Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

A Neural Mechanism For Capnotaxis In The Naked Mole-Rat, Michael Zions

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A Neural Mechanism for Capnotaxis in the Naked Mole-Rat

The Naked Mole-Rat (NM-R) is a small hairless rodent that has thrived underground in the Horn of Africa for the past 40 million years. It was first discovered in 1847, but has only been maintained in captivity and studied as a laboratory animal over the past 40 years. To date, more than 400 scientific papers have been published on this species. This is relatively few compared to established lab animals like rats and mice, but those papers contain a trove of information that has changed our understanding of the constraints of …

The Cortico-Motoneuronal System In The Plexina1 Knock-Out Mouse: Sculpting The Motor Response And Activity-Dependent Plasticity, John Kalambogias

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Higher primates, apes, and humans have cortico-motoneuronal (CM) connections between the motor cortical areas and spinal motoneurons. The CM system is thought to confer individuated finger movements and other aspects of skilled movement control; in part, by the selective CM cell they recruit, leading to fractionated patterns of muscle activity. Although CM connections have been examined using several approaches in monkeys, the presence and properties of the CM connection was elucidated in all the species using the technique of stimulus-triggered averaging (StTA). The electrophysiological signature for the CM response is short-latency EMG facilitation (post-stimulus facilitation; PStF) in individual muscles, followed …

Tamalin/Gras-1 Connects Glutamate Receptor Activity To The Insulin/Igf Signaling Cascade To Regulate Neuroprotection In A Nematode Model Of Excitotoxicity, Ayesha Chowdhury

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Brain ischemia is a major cause of debilitation and death in the United States. Excitotoxicity, a condition that arises from the accumulation of glutamate (Glu) in the synapse that leads to overactivation of Glu receptors (GluRs), is the major mechanism of neuronal damage in brain ischemia / stroke. Although it is commonly acknowledged that over activation of GluRs leads to neurodegeneration, it has been recently shown that even during excitotoxicity Glu has a concurrent important role in regulating neuroprotection. GluR-activated transcription factors seem to mediate this neuroprotection, but it remains unclear which signaling cascades and transcription factors are regulated by …

Expression Analysis Of Cnidarian-Specific Neuropeptides In A Sea Anemone Unveils An Apical-Organ-Associated Nerve Net That Disintegrates At Metamorphosis, Hannah Zang, Nagayasu Nakanishi

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Neuropeptides are ancient neuronal signaling molecules that have diversified across Cnidaria (e.g., jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones) and its sister group Bilateria (e.g., vertebrates, insects, and worms). Over the course of neuropeptide evolution emerged lineage-specific neuropeptides, but their roles in the evolution and diversification of nervous system function remain enigmatic. As a step toward filling in this knowledge gap, we investigated the expression pattern of a cnidarian-specific neuropeptide—RPamide—during the development of the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. We show that RPamide precursor transcripts first occur during gastrulation in scattered epithelial cells of the …

The Potential Of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 As A Neurotrophic Factor For Parkinson's Disease, Susan R. Goulding, Aideen M. Sullivan, Gerard W. O'Keeffe, Louise M. Collins

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder; it affects 1% of the population over the age of 65. The number of people with Parkinson's disease is set to rapidly increase due to changing demographics and there is an unmet clinical need for disease-modifying therapies. The pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease are the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and their axons which project to the striatum, and the aggregation of α-synuclein; these result in a range of debilitating motor and non-motor symptoms. The application of neurotrophic factors to protect and potentially regenerate the remaining dopaminergic …

Distributions Of Hypothalamic Neuron Populations Co-Expressing Tyrosine Hydroxylase And The Vesicular Gaba Transporter In The Mouse., Kenichiro Negishi, Mikayla Payant, Kayla Schumacker, Gabor Wittman, Rebecca Butler, Ronald Lechan, Harry Steinbusch, Arshad Khan, Melissa Chee

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

Distributions Of Hypothalamic Neuron Populations Co-Expressing Tyrosine Hydroxylase And The Vesicular Gaba Transporter In The Mouse., Negishi, Mikayla Payant, Kayla Schumacker, Gabor Wittman, Rebecca Butler, Ronald Lechan, Harry Steinbusch, Arshad Khan, Melissa Chee

Departmental Papers (Biology)

No abstract provided.

Neurodevelopment Outcome Of Neonates Treated With Intraventricular Colistin For Ventriculitis Caused By Multiple Drug-Resistant Pathogens-A Case Series, Kashif Hussain, Muhammad Sohail Salat, Gul Ambreen, Javaid Iqbal

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Multiple-drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB)-associated neonatal ventriculitis is a life-threatening complication that needs timely diagnosis and effective treatment with broad-spectrum antimicrobials in critical-care settings. Inadequate penetration of antibiotics through the blood-brain barrier also demands an intraventricular (IVT) route of administration. This study reports mortality and neurodevelopmental sequelae of neonates till 18 months of age, who received IVT-colistin for treating MDR-GNB associated ventriculitis.
Methods: In a case series of seven neonates with ventriculitis due to MDR-GNB at NICU of Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan, between June 2015 and 2018, we reviewed IVT-colistin therapy in critically ill neonates. Treatment outcomes were assessed …

Enhanced Tes And Tdcs Computational Models By Meninges Emulation, Jimmy Jiang, Dennis Q. Truong, Zeinab Esmaeilpour, Yu Huang, Bashar W. Badran, Marom Bikson

Publications and Research

Objective. Understanding how current reaches the brain during transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) underpins efforts to rationalize outcomes and optimize interventions. To this end, computational models of current flow relate applied dose to brain electric field. Conventional tES modeling considers distinct tissues like scalp, skull, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), gray matter and white matter. The properties of highly conductive CSF are especially important. However, modeling the space between skull and brain as entirely CSF is not an accurate representation of anatomy. The space conventionally modeled as CSF is approximately half meninges (dura, arachnoid, and pia) with lower conductivity. However, the resolution …

New Approaches To Symptomatic Treatments For Alzheimer’S Disease, Jeffrey Cummings

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Background: Successful development of agents that improve cognition and behavior in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is critical to improving the lives of patients manifesting the symptoms of this progressive disorder. Discussion: There have been no recent approvals of cognitive enhancing agents for AD. There are currently 6 cognitive enhancers in Phase 2 trials and 4 in phase 3. They represent a variety of novel mechanisms. There has been progress in developing new treatments for neuropsychiatric symptoms in AD with advances in treatment of insomnia, psychosis, apathy, and agitation in AD. There are currently 4 AD-related psychotropic agents in Phase 2 trials …

High-Resolution Spectral Sleep Analysis Reveals A Novel Association Between Slow Oscillations And Memory Retention In Elderly Adults, Makoto Kawai, Logan D. Scheider, Omer Linkovski, Joshua Jordan, Rosy Karna, Sophia Pirog, Isabelle Cotto, Casey Buck, William J. Giardino, Ruth O'Hara

Psychology | Faculty Scholarship

Objective: In recognition of the mixed associations between traditionally scored slow wave sleep and memory, we sought to explore the relationships between slow wave sleep, electroencephalographic (EEG) power spectra during sleep and overnight verbal memory retention in older adults.

Design, Setting, Participants, and Measurements: Participants were 101 adults without dementia (52% female, mean age 70.3 years). Delayed verbal memory was first tested in the evening prior to overnight polysomnography (PSG). The following morning, subjects were asked to recall as many items as possible from the same List (overnight memory retention; OMR). Partial correlation analyses examined the associations of delayed verbal …

Implicit Bias Through The Lens Of Electroencephalography, Hope Cooper

Behavioral Neuroscience Honors Papers

Unconscious or implicit bias is a part of everyday life. All human beings both exhibit implicit bias and (some more than others) are also the victims of it. Due to the way humans have evolved implicit bias will never be something that ceases to exist. Thus, it is important that neuroscience and social science closely study how it works and how to curb the behaviors caused by implicit bias. In the following research EEG (electroencephalography) was used alongside a weapons IAT (Implicit Association Test) to examine specific neural components that may correlate with higher bias scores on the IAT. Specific …

Mechanisms Of Dopamine-Induced Methamphetamine Neurotoxicity, Melinda L. Asbury

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Methamphetamine (MA) neurotoxicity is particularly evident in the striatum where it causes extensive dopamine (DA) release and results in neurodegeneration. To identify specific signaling pathways and macromolecules involved in postsynaptic DA-induced striatal toxicity we used a SK-N-MC cell model that mimics postsynaptic D1 receptor-expressing striatal neurons. The cells were treated for 6-24 h with 0-50 µM DA. The concentration was chosen to impart physiological relevance to the study as it mirrors [DA] found within the striatum following MA exposure. We show that 25-50 µM DA resulted in protein changes consistent with nitro(oxidative) stress as well as enhanced cleavage of caspase …

Protocol Development And Optimization For Rnls Mouse Characteristic Assessment, Hasan Farid

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Protocol development and optimization are vital in the scientific method process. By having accurate protocols, one can properly assess the characteristics of their animal model for any given experiment. One animal newly adopted in our lab was the novel regulatable nuclear localization sequence (rNLS) mouse model. This novel mouse model displays symptoms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), after the accumulation of the hTDP-43 (TAR DNA-binding protein 43) aggregate in the central nervous system. The expression of this protein occurs after the removal of deoxycycline from the mouse’s food source. Once the removal of the drug, this …

Neuropsychological Change After A Single Season Of Head Impact Exposure In Youth Football, Arthur C. Maerlender, Eric Smith, P. Gunnar Brolinson, Joseph J. Crisco, Jillian Urban, Amaris Ajamil, Steven Rowson, Eamon T. Campolettano, Ryan A. Gellner, Srinidhi Bellamkonda, Emily Kieffer, Mireille E. Kelley, Derek Jones, Alex Powers, Jonathan Beckwith, Joel Stitzel, Richard M. Greenwald, Stefan Duma

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Objectives: Head impact exposure (HIE) in youth football is a public health concern. The objective of this study was to determine if one season of HIE in youth football was related to cognitive changes.

Method: Over 200 participants (ages 9–13) wore instrumented helmets for practices and games to measure the amount of HIE sustained over one season. Pre- and post-season neuropsychological tests were completed. Test score changes were calculated adjusting for practice effects and regression to the mean and used as the dependent variables. Regression models were calculated with HIE variables predicting neuropsychological test score changes.

Results: For the full …

The Effect Of In-Service Methodology On Learning Transfer For School Personnel Managing Students Following Concussion, Jennifer Parent-Nichols, Angela Desilva Mousseau, Joshua Cleland, Jonathan D. Lichtenstein, Arthur C. Maerlender

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Background: It is essential to increase the knowledge base of teachers involved in facilitating return to learning in middle school students following a concussion. However, the best method to enhance the transfer of learning for teachers remains to be elucidated. Application of Adult Learning Theory (ALT) is a plausible solution to this problem. Purpose: The purpose of this randomized post-test study was to examine the effects of ALTon the transfer of learning in teachers who work with individuals with concussion. Methods: A convenience sample of 169 teachers at four middle schools were randomized to receive an in-service regarding concussion management …

Sleep And Stress In The Acute Phase Of Concussion In Youth, Arthur C. Maerlender, Caitlin Masterson, Jessica L. Calvi, Todd Caze, Ross Mathiasen, Dennis Molfese

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

This study sought to address the complex interplay between both biological and psychological perceptions of stress and sleep in the acute stages following a mild traumatic brain injury. A secondary goal was to identify potential targets for intervention. Eleven acutely injured youth (mean age 12 years) were studied at home with overnight actigraphy, salivary cortisol and melatonin assays, and subjective ratings of stress and fatigue (injured group). Nine matched control youth also were assessed (control group). Results suggested longer sleep latencies (time to fall asleep) and higher levels of fatigue in the injured group exist (p ¼ 0.025 and p …

The Global Assessment Of School Functioning (Gasf): Criterion Validity And Interrater Reliability, Arthur C. Maerlender, Joseph Palamara, Jonathan Lichtenstein

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

The Global Assessment of School Functioning (GASF) provides a robust estimate of a student's overall level of functioning within the school environment. It is intended to capture a global metric reflecting academic, social and general behavioral functioning within the school. It is a modification of the Global Assessment of Functioning and reflects functioning across academics, interpersonal relationships, school behavior, and school participation. It was developed to allow school personnel a means to communicate the general level of student functioning without re- verting to specific issues or immediate concerns. This paper reports on the scale's criterion validity and interrater reliability. Confirmations …

Psychometric Properties Of The Standardized Assessment Of Concussion In Youth Football: Validity, Reliability, And Demographic Factors, Arthur C. Maerlender, Eric Smith, P. Gunnar Brolinson, Jillian Urban, Steven Rowson, Amaris Ajamil, Eamon T. Campolettano, Ryan A. Gellner, Srinidhi Bellamkonda, Mireille E. Kelley, Derek Jones, Alex Powers, Jonathan Beckwith, Joseph J. Crisco, Joel Stitzel, Stefan Duma, Richard M. Greenwald

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to determine the psychometrics (reliability, validity) of the original Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) in a youth sample (ages 11 to 13). Demographic factors of race, level of vocabulary knowledge, mother’s level of education were also considered. Over 150 youth football athletes completed the SAC and a brief battery of NIH Toolbox cognitive tests as part of a larger study on biomechanical factors in youth sport concussion. This was a within-subjects design (pre-season, post-season assessments), and correlational analysis of convergent and discriminant validity. Between groups analysis based on demographic differences was also employed. The …

Modeling Interactions Between Brain Function, Diet Adherence Behaviors, And Weight Loss Success, Amanda N. Szabo-Reed, Laura E. Martin, Jinxiang Hu, Hung-Wen Yeh, Joshua Powell, Rebecca J. Lepping, Trisha M. Patrician, Florance J. Breslin, Joseph E. Donnelly, Cary R. Savage

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Summary

Introduction: Obesity is linked to altered activation in reward and control brain cir-cuitry; however, the associated brain activity related to successful or unsuccessful weight loss (WL) is unclear.

Methods: Adults with obesity (N = 75) completed a baseline functional magnetic res-onance imaging (fMRI) scan before entering a WL intervention (ie,3-month diet and physical activity [PA] program). We conducted an exploratory analysis to identify the contributions of baseline brain activation, adherence behavior patterns, and the asso-ciated connections to WL at the conclusion of a 3-month WL intervention. Food cue-reactivity brain regions were functionally identified using fMRI to index brain activation …

Males With Chronic Ankle Instability Demonstrate Deficits In Neurocognitive Function Compared To Control And Copers, Adam B. Rosen, Melanie L. Mcgrath, Arthur C. Maerlender

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were neurocognitive deficits among controls, copers and those with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Participants included those without history of ankle injury (n = 14), ankle sprain copers (n = 13) and patients with self-reported CAI (n = 14). They completed a battery of valid and reliable computer-based neurocognitive tests. The differences between neurocognitive domain scores were compared across the Control, Coper and CAI groups. Patients with CAI had lower composite memory, visual memory and simple attention compared to controls. In males with CAI, large differences in memory and attention were …

Neural Bases Of Phonological And Semantic Processing In Early Childhood, Avantika Mathur, Douglas H. Schultz, Yingying Wang Dr.

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

During the early period of reading development, children gain phonological (letter-to-sound mapping) and semantic knowledge (storage and retrieval of word meaning). Their reading ability changes rapidly, accompanied by learning-induced brain plasticity as they learn to read. This study aims at identifying the neural bases of phonological and semantic processing in early childhood by using a combination of univariate and multivariate pattern analysis. Nineteen typically developing children between the age of five and seven performed visual word-level phonological (rhyming) and semantic (related meaning) judgment tasks during functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Our multivariate analysis showed that young children with good reading …

Using Fmri To Investigate The Potential Cause Of Inverse Oxygenation Reported In Fnirs Studies Of Motor Imagery, Androu Abdalmalak, Daniel Milej, David J. Cohen, Udunna Anazodo, Tracy Ssali, Mamadou Diop, Adrian M. Owen, Keith St. Lawrence

BrainsCAN Publications

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Motor imagery (MI) is a commonly used cognitive task in brain–computer interface (BCI) applications because it produces reliable activity in motor-planning regions. However, a number of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies have reported the unexpected finding of inverse oxygenation: increased deoxyhemoglobin and decreased oxyhemoglobin during task periods. This finding questions the reliability of fNIRS for BCI applications given that MI activation should result in a focal increase in blood oxygenation. In an attempt to elucidate this phenomenon, fMRI and fNIRS data were acquired on 15 healthy participants performing a MI task. The fMRI data provided global …

Cis-Regulatory Analysis Of Onecut1 Expression In Fate-Restricted Retinal Progenitor Cells, Sruti Patoori, Nathalie Jean-Charles, Ariana Gopal, Sacha Sulaiman, Sneha Gopal, Brian Wang, Benjamin Souferi, Mark Emerson

Publications and Research

Background: The vertebrate retina consists of six major classes of neuronal cells. During development, these cells are generated from a pool of multipotent retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) that express the gene Vsx2. Fate-restricted RPCs have recently been identified, with limited mitotic potential and cell fate possibilities compared to multipotent RPCs. One population of fate-restricted RPCs, marked by activity of the regulatory element ThrbCRM1, gives rise to both cone photoreceptors and horizontal cells. These cells do not express Vsx2, but co-express the transcription factors (TFs) Onecut1 and Otx2, which bind to ThrbCRM1. The components of the gene regulatory networks that control …

Individual Differences In Cocaine-Conditioned Avoidance Behavior And Implication For Addiction Vulnerability, Maya Eid

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Decades of studies have examined the mechanisms by which drugs of abuse produce strong rewarding effects that drive addictive behavior. However, these drugs also produce aversive effects that are less well understood, but that also strongly influence drug-seeking, and may contribute to individual variation in addiction liability. For example, individuals with particularly strong aversive responses to nicotine or alcohol may be less likely to acquire smoking or drinking habits, with these protective effects arising from specific biological differences in nicotinic receptor function or alcohol metabolism, respectively. These aversive effects can also be exploited therapeutically, as in widely available treatments for …

Role Of Dynorphin/Kappa Opioid Receptor Activity Within The Extended Amygdala In Binge Alcohol Drinking, Harold Lewis Haun

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a significant national and global public health problem. Of concern, binge drinking is the most common pattern of excessive alcohol consumption and serves as a risk factor for the development of AUD. Recent studies have implicated the dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor (DYN/KOR) neuropeptide system in this pattern of drinking but the precise circuitry mediating these effects are poorly understood. The central amygdala (CeA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) are two interconnected structures within the extended amygdala macrostructure that are rich in DYN/KOR and thought to contribute to binge drinking behavior. In the present …

Invertebrates Should Be Given Ethical Consideration, Marie-Claire Cammaerts

Animal Sentience

Invertebrates are far more numerous than vertebrates. Most of them are essential to the survival of humanity. Their physiology, behavior, know-how, and cognitive abilities are often as complex as those of vertebrates. Invertebrates should be considered and studied as are vertebrates, i.e., ethically, and cautiously.

Transcriptome Analysis Of Neuro-2a Cells Treated With Asiatic And Madecassic Acid, Fatimah M. Alqam

Masters Theses

Traditional herbal medicine is ingrained as a source of therapeutic compounds to medicate various diseases. The family Araliaceae (Ginseng family) is rich in traditional medicine species, such as Centella asiatica (CA). For many centuries, CA has been used by the indigenous Indian and Chinese in Ayurvedic and traditional medicine, respectively, to improve intelligence, learning, memory, and cognitive performance. Previous studies on cell culture and animal models supported the beneficial effects of CA on the nervous system. However, the exact composition of CA extract and its molecular mechanism that leads to neuroprotection is still unclear. We examined the effect of asiatic …

Assessing The Role Of Planar Cell Polarity Protein Ptk7 In Axon Pathfinding Of Spinal Commissural Neurons, Joseph Paul Miano

Theses and Dissertations

Axon pathfinding is a fundamental step that establishes the vast networks of the nervous system. Understanding this process is important because disruptions to these neural networks can impair quality of life. During axon pathfinding, an axon’s growth cone comes in contact with a variety of secreted chemotropic signaling cues that control growth cone behavior through activation of signal transduction pathways which cause changes to the cytoskeleton. One such pathway is the Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) signal transduction pathway that responds to gradients of non-canonical Wnt ligands. PCP has a well-known role in axon pathfinding, including axon pathfinding in the spinal …

Ndrg1 And Myelin-Related Disease: Alcoholism And Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy, Guy Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a prevalent neuropsychiatric disease with profound health, social, and economic consequences. With an estimated 50% heritability, identifying genes that engender risk and contribute to the underlying neurobiological mechanisms represents an important first step in developing effective treatments. Gene expression studies are an important source of candidate genes for studying AUD, providing windows into the molecular machinery engaged by the brain in response to ethanol. Our laboratory has implicated N-myc down-regulated gene 1 (Ndrg1) as a potential candidate gene that modulates ethanol-induced changes in myelin-related gene expression and acute sensitivity to ethanol. Analysis of …