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2019

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Articles 391 - 420 of 431

Full-Text Articles in Neuroscience and Neurobiology

The Effects Of A Ketone Body On Synaptic Transmission, Alexandra Elizabeth Stanback Jan 2019

The Effects Of A Ketone Body On Synaptic Transmission, Alexandra Elizabeth Stanback

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

The ketogenic diet is commonly used to control epilepsy, especially in cases when medications cannot. The diet typically consists of high fat, low carb, and adequate protein and produces a metabolite called acetoacetate. Seizure activity is characterized by glutamate excitotoxicity and therefore glutamate regulation is a point of research for control of these disorders. Acetoacetate is heavily implicated as the primary molecule responsible for decreasing glutamate in the synapse; it is believed that acetoacetate interferes with the transport of glutamate into the synaptic vesicles. The effects on synaptic transmission at glutamatergic synapses was studied in relation to the ketogenic diet …

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What Should We Do About Sheep? The Role Of Intelligence In Welfare Considerations, Heather Browning Jan 2019

What Should We Do About Sheep? The Role Of Intelligence In Welfare Considerations, Heather Browning

Animal Sentience

Marino & Merskin (2019) demonstrate that sheep are more cognitively complex than typically thought. We should be cautious in interpreting the implications of these results for welfare considerations to avoid perpetuating mistaken beliefs about the moral value of intelligence as opposed to sentience. There are, however, still important ways in which this work can help improve sheeps’ lives.

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Can A Mirror Capture The Self?, Cynthia Willett Jan 2019

Can A Mirror Capture The Self?, Cynthia Willett

Animal Sentience

Is the mirror a reliable indicator of self-awareness for any species, whether sheep or human? Taking a cue from feminist, phenomenological, and cross-cultural philosophy, a relational self rather than a reflective one might better capture what is at stake for the lives of social animals and for science.

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More Evidence Of Complex Cognition In Nonhuman Species, Lesley J. Rogers Jan 2019

More Evidence Of Complex Cognition In Nonhuman Species, Lesley J. Rogers

Animal Sentience

Chapman & Huffman have highlighted observations of animals performing, in nature, complex behaviour once thought to be unique to humans. Just as relevant to their argument are examples of cognition shown by domesticated species tested in controlled conditions. These strengthen the case for human/nonhuman similarities in behaviour and cognition. Recent research has brought to our attention the ability of nonhuman species to perform many tasks previously considered to be the hallmark of humans. Even though different species may use different ways of solving these tasks, the very fact that they can do it undermines the notion of human superiority.

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Non-Human Animals Providing Rescue In Medical Emergencies, Rainer Spiegel Jan 2019

Non-Human Animals Providing Rescue In Medical Emergencies, Rainer Spiegel

Animal Sentience

In their target article, Chapman & Huffman challenge the quotation of Sir William Osler that the desire to take medication distinguishes humans from non-human animals. They provide examples of self-medication in non-human animals. Based on these examples, it can be inferred that non-human animals practice at least some form of medicine for symptom control. I would like to extend this view by showing that non-human animals not only provide self-medication, but also rescue others facing emergencies.

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Corticocentric Bias In Cognitive Neuroscience, Orit Nafcha, Shai Gabay Jan 2019

Corticocentric Bias In Cognitive Neuroscience, Orit Nafcha, Shai Gabay

Animal Sentience

Chapman & Huffman (2018) note that our tendency to categorize leads to a sense of human superiority that helps justify violence against nonhuman animals. Yet animals are turning out to have capacities previously thought to be uniquely human. We add a further factor that may contribute to the false sense of human superiority: the "corticocentric" bias of neuroscience. An evolutionary approach may help identify species similarities and differences, providing a better understanding of the uniqueness of each species.

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A Community Of Minds, Bennett L. Schwartz Jan 2019

A Community Of Minds, Bennett L. Schwartz

Animal Sentience

Mather (2019) provides an excellent overview of the literature on octopus perception, cognition, memory, and behavior. Anyone interested in cephalopod cognition and brain organization will find her target article informative and interesting. In this commentary, I challenge the idea that an individual organism must have an individual mind. Given the structure of the octopus brain and their complex behavior, one must consider the possibility that an octopus is a community of minds rather than a single mind.

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Are Octopuses Special? Mind, Sociality And Life History, Phyllis C. Lee Jan 2019

Are Octopuses Special? Mind, Sociality And Life History, Phyllis C. Lee

Animal Sentience

Understanding the Umwelt or being-ness of an octopus is a fascinating problem. Mather’s review provides us with significant insights into the ways of living of non-humans that exploit a perceptual and physical world we can only guess at. Octopus “distributed minds” call into question our primate-based understandings of the importance of sociality and the pace of life in the evolution of complex perceptual and behavioural abilities.

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The Octopus Mind And The Argument Against Farming It, Jennifer Jacquet, Becca Franks, Peter Godfrey-Smith Jan 2019

The Octopus Mind And The Argument Against Farming It, Jennifer Jacquet, Becca Franks, Peter Godfrey-Smith

Animal Sentience

Mather is convincing about octopuses having ‘a controlling mind, motivated to gather information,’ but stops short of asking what having that mind means for octopus moral standing. One consequence of understanding the octopus mind should be a refusal to subject octopuses to mass production. Octopus farming is in an experimental phase and supported by various countries. We argue that it is unethical because of concerns about animal welfare as well as environmental impacts.

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Octopus Intelligence: The Importance Of Being Agnostic, Piero Amodio Jan 2019

Octopus Intelligence: The Importance Of Being Agnostic, Piero Amodio

Animal Sentience

Mather’s (2019) provocative claim that octopuses have a mind hinges on the inference that their striking behavioural flexibility is evidence of “complex” cognitive abilities. I discuss alternative explanations — not to deny the possibility of complexity but to point out that current evidence does not allow us to draw firm conclusions. Only an agnostic approach will lead to the systematic investigation of octopus behaviour and ultimately, greater insights into the cognitive capacities of these fascinating creatures.

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Octopus: Multiple Minds Or Just A Slow Thinker?, Shelley A. Adamo Jan 2019

Octopus: Multiple Minds Or Just A Slow Thinker?, Shelley A. Adamo

Animal Sentience

An octopus has more neurons in their peripheral nervous system (PNS) than in their brain. PNS neurons could participate in forming cognitive networks with the central brain in the same way that the cerebellum is now thought to contribute to mammalian cognition. However, cephalopods lack myelinated fibres, which might decrease the ability of the PNS to participate in cognitive networks. The lack of myelinated fibres may also select for a less integrated brain, with an increased emphasis on local information processing. Alternatively, integration may still occur across distant neural centers, but proceed more slowly in cephalopods than in mammals.

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Mechanisms Of Microglia Mediated Apolipoprotien E Neurotoxicity, Pardeep Singh Jan 2019

Mechanisms Of Microglia Mediated Apolipoprotien E Neurotoxicity, Pardeep Singh

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

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Using Fundamental Properties Of Light To Investigate Photonic Effects In Condensed Matter And Biological Tissues, Laura A. Sordillo Jan 2019

Using Fundamental Properties Of Light To Investigate Photonic Effects In Condensed Matter And Biological Tissues, Laura A. Sordillo

Dissertations and Theses

Light possesses characteristics such as polarization, wavelength and coherence. The interaction of light and matter, whether in a semiconductor or in a biological sample, can reveal important information about the internal properties of a system. My thesis focuses on two areas: photocarriers in gallium arsenide and biomedical optics. Varying the excitation wavelength can be used to study both biological tissue and condensed matter. I altered the excitation wavelengths to be in the longer near-infrared (NIR) optical windows, in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) range, a wavelength region previously thought to be unusable for medical imaging. With this method, I acquired high …

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The Characterization Of Alzheimer’S Disease And The Development Of Early Detection Paradigms: Insights From Nosology, Biomarkers And Machine Learning, Isabel Milano Jan 2019

The Characterization Of Alzheimer’S Disease And The Development Of Early Detection Paradigms: Insights From Nosology, Biomarkers And Machine Learning, Isabel Milano

CMC Senior Theses

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the only condition in the top ten leading causes of death for which we do not have an effective treatment that prevents, slows, or stops its progression. Our ability to design useful interventions relies on (a) increasing our understanding of the pathological process of AD and (b) improving our ability for its early detection. These goals are impeded by our current reliance on the clinical symptoms of AD for its diagnosis. This characterizations of AD often falsely assumes a unified, underlying AD-specific pathology for similar presentations of dementia that leads to inconsistent diagnoses. It also hinges …

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Global Consciousness: A Functionalist Neurophilosophical Perspective, Connor C. Bowen Jan 2019

Global Consciousness: A Functionalist Neurophilosophical Perspective, Connor C. Bowen

CMC Senior Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore a thought-provoking consequence of the functionalist theory of mind. Given the current organizational structure of Earth and field theories of consciousness in neuroscience, Earth is probably conscious. The argument is explored through an examination of the current organizational structure of Earth and field theories of consciousness in neuroscience, which leads to the conclusion that Earth is conscious. Various theories of mind have been proposed by neuroscientists and philosophers alike in an attempt to qualify what consciousness is and what provides the basis for consciousness to occur. Support, in the form of data …

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The Rhesus Macaque Corticospinal Connectome, Sydney Talmi Jan 2019

The Rhesus Macaque Corticospinal Connectome, Sydney Talmi

CMC Senior Theses

The corticospinal tract (CST), which carries commands from the cerebral cortex to the spinal cord, is vital to fine motor control. Spinal cord injury (SCI) often damages CST axons, causing loss of motor function, most notably in the hands and legs. Our preliminary work in rats suggests that CST circuitry is complex: neurons whose axons project to the lower cervical spinal cord, which directly controls hand function, also send axon collaterals to other locations in the nervous system and may engage parallel motor systems. To inform research into repair of SCI, we therefore aimed to map the entire projection pattern, …

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Ethnicity, Perceptions Of Stress, And Depressive Symptoms Among Female Undergraduate Students, Claudia Priscilla Cobos Jan 2019

Ethnicity, Perceptions Of Stress, And Depressive Symptoms Among Female Undergraduate Students, Claudia Priscilla Cobos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals have suffered from depression for decades. Although depression is under diagnosed, it is one of the most common disorders seen by psychiatrists. The purpose of this research study was to understand whether students' perceived stress level was a significant predictor of students' depressive symptoms. The study explored social cognitive theory to assist in understanding the relationship between depressive symptoms and perceived stress in female minority students. Although depressive symptoms and perceived stress in students have been explored exhaustively, these variables had not been explored specifically among minority students and then compared to nonminority students. Using the Center for Epidemiologic …

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What We Don't Know About Cephalopods And How To Define It, Catia Correia Caeiro Jan 2019

What We Don't Know About Cephalopods And How To Define It, Catia Correia Caeiro

Animal Sentience

Despite the reputation of octopuses as intelligent animals, their cognitive abilities seem to be mostly unknown. This should be the starting point of a long process of scientific enquiry about these taxa, which must include discussions on operational definitions first and foremost. Discussing octopus mind might prove fruitless without more basic concepts. Some approaches are suggested here.

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Sodium Channel Distribution In The Apical Dendrites Of Pyramidal Cells Vary In The Hindbrain Of Apteronotus Leptorhynchus., Sree Indrani Motipally Jan 2019

Sodium Channel Distribution In The Apical Dendrites Of Pyramidal Cells Vary In The Hindbrain Of Apteronotus Leptorhynchus., Sree Indrani Motipally

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Apteronotid weakly electric fish heavily rely on their electrosensory system for behaviors like spatial navigation, communication and prey capture. Since the behaviorally important information about their environment is contained in the spatial and temporal modulations of the electrosensory signal, efficient mechanisms to process this information with great fidelity are of the utmost importance. Efficient sensory processing often involves having multiple parallel processing streams so that each stream can specialize to treat signals with different properties. This strategy requires the response properties and neural dynamic to be adjusted in each pathway to implement different neural coding strategies. One of the neural …

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Role Of Extracellular Vesicles In Neuroinflammatory Progression And Mitochondrial Functional Alterations, Ashley E. Russell Jan 2019

Role Of Extracellular Vesicles In Neuroinflammatory Progression And Mitochondrial Functional Alterations, Ashley E. Russell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Inflammation within the central nervous system (CNS), termed neuroinflammation, is a defining characteristic of many neuropathological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and stroke. Certain inflammatory mediators activate the transcription factor NF-κB, which induces transcription of many pro-inflammatory genes, including miR-34a and miR-146a. Several target candidate genes of these miRNAs encode for proteins of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. In our studies, we demonstrate that in response to inflammatory stimuli, such as TNF-α, the expression of miR-34a and -146a is significantly increased in several CNS cell types, and in their secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs). Exposure to TNF-α-derived EVs significantly increases cellular …

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Regulator Of G Protein Signaling-12 (Rgs12) In Dopaminergic And Kappa Opioid Receptor-Dependent Signaling And Behavior, Joshua David Gross Jan 2019

Regulator Of G Protein Signaling-12 (Rgs12) In Dopaminergic And Kappa Opioid Receptor-Dependent Signaling And Behavior, Joshua David Gross

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Dopaminergic neurotransmission is critically involved in the etiology and treatment of many psychiatric and neurological disorders. One modulator of dopaminergic neurotransmission is the kappa opioid receptor (KOR) -- a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that is densely expressed within dopaminergic neurons and circuits. GPCRs are tightly regulated by a variety of intracellular signaling molecules, including Regulator of G Protein Signaling (RGS) proteins. Canonically, RGS proteins act as GTPase accelerating proteins (GAPs) on GTP-bound Ga subunits following GPCR activation, thereby hastening the rate at which GPCR-mediated G protein signaling is terminated. However, some RGS proteins exhibit more complex mechanisms of action on …

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Glial Cell Expansion And Intercellular Signaling In The Developing Medial Nucleus Of The Trapezoid Body (Mntb), Ashley N. Brandebura Jan 2019

Glial Cell Expansion And Intercellular Signaling In The Developing Medial Nucleus Of The Trapezoid Body (Mntb), Ashley N. Brandebura

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Neural circuit formation is a complex process involving coordinated communication between neurons, glia and vascular-associated cells (VACs). Each cell type is responsible for a unique transcriptional and translational contribution to tissue maturation. Deciphering the intercellular signaling patterns which guide neural circuit formation during normal development is thus an essential step in understanding which components of neural circuit formation go awry in neurodevelopmental disorders. The medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB), located in the auditory brainstem, was used as a model system to study the dynamics of neural circuit formation because it contains a mostly homogeneous population of postsynaptic neurons …

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Discrimination And Behavioral Responses To Communication Signals Compared Across Apteronotids., Danielle Leigh Dillon-Seeger Jan 2019

Discrimination And Behavioral Responses To Communication Signals Compared Across Apteronotids., Danielle Leigh Dillon-Seeger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sensory systems are often uniquely tailored to encode behaviorally relevant signals and comparative studies across species can thus reveal how evolutionary changes shape sensory functions. The structure of communication signals varies widely between ghost knifefish species. Recent findings suggest that the nervous system co-adapted to the various signal structures observed across species to support different sensory behaviors. The aim for this thesis was to compare the sensory behavior of 3 species of ghost knifefish to contrast their behavioral performance with the known differences in neurophysiology. We hypothesize that for the different signal types and species, the ability to discriminate small …

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Taking Darwinism Seriously, Carsta Simon Jan 2019

Taking Darwinism Seriously, Carsta Simon

Animal Sentience

Chapman & Huffman propose that dropping the categorical distinction between human and nonhuman animals may reduce the atrocious acts of humans towards nonhuman animals, but will it? Taking Darwinism seriously means accepting physical and behavioral continuity across species, including the capacity to feel pain.

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Phooey On Comparisons, Gwen J. Broude Jan 2019

Phooey On Comparisons, Gwen J. Broude

Animal Sentience

Chapman & Huffman reject the notion that human beings are very different from other animals. The goal is to undermine the claim that human uniqueness and even superiority are reason enough to treat other animals badly. But evaluating human uniqueness for this purpose only plays into the hands of those who exploit invidious comparisons between us and other animals to justify mistreatment of the rest of the animal kingdom. What human uniqueness we may discover would still be no justification for how we behave toward other animals. We should also ask ourselves whether any human-centric criterion can be justification for …

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Across The Great Divide, Debra Merskin Jan 2019

Across The Great Divide, Debra Merskin

Animal Sentience

Chapman & Huffman’s target article calls for a reevaluation of claims of human uniqueness and superiority. It also adds to the literature on how species differences, as Darwin noted, are more of degree than kind. The threats to environmental health and species survival are a consequence of excluding nonhuman animals from moral concern and consideration. The theory of intersectionality should include speciesism in the array of discriminatory practices.

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Octopus Experience, Peter Godfrey-Smith Jan 2019

Octopus Experience, Peter Godfrey-Smith

Animal Sentience

The first part of this commentary attempts to get "inside" the octopus mind a little further than Mather does, drawing on her description of octopus cognition in many places but diverging in others. The second part outlines other disagreements with her account of the animals, especially in the area of social behavior.

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Casting A Sheep’S Eye On Science, David M. Peña-Guzmán Jan 2019

Casting A Sheep’S Eye On Science, David M. Peña-Guzmán

Animal Sentience

Marino & Merskin review evidence that sheep are not just passive and reactive creatures. They have personalities that vary from individual to individual and endure over time. It follows that we must rethink what it means to study them scientifically.

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A Behavior-Analytic Approach To Understanding Octopus “Mind”, Lindsay R. Mehrkam Jan 2019

A Behavior-Analytic Approach To Understanding Octopus “Mind”, Lindsay R. Mehrkam

Animal Sentience

Mather makes a convincing case for octopus sentience based on a lot of evidence of their complex learning capabilities. It should follow from Mather’s findings that these intelligent invertebrates are worthy of welfare considerations, just as vertebrate species with similar capabilities are. I provide a complementary environment-behavior analysis of how we might understand the world of the octopus more straightforwardly, borrowing from Mather’s examples, to show how to promote opportunities for complex learning and species-typical behaviors in the octopus.

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Resilience Building In Biracial And Multiracial, Bisexual Adults: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Melissa Gale Swartz Jan 2019

Resilience Building In Biracial And Multiracial, Bisexual Adults: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Melissa Gale Swartz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Until recently, society and science often ignored, erased, and avoided bisexual women and men and individuals with biracial and multiracial identities, and rarely considered these identities simultaneously. Prior research has shown that some lesbians and gay people of color exhibit resilience against sexual minority stress due in part to an inoculating effect of exposure to racism earlier in life. However, little is known about the lived experience of thriving, resilient bisexual multiracial individuals. In the tradition of positive psychology and context of intersectionality theory, this qualitative study explored how multiracial bisexual individuals develop and maintain flourishing well-€being despite sociocultural factors …

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