Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Fast Objective Coupled Planar Illumination Microscopy, Cody Jonathan Greer

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Among optical imaging techniques light sheet fluorescence microscopy stands out as one of the most attractive for capturing high-speed biological dynamics unfolding in three dimensions. The technique is potentially millions of times faster than point-scanning techniques such as two-photon microscopy. This potential is especially poignant for neuroscience applications due to the fact that interactions between neurons transpire over mere milliseconds within tissue volumes spanning hundreds of cubic microns. However current-generation light sheet microscopes are limited by volume scanning rate and/or camera frame rate. We begin by reviewing the optical principles underlying light sheet fluorescence microscopy and the origin of these …

What Role Is Neuroscience Playing In New State Raise-The-Age Laws?, Dane N. Stallone

Capstones

Several states have cited neuroscientific evidence to help justify new raise-the-age laws that raise the age at which offenders can be tried as adults. Neuroscience shows that adolescent brains continue to mature well into their 20s. How much influence neuroscience should have in determining legal policy, however, remains contested among experts.

https://theartofscienceme.wordpress.com/2019/01/05/what-role-is-neuroscience-playing-in-new-state-raise-the-age-laws/

The Opposing Roles Of Glun2c And Glun2d Nmda Receptor Subunits In Modulating Neuronal Oscillations, Zhihao Mao

Theses & Dissertations

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are ligand-gated ion channels consisting of two GluN1 subunits and two other subunits from among GluN2A-2D and GluN3A-3B subunits. NMDARs play critical roles in synaptic plasticity, learning and memory, and higher brain function such as cognition and perception. Dysfunction of NMDARs (hyper-function and hypo-function of NMDARs) are related to various diseases, including stroke, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and others. However, to date, NMDARs antagonists have mostly failed in clinical trials due to adverse effects.

NMDARs antagonists replicate the core symptoms of schizophrenia which may underlie its ability to alter neuronal oscillations in the neural circuitry of different brain …

Neuroethics Guiding Principles For The Nih Brain Initiative, Henry T. Greely, Christine Grady, Khara M. Ramos, Winston Chiong, James Eberwine, Nita A. Farahany, L. Syd M. Johnson, Et. Al.

Department of Humanities Publications

Neuroscience presents important neuroethical considerations. Human neuroscience demands focused application of the core research ethics guidelines set out in documents such as the Belmont Report. Various mechanisms, including institutional review boards (IRBs), privacy rules, and the Food and Drug Administration, regulate many aspects of neuroscience research and many articles, books, workshops, and conferences address neuroethics. (Farah, 2010; https://bioethicsarchive.georgetown.edu/pcsbi/studies.html; http://www.neuroethicssociety.org/annual-meeting). However, responsible neuroscience research requires continual dialogue among neuroscience researchers, ethicists, philosophers, lawyers, and other stakeholders to help assess its ethical, legal, and societal implications. The Neuroethics Working Group of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Brain Research through Advancing Innovative …

Investigating Multiple Streams Of Consciousness: Using Descriptive Experience Sampling To Explore Internally And Externally Directed Streams Of Thought, Charles Fernyhough, Ben Alderson-Day, Russel T. Hurlburt, Simone Kühn

Psychology Faculty Research

Research into resting-state cognition has often struggled with the challenge of assessing inner experience in the resting state. We employed Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES), a method aimed at generating detailed and high-fidelity descriptions of experience, to investigate how experience in the resting state can vary between internal, external, and multiple simultaneous streams. Using a large body of experiential and brain activation data acquired from five DES participants, independent raters classified sampled moments of experience according to whether they were internally directed, externally directed, or contained elements of both at the same time. In line with existing models, comparison of internal …

Hypothalamic Circuits In The Control Of Feeding And Emotional Behaviors, Leandra Mangieri

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Feeding results from the integration of both nutritional and affective states, and is guided by complex neural circuitry in the brain. The hypothalamus is a critical center controlling feeding and motivated behaviors. We found that targeted photostimulation of projections from the lateral hypothalamus (LH) to the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) in mice elicited voracious feeding and repetitive self-grooming behavior. GABA neurotransmission in the LH->PVH circuit mediated the evoked feeding behavior, and elicited behavioral approach, whereas glutamate release promoted repetitive self-grooming, which was stress-related in nature. Optogenetic inhibition of LH^GABA ->PVH circuit reduced feeding after fasting, whereas photostimulation abruptly …

Investigating Autophagy Dysfunction Induced By A Parkinson's Disease-Causing Mutation In Vps35, Abir Ashfakur Rahman

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is an idiopathic disorder with no known cure. With number of cases steadily rising around the world, it is imperative to turn to the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of the disease manifestation and neurodegeneration to craft novel modes of therapy. VPS35 is one of the few genes that have identified and definitively linked to familial PD. The particular mutation that has been associated is known to cause dysfunction of a key cellular process known as autophagy. This process is primarily responsible for clearance of unwanted, damaged or misfolded proteins, among other things. Our study reveals an …

Polyglutamine Repeat Proteins Disrupt Actin Structure In Drosophila Photoreceptors., Annie Vu, Tyler Humphries, Sean Vogel, Adam Haberman

Biology: Faculty Scholarship

Expansions of polygutamine-encoding stretches in several genes cause neurodegenerative disorders including Huntington's Disease and Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 3. Expression of the human disease alleles in Drosophila melanogaster neurons recapitulates cellular features of these disorders, and has therefore been used to model the cell biology of these diseases. Here, we show that polyglutamine disease alleles expressed in Drosophila photoreceptors disrupt actin structure at rhabdomeres, as other groups have shown they do in Drosophila and mammalian dendrites. We show this actin regulatory pathway works through the small G protein Rac and the actin nucleating protein Form3. We also find that Form3 has …

A Role For Epac1 And Epac2 In Nociceptor Hyperexcitability And Chronic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury, Samantha Berkey

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Chronic pain is a major complaint of those living with spinal cord injury (SCI), affecting 65-80% of the SCI population, but the treatment options remain limited or non-existent. The cAMP sensor EPAC has previously been shown to play a key role in chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain, though the contribution from each of its two main isoforms, EPAC1 and EPAC2, is unclear. Here I test the hypothesis that both EPAC1 and EPAC2 play a key role in the maintenance of persistent nociceptor hyperexcitability and chronic pain after SCI.

Using both a T9 SCI mouse model and a T10 SCI rat …

Neural Correlates Relating To Executive Function, Intelligence, And Anxiety., Sarah K L'Heureux

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

The human brain is a complex organ responsible for not only perceiving and sensing information in one’s environment, but also integrating and analyzing these details in a way that will allow an individual to comprehend the material. Scientists for centuries have been curious as to why people process their emotions and thoughts differently, resulting in unique and varied behavior. The manner in which a person comprehends information and whether or not they feel anxious as a result, may be connected to their intellectual and functional capacity. Human intelligence and the ability to function at a high level may be related …

Regional Specialization Of The Adult Meninges Supports Different Brain Areas And Alters With Age, Christina Ann Calabrese

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The meninges comprise three heterogeneous connective tissue coverings, referred to as the dura, arachnoid, and pia mater, which completely envelop the brain and spinal cord. Given the meninges’ vast coverage over the entire CNS and its unique development, I hypothesized that regional leptomeninges (arachnoid and pia mater layers combined) provide specialized support to different brain areas. During development, anterior meninges, overlying the frontal cortex, derive from neural crest cells that are ectodermal in origin. Posterior meninges, overlying the midbrain to the spinal cord, derive from a mesodermal lineage. This difference in lineage and location suggests potential functional differences between the …

Behavioral Insights Into Nociceptor Function: A Systematic Approach To Understanding Postsurgical And Neuropathic Pain Mechanisms In Rats, Max Odem

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Postsurgical and neuropathic pain are each clinically common, and often associated with ongoing pain. Ongoing pain has been linked to ongoing activity (OA) in human C-fiber nociceptors. Preclinical studies using rodent neuropathic models have concentrated on allodynia driven by OA generated in non-nociceptive Aβ fibers, but little attention has been paid to postsurgical pain in sham controls or to C-fiber nociceptor OA promoting ongoing pain.

Operant assays that reveal negative motivational and cognitive aspects of voluntary pain-related behavior may be particularly sensitive to pain-related alterations. In the mechanical conflict (MC) test, rodents can freely choose to escape from a brightly …

Differentiation Of Neurons And Glia For Use In Cellular Connectomics, Jacob T. Brettin

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Role Of Trkb-Signaling In Taste Development And Function., Jennifer Rios-Pilier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the geniculate ganglion, taste neurons likely differentiate into subtypes during development, but very little is known about how these neurons are defined molecularly or how they differentiate. Embryonically, geniculate neuron development is regulated by the growth factor, brain ­derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Postnatally, BDNF becomes restricted to subpopulations of taste receptor cells with specific functions, primarily sour responding. I hypothesized that during development, the receptor for BDNF, tropomyosin kinase B receptor (TrkB), also becomes restricted to a neuronal subset. I used transgenic mouse models to label and quantify both geniculate sensory neurons (Phox2b+), and those expressing TrkB (GFP) across …

Immediate Neurophysiological Effects Of Transcranial Electrical Stimulation, Anli Liu, Mihály Vöröslakos, Gregory Kronberg, Simon Henin, Matthew R. Krause, Yu Huang, Alexander Opitz, Ashesh Mehta, Christopher C. Pack, Bart Krekelberg, Antal Berényi, Lucas C. Parra, Lucia Melloni, Orrin Devinsky, György Buzsáki

Publications and Research

Noninvasive brain stimulation techniques are used in experimental and clinical fields for their potential effects on brain network dynamics and behavior. Transcranial electrical stimulation (TES), including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), has gained popularity because of its convenience and potential as a chronic therapy. However, a mechanistic understanding of TES has lagged behind its widespread adoption. Here, we review data and modelling on the immediate neurophysiological effects of TES in vitro as well as in vivo in both humans and other animals. While it remains unclear how typical TES protocols affect neural activity, we …

Mitochondrial Metabolism In Major Neurological Diseases, Zhengqiu Zhou, Grant L. Austin, Lyndsay E. A. Young, Lance A. Johnson, Ramon Sun

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Mitochondria are bilayer sub-cellular organelles that are an integral part of normal cellular physiology. They are responsible for producing the majority of a cell’s ATP, thus supplying energy for a variety of key cellular processes, especially in the brain. Although energy production is a key aspect of mitochondrial metabolism, its role extends far beyond energy production to cell signaling and epigenetic regulation–functions that contribute to cellular proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, migration, and autophagy. Recent research on neurological disorders suggest a major metabolic component in disease pathophysiology, and mitochondria have been shown to be in the center of metabolic dysregulation and possibly …

Contextual Fear Memory Modulates Psd95 Phosphorylation, Ampar Subunits, Pkmζ And Pi3k Differentially Between Adult And Juvenile Rats, Roseanna M. Zanca, Shirley Sanay, Jorge A. Avila, Edgar Rodriguez, Harry N. Shair, Peter A. Serrano

Publications and Research

It is well known that young organisms do not maintain memories as long as adults, but the mechanisms for this ontogenetic difference are undetermined. Previous work has revealed that the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4isoxazolepropionic acidreceptor (AMPAr)subunits aretraffickedinto the synaptic membranefollowing memory retrieval in adults. Additionally, phosphorylated PSD-95-pS295 promotes AMPAr stabilization at the synapse. We investigated these plasticity related proteins as potential mediators in the differential contextual stress memory retrieval capabilities observed between adult and juvenile rats. Rats were assigned to either pedestal stress (1h) or no stress control (home cage). Each animal was placed alone in an open field for 5minat the base …

Identification And Characterization Of Early Photoreceptor Cis-Regulatory Elements And Their Relation To Onecut1, Nathalie Jean-Charles, Diego F. Buenaventura, Mark M. Emerson

Publications and Research

Background: Cone and rod photoreceptors are two of the primary cell types affected in human retinal disease. Potential strategies to combat these diseases are the use of gene therapy to rescue compromised photoreceptors or to generate new functional photoreceptors to replace those lost in the diseased retina. Cis-regulatory elements specific to cones, rods, or both types of photoreceptors are critical components of successful implementation of these two strategies. The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize the cell type specificity and activity of cis-regulatory elements active in developing photoreceptors.

Methods: Cis-regulatory elements were introduced into the developing chicken …

Expanded Genetic Screening In Caenorhabditis Elegans Identifies New Regulators And An Inhibitory Role For Nad+ In Axon Regeneration, Kyung Won Kim, Ngana Heok Tang, Christopher A. Piggott, Matthew G. Andrusiak, Seungmee Park, Ming Zhu, Naina Kurup, Salvatore J. Cherra Iii, Zilu Wu, Andrew D. Chisholm, Yishi Jin

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

The mechanisms underlying axon regeneration in mature neurons are relevant to the understanding of normal nervous system maintenance and for developing therapeutic strategies for injury. Here, we report novel pathways in axon regeneration, identified by extending our previous function-based screen using the C. elegans mechanosensory neuron axotomy model. We identify an unexpected role of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) synthesizing enzyme, NMAT-2/NMNAT, in axon regeneration. NMAT-2 inhibits axon regrowth via cell-autonomous and non-autonomous mechanisms. NMAT-2 enzymatic activity is required to repress regrowth. Further, we find differential requirements for proteins in membrane contact site, components and regulators of the …

The Use Of Current Steering During Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation To Alleviate Upper Limb Symptoms Of Parkinson's Disease, Shabna Iftikar Mohideen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Subthalamic (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established treatment to alleviate the appendicular motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (PD). Current steering during DBS allows the unequal fractionation of current between two electrodes on the lead, resulting in a non-spherical electrical field. It is hypothesized that the way the electrical field is shaped will affect a patient’s upper limb symptom alleviation. Seven PD patients who underwent bilateral STN-DBS were tested over four weeks post-operation. 16 current fractionation settings were tested each week at an amplitude that increased weekly. Optimal setting was defined as the setting that provided the best …