Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

A Role For Transforming Growth Factor-Beta In Urinary Bladder Dysfunction With Cyclophosphamide-Induced Cystitis, Eric James Gonzalez

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Bladder pain syndrome (BPS)/interstitial cystitis (IC) is a chronic pain disorder characterized by at least six weeks of lower urinary tract symptoms and unpleasant sensations (pain, pressure and discomfort) thought to be related to the urinary bladder and not meeting exclusion criteria. While the etiology is not known, BPS/IC may involve a "vicious circle" of uroepithelial dysfunction, inflammation and peripheral and central sensitization. We propose that the urinary bladder inflammatory insult partly mediates voiding dysfunction and visceral neurogenic pain characteristic of BPS/IC. Several studies from our laboratory have already demonstrated the role(s) of cytokines and their downstream targets in the …

Learning Related Regulation Of A Voltage-Gated Ion Channel In The Cerebellum, Jason R. Fuchs

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The neural mechanisms that support learning and memory are still poorly understood. Much work has focused on changes in neurotransmitter receptor expression, while changes in voltage-gated ion channel expression have been largely unexplored, despite the fact that voltage-gated ion channels govern neuronal excitability. Here we used eyeblink conditioning (EBC) in rats, a model of learning and memory with a well-understood neural circuit, to examine regulation of voltage-gated ion channels as a consequence of learning. EBC is a form of classical conditioning that involves pairings of a behaviorally neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) and an eyeblink eliciting unconditioned stimulus (US) over many …

Protective Actions Of 5-Ht4 Receptors In The Colonic Epithelium, Stephanie Nicole Spohn

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

5-HT4 receptors are expressed in colonic epithelium, and activation with 5-HT4 receptor agonists causes a number of responses, including mucus secretion from goblet cells, chloride secretion from enterocytes, and 5-HT release from enterochromaffin cells. We tested whether this receptor could serve a protective role in models of colitis and under basal conditions.

Male CD-1 mice (Charles River, Canada) were administered dextran sodium sulfate (DSS; 4% w/v in tap water, MW: 40,000) or trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS; 7.5mg/mL in 50% ethanol by enema) on day 0. Treatment with the 5-HT4 receptor agonist, tegaserod (1 mg/Kg), or agonist plus the antagonist, GR113808 …

Impact Of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage On Astrocyte Calcium Signaling: Implications For Impaired Neurovascular Coupling, Anthony Christ Pappas

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Deficits within the brain microcirculation contribute to poor patient outcome following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, the underlying pathophysiology is not well understood. Intra-cerebral (parenchymal) arterioles are encased by specialized glial processes, called astrocyte endfeet. Ca2+ signals in the endfeet, driven by the ongoing pattern of neuronal activity, regulate parenchymal arteriolar diameter and thereby influence local cerebral blood flow. In the healthy brain, this phenomenon, called neurovascular coupling (NVC), matches focal increases in neuronal activity with local arteriolar dilation. This ensures adequate delivery of oxygen and other nutrients to areas of the brain with increased metabolic demand. Recently, we demonstrated …

Exercise In Developing Rats Promotes Plasticity In The Prefrontal Cortex: Behavioral And Neurobiological Indications, Meghan Eddy

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Physical exercise has repeatedly been shown to trigger positive effects on brain function including improved learning, memory, and executive functions. In addition, corresponding physiological changes have been observed, such as increased neurotrophic factors, changes in neurotransmitter concentrations, and increased dendritic spines. However, these changes have not been well described outside of the hippocampus, including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and have not been directly compared at different points of development. Because the prefrontal cortex is one of the last brain areas to fully mature, considering the age at which intervention, such as exercise, takes place is particularly important. Additionally, in …

Associations Between Children's Perceptions Of Interparental Conflict And Neuropsychological Correlates Of Interpersonal Emotion Stimuli, Hannah C. Woolfolk

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Exposure to interparental conflict has been implicated in children's development. Research suggests that underlying mechanisms, such as neuropsychological indicators of cognitive processes, may shed light on how exposure to interparental conflict differentially influences children's outcomes over time. Event-related potentials (ERP), extracted from electroencephalogram data, allow for examination of neuropsychological markers of cognition based on precise timing and scalp topography of electrical activity in the brain. For example, the late positive potential (LPP) ERP component has been implicated in the timing and magnitude of sustained attention and emotion regulation processes elicited in response to emotionally salient stimuli. LPP amplitudes and peak …

Chronic Stress Potentiates The Response To Intra-Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis (Bnst) Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Peptide (Pacap) Infusion., Steven Bradley King

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Chronic or repeated exposure to stressful stimuli can result in several maladaptive consequences, including increased anxiety-like behaviors and altered peptide expression in brain structures involved in emotion. Among these structures, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) has been implicated in emotional behaviors as well as regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. In rodents, chronic variate stress (CVS) has been shown to increase BNST pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) and its cognate PAC1 receptor transcript, and BNST PACAP signaling may mediate the maladaptive changes associated with chronic stress. In order to determine whether chronic stress would potentiate the …

Intra-Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Peptide Infusion Reinstates Cocaine Seeeking In Rats, Olivia Miles

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The tendency of users to relapse severely hinders adequate treatment of addiction. Physical and psychological stressors often contribute to difficulties in maintaining behavior change, and may play a significant role in relapse. We have previously shown that the activation of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) systems in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) mediates many consequences of chronic stressor exposure. Hence, chronic stress substantially increased BNST PACAP levels, intra-BNST PACAP infusions produced the behavioral and endocrine consequences of stressor exposure, and BNST PACAP antagonism blocked many of the consequences of chronic stress. In the present set of …

Receptors For The Detection Of L-Amino Acids And Imp By Mouse Taste Sensory Cells, Shreoshi Pal Choudhuri

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The sense of taste is one of the most important factors in regulating ingestive decisions. This is central to a number of disease conditions including but not limited to obesity, diabetes, anorexia, hypertension, coronary artery diseases and malnutrition. The detection of the molecules eliciting taste qualities in food is mediated by the coordinated actions of distinct types of taste sensory cells (TSCs) housed in taste buds within specialized papillae throughout the oral cavity. Taste receptors in the taste sensory cells that detect food molecules are the key players in selecting dietary nutrients. One such example is L-amino acids, a critical …