Life Sciences Commons^™

Neural Substrates Of Sound–Touch Synesthesia After A Thalamic Lesion, Michael S. Beauchamp, Tony Ro

Publications and Research

Neural plasticity induced by stroke can mediate positive outcomes, such as recovery of function, but can also result in the formation of abnormal connections with negative consequences for perception and cognition. In three experiments using blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the neural substrates of acquired auditory-tactile synesthesia, in which certain sounds can produce an intense somatosensory tingling sensation in a patient with a thalamic lesion. Compared with nine normal controls, the first experiment showed that the patient had a threefold greater BOLD response to sounds in the parietal operculum, the location of secondary somatosensory cortex. …

Maternal Cocaine Administration In Mice Alters Dna Methylation And Gene Expression In Hippocampal Neurons Of Neonatal And Prepubertal Offspring, Svetlana I. Novikova, Fang He, Jie Bai, Nicholas J. Cutrufello, Michael S. Lidow, Ashiwel S. Undieh

Publications and Research

Previous studies documented significant behavioral changes in the offspring of cocaine-exposed mothers. We now explore the hypothesis that maternal cocaine exposure could alter the fetal epigenetic machinery sufficiently to cause lasting neurochemical and functional changes in the offspring. Pregnant CD1 mice were administered either saline or 20 mg/kg cocaine twice daily on gestational days 8–19. Male pups from each of ten litters of the cocaine and control groups were analyzed at 3 (P3) or 30 (P30) days postnatum. Global DNA methylation, methylated DNA immunoprecipitation followed by CGI2 microarray profiling and bisulfite sequencing, as well as quantitative real-time RT-PCR gene expression …

Using A Paradigm Shift To Teach Neurobiology And The Nature Of Science—A C.R.E.A.T.E.-Based Approach, Sally G. Hoskins

Publications and Research

Decades ago, classic experiments established the phenomenon of “neural induction” (Spemann and Mangold, 1924; Holtfreter, 1933). It appeared clear that amphibian ectoderm was pre-programmed to form epidermis, and that the neural phenotype was induced by a chemical signal from mesoderm. The “ectoderm makes skin, unless induced to make nervous system” model appeared in many textbooks. This interpretation, however, was not simply incorrect but 180 degrees out of alignment with the actual situation. As subsequently demonstrated, the default state of amphibian ectoderm is neuronal, and the expression of the epidermal phenotype requires cell signaling (Hemmati-Brivanlou and Melton, 1992; 1994; 1997). In …

Diverse Antidepressants Increase Cdp-Diacylglycerol Production And Phosphatidylinositide Resynthesis In Depression-Relevant Regions Of The Rat Brain, Kimberly R. Tyeryar, Ashiwel S. Undieh, Habiba Ou Vongtau

Publications and Research

Background: Major depression is a serious mood disorder affecting millions of adults and children worldwide. While the etiopathology of depression remains obscure, antidepressant medications increase synaptic levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in brain regions associated with the disease. Monoamine transmitters activate multiple signaling cascades some of which have been investigated as potential mediators of depression or antidepressant drug action. However, the diacylglycerol arm of phosphoinositide signaling cascades has not been systematically investigated, even though downstream targets of this cascade have been implicated in depression. With the ultimate goal of uncovering the primary postsynaptic actions that may initiate cellular antidepressive signaling, we …

Cave Biology: It’S Not A Job, It’S An Adventure, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

A-State Offering Students Courses On Marine Mammals, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Arkansas State University Students Prepare Manatee Exhibit, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Nobody’S Dolphins, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Measuring Knowledge Of Natural Selection: A Comparison Of The C.I.N.S., An Open-Response Instrument, And An Oral Interview, Ross Nehm, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Growing recognition of the central importance of fostering an in-depth understanding of natural selection has, surprisingly, failed to stimulate work on the development and rigorous evaluation of instruments that measure knowledge of it. We used three different methodological tools, the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS), a modified version of Bishop and Anderson's (Bishop and Anderson [1990] Journal of Research in Science Teaching 27: 415-427) open-response test that we call the Open Response Instrument (ORI), and an oral interview derived from both instruments, to measure biology majors' understanding of and alternative conceptions about natural selection. We explored how these instruments …

New Strategy For The Search Of Natural Biologically Active Substances., Vyacheslav Dushenkov, Ilya Raskin

Publications and Research

The modern pharmaceutics actively screens an immense diversity of substances occurring in plants and other natural resources in the search for new effective medicinal agents. The Global Institute for Bioexploration (GIBEX) established by joint efforts of Rutgers University and the University of Illinois (United States) represents the organizational core of international scientific community whose activity is directed towards the search and development of new medicinal preparations from natural raw materials. The basis of GIBEX activity is the transfer of modern screening technologies to countries and geographical regions characterized by remarkable biodiversity. The GIBEX goals are to encourage the search for …

Asu Researchers Investigate Subterranean Fishes Of China, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Piranhas’ Arrival In Arkansas Possible, But Not Probable, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Crustaceans, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Shelly Kannada

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Manatee, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Shelly Kannada

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Whaling, E.C. M. Parsons, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Shelly Kannada, Naomi A. Rose

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Biological Collections Get International Certification, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Book Slated On Biologists’ Adventures, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Joy Trauth

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Asu Students Study Unusual Cause Of Sea Otter’S Death, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Kaylynne Glover

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

A-State Students Research Species In Mammoth Cave, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Use Of Palm Trees As A Sleeping Site By Hamadryas Baboons In Ethiopia, Amy Schreier, Larissa Swedell

Publications and Research

Hamadryas baboons sleep on cliffs throughout their range, and this can be attributed to the safety cliffs provide against predators in the absence of tall trees. In this paper, we report the first documented occurrence of hamadryas baboons sleeping in doum palm trees rather than on cliffs. Data derive from a study of hamadryas baboons at the Filoha site in lowland Ethiopia. During all-day follows, data were collected on travel patterns, band activity, and location. Variation in the baboons’ home range was characterized using vegetation transects. We discovered that one band in this population, Band 3, occasionally slept in doum …

Composition And Seasonality Of Diet In Wild Hamadryas Baboons: Preliminary Findings From Filoha, Larissa Swedell, Getenet Hailemeskel, Amy Schreier

Publications and Research

Here we report the first year-round quantitative data on dietary composition and seasonality in wild hamadryas baboons. Study subjects were adult male members of Band 3 at the Filoha field site in central lowland Ethiopia. Data collection consisted of 10-minute focal samples during all-day follows 4-6 days per month over the course of one year. The two largest contributors to the diet were Hyphaene thebaica and Acacia senegal, and these were the only plant species found in the diet during every month of the year. Other relatively major contributors to the diet, such as Cyperus grandibulbosus, Seddera bagshawei, …

Involvement Of Inflammation In Tau Pathology And Mechanisms That Drive Neurodegeneration In Alzheimer's Disease, Lisette T. Arnaud

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Two of the hallmarks of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), are (1) the appearance of proteinaceous deposits in inclusion bodies containing aggregates of ubiquitinated proteins and (2) activated microglia and astrocytes surrounding the diseased neurons. In Alzheimer's disease, the intracellular inclusion bodies are known as neurofibrilary tangles (NFT). The mechanisms leading to inclusion body formation and their role in the progression of neurodegeneration are still largely unknown.

Many of the proteins that accumulate in inclusion bodies depend on the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway (UPP) for their degradation. This pathway is responsible for the bulk (∼80%) of intracellular protein degradation. Because …

Retinal Tissue Engineering Using Mouse Retinal Progenitor Cells And A Novel Biodegradable, Thin-Film Poly(E-Caprolactone) Nanowire Scaffold, Stephen Redenti, Sarah Tao, Jing Yang, Ping Gu, Henry Klassen, Sunita Saigal, Tejal Desai, Michael J. Young

Publications and Research

Retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) can be combined with nanostructured polymer scaffolds to generate compos- ite grafts in culture. One strategy for repair of diseased retinal tissue involves implantation of composite grafts of this type in the subretinal space. In the present study, mouse retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) were cultured on laminin- coated novel nanowire poly(e-caprolactone)(PCL) scaf- folds, and the survival, differentiation, and migration of these cells into the retina of C57bl/6 and rhodospsin −/−mouse retinal explants and transplant recipients were analyzed. RPCs were cultured on smooth PCL and both short (2.5μm) and long (27μ m) nanowire PCL scaffolds. Scaffolds with …

A Quantitative Synthesis Of The Medicinal Ethnobotany Of The Malinké Of Mali And The Asháninka Of Peru, With A New Theoretical Framework, Nathaniel Bletter

Publications and Research

Background: Although ethnomedically and taxonomically guided searches for new medicinal plants can improve the percentage of plants found containing active compounds when compared to random sampling, ethnobotany has fulfilled little of its promise in the last few decades to deliver a bounty of new, laboratory-proven medicinal plants and compounds. It is quite difficult to test, isolate, and elucidate the structure and mechanism of compounds from the plethora of new medicinal plant uses described each year with limited laboratory time and resources and the high cost of clinical trials of new drug candidates.

Methods: A new quantitative theoretical framework of mathematical …

Cell Death In Health And Disease, Richard A. Lockshin, Zahra Zakeri

Publications and Research

Cell death is clearly an important factor in development, homeostasis, pathology and in aging, but medical efforts based on controlling cell death have not become major aspects of medicine. There are several reasons why hopes have been slow to be fulfilled, and they present indications for new directions in research. Most effort has focused on the machinery of cell death, or the proximate effectors of apoptosis and their closely associated and interacting proteins. But cells have many options other than apoptosis. These include autophagy, necrosis, atrophy and stepwise or other alternate means of self-disassembly. The response of a cell to …

Contrasting Infection Strategies In Generalist And Specialist Wasp Parasitoids Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Todd A. Schlenke, Jorge Morales, Shubha Govind, Andrew G. Clark

Publications and Research

Although host–parasitoid interactions are becoming well characterized at the organismal and cellular levels, much remains to be understood of the molecular bases for the host immune response and the parasitoids’ ability to defeat this immune response. Leptopilina boulardi and L. heterotoma, two closely related, highly infectious natural parasitoids of Drosophila melanogaster, appear to use very different infection strategies at the cellular level. Here, we further characterize cellular level differences in the infection characteristics of these two wasp species using newly derived, virulent inbred strains, and then use whole genome microarrays to compare the transcriptional response of Drosophila to each. While …

Human Mst But Not Mt Responds To Tactile Stimulation, Michael S. Beauchamp, Nafi E. Yasar, Neel Kishan, Tony Ro

Publications and Research

Previous reports of tactile responses in human visual area MT/V5 have used complex stimuli, such as a brush stroking the arm. These complex moving stimuli are likely to induce imagery of visual motion, which is known to be a powerful activator of MT. The area described as “MT” in previous reports consists of at least two distinct cortical areas, MT and MST. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we separately localized human MT and MST and measured their response to vibrotactile stimuli unlikely to induce imagery of visual motion. Strong vibrotactile responses were observed in MST but not in MT. Vibrotactile …

A Role For Sperm In Regulation Of Egg-Laying In The Nematode C. Elegans, Marie Mcgovern, Ling Yu, Mary Kosinski, David Greenstein, Cathy Savage-Dunn

Publications and Research

Background In insects and in mammals, male sperm and seminal fluid provide signaling factors that influence various aspects of female physiology and behavior to promote reproductive success and to compete with other males. It is less apparent how important such signaling is in the context of a self-fertile hermaphrodite species. We have addressed this question in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which can reproduce either by hermaphrodite self-fertilization or by male-hermaphrodite mating.

Results We have studied the egg-laying defective mutant, egl-32, and found that the cellular basis of the egl-32 egg-laying phenotype is likely a defect in sperm. First, the time …

Sensory Deprivation Alters Aggrecan And Perineuronal Net Expression In The Mouse Barrel Cortex, Paulette A. Mccrae, Mary M. Rocco, Gail Kelly, Joshua C. Brumberg, Russell T. Matthews

Publications and Research

An important role for the neural extracellular matrix in modulating cortical activity-dependent synaptic plasticity has been established by a number of recent studies. However, identification of the critical molecular components of the neural matrix that mediate these processes is far from complete. Of particular interest is the perineuronal net (PN), an extracellular matrix component found surrounding the cell body and proximal neurites of a subset of neurons. Because of the apposition of thePNto synapses and expression of this structure coincident with the close of the critical period, it has been hypothesized that nets could play uniquely important roles in synapse …

Maintenance Of Visual Stability In The Human Posterior Parietal Cortex, Erik Chang, Tony Ro

Publications and Research

Visual stability refers to our stable visuospatial perceptions despite the unstable visual input caused by saccades. Functional neuroimaging results, studies on patients with posterior parietal cortex (PPC) lesions, and single-unit recordings in the lateral intraparietal sulcus of primates indirectly suggest that the PPC might be a potential locus of visual stability through its involvement with spatial remapping. Here we directly explored the role of the PPC in visual stability by applying transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) while participants performed a perisaccadic displacement detection task. We show that TMS over the PPC but not a frontal control site alters sensitivity to displacement …