Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 5 of 5
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Chemosensory Processing By The Mediodorsal Thalamus., Kelly Fredericksen
Chemosensory Processing By The Mediodorsal Thalamus., Kelly Fredericksen
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The mediodorsal thalamus (MD) is thought to be key component of the network that processes chemosensory information to guide our consummatory choices. Previous studies show that the mediodorsal thalamus receives projections from both the piriform cortex (PC) and gustatory cortex (GC), suggesting that it may process chemosensory information from both areas. Although the mediodorsal thalamus has been shown to respond to odors detected by sniffing, it remains unknown how its neurons represent experienced odors, tastes, and odor-taste mixtures originating from the mouth. Importantly, humans and animals with mediodorsal thalamic lesions do not suffer from anosmia, but experience deficits in odor …
Understanding Object Motion Encoding In The Mammalian Retina., Victor Julian Depiero
Understanding Object Motion Encoding In The Mammalian Retina., Victor Julian Depiero
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Phototransduction, transmission of visual information down the optic nerve incurs delays on the order of 50 – 100ms. This implies that the neuronal representation of a moving object should lag behind the object’s actual position. However, studies have demonstrated that the visual system compensates for neuronal delays using a predictive mechanism called phase advancing, which shifts the population response toward the leading edge of a moving object’s retinal image. To understand how this compensation is achieved in the retina, I investigated cellular and synaptic mechanisms that drive phase advancing. I used three approaches, each testing phase advancing at a …
Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel, Subfamilies V, Member 1 (Trpv1) And M, Member 1 (Trpm1) Contribute To Neural Signaling In Mouse Retina., Jennifer Noel
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The retina processes light information through parallel pathways in order to extract and encode the visual scene. Light information is transmitted to the brain through approximately 30 ganglion cells (GCs), the retinal output neurons. Trp channels modulate the responses of retinal neurons within specific pathways. The study of the expression and function of the majority of Trp channels in the retina is largely in its infancy. My dissertation first investigated the expression and function of the transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) receptor/channel in the retina. TRPV1, the first cloned and most highly studied Trp channel in the peripheral nervous system, …
Identification Of Residual Descending Pathways After Human Spinal Cord Injury., Darryn A. Atkinson
Identification Of Residual Descending Pathways After Human Spinal Cord Injury., Darryn A. Atkinson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in humans is a heterogeneous diagnosis, resulting in variable paralysis and paresthesia based on the mechanism, rostro-caudal location, and severity of injury. Both neurophysiological and anatomical studies have suggested that subclinical residual supraspinal-spinal connectivity exists in a subset of individuals deemed to have motor and sensory complete injuries. Recent reports of volitional movement in chronic, motor complete individuals during epidural spinal stimulation have provided compelling evidence that these residual projections may be capable of mediating volitional movement when the functional state of spinal circuitry is electrically modulated. It was the goal of this project to identify …
Impact Of Luminance And Spatial Parameters On The Generation Of The Human Pattern Electroretinogram., Kate A. Godwin
Impact Of Luminance And Spatial Parameters On The Generation Of The Human Pattern Electroretinogram., Kate A. Godwin
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The current work assessed some of the key hypotheses behind the generation of the pattern electroretinogram (PERG) response. The first of these hypotheses states that the PERG response is the result of linear cancellation of simultaneous increment and decrement retinal responses, as generated by the retinal ON- and OFF-pathways. Experiment 1 evaluated the possibility of simulating the PERG by summing the ERG responses elicited by increment and decrement flashes, and found that it was indeed possible to simulate the PERG from these responses. However, only the steady-state PERG could be modeled consistently. The second hypothesis evaluated a theory that the …