Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Neuronal Sirt3 Deletion Predisposes To Female-Specific Alterations In Cellular Metabolism, Memory, And Network Excitability, Jennifer N Pearson-Smith, Ruth Fulton, Christopher Q Huynh, Anna G Figueroa, Gia B Huynh, Li-Ping Liang, Lindsey B Gano, Cole R Michel, Nichole Reisdorph, Richard Reisdorph, Kristofer S Fritz, Eric Verdin, Manisha Patel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Mitochondrial dysfunction is an early event in the pathogenesis of neurologic disorders and aging. Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) regulates mitochondrial function in response to the cellular environment through the reversible deacetylation of proteins involved in metabolism and reactive oxygen species detoxification. As the primary mitochondrial deacetylase, germline, or peripheral tissue-specific deletion of SIRT3 produces mitochondrial hyperacetylation and the accelerated development of age-related diseases. Given the unique metabolic demands of neurons, the role of SIRT3 in the brain is only beginning to emerge. Using mass spectrometry-based acetylomics, high-resolution respirometry, video-EEG, and cognition testing, we report targeted deletion of SIRT3 from select neurons …

Mglu5 Inhibition In The Basolateral Amygdala Prevents Estrous Cycle-Dependent Changes In Cue-Induced Cocaine Seeking, Claire M. Corbett, Emily N. D. Miller, Jessica A. Loweth

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Drug associated cues are a common relapse trigger for individuals recovering from cocaine use disorder. Sex and ovarian hormones influence patterns of cocaine use and relapse vulnerability, with studies indicating that females show increased cue-induced craving and relapse vulnerability compared to males. In a rodent model of cocaine craving and relapse vulnerability, cue-induced cocaine seeking behavior following weeks of withdrawal from extended-access cocaine self-administration is higher in females in the estrus stage of the reproductive (estrous) cycle (Estrus Females) compared to both Males and females in all other stages (Non-Estrus Females). However, the neuronal substrates and cellular mechanisms underlying these …

Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Leads To Injury And Altered Metabolism In The Lungs, Emily E. Huffman, Brittany E. Dong, Harrison A. Clarke, Lyndsay E. A. Young, Matthew S. Gentry, Derek B. Allison, Ramon C. Sun, Christopher M. Waters, Warren J. Alilain

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

High-cervical spinal cord injury often disrupts respiratory motor pathways and disables breathing in the affected population. Moreover, cervically injured individuals are at risk for developing acute lung injury, which predicts substantial mortality rates. While the correlation between acute lung injury and spinal cord injury has been found in the clinical setting, the field lacks an animal model to interrogate the fundamental biology of this relationship. To begin to address this gap in knowledge, we performed an experimental cervical spinal cord injury (N = 18) alongside sham injury (N = 3) and naïve animals (N = 15) to assess lung injury …

Ferric Chloride-Induced Arterial Thrombosis And Sample Collection For 3d Electron Microscopy Analysis, Smita Joshi, Alexis N. Smith, Kanakanagavalli Shravani Prakhya, Hammodah Rawhi Hammodah Alfar, Joshua Lykins, Ming Zhang, Irina D. Pokrovskaya, Maria A. Aronova, Richard D. Leapman, Brian Storrie, Sidney W. Whiteheart

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Aberrant thrombosis is a common feature of systemic conditions like diabetes and obesity, and chronic inflammatory diseases like atherosclerosis, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. Upon vascular injury, usually the coagulation system, platelets, and endothelium act in an orchestrated manner to prevent bleeding by forming a clot at the site of the injury. Abnormalities in this process lead to either excessive bleeding or uncontrolled thrombosis/insufficient antithrombotic activity, which translates into vessel occlusion and its sequelae. The FeCl3-induced carotid injury model is a valuable tool in probing how thrombosis initiates and progresses …

Intellectual Disability Related To De Novo Germline Loss Of The Distal End Of The P-Arm Of Chromosome 17: A Case Report, Eden Pope, Matthew Huertas, Amar Paul, Braden Cunningham, Matthew Jennings, Ryan Perry, Stephanie Chavez, John A. Kriak, Kyle B. Bills, David W. Sant

Annual Research Symposium

Hypothesis/Purpose: In this report we present a case of a 20-year-old female with congenital intellectual disability, stunted growth, and hypothyroidism. Competitive genetic hybridization (CHG) revealed a loss of 17p13.3, and the deletion was not present in either parent. This deletion has not previously been characterized, but mutations on the p-arm of chromosome 17 are responsible for Miller-Dieker Syndrome and Isolated Lissencephaly Sequence, both of which share symptoms in common with the patient.

Methods: Peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were used for karyotyping and competitive genetic hybridization (CHG). Bioinformatic analysis was carried out using the Genome Data Viewer (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/gdv).

Results: Karyotype was …

Reversible Emerging Neuropsychological Pattern In Chronic Intractable Migraine, Tanner Williford, Pooja Chemiti, Mason Allen, Brandon Burrell, Stephanie Chavez, Jude Emego, Bridger Gunter, Matthew Huertas, Matthew Jennings, Roshni Jogin, Paulo Kelly, Laura Minor, Steven Salazar, Jameson Williams, David W. Sant, John A. Kriak, Kyle B. Bills

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Role Of The Kcc2 In Substance Use And Abuse: A Systematic Review [Protocol], Alfred Amendolara, Steven Salazar, Chad Thompson, Hyrum Wright, Andrew Payne

Annual Research Symposium

This poster presents the protocol for an ongoing systematic review investigating the role of potassium chloride co-transporter 2 (KCC2) in substance use, abuse, and addiction.

A Systematic Review: Toxoplasma Gondii Infection And Drugs Of Abuse, Amani Sastry

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Appearance Of Two Distinct Clusters Of Glucose Dysregulation In Chronic Intractable Migraine, Roshni Jogin, Kaitlyn Mcfarland, Aparna Naik, Tanner Williford, Matthew Conway, Amar Paul, John A. Kriak, David W. Sant, Kyle B. Bills

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Heterodyned Whole-Body Vibration Ameliorates Anxiety In Opioid-Use Disorder, Kailee Edwards, Braden Cunningham, Alfred Amendolara, Marryam Anwar, Jon Gonzales, Roshni Jogin, Wyatt Magoffin, Amar Paul, Ryan Perry, James Pike, Nathan Swallow, Steven Tung, Mary Seamons, Andrew Payne, John A. Kriak, David W. Sant, David W. Sant

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Neural Network Model To Identify Abnormalities In Cervical X-Rays, Alex P. Sheppert, Nasif Islam, Race Peterson, Michael T. Sullivan, John A. Kriak, David W. Sant, Kyle B. Bills

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Characteristics Analysis And Inspiration Of The Us Brain Initiative, Mian Zu, Ying Wang, Wei Liu, Zexi Xin, Lei Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Major countries have launched brain initiatives for competition, aiming to gain strategic priority in the area of brain ultimate frontier for human being in the course of recognizing nature. The US BRAIN Initiative is a scientific project comparable to the Human Genome Project in scale and potential impact. Accelerating the development and application of new technologies and tools is the driving force for the US BRAIN Initiative, which takes the lead in race owing to its realistic and innovative development mode. This study briefly reviews the implementation progress, the strategic reports and research achievements of the US BRAIN Initiative, and …

Neuroprotective Effects Of Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis) And Broccoli (Brassica Oleracea) Extracts In An In Vitro Model Of Multiple Sclerosis, Sara Taha Fathallah

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system (CNS) resulting in demyelination. Currently, there is no specific treatment for MS. Here, we propose testing the neuroprotective potential of Green tea (Camellia sinensis), and Broccoli (Brassica oleracea) extracts in an in vitro model of multiple sclerosis.

Methods and Results: Green tea and Broccoli plant extracts were analyzed with GC-MS and tested for their neuroprotective effects in an in vitro MS model using Cuprizone (CPZ) on the Human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. Cell viability assays proved the safety of the extracts …

From Scanner To Court: A Neuroscientifically Informed “Reasonable Person” Test Of Trademark Infringement, Zhihao Zhang, Maxwell Good, Vera Kulikov, Femke Van Horen, Mark Bartholomew, Andrew S. Kayser, Ming Hsu

Journal Articles

Many legal decisions center on the thoughts or perceptions of some idealized group of individuals, referred to variously as the “average person,” “the typical consumer,” or the “reasonable person.” Substantial concerns exist, however, regarding the subjectivity and vulnerability to biases inherent in conventional means of assessing such responses, particularly the use of self-report evidence. Here, we addressed these concerns by complementing self-report evidence with neural data to inform the mental representations in question. Using an example from intellectual property law, we demonstrate that it is possible to construct a parsimonious neural index of visual similarity that can inform the reasonable …

Probing Amyloid-Beta Protein Structure And Dynamics With A Selective Antibody, Shikha Grover

Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The AD brain is characterized by significant neuronal loss and accumulation of insoluble fibrillar amyloid-β protein (Aβ) plaques and tau protein neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. However, over the last decade, many studies have shown that the neurodegenerative effect of Aβ may in fact be caused by various soluble oligomeric forms as opposed to the insoluble fibrils. Furthermore, the data suggest that a pre-fibrillar aggregated form, termed protofibrils, mediates direct neurotoxicity, and triggers a robust neuroinflammatory response.

Antibodies targeting the various conformation of Aβ are important therapeutic agents to prevent the progression …

Childhood Trauma And Brain Structure In Children And Adolescents, Matthew Peverill, Maya L. Rosen, Lucy A. Lurie, Kelly A. Sambrook, Margaret A. Sheridan, Katie A. Mclaughlin

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

The dimensional model of adversity proposes that experiences of threat and deprivation have distinct neurodevelopmental consequences. We examined these dimensions, separately and jointly, with brain structure in a sample of 149 youth aged 8–17—half recruited based on exposure to threat-related experiences. We predicted that greater threat would be uniquely associated with reduced cortical thickness and surface area in brain regions associated with salience processing including ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and insula, and that deprivation experiences would be uniquely associated with reductions in cortical thickness and surface area in frontoparietal areas associated with cognitive control. As predicted, …

No Fixed Limit For Storing Simple Visual Features: Realistic Objects Provide An Efficient Scaffold For Holding Features In Mind, Yong Hoon Chung

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Prominent theories of visual working memory postulate that the capacity to maintain a particular visual feature is fixed. In contrast to these theories, recent studies have demonstrated that meaningful objects are better remembered than simple, non-meaningful stimuli. Here, we test whether this is solely because meaningful stimuli can recruit additional features — and thus more storage capacity — or whether simple visual features that are not themselves meaningful can also benefit from being part of a meaningful object. Across five experiments (each N=30) we demonstrate that visual working memory capacity for color is increased when colors are part of recognizable …

Quantifying Psychostimulant-Induced Sensitization Effects On Dopamine And Acetylcholine Release Across Different Timescales, Georg Lange

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Drug-induced behavioral sensitization describes the phenomenon that behavioral response to a drug of abuse is getting stronger if the same psychostimulant is delivered multiple times which is much more pronounced if done in the same environmental context. A proposed neural basis is the formation of an association between contextual cues and the rewarding drug which is mediated by dopamine. Dopamine operates at different timescales and to fully understand dopamine sensitization, it is necessary to investigate dopamine release at slow (tens of minutes) but also faster (sub-second) timescales. But creating a holistic view has been difficult due to a lack of …

Analysis Of Electrophysiological Markers And Correlated Components Of Neural Responses To Discourse Coherence, Kurt M. Masiello

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Constructing meaning from spoken language is invaluable for learning, social interaction, and communication. In clinical populations with developmental disorders of speech comprehension, the severity of disruption can persist and vary from limiting occupational opportunities to lower performance outcomes. Previous research has reported an event-related potential (ERP) neural positivity over right hemisphere lateral anterior sites in response to semantic and discourse processing. Although useful as a marker for clinical populations of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental language disorder (DLD), little is understood about the dynamics and neural sources of this biological marker. In addition to traditional methods of ERP analysis, …

Dendritic Spine Density And Morphology In The Dorsolateral Striatum Following A High Fat Diet, Tikva Nabatian

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Obesity rates have been dramatically rising in recent years and in 2017-2018 more than 42% of adults in the United States were obese. Obesity is associated with numerous health problems, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes. The prevalence of highly palatable and calorically dense foods high in fats and sugars is a significant factor in the increase in obesity rates. Many suggest that palatable food affects the brain in ways similar to drugs of abuse, reinforcing the consumption of highly palatable foods in the same way drugs reinforce drug use. While numerous weight loss programs and …

Examining The Effect Of A Substituted Carbamate Positive Allosteric Modulator On (Alpha4)3(Beta2)2 And (Alpha4)2(Beta2)3 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, Josue Gaona, Musharaf Mohiuddin, Ayman K. Hamouda

School of Medicine Student Publications and Presentations

The α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) are the most abundant nAChR subtypes in the brain and exist in two distinct isoforms: (α4)2(β2)3 nAChR, the high sensitivity (HS) isoform, and (α4)3(β2)2 nAChR, the low sensitivity (LS) isoform. Given the pathophysiological and pharmacological importance of these brain receptors, there are ongoing efforts to develop pharmacophores that selectively potentiate α4β2 nAChRs (positive allosteric modulators, PAMs). PAMs selective to the α4β2 nAChRs would be beneficial for neuropsychiatric conditions such as nicotine addiction and Alzheimer’s disease. A chemical synthesis and high throughput screens at Amgen laboratories have identified a series of compounds that preferentially potentiate …

The Impacts Of Immune Challenges On Fish Behavior And Physiology, Teisha King

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

For species living in dominance hierarchies, social rank dictates access to resources and often contributes to reproductive success. To ensure survival, individuals constantly evaluate trade- offs between crucial biological systems, like the reproductive and immune systems, depending on their social rank and physiological state. Little is known about how social species balance interactions between immune system function, fluctuations in social status and reproductive fitness, and the performance of behaviors necessary for maintaining social status when sick, particularly in fishes, the largest and most diverse group of vertebrates. My dissertation research uses a whole animal approach to examine how physiological profiles …

Antibody-Dependent Enhancement Activity Of A Plant-Made Vaccine Against West Nile Virus, Amber M. Paul, Haiyan Sun, Dhiraj Acharya, Huafang Lai, Junyun He, Fengwei Bai, Qiang Chen

Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) causes annual outbreaks globally and is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in Unite States. In the absence of licensed therapeutics, there is an urgent need to develop effective and safe human vaccines against WNV. One of the major safety concerns for WNV vaccine development is the risk of increasing infection by related flaviviruses in vaccinated subjects via antibody-dependent enhancement of infection (ADE). Herein, we report the development of a plant-based vaccine candidate that provides protective immunity against a lethal WNV challenge mice, while minimizes the risk of ADE for infection by Zika (ZIKV) and dengue …

Enhancing The Quality Of Life For Senior Citizens: A Facilitator’S Guidebook For Mindful Music And Movement, Shannon Sexton

Mindfulness Studies Theses

Music appreciation and enjoyment enhance well-being throughout the lifespan. The challenges and constraints that people experience as they age can lead to lack of access to music, decreased physical activity, and fewer avenues for creative expression. Group music and movement interventions created for older populations offer opportunities for social connection and improved quality of life. Mindful practices add further benefit when combined with these interventions. Current available programs are scarce and most often do not encompass mixed modalities. In addition, the benefits of these programs do not show long-term sustainability. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the effects …

Nonobvious Design, Mark Bartholomew

Journal Articles

To earn patent protection, a claimed product design must be “nonobvious.” Yet while nonobviousness has been described as “the heart” and “cornerstone” of the utility patent system, in the design patent context, the term has become next to useless. Instead of actually policing nonobviousness in design, modern courts grant patent rights to any work that is not an exact replica of another. The problem, judges maintain, is that comparing one visual design against another demands the use of aesthetic judgment and aesthetic judgment is an instinctual, subjective process incapable of legal definition. Recent neuroscientific studies of aesthetic judgment dispel some …

Examining The Role Of Chronic Stress In Cancer Progression And Metastasis: P53 As A Potential Mechanism, Jillian R. Dean

Behavioral Neuroscience Honors Papers

The influence of stress on the development and progression of cancer has been a longstanding hypothesis. Chronic stress can have a significant impact on the immune system and inflammatory response, potentially leading to decline of the body's immune capabilities (Segerstrom & Miller, 2004). Stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which triggers the release of stress hormones, such as cortisol (Smith & Vale, 2006). When chronically activated, this can lead to corresponding changes in the immune system, including decreased activity of natural killer cells, which play a crucial role in identifying and destroying cancer cells. Chronic inflammation has also been shown …

Cognitive And Neural Development In A Rodent Model Of Ptsd From Maternal Maltreatment, Nhi Doan

Behavioral Neuroscience Honors Papers

Childhood neglect influences development and increases the risk for and severity of mental illness. Previous study has shown that early life stress (ELS) alters stress circuitry, elevates basal stress hormone, and impairs regulation of the HPA. In this study, we seek to understand the impacts of decreased quality of care and trauma on the cognitive and neural development of rats at adolescence. We used a 1-week limited bedding protocol to induce fragmented care in dams and a 10-minute exposure to fox odor to induce stress in offspring later. Memory function and patterns of brain activity following stressor exposure were assessed …

Neural And Behavioral Evolution In An Eavesdropper With A Rapidly Evolving Host, Aaron W. Wikle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The diversification of animal communication systems is driven by many interacting factors. Unintended receivers play an important part in this process, yet little is known about their role in signal evolution. Flies of the genus Ormia are parasitoids of crickets and rely on acoustic cues to locate hosts. In Hawaii, selection imposed by Ormia ochracea has led to recent and rapid diversification in the songs of their host. Here, we compare neural and behavioral responses of Hawaiian flies to those of an ancestral population to understand the role of parasitoid sensory and behavioral variation in the evolution of host songs. …

High Volume Multiplex Staining Of Mouse Model In Alzheimer’S Associated Disease Pathology, Chloe Embry

Lewis Honors College Thesis Collection

Although neurodegenerative diseases are often clinically distinct, they typically share common pathological markers. One of the most common causes of clinical dementia is Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Pathologically, AD is defined by the presence of intercellular tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau proteins and extracellular plaques made of abnormally cleaved amyloid-beta proteins. However recent genome-wide association studies have also found that many of the predispositions for AD are located on or near genes highly expressed in microglia. In the healthy CNS, microglia act as the brain’s immune system and are chiefly involved in neuronal support and maintaining homeostasis throughout the CNS. Typically, …

Investigating The Role Of Nf-Kb Inhibition On Müller Glia Proliferation Following Injury In The Zebrafish Retina, Danielle Baffa

Celebration of Scholarship 2023

No abstract provided.