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2020

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Articles 301 - 330 of 383

Full-Text Articles in Neuroscience and Neurobiology

Young African American Men's Conception Of Fatherhood Among Survivors Of Childhood Abuse, Ohan Patricia Carter Jan 2020

Young African American Men's Conception Of Fatherhood Among Survivors Of Childhood Abuse, Ohan Patricia Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Male survivors of abuse who become fathers themselves face challenges different from female survivors, such as conceptualizing their roles as providers and heads of households after the traumatic and often belittling experiences of abuse. However, very few researchers have studied the connection between child abuse and fatherhood, and none specific to young African American fathers. An interpretative phenomenological approach enabled exploration of how African American fathers who were abused as children, conceptualized and perceived their own experiences with fatherhood. The theoretical framework for this study was identity theory, which indicates that how people conceptualize a social role influences their actions …

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Moderators Of Depression And Self-Management In Type 2 Diabetes Patients, Cynthia Elaine Fraser Jan 2020

Moderators Of Depression And Self-Management In Type 2 Diabetes Patients, Cynthia Elaine Fraser

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although Type 2 diabetes can be reversed or controlled, many individuals choose not to adhere to treatment regimens, nor do they engage in self-management practices. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore self-management among individuals with Type 2 diabetes, examining whether some psychosocial variables have a moderating effect on self-management. The psychosocial variables explored in this research were perception of body image, fear of hypoglycemia, level of family support, and depression. The biopsychosocial model was the theoretical framework. Using the Body Appreciation Scale, Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire, The Family Relationship Scale, Hypoglycemic Fear Survey (HFS-II), and the Beck Depression …

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Inhibition Of Pain Or Response To Injury In Invertebrates And Vertebrates, Matilda Gibbons, Sajedeh Sarlak Jan 2020

Inhibition Of Pain Or Response To Injury In Invertebrates And Vertebrates, Matilda Gibbons, Sajedeh Sarlak

Animal Sentience

In certain situations, insects appear to lack a response to noxious stimuli that would cause pain in humans. For example, from the fact that male mantids continue to mate while being eaten by their partner it does not follow that insects do not feel pain; it could be the result of modulation of nociceptive inputs or behavioural outputs. When we try to infer the underlying mental state of an insect from its behaviour, it is important to consider the behavioural effects of the associated physiological and neurobiological mechanisms.

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Zoonotic Realism, Computational Cognitive Science And Pandemic Prevention, Tyler Davis, Molly E. Ireland, Jason Van Allen, Darrell A. Worthy Jan 2020

Zoonotic Realism, Computational Cognitive Science And Pandemic Prevention, Tyler Davis, Molly E. Ireland, Jason Van Allen, Darrell A. Worthy

Animal Sentience

Using animals in food and food production systems is one of many drivers of novel zoonoses. Moving toward less dependence on animal proteins is a possible avenue for reducing pandemic risk, but we think that Wiebers & Feigin’s proposed change to food policy (phasing out animal meat production) is unrealistic in its political achievability and its current capacity to feed the world in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. We suggest that improvements in communication strategies, precipitated by developments in computational cognitive neuroscience, can lead the way to a safer future and are feasible now.

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Insect Sentience And The Rise Of A New Inclusive Ethics, David Baracchi, Luigi Baciadonna Jan 2020

Insect Sentience And The Rise Of A New Inclusive Ethics, David Baracchi, Luigi Baciadonna

Animal Sentience

Welfare protections for vertebrates are grounded in the belief that vertebrates are sentient and capable of feeling whereas invertebrates are not. We agree with Mikhalevich & Powell that the exclusion of small-brained invertebrates from bioethics is not warranted by the current state of the scientific evidence. The choice to promote protection for certain invertebrates should be based on the Animal Sentience Precautionary Principle (ASPP). This principle should not prevent us from conducting experimental research with non-human animals to advance knowledge. However, we believe that it is important to outline practical guidelines to manage the wellbeing of invertebrates, while accumulating further …

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Rna Sequencing Of Human Peripheral Nerve In Response To Injury: Distinctive Analysis Of The Nerve Repair Pathways, Andrew S. Welleford, Jorge E. Quintero, Nader El Seblani, Eric M. Blalock, Sumedha Gunewardena, Steven M. Shapiro, Sean M. Riordan, Peter Huettl, Zain Guduru, John A. Stanford, Craig G. Van Horne, Greg A. Gerhardt Jan 2020

Rna Sequencing Of Human Peripheral Nerve In Response To Injury: Distinctive Analysis Of The Nerve Repair Pathways, Andrew S. Welleford, Jorge E. Quintero, Nader El Seblani, Eric M. Blalock, Sumedha Gunewardena, Steven M. Shapiro, Sean M. Riordan, Peter Huettl, Zain Guduru, John A. Stanford, Craig G. Van Horne, Greg A. Gerhardt

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

The development of regenerative therapies for central nervous system diseases can likely benefit from an understanding of the peripheral nervous system repair process, particularly in identifying potential gene pathways involved in human nerve repair. This study employed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology to analyze the whole transcriptome profile of the human peripheral nerve in response to an injury. The distal sural nerve was exposed, completely transected, and a 1 to 2 cm section of nerve fascicles was collected for RNA-seq from six participants with Parkinson's disease, ranging in age between 53 and 70 yr. Two weeks after the initial injury, another …

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Targeting The Nt17 Of The Huntingtin Protein Via Natural And Chemical Modifications: Impact On Aggregation And Membrane Interactions, Faezeh Sedighi Jan 2020

Targeting The Nt17 Of The Huntingtin Protein Via Natural And Chemical Modifications: Impact On Aggregation And Membrane Interactions, Faezeh Sedighi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Huntington Disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expanded polyglutamine domain (polyQ) in the first exon of the huntingtin protein (htt-exon1). The major hallmark of HD is the accumulation of aggregates into proteinaceous inclusion bodies. PolyQ expansion in huntingtin promotes self-assembly into a variety of toxic aggregates such as oligomers, fibrils, and amorphous aggregates. The resulting heterogeneous mixture of distinct species makes it difficult to assign a toxic function to specific aggregate structures. In addition, htt interacts with a variety of membranous surfaces. The first 17 amino acids (Nt17) of htt directly flanking the polyQ domain functions …

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Characterizing The Requirements For The Matricellular Protein, Dccn, In Nervous System Function, Elizabeth L. Catudio Garrett Jan 2020

Characterizing The Requirements For The Matricellular Protein, Dccn, In Nervous System Function, Elizabeth L. Catudio Garrett

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The brain is organized as a complex network of specialized neurons that communicate via a combination of electrical and chemical signals. Our brains function to generate movement, control organ function, or direct complex behaviors; all of which requires the ability to regulate the flow of communication between circuits and networks. Work in this thesis addresses two areas of neuron communication: first, how does the release of more than one neurotransmitter from a single neuron impact behavior, and second, are matricellular proteins (MCPs) key contributors to synaptic transmission and neuron function? The conserved CCN family of MCPs have a …

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Neuroscience Of Stress & Addiction: A Digitally Animated Video On How These Brain Systems Interact And Influence Each Other From Early Life Stress To Withdrawal, Claire Bacon-Brenes Jan 2020

Neuroscience Of Stress & Addiction: A Digitally Animated Video On How These Brain Systems Interact And Influence Each Other From Early Life Stress To Withdrawal, Claire Bacon-Brenes

Scripps Senior Theses

Alcohol addiction and stress are both highly prevalent health conditions impacting our society. With stress on the rise in college students and alcohol addiction impacting 19.7 million Americans as of 2017, communication around the science of these issues is ever important because of stigma around them. This digitally animated video effectively explains alcohol addiction and stress on a neurobiological level with college science students as the audience, including two important examples of how stress and alcohol addiction interact. Stress experienced early in life is a known risk factor in developing addiction due to dysregulation of the reward pathway and altered …

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Neuroanatomy Of The Blackspotted Rockskipper, Entomacrodus Striatus, Pooja Dayal Jan 2020

Neuroanatomy Of The Blackspotted Rockskipper, Entomacrodus Striatus, Pooja Dayal

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Here I characterized the central neuroanatomy of the Blackspotted Rockskipper, Entomacrodus striatus, native to French Polynesia. The neuroanatomy of E. striatus has not been studied prior to this paper. I used several histology and antibody staining techniques to accomplish this, including Crystal Violet, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and Bielschowsky’s Silver Nitrate staining. This paper describes the most successful techniques used, identifies major structures in the species’ neuroanatomy, and also explains why studying E. striatus is important in the future of vertebrate research.

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Insulin Restores The Neurochemical Effects Of Nicotine In The Mesolimbic Pathway Of Diabetic Rats, Bryan Cruz Jan 2020

Insulin Restores The Neurochemical Effects Of Nicotine In The Mesolimbic Pathway Of Diabetic Rats, Bryan Cruz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examined whether insulin modulates the neurochemical effects of nicotine in the mesolimbic pathway of diabetic rats. Rats received vehicle or streptozotocin (STZ) to induce hypoinsulinemia. A subset of STZ-treated rats was implanted with insulin pellets that rapidly normalized glucose levels. Two-weeks later, dialysis probes were implanted into the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ipsilateral ventral tegmental area (VTA). The next day, dialysate samples were collected during baseline and then following systemic administration of nicotine. Samples were also collected following intra-VTA administration of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor antagonist, bicuculline. Dopamine, acetylcholine (ACh), GABA, and glutamate levels were assessed using …

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Behavioral Ecology Of A Desert Ambush Predator: Assessing Movement Patterns, Habitat And Microhabitat Use, And The Innate Feeding Response Of Eastern Black-Tailed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Ornatus) In The Northern Chihuahuan Desert, James Emerson Jan 2020

Behavioral Ecology Of A Desert Ambush Predator: Assessing Movement Patterns, Habitat And Microhabitat Use, And The Innate Feeding Response Of Eastern Black-Tailed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Ornatus) In The Northern Chihuahuan Desert, James Emerson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research on the ecology and evolution of rattlesnakes has been sporadic over the past 80 years, but has seen recent expansion into the diverse fields of physiology, physiological ecology, life history, behavioral ecology, ethology, reproductive biology, chemical ecology, venom biochemistry and medicine, conservation, and many other subdisciplines. The development of small, implantable VHF radiotransmitters in the 1980s revolutionized research in the field of behavioral ecology for rattlesnakes, which are uniquely suited for radiotelemetry studies because they possess several morphological, physiological, and behavioral characteristics that are unique among terrestrial vertebrates. The widespread application of radiotelemetry by the mid-1980s advanced the model …

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Insights Into The Structure, Pharmacology, And Evolution Of The Glycine Transporter 2, Ashley Bryan Lopez Jan 2020

Insights Into The Structure, Pharmacology, And Evolution Of The Glycine Transporter 2, Ashley Bryan Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition in the central nervous system is vital for survival. Overexcitation can be toxic and lead to certain manias or even death. On the other hand, extremely low levels of inhibition cause hyperekplexia, pain, and even forms of autism. Neuronal inhibition is, for the most part, achieved by two neurotransmitters, GABA and glycine. Levels of both neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft are meticulously regulated by the GABA and glycine transporters, respectively, which belong to the solute carrier 6 (SLC6) family of neurotransmitter transporters and share structural similarities with other family members. In Chapter 1, …

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Ketamine Pre-Exposure Does Not Influence Later-Life Responses To Reward-Related Stimuli In Female C57bl/6 Mice, Israel Garcia Jan 2020

Ketamine Pre-Exposure Does Not Influence Later-Life Responses To Reward-Related Stimuli In Female C57bl/6 Mice, Israel Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Preclinical work indicates that exposure to traditional antidepressant medications, in adolescent and adult female subjects, alters reward-related behavior later in life. In recent years, the anesthetic ketamine (KET), now used as a fast-acting antidepressant, has shown promising therapeutic efficacy for the management of depression. However, the potential long-term behavioral consequences of KET exposure across development have not been thoroughly assessed. Thus, to address this issue, we examined if KET exposure, during adolescence or early adulthood, results in enduring alterations in responsivity to the rewarding properties of sucrose and cocaine later in life. Specifically, female C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to …

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An Analysis And Representation In An Atlas Reference Space Of Putative Appositions From Neurons Expressing Alpha-Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone With Neurons Expressing Hypocretin/Orexin Or Melanin-Concentrating Hormone, Vanessa Inez Navarro Jan 2020

An Analysis And Representation In An Atlas Reference Space Of Putative Appositions From Neurons Expressing Alpha-Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone With Neurons Expressing Hypocretin/Orexin Or Melanin-Concentrating Hormone, Vanessa Inez Navarro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The hypothalamus is a brain structure at the center of a variety of regulatory functions that have been explored by scientists and clinicians for almost a century. Among these functions, metabolic regulation and the control of appetitive behaviors have been fields of intensive research. Some of the major neural substrates involved in the hypothalamic control of feeding and the regulation of metabolic state include neuronal populations that express the neuropeptides alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (αMSH), melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) and hypocretin/orexin (H/O). αMSH has been characterized in part as an anorexigenic peptide, while MCH and H/O have been characterized as having orexigenic …

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Distributions Of Axons Immunoreactive For Alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone And Neurons Immunoreactive For Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase In The Hypothalamus Of The Adult Male Rat: An Analysis Of Interactions And Their Representation In An Atlas Reference Space, Eduardo Peru Jan 2020

Distributions Of Axons Immunoreactive For Alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone And Neurons Immunoreactive For Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase In The Hypothalamus Of The Adult Male Rat: An Analysis Of Interactions And Their Representation In An Atlas Reference Space, Eduardo Peru

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the present study, we have provided two sets of high spatial-resolution maps for neuronal populations containing the immunoreactive presence of the key feeding-related peptides hypocretin/orexin (H/O), alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (αMSH) and the nitric oxide-producing enzyme, neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). These were mapped across the mediolateral and dorsoventral extents of the hypothalamus in the Swanson rat brain atlas, from levels 23–30. The first set of these maps are of the chemoarchitectural distributions for each of the neuronal populations mentioned, which are novel in two ways. First, they were generated across multiple animals to serve as the basis for probability …

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Inhibition Of Glycine Transporter 2: An Emerging Target For Chronic Pain, Elvia Lilia Padilla Jan 2020

Inhibition Of Glycine Transporter 2: An Emerging Target For Chronic Pain, Elvia Lilia Padilla

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chronic pain is a complicated, completely unknown condition that has been studied based on its severe impact on the population. According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, 1.5 billion people suffer from tension-type headaches, one of the most common symptomatic chronic conditions. Christopher L. Cioffi, 2019; mentioned approximately in US 116 million adults are explicitly afflicted by chronic pain. Chronic pain is described as dysfunction in nerves that have been continuous during a long period (Mills, 2019). Treatments for chronic pain are different types of common analgesics that relieve the pain for short periods such as aspirin, ibuprofen, paracetamol, …

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Sex Differences In The Mechanisms That Modulate The Neurochemical Effects Of Nicotine, Kevin Uribe Jan 2020

Sex Differences In The Mechanisms That Modulate The Neurochemical Effects Of Nicotine, Kevin Uribe

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Prior behavioral studies in our laboratory revealed that overexpression of the stress peptide, corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF), in the mesocorticolimbic reward pathway enhanced the reinforcing effects of nicotine. The latter effect was greater in female versus male rats, suggesting that females are uniquely susceptible to the effects of stress on nicotine reinforcement. The goal of this dissertation was to examine the neurochemical mechanisms by which overexpression of CRF in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a terminal region of the mesocorticolimbic pathway, modulates the behavioral effects of nicotine. Specifically, we examined whether nicotine-induced dopamine levels are altered by CRF overexpression via excitatory (glutamate) …

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Comparative Cognition And Nonhuman Individuality, Catia Correia Caeiro Jan 2020

Comparative Cognition And Nonhuman Individuality, Catia Correia Caeiro

Animal Sentience

Commentators Washington (2019) and Tiffin (2019) point out that the individual vs. collective dichotomy is much more complex than what is considered in the target article. This commentary will focus on why individuals are more important than collectives. Species differences in cognition and emotional processes and individuals’ feelings and experiences need to be taken into account.

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Whether Invertebrates Are Sentient Matters To Bioethics And Science Policy, Michael L. Woodruff Jan 2020

Whether Invertebrates Are Sentient Matters To Bioethics And Science Policy, Michael L. Woodruff

Animal Sentience

Mikhalevich & Powell provide convincing empirical evidence that at least some invertebrates are sentient and hence should be granted moral status. I agree and argue that functional markers should be the primary indicators of sentience. Neuroanatomical homologies provide only secondary evidence. Consensus regarding the validity of these functional markers will be difficult to achieve. To be effective in practice, functional markers of sentience will have to be tested and accepted species by species to overcome the implicit biases against extending moral status to invertebrates.

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Affective Sentience And Moral Protection, Russell Powell, Irina Mikhalevich Jan 2020

Affective Sentience And Moral Protection, Russell Powell, Irina Mikhalevich

Animal Sentience

We have structured our response according to five questions arising from the commentaries: (i) What is sentience? (ii) Is sentience a necessary or sufficient condition for moral standing? (iii) What methods should guide comparative cognitive research in general, and specifically in studying invertebrates? (iv) How should we balance scientific uncertainty and moral risk? (v) What practical strategies can help reduce biases and morally dismissive attitudes toward invertebrates?

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Tribal Brains In The Global Village: Deeper Roots Of The Pandemic, Robert Gerlai Jan 2020

Tribal Brains In The Global Village: Deeper Roots Of The Pandemic, Robert Gerlai

Animal Sentience

I briefly recap the messages of the target article by Wiebers & Feigin (2020) and the accompanying peer commentaries about what we learn from the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the rapid evolution of viruses as an example of the importance of prevention, I explore why it is difficult for our species to foresee and prevent unintended global changes resulting from human activity. I end with a discussion about the long-term future, the ultimate problem inherent in our current mindset and the structure of our economy: growth.

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Divalent Metal Cation Entry And Cytotoxicity In Jurkat T Cells: Role Of Trpm7 Channels, Alayna N. Mellott Jan 2020

Divalent Metal Cation Entry And Cytotoxicity In Jurkat T Cells: Role Of Trpm7 Channels, Alayna N. Mellott

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Humans are exposed daily to a variety of metals that can be harmful to our immune system. Although certain divalent metal cations are essential for numerous cellular functions and are critical trace elements in humans, the uptake mechanisms of these ions remain mostly unknown. Transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7), which is expressed in a variety of human cell types, including lymphocytes and macrophages, conducts many divalent metal cations. TRPM7 channels are largely inactive under normal physiological conditions due to cytoplasmic magnesium acting as a channel inhibitor. Magnesium is a cofactor for many biochemical reactions. Low serum levels of magnesium, …

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Barrels Xxxii Meeting Report: Whiskers In The Windy City, Giuseppe Cataldo, Chia-Chien Chen, Alicia C. Barrientos, Joshua C. Brumberg Jan 2020

Barrels Xxxii Meeting Report: Whiskers In The Windy City, Giuseppe Cataldo, Chia-Chien Chen, Alicia C. Barrientos, Joshua C. Brumberg

Publications and Research

The 32nd Annual Barrels meeting was hosted at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois on October 17th and 18th, 2019. The annual meeting brings together researchers who utilize the rodent whisker-to-barrel system as a means to understand cortical function and development. This year’s meeting focused on social behaviors, development and cerebellar functions within the barrel system and beyond.

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Learning And Motivation For Rewards In Schizophrenia: Implications For Behavioral Rehabilitation, Victoria Martin, Alexandra Brereton, Jicheng Tang Jan 2020

Learning And Motivation For Rewards In Schizophrenia: Implications For Behavioral Rehabilitation, Victoria Martin, Alexandra Brereton, Jicheng Tang

Publications and Research

Purpose of review: Impaired reward processing and amotivation are well documented in schizophrenia. We aim to review the current state of neuroimaging and behavioral research addressing components of motivational deficits in this complex and impairing syndrome. Evidence will be integrated to inform the ongoing development of effective strategies for behavioral rehabilitation. Recent findings: While striatal dopamine and aberrant reward prediction errors have been connected to amotivation in schizophrenia, they are not sufficiently full explanations of reward processing impairments. Frontal dysfunction and associated cognitive control deficits also have evidenced involvement in atypical reward prediction, learning, and valuation. Ongoing work supports the …

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Exploring Eight-Armed Intelligence Through Film, Tierney M. Thys Jan 2020

Exploring Eight-Armed Intelligence Through Film, Tierney M. Thys

Animal Sentience

Mather (2019) provides a rich overview of the elements underlying octopus cognition and behavioral flexibility. Recently, two remarkable natural history films, My Octopus Teacher and The Octopus in My House have explored intimate human-octopus relationships with a wild (Octopus vulgaris) and a captive octopus (Octopus cyanea) respectively. Both films show rare behaviors that offer observations to test new hypotheses as well as a novel perspective on our own human relationships and place within the natural world. An interview with filmmaker Craig Foster from My Octopus Teacher reveals the profound and transformative power of forming a trusting …

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Non-Invasive Method For Leptin Supplementation In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Regan Mcnamara Jan 2020

Non-Invasive Method For Leptin Supplementation In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Regan Mcnamara

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

I tested the hypothesis that recombinant leptin protein can be introduced to zebrafish in vivo through non-invasive soaking in a solution containing the protein. One way to study various molecules’ effects in vivo is through intraperitoneal or intracerebroventricular injections during the embryonic or larval stage, which is invasive, difficult to administer, and can have a high mortality rate. 48 hours post fertilization (hpf) zebrafish were soaked in a His-tagged recombinant leptin protein solution at 10 nM and 100 nM concentrations (produced by Genscript). After soaking, zebrafish larvae were washed extensively to remove all recombinant protein on their exterior before homogenization. …

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Assessing Morphology Of Iprgcs After Traumatic Brain Injury, Brian Foresi, Matt Smith Jan 2020

Assessing Morphology Of Iprgcs After Traumatic Brain Injury, Brian Foresi, Matt Smith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

ipRGCs are retinal ganglion cells that project to visual processing centers of the brain for nonimage forming visual functions. The relation of ipRGCs to tramatic brain injury (TBI) is emerging as data has been published describing ipRGC functional changes in TBI affected military veterans. Major symptomologies of concussions, a mild form of TBI, also overlap with the function governed by sites in the brain with major ipRGC projection percentages. Assesing if a morphological change is occuring in the ipRGCs after a TBI could support the idea of a pathological mechanism of the injury. This study could also indicate further relevance …

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Optimization And Validation Of The Neurolux Wireless Optoelectronics System For Optogenetics, Karis Courey, Su Hyun Lee Ph.D., Adam Smith Ph.D., Nicholas Cilz Ph.D., Sarah K. Williams Avram Ph.D., Adi Cymerblit-Sabba Ph.D., June Song, Nicholas Leipzig Ph.D., W. Scott Young M.D., Ph.D. Jan 2020

Optimization And Validation Of The Neurolux Wireless Optoelectronics System For Optogenetics, Karis Courey, Su Hyun Lee Ph.D., Adam Smith Ph.D., Nicholas Cilz Ph.D., Sarah K. Williams Avram Ph.D., Adi Cymerblit-Sabba Ph.D., June Song, Nicholas Leipzig Ph.D., W. Scott Young M.D., Ph.D.

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Utilizing light and genetic engineering, optogenetics permits the manipulation of events within cells via light using the light-sensitive properties of single-component microbial opsins. Microbial opsins are activated by a light source, such as lasers, light-emitting diodes, and incandescent sources that deliver light to the region of interest either directly or indirectly, such as through fiberoptics. In classical in vivo optogenetics, the wiring of optic fibers necessitates tethering of animals by the optic fiber to the light source. The novel NeuroLux wireless optoelectronic system for optogenetics circumvents issues pertaining to classical optogenetics by utilizing near-field power transfer via magnetic coil antennae …

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Validation Of Ninein As An Ethanol-Related Quantitative Trait Gene: Reassessment, Design, And Functional Validation Of Reference Genes For Qpcr Analysis Of Brain Tissue In Mice, Jessica L. Jurmain Jan 2020

Validation Of Ninein As An Ethanol-Related Quantitative Trait Gene: Reassessment, Design, And Functional Validation Of Reference Genes For Qpcr Analysis Of Brain Tissue In Mice, Jessica L. Jurmain

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing use of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as a method for quantifying gene expression has led to an increased demand for standardization of data analysis methods to ensure accurate reporting and robust, reproducible results. The exponential nature of qPCR amplification results in the potential magnification of what are usually very small sources of error. Relative gene expression calculations circumvent this issue by normalizing target gene expression data to within-sample expression of a previously validated, stably expressed reference gene or genes. Multiple studies discussed herein have found that qPCR data are more reliable and reproducible when multiple reference …

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