Nervous System Commons^™

Seeing Eye To Eye: A Machine Learning Approach To Automated Saccade Analysis, Maigh Attre

Honors Scholar Theses

Abnormal ocular motility is a common manifestation of many underlying pathologies particularly those that are neurological. Dynamics of saccades, when the eye rapidly changes its point of fixation, have been characterized for many neurological disorders including concussions, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and Parkinson’s disease. However, widespread saccade analysis for diagnostic and research purposes requires the recognition of certain eye movement parameters. Key information such as velocity and duration must be determined from data based on a wide set of patients’ characteristics that may range in eye shapes and iris, hair and skin pigmentation [36]. Previous work on saccade analysis has …

Quantifying Expression Of Interneuron Subtype Markers For Dlx-2 Transfected Ng2 Cells, Timothy Nolan

Honors Scholar Theses

Neurons are a post-mitotic cell population, and therefore, they are not able to regenerate in vivo after a traumatic injury. Because inhibitory GABAergic interneurons and oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are derived from the same precursor, recent studies have focused on transforming these OPCs into GABAergic neurons. However, there are different types of GABAergic interneurons that have different electrophysiological responses, which can lead to functional differences. The Nishiyama laboratory had already used a key gene in GABAergic interneuron and OPC differentiation, Distal-less homeobox 2 (Dlx-2), to transfect OPCs; early electrophysiology tests showed most of these transfected cells behaved like immature neurons, …

Localization Of Synapses On Adipocytes And Stromal Vascular Fraction Cells In Adipose Tissue Using Electron And Immunofluorescent Microscopy, Emma Garner

Honors College

Obesity, weight gain and the many metabolic disorders that can arise from being overweight are predominant health issues in America and in the State of Maine. The body’s ability to balance energy intake and energy expenditure is what determines whether a person gains or loses body fat. Although there are many different factors that influence energy storage and expenditure, neural innervation of white and brown fat (or adipose) tissues is an important aspect of energy balance that is not well understood. The Townsend Lab focuses on brain-adipose communication and the role of adipose peripheral nerves in maintaining proper body weight …

Defects In Fetal Mouth Movement And Pharyngeal Patterning Underlie Cleft Palate Caused By Retinoid Deficiency., Regina Friedl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cleft palate is a common birth defect. Etiologic mechanisms of palate cleft include defects in palate morphogenesis, mandibular growth, or spontaneous fetal mouth movement. Cleft palate linked to deficient fetal mouth movement has been demonstrated directly only in a single experimental model of loss of neurotransmission. Here, using retinoid deficient mouse embryos, we demonstrate directly for the first time that deficient fetal mouth movement and cleft palate occurs as a result of mis-patterned development of pharyngeal peripheral nerves and cartilages. Retinoid deficient embryos were generated by inactivation of retinol dehydrogenase 10 (Rdh10), which is critical for production of …

Human Anatomy And Physiology I: Course Map With Expected Learning Outcomes, Carlos Liachovitzky

Open Educational Resources

This document contains a list with all the Anatomy and Physiology I expected learning outcomes organized by topics, and grouped into ten units: 1. Introduction to A&P: body plan & organization; 2. Introduction to A&P: homeostasis; 3. The chemical level of organization; 4. Levels of organization: the cellular level of organization; 5. Levels of organization: the tissue level of organization; 6. Support and movement: integumentary system; 7. Support and movement: skeletal system & articulations; 8. Support and movement: muscular system; 9. Regulation, integration, and control: nervous system; 10. Regulation, integration, and control: special senses

Each learning outcome is referred to …

The Relationship Between Biological And Psychosocial Risk Factors And Resting‐State Functional Connectivity In 2‐Monthold Bangladeshi Infants: A Feasibility And Pilot Study, Ted K. Turesky, Sarah K.G. Jensen, Xi Yu, Swapna Kumar, Yingying Wang, Danielle D. Sliva, Borjan Gagoski, Joseph Sanfilippo, Lilla Zöllei, Emma Boyd, Rashidul Haque, Shahria Hafiz Kakon, Nazrul Islam, William A. Petri Jr., Charles A. Nelson, Nadine Gaab

Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior: Papers & Publications

Childhood poverty has been associated with structural and functional alterations in the developing brain. However, poverty does not alter brain development directly, but acts through associated biological or psychosocial risk factors (e.g. malnutrition, family conflict). Yet few studies have investigated risk factors in the context of infant neurodevelopment, and none have done so in low‐resource settings such as Bangladesh, where children are exposed to multiple, severe biological and psychosocial hazards. In this feasibility and pilot study, usable resting‐state fMRI data were acquired in infants from extremely poor (n = 16) and (relatively) more affluent (n = 16) families in Dhaka, …

Ultra-High Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging For Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Jonathan Lau

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Stereotactic neurosurgery is a subspecialty within neurosurgery concerned with accurate targeting of brain structures. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a specific type of stereotaxy in which electrodes are implanted in deep brain structures. It has proven therapeutic efficacy in Parkinson’s disease and Essential Tremor, but with an expanding number of indications under evaluation including Alzheimer’s disease, depression, epilepsy, and obesity, many more Canadians with chronic health conditions may benefit. Accurate surgical targeting is crucial with millimeter deviations resulting in unwanted side effects including muscle contractions, or worse, vessel injury. Lack of adequate visualization of surgical targets with conventional lower field …

A Visual Exploration Of Walking In Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (Mtbi), Bryana Popa

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Annual Conference

Visual exploration of the environment is vital for safe and effective walking, and is influenced by cognitive load. Eye movement deficits can occur following mTBI and may impact visual exploration when walking, leading to issues with mobility. This study aims to examine visual exploration when walking under single and dual-task in mTBI and controls.

Sixteen people with mTBI (Age: 30.1±12.8 yrs, days since injury: 39.5±21.7) and 10 healthy controls (Age: 26.3±5.2 yrs) walked for 1 minute while wearing a mobile eye tracker under single and dual-task conditions. The primary outcome was visual exploration measured by saccade frequency (sacc/sec). Secondary outcomes …

The Morphology And Evolution Of The Primate Brachial Plexus, Brian M. Shearer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Primate evolutionary history is inexorably linked to the evolution of a broad array of locomotor adaptations that have facilitated the clade’s invasion of new niches. Researchers studying the evolution of primates and of their individual locomotor adaptations have traditionally relied on bony morphology – a practical choice given the virtual non-existence of any other type of tissue in the fossil record. However, this focus downplays the potential importance of the many other structures involved in locomotion, such as muscle, cartilage, and neural tissue, which may each be influenced by separate selective forces because of their different roles in facilitating movement. …

Can Nanotechnology Be The Leading Method In Detecting And Treating Cerebral Tumors?, Daniel D. Singh, Zuri Jules-Culver

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

Nanotechnology refers to the manipulation or design of materials and structures with desired features in the 1nm–1000 nm size range. The blood brain barrier (BBB) is a major obstacle that drugs must overcome in order to reach tumor cells. The role of this barrier is to transport essential nutrients while protecting and regulating the internal environment. Nanoparticles have been shown to transport drugs through this barrier and accumulate in tumor cells. This is significant since nanoparticles are drug carriers allowing chemotherapeutic drugs to accumulate in target areas (Sun et al., 2017). This is possible because they are able to be …

Dentate Gyrus Neurogenesis Across Different Ages In Male Rats: An Immunohistochemical Approach, Ayman Ghallab, Ayman Mohammed Ghallab

Dentistry

Abstract Dentate gyrus is a fundamental sub-region of the hippocampus which is directly engaged in higher memory and cognitive functions. This study was performed to describe the histological and immunohistochemical changes in dentate gyrus in experimental animals during postnatal development. Forty four male albino rats were classified into four equal groups: new born group aged one day, adult group aged 3–6 months, early senile group aged 18–20 months and late senile group aged 30–31 months. Specimens of hippocampus were processed and prepared for routine hematoxylin and eosin stains and immunohistochemical expressions of calretinin, glial fibrillary acidic protein and Ki67 (Kiel …

Concussion Competencies: A Training Model For School-Based Concussion Management, Arthur C. Maerlender, Jonathan D. Lichtenstein, Jennifer Parent-Nichols, Kate Higgins, Peggy Reisher

Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior: Papers & Publications

This study reports on the use of ten knowledge competencies related to the behavioral management of concussion in schools. Trainings using these competencies as learning objectives were delivered to school personnel. This aims of the use of competencies in this way are to streamline the education of key stakeholders, to establish clear roles and responsibilities for constituents and equip individuals working with students following a concussion with the relevant knowledge to optimize outcomes. The majority of participants, primarily speech language pathologists working as related service providers in the schoolswhere the trainings occurred, judged the use of the competencies to be …

Neuroprotective Strategies Following Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury: Lipid Peroxidation-Derived Aldehyde Scavenging And Inhibition Of Mitochondrial Permeability Transition, Jacqueline Renee Kulbe

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a significant health crisis. To date there are no FDA-approved pharmacotherapies available to prevent the neurologic deficits caused by TBI. Following TBI, dysfunctional mitochondria generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, initiating lipid peroxidation (LP) and the formation of LP-derived neurotoxic aldehydes, which bind mitochondrial proteins, exacerbating dysfunction and opening of the mitochondrial permeability pore (mPTP), resulting in extrusion of mitochondrial sequestered calcium into the cytosol, and initiating a downstream cascade of calpain activation, spectrin degradation, neurodegeneration and neurologic impairment.

As central mediators of the TBI secondary injury cascade, mitochondria and LP-derived neurotoxic aldehydes make promising …

The Effects Of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 On Cx3cl1 Shedding And Axon Retraction, Lauren A. Dobrie

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often leads to irreversible damage, and permanent paralysis inferior to the injury is common (Leibinger et al., 2013). Injury to the spinal cord occurs in two phases. In the first phase, components of the spinal cord are subject to mechanical trauma causing direct damage. In the second phase, damage spreads from the area of injury through molecular processes. Several studies have linked M1 "pro-inflammatory" macrophages to exacerbation of damage by inducing dieback of dystrophic axons, but not healthy axons, through direct cellular contact. Several studies have identified the presence of macrophage subtypes at specific time. A …

A Developmental Study Of Apoptotic Markers And Histamine In Cephalopod Statocysts, Samantha Nicole Leef

Honors Theses and Capstones

Cephalopods can participate in complex navigation using landmarks that show context due to their statocysts. Statocysts are analogous to the vertebrate vestibular and auditory system encased in cartilage rather than bone making them more easily accessible. Age and anatomical dysfunctions are the reasons for many human vestibular malfunctions. Two of these sources are endolymph hydrops and aging. In the past, endolymph pressure changes were attributed to the ineffectual ion transport. Recent studies have illuminated the possibility of histamine receptors in the semicircular canal could be responsible for patients’ endolymph pressure changes rather than the previous belief that the pressure changes …

Treatment Of Auditory Processing In Noise In Individuals With Mild Aphasia: Pilot Study, Anastasia M. Raymer, Hilary M. Sandberg, Kathryn S. Schwartz, Ginger S. Watson, Stacie I. Ringleb

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose: Listening in noise challenges listeners with auditory comprehension impairments in aphasia. We examined the effects of Trivia Game, a computerized program with questions spoken in increasing levels of background noise with success in the game.

Methods: We piloted Trivia Game in four individuals with chronic aphasia and mild auditory comprehension impairments. Participants played Trivia Game for 12 twenty-minute sessions. In addition to the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB), we measured outcomes on Quick Speech in Noise (QSIN), a sentence repetition test, administered in auditory (AUD) and auditory+visual (AV) conditions as signal-to-noise ratio varied from 25 to 0 dB.

Results: All …

Different Effects Of Static And Vibrating Foam Rollers On Ankle Plantar Flexion Flexibility And Neuromuscular Activation, Brianna G. Mazzei

Honors College Theses

The relatively new implementation of vibration into foam rollers was developed in response to the positive feedback of whole-body vibration treatment and foam rolling therapy. The purpose of the study is to research the changes in range of motion and myoelectric activity of the ankle dorsiflexors in female NCAA Division I swimmers when using a vibrating foam roller in comparison to a static foam roller. Combining the self-myofascial release with the increased blood flow and muscle temperature exerted from vibration could possibly enhance the effects of foam-rolling treatment. The different effects of ankle flexibility and motor unit activation after static …

Functional Source Separation For Eeg-Fmri Fusion: Application To Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials, Hong Ji, Badong Chen, Nathan M. Petro, Zejian Yuan, Nanning Zheng, Andreas Keil

Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior: Papers & Publications

Neurorobotics is one of the most ambitious fields in robotics, driving integration of interdisciplinary data and knowledge. One of the most productive areas of interdisciplinary research in this area has been the implementation of biologically-inspired mechanisms in the development of autonomous systems. Specifically, enabling such systems to display adaptive behavior such as learning from good and bad outcomes, has been achieved by quantifying and understanding the neural mechanisms of the brain networks mediating adaptive behaviors in humans and animals. For example, associative learning from aversive or dangerous outcomes is crucial for an autonomous system, to avoid dangerous situations in the …

Spag17 Deficiency Impairs Neuronal Cell Differentiation In Developing Brain, Olivia J. Choi

Theses and Dissertations

The development of the nervous system is a multi-level, time-sensitive process that relies heavily on cell differentiation. However, the molecular mechanisms that control brain development remain poorly understood. We generated a knockout (KO) mouse for the cilia associated gene Spag17. These animals develop hydrocephalus and enlarged ventricles consistent with the role of Spag17 in the motility of ependymal cilia. However, other phenotypes that cannot be explained by this role were also present. Recently, a mutation in Spag17 has been associated with brain malformations and severe intellectual disability in humans. Therefore, we hypothesized that Spag17 plays a crucial role in …

The Effects Of Long-Term Deafness On Density And Diameter Of Dendritic Spines On Pyramidal Neurons In The Dorsal Zone Of The Feline Auditory Cortex, Rachel J. Bauer

Theses and Dissertations

Neuroplasticity has been researched in many different ways, from the growing neonatal brain to neural responses to trauma and injury. According to recent research, neuroplasticity is also prevalent in the ability of the brain to repurpose areas that are not of use, like in the case of a loss of a sense. Specifically, behavioral studies have shown that deaf humans (Bavalier and Neville, 2002) and cats have increased visual ability, and that different areas of the auditory cortex enhance specific kinds of sight. One such behavioral test demonstrated that the dorsal zone (DZ) of the auditory cortex enhances sensitivity to …