotor function, vestibulo-ocular and visual systems, and even cognition. Oculomotor function may be assessed objectively or indirectly using patient-reported symptom checklists as part of subjective assessments. One way of objectively …

Evaluation Of Respiratory Function Using Blood Gas Parameters In Yucatan Minipigs Following Spinal Cord Injury, Jackson Gallagher, Monique Morgan, Chase Knibbe, Destiny Gibson, Maxwell Boakye

The Cardinal Edge

There are approximately 17,810 new spinal cord injuries (SCI) in the U.S. each year [1]. Physical damage to the spinal cord has the potential to interfere with normal motor, sensory, and/or autonomic function, such as impairment of the respiratory system. In fact, respiratory insufficiency is the number one cause of mortality and morbidity after SCI. The more rostral the injury, the more likely there will be disruption to normal ventilation (generally rostral to T6) [2]. To conduct relevant preclinical research, it has been shown that large animal models, such as the Yucatan minipig, have a better success rate of translating …

Explicit And Implicit Emotion Processing In The Cerebellum: A Meta‑Analysis And Systematic Review, Jordan E. Pierce, Marine Thomasson, Philippe Voruz, Garance Selosse, Julie Péron

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

The cerebellum’s role in affective processing is increasingly recognized in the literature, but remains poorly understood, despite abundant clinical evidence for affective disruptions following cerebellar damage. To improve the characterization of emotion processing and investigate how attention allocation impacts this processing, we conducted a meta-analysis on task activation foci using GingerALE software. Eighty human neuroimaging studies of emotion including 2761 participants identified through Web of Science and ProQuest databases were analyzed collectively and then divided into two categories based on the focus of attention during the task: explicit or implicit emotion processing. The results examining the explicit emotion tasks identified …

Comparative Anatomical Study Of The Brachial Plexus Of Primates, Alison Leann Camero

Masters Theses

Old world monkeys, new world monkeys, and humans all originate from a common ancestor. Although humans and old world monkeys are phylogenetically more closely related, old world monkeys and new world monkeys have similar locomotion. A difference in muscle patterns exists between old world monkeys, new world monkeys, and humans. Different musculature may be due to differences in locomotive patterns and species-specific use of their forearms. Muscles in the forelimbs are innervated by the nerves of the brachial plexus. There are differences among the brachial plexuses of human and non-human primates as well as variability within the species.

In this …

From Young To Old: The Effects Of Sedentary-Aging And Exercise Interventions On Structural Plasticity Of Lumbar Motor Neurons, Nmj, And Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Expression, Alberto Felipe Cintron-Colon

Dissertations

Neuromuscular weakness has been associated with age progression. A possible reason is a disconnection between muscle and neuron, causing components from both the central and peripheral nervous systems to deteriorate. Exercise, however, has beneficial effects for both muscle and nervous tissue, inducing neuroprotection. Neurotrophic factors are powerful regulators of neuronal maintenance and synaptic strength. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a neurotrophic factor that has been shown to be a potent survival factor for somatic motor neurons that innervate skeletal muscle.

This study aims to evaluate changes in structural plasticity of motor neurons in the lumbar spinal cord and …

Expression And Purification Of The Bacterial Protein Curli Csga And Its Cross-Interactions With Amyloid-B, Leah Grace Cantrell

Honors Theses

One of the main causes of neurodegenerative diseases is aggregation of amyloid proteins that are toxic to the neurons. Proteins like amyloid-β (Aβ) and α-syneuclein (α-syn) form hallmark aggregate lesions that contribute to pathological processes in the brain in Alzheimer and Parkinson’s patients, respectively. Recent ground-breaking studies have suggested a link between the microbiota of the gut and neurodegenerative diseases, called the “gut-brain axis.” It has been long known that the protein, CsgA found in many enteric bacteria, forms amyloid fibers of its own called Curli. Curli fibrils are a structural component of bacterial colonies and maintain the integrity of …

Age-Dependent White Matter Disruptions After Military Traumatic Brain Injury: Multivariate Analysis Results From Enigma Brain Injury, Heather C. Bouchard, Delin Sun, Emily L. Dennis, Mary R. Newsome, Seth G. Disner, Jeremy Elman, Annelise Silva, Carmen Velez, Andrei Irimia, Nicholas D. Davenport, Scott R. Sponheim, Carol E. Franz, William S. Kremen, Michael J. Coleman, M. Wright Williams, Elbert Geuze, Inga K. Koerte, Martha E. Shenton, Maheen M. Adamson, Raul Coimbra, Gerald Grant, Lori Shutter, Mark S. George, Ross D. Zafonte, Thomas W. Mcallister, Murray B. Stein, Paul M. Thompson, Elisabeth A. Wilde, David F. Tate, Aristeidis Sotiras, Rajendra A. Morey

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Mild Traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a signature wound in military personnel, and repetitive mTBI has been linked to age-related neurogenerative disorders that affect white matter (WM) in the brain. However, findings of injury to specific WM tracts have been variable and inconsistent. This may be due to the heterogeneity of mechanisms, etiology, and comorbid disorders related to mTBI. Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) is a data-driven approach that detects covarying patterns (components) within high-dimensional data. We applied NMF to diffusion imaging data from military Veterans with and without a self-reported TBI history. NMF identified 12 independent components derived from fractional …

The Role Of Reported Affective Symptoms And Anxiety In Recovery Trajectories After Sport-Related Concussion, Bernadette A. D'Alonzo, Abigail C. Bretzin, Douglas J. Wiebe, Ivy League–Big Ten Epidemiology Of Concussion Study Investigators, Arthur C. Maerlender, Cary R. Savage

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: There is growing awareness and clinical interest in athletes with affective symptoms after sport-related concussion (SRC), as these symptoms may contribute to overall symptoms and represent a modifiable risk factor of longer recovery. However, evidence of their effects on the entire return-to-play (RTP) trajectory, particularly among women and men, is limited.

Purpose/Hypothesis: To examine the relationship between affective symptom reporting and RTP progression after SRC among a cohort of Division 1 student-athletes. We hypothesized that those endorsing affective symptoms, specifically nervous-anxious symptoms, spend more time in RTP progression and recovery.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: …

Comparative Studies Between The Murine Immortalized Brain Endothelial Cell Line (Bend.3) And Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Human Brain Endothelial Cells For Paracellular Transport, Jiahong Sun, Weijun Ou, Derick Han, Annlia Paganini-Hill, Mark J. Fisher, Rachita K. Sumbria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Brain microvascular endothelial cells, forming the anatomical site of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), are widely used as in vitro complements to in vivo BBB studies. Among the immortalized cells used as in vitro BBB models, the murine-derived bEnd.3 cells offer culturing consistency and low cost and are well characterized for functional and transport assays, but result in low transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER). Human-induced pluripotent stem cells differentiated into brain microvascular endothelial cells (ihBMECs) have superior barrier properties, but the process of differentiation is time-consuming and can result in mixed endothelial-epithelial gene expression. Here we performed a side-by-side comparison of the …

Treatment Of Gravitational Pulling Sensation In Patients With Mal De Debarquement Syndrome (Mdds): A Model-Based Approach, Sergei B. Yakushin, Theodore Raphan, Catherine Cho

Publications and Research

Perception of the spatial vertical is important for maintaining and stabilizing vertical posture during body motion. The velocity storage pathway of vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), which integrates vestibular, optokinetic, and proprioception in the vestibular nuclei vestibular-only (VO) neurons, has spatio-temporal properties that are defined by eigenvalues and eigenvectors of its system matrix. The yaw, pitch and roll eigenvectors are normally aligned with the spatial vertical and corresponding head axes. Misalignment of the roll eigenvector with the head axes was hypothesized to be an important contributor to the oscillating vertigo during MdDS. Based on this, a treatment protocol was developed using simultaneous …

Bodyverse, Colin B. Stilwell

Theses and Dissertations

This paper supports the MFA dance thesis film BodyVerse. Exploring the intertwining relationship of body systems with the natural world, it brings somatic principles such as Body Mind Centering and dance improvisation together with film legacies and digital platforms.

Effect Of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment In Patients With Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (Pots): A Literature Review, Sidharth Sahni, Harrison Jordan, Binoy Desai, Danielle Cooley, Alexander King

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is characterized by autonomic dysregulation resulting in diminished blood flow and excessive tachycardia.

POTS has been scarcely studied in the clinical setting. A review of literature generated only four articles, only one of which met the established criteria.

A follow up study to evaluate the effect of OMT on the quality of life for patients with POTS is planned. The hypothesis is that osteopathic manipulation plays a role in the management of POTS, as patients should experience improvement in their symptoms and their overall quality of life.

Examining Levels Of Catecholamine Neurotransmitter Regulatory Proteins Within The Prefrontal Cortex Of Rodents Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Eleni Papadopoulos, Christopher P. Knapp, Claire M. Corbett, Jessica Loweth, Rachel L. Navarra

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulting from impact to the head can cause long lasting impairments of cognitive processes that lead to increased risk-taking behavior in clinical populations. Our laboratory has recently shown that female, but not age-matched male, rats increase preference for risky choices after multiple experimentally-induced mild TBI’s. Our overarching goal is to understand the neural mechanisms underlying TBI-induced increases in risk-taking behavior.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a prominent role in risk-based decision making. Sub[1]regions of the PFC include the medial PFC (mPFC), the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and these sub[1]regions play specific …

Impact Forces And Patterns Of Axonal Injury Differ Between Two Models Of Tbi, Edward Lai, David M Devilbiss

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects approximately 3.8 million Americans a year and results in complex neuropathological and neurocognitive sequelae. Animal models of TBI attempt to replicate the impact forces and pathology of injury in humans. However, in these models, the forces generated at the time of impact are poorly understood. Nonetheless, a variety of shear and strain forces generated at the time of impact can produce diffuse axonal injury. Injury to axons and neurons across a variety of brain regions resulting from axonal injury underlies the cognitive and behavioral impairments observed after TBI. Three critical brain regions, the corpus callosum …

Effective Therapies And Nursing Approaches: Improving Cognition In Older Adult Stroke Patients, Selyna Baltazar

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background

Ischemic stroke occurs in thousands of older adults throughout the year. Due to the lack of oxygen entering the brain, many patients experience a decline in cognitive function due to ischemic stroke. Cognition is the ability to understand, learn, and remember information which is needed for completing daily tasks. Modern technology has allowed for patients to survive ischemic strokes but has yet to provide proper screening tools and methods for stroke-related cognitive impairment.

Objective

To investigate the best practices for identifying, treating, and caring for patients with a cognitive injury related to a stroke. A review of the research …

Adults With Sensory Defensiveness And Their Use Of Coping Strategies, Cassidy Mccurdy, Sonia Patiño, Julia Mcmahon, Sophia Hagen

Occupational Therapy | Graduate Capstone Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot a questionnaire examining the relationship between sensory defensiveness and coping strategies, as well as establish typical ratings for sensory defensiveness among the adult population. Methods: Through snowball sampling, 91 participants completed the Sensory Response Questionnaire containing 69 questions. Participants’ responses to questions concerning sensations and coping strategies in various situations indicated levels of sensory defensiveness. Levels of sensory defensiveness were determined by mean ratings: < 2 low sensory defensiveness (Low SD), 2-2.5 some sensory defensiveness (Some SD), > 2.5 moderate sensory defensiveness (Moderate SD). Discussion: Kinnealy et al. (1995), estimates that 15% of the population has some level of sensory defensiveness that impacts …

Regaining Effort-Based Food Motivation: The Drug Methylphenidate Reverses The Depressive Effects Of Tetrabenazine In Female Rats, Deanna Pietrorazio

Honors Scholar Theses

Tetrabenazine (TBZ), a vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 (VMAT-2) inhibitor, depletes dopamine and induces motivational deficits and other depressive symptoms in humans. Methylphenidate (MPH) is a dopamine transport blocker that is used to enhance motivational function. Previous studies have shown that in male rats, TBZ induces a shift in effort-related choice such that a low-effort bias is induced. In male rats this occurs at a dose range of 0.75-1.0 mg/kg TBZ, and this effect is reversible with co-administration of MPH. Recent studies have shown that females need a higher dose of TBZ (2.0 mg/kg) to show the low-effort bias. The …

Neuroanatomical Distribution Of Neurons Within The Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus That Project To The Brainstem Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla, Nicolas Fuller

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The sympathetic nervous system is important in maintaining cardiovascular homeostasis. Elevated cardiovascular-related sympathetic activity can lead to neurogenic hypertension and a host of other serious cardiac-related abnormalities. The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus plays an important role in sympathetic cardiovascular regulation. Neurons from the PVN project to the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), which is the main brain stem sympathetic cardiovascular control center. While RVLM-projecting PVN neurons have been well characterized, the topographical organization within the PVN subnuclei is still not fully known. This neuroanatomical study aimed to map the topographical distribution of RVLM-projecting PVN neurons. Four different carboxylate FluoSphereTM …

Differential Associations Of Conduct Disorder, Callous‑Unemotional Traits And Irritability With Outcome Expectations And Values Regarding The Consequences Of Aggression, J. Elowsky, S. Bajaj, J. Bashford‑Largo, R. Zhang, A. Mathur, A. Schwartz, M. Dobbertin, K. S. Blair, E. Leibenluft, D. Pardini, R. J.R. Blair

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Previous work has examined the association of aggression levels and callous-unemotional traits with outcome expectations and values regarding the consequences of aggression. Less work has examined the outcome expectations and values regarding the consequences of aggression of adolescents with Conduct Disorder (CD). Also, no studies have examined links between irritability (a second socio-affective trait associated with CD) and these social cognitive processes despite the core function of anger in retaliatory aggression and establishing dominance.

Method: The current study, investigating these issues, involved 193 adolescents (typically developing [TD; N = 106], 87 cases with CD [N = 87]). Participants completed …

The Effects Of Paclitaxel On Cellular Migration And The Cytoskeleton, Ashley Salguero-Gonzalez

Thinking Matters Symposium

In a clinical setting, some patients are exposed to an anti-cancer chemotherapy agent, paclitaxel. Cancerous cells undergo rapid, continuous cell division without control. Chemotherapy treatments try to slow and stop the uncontrollable cell division cycles and eliminate cancerous cells in the process. Paclitaxel serves as a treatment for some types of cancers, including lung, melanoma, bladder, and esophageal. Because it targets the cytoskeleton, paclitaxel can also influence cell migration. This project utilizes a cellular migration assay and an immunohistochemistry assay to analyze the effects of paclitaxel on the movement of cells and on the cytoskeleton of neuroglia rat cells with …

Parkinson's Disease And Exercise: Steps Into A Hopeful Future, Jacob Barker

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

In the world of medicine and disease interventions, exercise is too often underlooked as a viable form of treatment or complementary treatment to medication. This is especially true with Parkinson’s Disease, a disease that attacks the basal ganglia of the brain and impairs neuromuscular function. In my analysis, I read a perspective from a PD patient, Gerry Hill, who has struggled with the disease himself and how he used physical activity to aid in his battle with the disease for both physical and psychological aid. Additionally, I performed research to understand how exercise benefits function within the brain. Aerobic exercise, …

Anakinra Treatment Efficacy In Reduction Of Inflammatory Biomarkers In Covid-19 Patients: A Meta-Analysis, Zunaira Naveed, Musharraf Sarwar, Zahid Ali, Danish Saeed, Khadija Choudhry, Azza Sarfraz, Zouina Sarfraz, Miguel Felix, Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Introduction: Anakinra is being empirically considered for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The aim is to assess the efficacy of anakinra treatment on inflammatory marker reduction, including c-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations, serum ferritin, and serum d-dimer levels.
Methods: Adhering to PRISMA 2020 statement guidelines, a systematic search was conducted across the following databases from December 2019 until January 10, 2022: PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE. The following keywords were employed: Anakinra, COVID*, SARS-CoV-2, inflammatory, CRP, D-dimer, Ferritin, hematological, laboratory, clinical, trials. The findings were collated and presented in a tabulated manner, and statistically analyzed using Review …

Effective Emodule Design For First-Year Medical Student Anatomy Curricula, Taylor J. Kratochvil Ms, Kaeli K. Samson Ma, Mph, Kari L. Nelson Phd, Travis L. Mccumber Phd

EMET Projects

Introduction: It is critical to evaluate student experience with any newly integrated educational resource. In 2018, a Distal Upper Limb (DUL) Anatomy eModule was developed for first-year medical students at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, who have historically identified the DUL as a region of difficulty. This mixed methods study sought to (1) evaluate learner perception of the eModule relative to other resources, and (2) identify eModule content and features that students found valuable.

Methods: The DUL eModule was made available to first-year medical students in 2019 (n= 132), 2020 (n=131), and 2021 (n=131) as a voluntary, …

Covid-19 In Cns And Pns: Basic And Clinical Focus On The Mechanisms Of Infection And New Tools For The Therapeutic Approach, Jorge Matias-Guiu, Jordi A. Matias-Guiu, Carmen Garrido, Genaro Pimienta, Patricio F. Reyes, Abdul Mannan Baig, Ulises Gomez-Pinedo

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Current And Novel Neuroregenerative Therapies, Arrin Brooks

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Underlying the physical and cognitive deficits consequent of many neuropathologies is one common factor, the loss of neurons. While neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, and traumatic brain injury arise from a variety of etiologies, they all ultimately result in injury and/or death of neuronal cells and concomitant functional deficits. In the present work we primarily focus on current and potential treatments for localized lesions, particularly those in the striatum of Parkinson’s disease (PD) or the cortex as in stroke. First, we discuss a new surgical technique for deep brain stimulator (DBS) placement, as DBS is a mainstay treatment for movement disorders including …

Eagle Syndrome: Efficacies Of Medical And Surgical Treatments, Kirklin Mitchell

Capstone Showcase

Eagle Syndrome is a rare syndrome caused by elongation of the styloid process of the temporal bone or calcification of the stylohyoid ligament occurring in a very small percentage of the population that can cause a wide range of common symptoms, leading to it being often misdiagnosed. While there are no set standards for treating Eagle Syndrome, both pharmaceutical and surgical options exist. Pharmaceutical options are often ineffective in long term treatment so surgery is usually required for full symptom resolution. Transoral and Transcervical surgeries have similar efficacies but each come with important drawbacks when considering which type of surgery …

Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage And Acute Subdural Hematoma, Neurosurgical And Endovascular Rescue. Case Report., José Omar Santellan Resident, José Ramón Aguilar Dr., Abraham Ibarra Dr., Ulises García Dr.

Archives of Neurosurgery

Introduction: Acute subdural hemorrhage (aSDH) in association with aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a severe disease with an incidence of 0.5% to 7.9% of all SAH. Due to the rarity of aneurysmal aSDH, it remains difficult to define a comprehensive management protocol. In this case review, following the CARE guidelines, we show the hybrid management of this pathology to know the importance of using different types of neurosurgical treatments in case of two severe diseases in critical patients.

We present two patients who developed sudden onset cephalea and neurological impairment secondary to aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage associated with acute subdural hematoma. …

The Effect Of Concussion History On Lower Extremity Injury Risk In College Athletes: A Systematic Review And Meta Analysis, Vanessa Ramirez, Ryan Mccann, Eric Schussler, Jessica Martinez

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Collegiate athletes who suffer a concussion may possess prolonged impairments even after clearance for return-to-participation, which may place them at an increased risk of lower extremity injury.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining risk of lower extremity musculoskeletal injury following a concussion in collegiate athletes.

METHODS: A literature search was performed using the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus. The following search terms were used to identify relevant articles, ["concussion" OR "brain injury" OR "mild traumatic brain injury" OR "mTBI"] AND ["lower extremity injury" OR "musculoskeletal injury"]. Articles were included if they were published between …