Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

The Effect Of Adolescent Alcohol On Dopaminergic And Gabaergic Neurotransmission In The Adult Prefrontal Cortex, Samuel W. Centanni

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to play an important role in cognitive processes that are negatively impacted by alcohol exposure. Compared to other brain regions, the neuronal connections of the PFC undergo a critical period of reorganization and refinement during adolescence that coincides with improvements in cognitive control and decision-making. Environmental insults that occur during this period may be particularly damaging to the PFC, resulting in aberrant neurodevelopment along with long-lasting effects on cognitive functioning that negatively impacts decision-making and behavioral control. Experimentation with alcohol typically begins during adolescence when it is often consumed in excessive binge-like episodes resulting …

Calciumsignalextract: A Matlab Gui To Automatically Extract The Activity Of Multiple Cells From Calcium Imaging Data, Stephan Meyer Zum Alten Borgloh

Gilbert Laboratory

A Matlab GUI that automatically segments fluorescence image stacks into ROIs based on differential morphology and fluorescence activity of the individual cells. The time course data of each ROI gets extracted and plotted. External data from behavioral experiments and sensory stimuli can be integrated to compare for task and stimulus dependent neuronal events

Oral Care Practice Guidelines For The Care-Dependent Hospitalized Adult Outside Of The Intensive Care Unit Setting, Cynthia Susan Drapal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many nurses lack evidence-based knowledge to deliver appropriate oral care, view oral care in the care-dependent patient as a comfort measure, and give it a low clinical priority. An estimated 44%-65% of hospitalized care-dependent patients do not receive adequate oral care, an intervention that can prevent aspiration pneumonia or pneumonitis. The purpose of this project was to develop a policy for use of an oral assessment tool and evidence-based guidelines for oral care in hospitalized care-dependent adults outside of the intensive care unit setting at a regional health system in the Southeast United States. The project used the theoretical foundations …

Cortisol Levels And Voltage Conditions Of College Students, Adriana Steffens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a limited research base on low voltage brain conditions, which are characterized by electrical activity being measured at below 20 microvolts. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between saliva cortisol levels and voltage using an EGG in a college student population. Illuminating this relationship is important to inform how low voltage conditions can affect daily memory and cognitive functioning of undergraduate college students that may be a result of stress. The college student population may be vulnerable to the low voltage condition because of stress from the transition between teenage and adult life and …

Signals From The 4th Dimension: Role Of Extracellular Matrix Signaling In Synaptic Plasticity Mediating Addiction, Alexander C. W. Smith

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Chronic cocaine abuse causes maladaptive neuroadaptations that underlie vulnerability to relapse, even after protracted abstinence. A great deal of work has examined mechanisms of neuroplasticity by which these occur. However, the majority of experimentation has focused on intracellular signaling cascades, while the extracellular compartment has been largely ignored. In the past decade, work has emerged in the learning and memory literature that indicates that extracellular matrix remodeling and signaling is required for adaptive forms of neuroplasticity (e.g. learning and memory), although it has not been thoroughly examined in models of maladaptive neuroplasticity. Throughout this dissertation a drug self-administration, extinction and …

Familiarity Differentially Affects Right Hemisphere Contributions To Processing Metaphors And Literals, V. T. Lai, Wessel Van Dam, L. L. Conant, J. R. Binder, Rutvik Desai

Faculty Publications

The role of the two hemispheres in processing metaphoric language is controversial. While some studies have reported a special role of the right hemisphere (RH) in processing metaphors, others indicate no difference in laterality relative to literal language. Some studies have found a role of the RH for novel/unfamiliar metaphors, but not conventional/familiar metaphors. It is not clear, however, whether the role of the RH is specific to metaphor novelty, or whether it reflects processing, reinterpretation or reanalysis of novel/unfamiliar language in general. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the effects of familiarity in both metaphoric …

Experimental-Computational Analysis Of Vigilance Dynamics For Applications In Sleep And Epilepsy, Farid Yaghouby

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. Sleep problems can cooccur with epilepsy, and adversely affect seizure diagnosis and treatment. In fact, the relationship between sleep and seizures in individuals with epilepsy is a complex one. Seizures disturb sleep and sleep deprivation aggravates seizures. Antiepileptic drugs may also impair sleep quality at the cost of controlling seizures. In general, particular vigilance states may inhibit or facilitate seizure generation, and changes in vigilance state can affect the predictability of seizures. A clear understanding of sleep-seizure interactions will therefore benefit epilepsy care providers and improve quality of life in patients. …

Role Of Alpha Oscillations In Reweighting Multiple Attributes During Choice, Samuel I. Dunham

CMC Senior Theses

In our everyday lives, we must often weigh the different attributes of items in order to select the item that best fits our current goals, allowing us to make optimal decisions. Construal Level Theory proposes a psychological mechanism for re-weighting attributes, utilizing selective attention as the process by which we implement self-control. It has been hypothesized that switching attention between attributes is facilitated by the suppression of cortical oscillations over posterior brain regions within the alpha (8-12 Hz) frequency range. To test this idea, we re-examined previously collected whole-brain electroencephalography (EEG) data from a dietary choice experiment in which participants …

Elucidating The Role Of Endogenous Electric Fields In Regulating The Astrocytic Response To Injury In The Mammalian Central Nervous System, Matthew L. Baer

Theses and Dissertations

Endogenous bioelectric fields guide morphogenesis during embryonic development and regeneration by directly regulating the cellular functions responsible for these phenomena. Although this role has been extensively explored in many peripheral tissues, the ability of electric fields to regulate wound repair and stimulate regeneration in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) has not been convincingly established. This dissertation explores the role of electric fields in regulating the injury response and controlling the regenerative potential of the mammalian CNS. We place particular emphasis on their influence on astrocytes, as specific differences in their injury-induced behaviors have been associated with differences in the …

Gliopathy Of Demyelinating And Non-Demyelinating Strains Of Mouse Hepatitis Virus, Lawrence Charles Kenyon, Kaushiki Biswas, Kenneth Shindler, Manasi Nabar, Marjorie Stout, Susan T. Hingley, Judith B. Grinspan, Jayasri Das Sarma

PCOM Scholarly Works

Demyelination in the central nervous system induced by neurovirulent strains of Mouse Hepatitis Virus (MHV) is mediated by the viral spike glycoprotein, but it is not clear whether the mechanism of this disease pathology involves direct viral infection of oligodendrocytes. Detailed studies of glial cell tropism of MHV are presented, demonstrating that direct MHV infection of oligodendrocytes differs between demyelinating (RSA59) and non-demyelinating (RSMHV2) viral strains both in vitro and in vivo. Our results indicate that direct injury of mature oligodendrocytes is an important mechanism of virus-induced demyelination. In vivo, RSA59 infection was identified in spinal cord gray and white …

Structural Organization Of The Connections Between Neurons Of The Paraventricular And Lateral Hypothalamic Regions In The Adult Male Rat, Berenise De Haro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The hypothalamus is a major integrator of homeostatic signals in the brain; within the hypothalamus, there are sub-regions with specific roles in regulating energy balance. For example, the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) has been classically associated with feeding behaviors, and contains two major orexigenic cell populations expressing the neuropeptides melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) or hypocretin 1/orexin A (H/O). Similarly, the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH) integrates information to mediate neuroendocrine and autonomic responses related to ingestive behaviors. The PVH has also been implicated directly in the control of feeding. However, the precise structural and functional interactions between these two …

Separating The Signal From The Noise In Electrocorticographic (Ecog) Signals : Novel Analytic Methods And Their Application To Experimental And Theoretical Neuroscience, William Grey Coon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Measurements are comprised of two parts: signal, that is, the true quantity one wishes to measure, and noise, that is, measurement fluctuations that are unrelated to the true signal.

A Novel Method For Studying Gene Regulatory Elements In Vivo Reveals Essential Roles For Intron Splicing In Neurofilament Gene Expression, Chen Wang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Axon outgrowth requires coordinated expression of critical cytoskeletal genes in response to extracellular cues. The spatial and temporal expression of these genes is regulated transcriptionally and posttranscriptionally. Such regulation is largely mediated through the activity of cis-regulatory elements within the cytoskeletal DNAs and RNAs, which recruit specific sets of trans-factors such as DNA- and RNA-binding proteins, as well as microRNAs. To identify the functionally active cis-elements, characterize their dynamically changing sets of trans-factors, and investigate the association between the two sets of regulators in the context of an intact developing nervous system, one needs to combine appropriate in vivo strategies …

Nosh-Aspirin (Nbs-1120), A Dual Nitric Oxide And Hydrogen Sulfide-Releasing Hybrid, Reduces Inflammatory Pain, Miriam D. Fonseca, Fernando Q. Cunha, Khosrow Kashfi, Thiago M. Cunha

Publications and Research

The development of nitric oxide (NO)- and hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-releasing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has generated more potent anti-inflammatory drugs with increased safety profiles. A new hybrid molecule incorporating both NO and H2S donors into aspirin (NOSH-aspirin) was recently developed. In the present study, the antinociceptive activity of this novel molecule was compared with aspirin in different models of inflammatory pain. It was found that NOSH-aspirin inhibits acetic acid-induced writhing response and carrageenan (Cg)-induced inflammatory hyperalgesia in a dosedependent (5–150 lmol/kg, v.o.) manner, which was superior to the effect of the same doses of aspirin. NOSH-aspirin’s antinociceptive effect was also …

Biological Basis Of Motherhood And Effect Of Stress On Maternal Psychophysiology, Erin Loree Minnick 15

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

Clique Topology Reveals Intrinsic Geometric Structure In Neural Correlations, Chad Giusti, Eva Pastalkova, Carina Curto, Vladimir Itskov

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

Detecting meaningful structure in neural activity and connectivity data is challenging in the presence of hidden nonlinearities, where traditional eigenvalue-based methods may be misleading. We introduce a novel approach to matrix analysis, called clique topology, that extracts features of the data invariant under nonlinear monotone transformations. These features can be used to detect both random and geometric structure, and depend only on the relative ordering of matrix entries. We then analyzed the activity of pyramidal neurons in rat hippocampus, recorded while the animal was exploring a 2D environment, and confirmed that our method is able to detect geometric organization using …

Effect Of Somatostatin On Voltage-Gated Calcium Influx In Isolated Neonatal Rat Carotid Body Type I Cells, Eric J. Dunn

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Somatostatin (SST) is a neuropeptide hormone that regulates the release of secondary hormones. Evidence suggests SST plays a neuromodulatory role due to its distribution throughout the central nervous system. Interestingly, SST has been suggested to affect the carotid body, the small peripheral chemoreceptors that regulate breathing. It has been shown that the peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity to CO2 and hypoxia is reduced by SST in humans (Pedersen et al., 1999; Pandit et al., 2014). SST has also been found to inhibit whole cell Ca2+ currents recorded from adult rat carotid body type I cells (e Silva & Lewis, 1995), but the …

An Epigenetic Hypothesis For The Genomic Memory Of Pain, Sebastian Alvarado, Maral Tajerian, Matthew Suderman, Ziv Machnes, Stephanie Pierfelice, Magali Millecamps, Laura S. Stone, Moshe Szyf

Publications and Research

Chronic pain is accompanied with long-term sensory, affective and cognitive disturbances. What are the mechanisms that mediate the long-term consequences of painful experiences and embed them in the genome? We hypothesize that alterations in DNA methylation, an enzymatic covalent modification of cytosine bases in DNA,serve as a “genomic” memory of pain in the adult cortex. DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism for long-term regulation of gene expression. Neuronal plasticity at the neuroanatomical, functional, morphological, physiological and molecular levels has been demonstrated throughout the neuroaxis in response to persistent pain, including in the adult prefrontal cortex (PFC). We have previously reported …

Characterization Of Calbindin Positive Interneurons Within The Ventral Horn Of The Mouse Spinal Cord, Taylor L. Floyd, David R. Ladle

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

Sensory-motor circuits in the spinal cord integrate sensory feedback from muscles and modulate locomotor behavior. Although we know how the sensory-motor system generally works, the main issue lies in identifying all neurons involved and understanding their interrelationships. Many interneurons contribute to sensory-motor circuits and have been well studied. For example, Renshaw cells (RC) are inhibitory interneurons that prevent motor neurons from over-activity. A distinguishing feature of RCs is that they are the only interneurons within the ventral-most region of the spinal cord expressing the calcium binding protein calbindin (CB). Recent studies have found other subpopulations of ventral horn interneurons outside …

The Neurological Underpinnings Of Hypnosis And Its Clinical Applications, Raizy Leizerowski

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

The brain is so complex that it is almost impossible to select one variable as the reason for a specific observation. This paper will discuss the neurological basis of hypnosis, and how hypnosis has made unique contributions to the refinement and development of cognitive neuroscience. In addition, hypnosis has been proven to cure many psychological and neurologically based diseases. Due to in-depth study of the neurological underpinnings of hypnosis, much advancement has been made in elucidating the relationship between the complex neural circuitry of the brain, its direct correlation to consciousness, and both the efferent and afferent neurological systems. New …

Neurobiology Of Stress, Annaliese K. Beery, Daniela Kaufer

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

The neurobiology of stress and the neurobiology of social behavior are deeply intertwined. The social environment interacts with stress on almost every front: social interactions can be potent stressors; they can buffer the response to an external stressor; and social behavior often changes in response to stressful life experience. This review explores mechanistic and behavioral links between stress, anxiety, resilience, and social behavior in rodents, with particular attention to different social contexts. We consider variation between several different rodent species and make connections to research on humans and nonhuman primates.

Processing Of Language Switches In Bilingual Individuals With Aphasia: An Event-Related Potential Comparison, Lizette Rodarte

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Switching between languages, or code-switching, is a common phenomenon in bilingual individuals. In proficient bilinguals, these switches are done with ease and are used for many purposes. Contrary to popular belief, these switches are rule-governed and follow grammatical structure. Bilingual individuals diagnosed with aphasia present with difficulty processing languages and these language switches. With the increase in bilingual individuals, it is likely that the speech-language pathology community will see an increase of bilingual individuals with aphasia on their caseload. For this reason, the purpose of this study is to increase our understanding of the neural processes involved in processing of …

Event Related Potentials In A Two Stimuli Auditory Oddball Task In Concussed College Athletes: A Linguistic Component Replication Study, Christopher Anthony Roosmalen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Concussions affect an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million individuals annually and can result in persistent symptoms and cognitive impairments in attention and memory. Concussions are a rising health concern especially in concussion management. Event Related Potentials (ERP) may more accurately assess cognitive recovery making better return to play decisions. In 2013, Sanchez found no significant difference between concussed athletes and non-concussed individuals in the in amplitude of the P300 ERP component using an auditory oddball task consisting of 2 different consonant, vowel (CV) syllables. Because participants were instructed to maintain a mental and verbal count of the target stimuli, a …

Body Sensations: Neurobiology, Learning To Feel, And Sensory Teamwork, Gin Mccollum

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most of us must learn to feel, as an artist learns to see in order to draw. All of the physiological processes of feeling and seeing can happen with no awareness at all, when the mind is wandering elsewhere. Essential to the learning process is awareness, prajna. With no awareness, we have unconscious sensations, not conscious perceptions.

The light striking the retina of the eye is the first step in seeing. A great deal more happens in the visual part of the cerebral cortex, at the back of the head, and along the pathways to it. The conscious experience of …

Characterizing The Temporal Dynamics In Functional Connectivity Measured With Fmri, Joshua Swearingen

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

There is a considerable and growing interest in the organization and development of neural function at the scale of the entire brain, particularly from activity observed in fluctuations in the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This activity reliably organizes into sub-networks, whether obtained from subjects at rest or from those involved in various perceptual or cognitive tasks. While these networks have often been identified and studied, the precise dynamics involved in their interactions as well as the relationship between organization found in both resting and task-based activity are not well understood. Here I …

Towards Closed-Loop Deep Brain Stimulation: Behavior Recognition From Human Stn, Soroush Niketeghad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) provides significant therapeutic benefit for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). Current DBS devices lack real-time feedback (thus are open loop) and stimulation parameters are adjusted during scheduled visits with a clinician. A closed-loop DBS system may reduce power consumption and side effects by adjusting stimulation parameters based on patient’s behavior. Thus behavior detection is a major step in designing such systems. Various physiological signals can be used to recognize the behaviors. Subthalamic Nucleus (STN) Local field Potential (LFP) is a great candidate signal for the neural feedback, because it can be recorded from the …

The Effects Of Spinal Manipulative Therapy On Isokinetic Strength And Postactivation Potentiation, Grant D. Sanders

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) is a therapeutic procedure employed by various healthcare practitioners for alleviating acute and chronic musculoskeletal complaints. This form of treatment is also delivered to enhance the performance and augment the rehabilitation of athletes. However, despite research findings alleging the strength-modulating effects of SMT alongside numerous professional athletes’ positive anecdotal claims concerning its results, the physiological processes to explain its effects remain largely unexplained. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to investigate the effects of SMT in a college-aged sample population with two experiments.

The first study examined the effect of SMT targeting the lumbosacral region …

The Intranasal Delivery Of Dnsp-11 And Its Effects In Animal Models Of Parkinson's Disease, Mallory J. Stenslik

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

A major challenge in developing disease altering therapeutics for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been the delivery of compounds across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to the central nervous system (CNS). While direct surgical infusion has been utilized to deliver compounds to the brain that don’t cross the BBB, issues of poor biodistribution in the CNS due in part to properties of the molecules being delivered and/or infusion device protocols have limited the widespread success of this invasive approach. To avoid the issues of surgically delivering compounds to the CNS, numerous studies have examined the use of intranasal administration …

Relationships Between Specific Health-Related Fitness Components And Standardized Academic Achievement Tests, Tona Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In an attempt to meet monetary-driven mandates to improve student achievement test scores, administrators are replacing physical education activities with subject matter classes in many American schools. This practice negates the positive contributions of physical activity to academic performance and student fitness. Guided by self-efficacy theory, this study assessed the impact of optimal versus minimal physical fitness state on student academic achievement. The study sample included 5,416 9th grade students from the same school district who completed a minimum of 5 of the 6 components of the FITNESSGRAM tests, and who also completed the math and English language arts (ELA) …

Temporal Localization Of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (Igf1) Positive Cells In Developing Hypothyroid Brain, Shelby Anne Kline

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Hypothyroidism has been known to result in numerous neuroanatomical defects in the developing brain. To investigate further into the mechanism in which these defects are obtained, local brain insulin-like growth factor 1 (Igf1) was investigated in relation to the hypothyroid brain. There are many similarities between hypothyroidism and the Igf1 deficient brain. Additionally, TH (thyroid hormone) is known to interact with Igf1. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of induced congenital hypothyroidism on the temporal expression of Igf1-positive cells in the brain. To investigate the relationship between TH and Igf1 in the brain, we inhibited …