Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Gabaergic-Related Pathology In The Anterior Cingulate Cortex Of Postmortem Human Brain Tissue In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Gethien Andrew

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is part of the cognitive and emotional brain circuitry that mediates social interaction. Imbalances between inhibitory, GABAergic neurons, and excitatory, glutamatergic neurons, in this region are essential to brain circuity during social responses and are thought to be involved with behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Enriched cell populations of glutamatergic neurons, obtained through laser capture microdissection, were used for gene expression studies of GABAergic receptors (GABRA1, GABRA4, and GABBR1). Additionally, proteins that impact GABAergic synapses (Spinophilin, CPLX1, mTOR, IGF1R, PSD95, PARP1) were investigated using Western Blotting with punchdissected homogenate brain tissue from ACC …

Promoting Youth Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study, Maya L. Rosen, Alexandra M. Rodman, Steven W. Kasparek, Makeda Mayes, Malila M. Freeman, Liliana J. Lengua, Andrew N. Meltzoff, Katie A. Mclaughlin

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced novel stressors into the lives of youth. Identifying factors that protect against the onset of psychopathology in the face of these stressors is critical. We examine a wide range of factors that may protect youth from developing psychopathology during the pandemic. We assessed pandemic-related stressors, internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, and potential protective factors by combining two longitudinal samples of children and adolescents (N = 224, 7-10 and 13-15 years) assessed prior to the pandemic, during the stay-at-home orders, and six months later. We evaluated how family behaviors during the stay-at-home orders were related to changes …

Resting State Functional Connectivity In The Default Mode Network: Relationships Between Cannabis Use, Gender, And Cognition In Adolescents And Young Adults, Megan Ritchay

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance in the United States, and nearly 1 in 4 young adults are current cannabis users. The psychoactive component of cannabis, THC, is active at cannabinoid receptors, type 1, or CB1 receptors. CB1 receptors play a critical role in neural development, and chronic cannabis use causes desensitization and downregulation of these receptors. Chronic cannabis use is associated with changes in resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) in the default mode network (DMN) in adolescents and young adults, although results are somewhat inconsistent across studies, likely due to differing methodologies. Additionally, cannabis effects appear …

Effects Of A Novel, Non-Toxic Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor On Hippocampal Memory Formation, Histone Acetylation, And Bdnf Gene Expression In Male Mice, Sarah Brianna Beamish

Theses and Dissertations

Memory dysfunction is a common symptom of aging, neuropsychiatric disorders, and neurodegenerative disorders, yet truly effective treatments for memory loss do not exist. De novo gene transcription is a molecular requirement for long-term memory formation. The transcription of genes related to synaptic plasticity and learning are regulated in part by histone acetylation, an epigenetic mechanism that regulates chromatin accessibility. Pharmacological compounds that maintain histone acetylation, called histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), enhance memory by preventing deacetylation of core histone proteins, which initiates binding of transcriptional machinery to open chromatin. Therefore, HDACi are potentially promising therapeutics that could be used to prevent …

Resting-State Versus Breath-Hold For Testing Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Integrity In Pre-Surgical Planning, Nooshin Jafari Fesharaki

Theses and Dissertations

The neuro-vascular coupling mechanism responsible for blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals can be focally disrupted by various pathological factors (such as brain tumors) while leaving the underlying neurons functionally intact. Such neuro-vascular uncoupling (NVU) can pose serious complications for clinical use of fMRI. Mapping of cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), which is a measure of the dilatory function of cerebral vasculature, can be a useful approach for detecting potential NVU. The widely-accepted approach for non-invasive CVR mapping requires the patient to perform a breath-hold challenge, which may have practical disadvantages for many patient populations. Thus, a …

Gpr37 Modulates Progenitor Cell Dynamics In A Mouse Model Of Ischemic Stroke, Sharon Owino, Michelle M. Giddens, Jessie G. Jiang, Trang Kimberly T. Nguyen, Fu Hung Shiu, Trisha Lala, Marla Gearing, Myles R. Mccrary, Xiaohuan Gu, Ling Wei, Shan P. Yu, Randy A. Hall

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

The generation of neural stem and progenitor cells following injury is critical for the function of the central nervous system, but the molecular mechanisms modulating this response remain largely unknown. We have previously identified the G protein-coupled receptor 37 (GPR37) as a modulator of ischemic damage in a mouse model of stroke. Here we demonstrate that GPR37 functions as a critical negative regulator of progenitor cell dynamics and gliosis following ischemic injury. In the central nervous system, GPR37 is enriched in mature oligodendrocytes, but following injury we have found that its expression is dramatically increased within a population of Sox2-positive …

Neural Substrates Of Fear Generalization And Its Associations With Anxiety And Intolerance Of Uncertainty, Ashley Ann Huggins

Theses and Dissertations

Fear generalization - the tendency to interpret ambiguous stimuli as threatening due to perceptual similarity to a learned threat – is an adaptive process. Overgeneralization, however, is maladaptive and has been implicated in a number of anxiety disorders. Neuroimaging research has indicated several regions sensitive to effects of generalization, including regions involved in fear excitation (e.g., amygdala, insula) and inhibition (e.g., ventromedial prefrontal cortex). Research has suggested several other small brain regions may play an important role in this process (e.g., hippocampal subfields, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis [BNST], habenula), but, to date, these regions have not been examined …

Behavioral And Neural Correlates Of Episodic Memory Regulation, Mrinmayi Kulkarni

Theses and Dissertations

Episodic memory retrieval, while critical for daily living, needs to be regulated to maintain goal-directed behavior. Past work has shown that episodic memory regulation engages brain regions involved in cognitive control, such as the dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. These regions interact with the medial temporal lobe structures to control retrieval processes. In the current study, I paired eye-tracking, a sensitive index of memory, with fMRI in a novel paradigm to address several open questions in the field of episodic memory regulation. Participants initially encoded three celebrity faces and three tools with multiple indoor and outdoor scenes. In a subsequent …

Exercise Training Rescues Increased Brain Isf Aβ Caused By Chronic Isolation Stress In App/Ps1 Transgenic Mice, Lydia M. Holtmann

MSU Graduate Theses

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive brain disorder that destroys memory and cognition thought to be initiated through the build-up of the amyloid-beta (A) peptide. The A peptide aggregates, slowly forming into insoluble plaque substances that destroy the brain and worsen patient’s symptoms over time. Studies have shown that chronic isolation stress (CIS) increases the A peptide soluble and insoluble levels in the brain and that exercise training decreases these levels in transgenic mouse models of AD. We sought to determine if an exercise training regimen would rescue the increase in Aβ levels caused by CIS in the APP/PS1 transgenic …

Elucidating The Modulatory Role Of Dopamine In The C. Elegans Chemosensory Ash Neuron, Cory Kunkel

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The neurotransmitter dopamine regulates chemosensory avoidance behavior in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Avoidance behaviors are mediated by the polymodal ASH nociceptive sensory neurons, and behavioral avoidance of stimuli detected by ASH is less robust when dopamine signaling is impaired. We are investigating the neural response of the ASH neurons to various stimuli; our investigation includes the behavioral and physiological responses from the ASH neurons as dopamine signaling is manipulated to better understand the effects of dopamine on these sensory neurons. We hypothesize that dopamine plays a regulatory role on the ASH neurons, lessening the response of the ASH …

Neuronal Migration In Developmental Hyperserotonmia: Assessment Of Vesicular Glutamate In The Raphe Nuclei, Trey M. Shupp

MSU Graduate Theses

The neurotransmitter serotonin is involved in the early development of the central nervous system and the organization of neurons throughout the cerebral cortex and cerebellum. It is proposed that serotonin indirectly interacts with cells in the marginal zone of the cerebral cortex known as Cajal-Retizus (CR) cells. These cells secrete the extracellular matrix protein reelin, which is known for its role in neuronal organization and migration during early neural development. It has been observed that low levels of serotonin are associated with similarly low levels of reelin during development and have been reported to result in disorganization of neurons in …

Cholinergic Modulation Of Behaviour, Ornela Kljakic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The cholinergic system is one of the most influential and essential signalling systems in the body. In the brain, cholinergic neurons innervate many brain regions where they influence a wide variety of behaviours. However, the precise role of each cholinergic region on distinct types of behaviour is not well known. Furthermore, in recent years there has been evidence that many cholinergic neurons in the brain have a capacity for co-transmission. Yet the functional significance of secreting two classical neurotransmitters from the same neuron is still largely unidentified. In this thesis, we investigated how different cholinergic nuclei modulate behavioural functions. To …

Neurotranscriptomic Changes Associated With Chick-Directed Parental Care In Adult Non-Reproductive Japanese Quail, Patricia C. Lopes, Robert De Brujin

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

For many species, parental care critically affects offspring survival. But what drives animals to display parental behaviours towards young? In mammals, pregnancy-induced physiological transformations seem key in preparing the neural circuits that lead towards attraction (and reduced-aggression) to young. Beyond mammalian maternal behaviour, knowledge of the neural mechanisms that underlie young-directed parental care is severely lacking. We took advantage of a domesticated bird species, the Japanese quail, for which parental behaviour towards chicks can be induced in virgin non-reproductive adults through a sensitization procedure, a process that is not effective in all animals. We used the variation in parental responses …

Classical Conditioning Of Cognitive States, Arthur Burns

Neuroscience Presentations

This research sought out to do preliminary testing to prepare for honors research in the 2021 academic year. This research focuses on attempting to classically condition cognitive states. Learning tasks were designed to elicit relaxation or arousal in partisans and a combination of EEG data, pupil dilation data, performance on cognitive tasks, and self-report were used to evaluate the level of cognitive states in participants.

Classical Conditioning Of Cognitive States, Arthur Burns

Neuroscience Summer Fellows

This research sought out to do preliminary testing to prepare for honors research in the 2021 academic year. This research focuses on attempting to classically condition cognitive states. Learning tasks were designed to elicit relaxation or arousal in partisans and a combination of EEG data, pupil dilation data, performance on cognitive tasks, and self-report were used to evaluate the level of cognitive states in participants.

Neuromuscular Control Strategy During Object Transport While Walking: Adaptive Integration Of Upper And Lower Limb Movements, Ahyoung Song

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

When carrying an object while walking, a significant challenge for the central nervous system (CNS) is to preserve the object’s stability against the inter-segmental interaction torques and ground reaction forces. Studies documented several strategies used by the CNS: modulation of grip force (GF), alterations in upper limb kinematics, and gait adaptations. However, the question of how the CNS organizes the multi-segmental joint and muscle coordination patterns to deal with gait-induced perturbations remains poorly understood. This dissertation aimed to explore the neuromuscular control strategy utilized by the CNS to transport an object during walking successfully. Study 1 examined the inter-limb coordination …

Eeg Features Of Explore-Exploit Decision-Making In Alcohol Use Disorder, Ethan Campbell

Psychology ETDs

Little research has assessed explore-exploit behavior in addiction using drug cues and even fewer studies have measured the neural activity underlying these behaviors. The present study aims to explore brain mechanisms of disordered decision-making in alcohol use disorder (AUD) through electroencephalography (EEG) during performance of a novelty bandit task with alcohol imagery and using a validated computational model of explore-exploit dynamics. Individuals with AUD (n = 28) and age and sex-matched controls (n = 27) showed differences in choice behavior and showed differences in EEG activity as a function of exploratory behavior, chosen stimulus type, and explore-exploit computational …

Editorial: Invertebrate Neuroscience: Contributions From Model And Non-Model Species, Maria P. Fernandez, Clare C. Rittschof, Jimena A. Sierralta

Entomology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Neural Substrates Of Reward, Error, And Effort Processing Underlying Adaptive Motor Behaviour, Dimitrios J. Palidis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Human motor control is highly adaptive to new tasks and changing environments. Motor adaptation relies on multiple dissociable processes that function to increase attainment of reward and to reduce sensory error and physical effort as costs. This thesis tests the hypothesis that fronto-striatal and dopaminergic neural systems contribute to specific aspects of motor adaptation that occur through reinforcement of rewarding actions.

Behavioral tasks were designed to isolate learning in response to feedback conveying information about reward, error, and physical effort. We also measured behavioral effects of savings and anterograde interference, by which memories from previous motor learning can facilitate or …

Biallelic Variants In Pcdhgc4 Cause A Novel Neurodevelopmental Syndrome With Progressive Microcephaly, Seizures, And Joint Anomalies, Maria Iqbal, Reza Maroofian, Büşranur Çavdarlı, Florence Riccardi, Michael Field, Siddharth Banka, Dalal K. Bubshait, Yun Li, Jozef Hertecant, Shahid Mahmood Baig

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Purpose: We aimed to define a novel autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder, characterize its clinical features, and identify the underlying genetic cause for this condition.
Methods: We performed a detailed clinical characterization of 19 individuals from nine unrelated, consanguineous families with a neurodevelopmental disorder. We used genome/exome sequencing approaches, linkage and cosegregation analyses to identify disease-causing variants, and we performed three-dimensional molecular in silico analysis to predict causality of variants where applicable.
Results: In all affected individuals who presented with a neurodevelopmental syndrome with progressive microcephaly, seizures, and intellectual disability we identified biallelic disease-causing variants in Protocadherin-gamma-C4 (PCDHGC4). Five variants were …