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Life Sciences Commons

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Neuroscience and Neurobiology

2012

Biology

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Electrical Advantages Of Dendritic Spines, Allan T. Gulledge, Nicholas T. Carnevale, Greg J. Stuart Apr 2012

Electrical Advantages Of Dendritic Spines, Allan T. Gulledge, Nicholas T. Carnevale, Greg J. Stuart

Dartmouth Scholarship

Many neurons receive excitatory glutamatergic input almost exclusively onto dendritic spines. In the absence of spines, the amplitudes and kinetics of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) at the site of synaptic input are highly variable and depend on dendritic location. We hypothesized that dendritic spines standardize the local geometry at the site of synaptic input, thereby reducing location-dependent variability of local EPSP properties. We tested this hypothesis using computational models of simplified and morphologically realistic spiny neurons that allow direct comparison of EPSPs generated on spine heads with EPSPs generated on dendritic shafts at the same dendritic locations. In all morphologies …


Effects Of Hypoxia-Ischemia And Anti-Inflammatory Prophylactic Treatment On Cortical And Hippocampal Volumes In The Developing Rat Brain, Llian Mabardi Apr 2012

Effects Of Hypoxia-Ischemia And Anti-Inflammatory Prophylactic Treatment On Cortical And Hippocampal Volumes In The Developing Rat Brain, Llian Mabardi

Honors Projects

Very low body weight as a result of premature birth is a common problem all around the world. Many of these infants have medical issues that arise as a direct result of their very low body weight. One of the biggest issues is a lack of oxygen, which is also known as hypoxia. Hypoxia and ischemia (lack of blood flow) are a problem at any age, but they can be especially devastating to infants who have not undergone critical periods of brain development. Hypoxia-ischemia (or HI) can cause problems that start as inflammation and end with large-scale cell death in …