Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Periodic Paralysis : Pursuing A Protocol, Kirsten Denman

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis is an autosomal dominant disease of skeletal muscle in which patients experience episodes of weakness. There is currently no highly effective therapy. A mouse model has been created to study the disease to better understand the physiological changes leading to weakness and to develop novel treatments. However, the work done with the mouse model has used ever-changing protocols and the data produced have been insufficient to answer key questions and bring treatments closer to clinical trials. I evaluated factors of temperature, insulin, potassium concentrations, and length of protocol or exercise, to develop a protocol that reproducibly triggers …

The Role Of Schwann Cells In Nerve Injury: Forskolin-Mediated Camp Activation Upregulates Tnfα Expression Despite Nf-Κb Downregulation In Lps-Treated Schwann Cells, Caitlyn E. Henry, Angela L. Asirvatham Ph.D.

Student Research Poster Presentations 2023

Although Schwann cells are known to play a role in axonal regeneration following nerve injury and inflammation, the exact mechanism is unknown. This study explores two potential mechanisms: the NF-κB and cAMP pathways. The NF-κB pathway produces cytokines, such as TNFα, to regulate inflammation, whereas the cAMP pathway is anti-inflammatory and regulates Schwann cell proliferation via AKAP95 and cyclin D3. Although it is well-known that NF-κB and cAMP are involved in inflammation, not much is known regarding the effects of forskolin-mediated cAMP activation on LPS-mediated NF-κB activation in Schwann cells. In this study, RT4-D6P2T immortalized rat Schwann cells were treated …

Higher Sexual Excitation Is Associated With An Increase In Sex-Linked Substance Use In Women With A History Of Unwanted Sexual Contact, Harper R. Jones, Tierney K. Lorenz

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Survivors of unwanted sexual contact have an increased likelihood of using substances in sexual situations, which puts them at heightened risk for intoxication-related harms. Separately, research has indicated that women may intentionally use substances in sexual situations to either enhance pleasure (i.e., increase sexual excitation) and/or reduce sexual anxiety or shame (i.e., reduce sexual inhibition), a phenomenon termed sex-linked substance use (SLSU). A predominant assumption in the literature is that women with unwanted sex histories are more likely to disengage during sex, suggesting greater inhibition-related SLSU; however, there is little prior research directly examining if women who have unwanted sex …

Pre–Post Intervention Exploring Cognitive Function And Relationships With Weight Loss, Intervention Adherence And Dropout, Amanda N. Szabo-Reed, Laura E. Martin, Cary R. Savage, Richard A. Washburn, Joseph E. Donnelley

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Objective: To evaluate the association between baseline cognitive function, intervention dropout, adherence and 3-month weight loss (WL) when controlling for confounding demographic variables.

Methods: 107 (Mage = 40.9 yrs.), BMI in the overweight and obese range (BMI = 35.6 kg/m2), men (N = 17) and women (N = 90) completed a 3-month WL intervention. Participants attended weekly behavioral sessions, comply with a reduced calorie diet, and complete 100 min of physical activity (PA)/wk. Cognitive function tasks at baseline included Flanker (attention), Stroop (executive control) and working memory, demographics, body weight and cardiovascular fitness were assessed at baseline. Session attendance, adherence …

Concussion-Related Disruptions To Hub Connectivity In The Default Mode Network Are Related To Symptoms And Cognition, Heather C. Bouchard, Kate L. Higgins, Grace Amadon, Julia M. Laing-Young, Arthur C. Maerlender, Seima Al-Momani, Maital Neta, Cary R. Savage, Douglas H. Schultz

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Concussions present with a myriad of symptomatic and cognitive concerns; however, the relationship between these functional disruptions and the underlying changes in the brain are not yet well understood. Hubs, or brain regions that are connected to many different functional networks, may be specifically disrupted after concussion. Given the implications in concussion research, we quantified hub disruption within the default mode network (DMN) and between the DMN and other brain networks. We collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from collegiate student-athletes (n = 44) at three timepoints: baseline (prior to beginning their athletic season), acute post-injury (approximately 48 hours …

Examining The Efficacy Of Yoga Nidra On Sleep Quality With Persons With Parkinson’S Disease (Pwpd), Kimberly Morrow, Karen Aranha, Angela Blackwell

Fall 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

A pilot mixed methods study utilizing quantitative and qualitative phenomenological study methods to understand the overall the benefits of using Yoga Nidra on sleep quality and sleep management, and more precisely the dosage of Yoga Nidra.

Assessment Of The Triple Reuptake Inhibitor Diclofensine: Effort-Based Decision-Making In A Rodent Model Of Motivational Dysfunction, Sofia Papanikolaou

Holster Scholar Projects

Serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed antidepressant medications. Despite their popularity, they remain relatively ineffective at treating effort-related motivational symptoms of depression such as fatigue and anergia. Increasing research on triple reuptake inhibitors (TRIs) that target three neurotransmitters—dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine—has suggested that TRIs could have efficacy in targeting motivational dysfunction due to their dopaminergic effects. Previous research has shown that the dopamine depleting agent tetrabenazine can reliably induce motivational deficits in rats, as evidenced by a shift towards low-effort behavior in effort-based choice tasks, and provide a validated approach to creating a model of motivational dysfunction. …

Manydogs Project: A Big Team Science Approach To Investigating Canine Behavior And Cognition, Daniela Alberghina, Emily E. Bray, Daphna Buchsbaum, Sarah- Elizabeth Byosiere, Julia Espinosa, Gitanjali E. Gnanadesikan, C.-N. Alexandrina Guran, Elizabeth Hare, Daniel J. Horschler, Ludwig Huber, Valerie A. Kuhlmeier, Evan L. Maclean, Madeline H. Pelgrim, Bryan Perez, Dana Ravid-Schurr, Liza Rothkoff, Courtney L. Sexton, Zachary A. Silver, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Dogs have a special place in human history as the first domesticated species and play important roles in many cultures around the world. However, their role in scientific studies has been relatively recent. With a few notable exceptions (e.g., Darwin, Pavlov, Scott, and Fuller), domestic dogs were not commonly the subject of rigorous scientific investigation of behavior until the late 1990s. Although the number of canine science studies has increased dramatically over the last 20 years, most research groups are limited in the inferences they can draw because of the relatively small sample sizes used, along with the exceptional diversity …

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder And Identity: The Role Of Ego-Dystonicity, Andrea B. Mullin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) has been linked to a dysmorphic construction of self that is closely tied to mental illness (Bhar & Kyrios, 2007). Although associations have been found, no study has determined the impact of OCD on one's self-perception, to better understand how to resolve patients' dysmorphic construction and fear of oneself. College students (N = 410; M = 20.60, SD = 4.27) completed an anonymous online survey for course credit. The survey consisted of a demographic questionnaire, the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (Foa et al., 2002), theEgo-Dystonicity Questionnaire (Purdon et al., 2007), and the Self-concept Identity Measure (Kaufman et …

Factors Related To The Perceptions Of Academic Honesty Among Campus-Based And Online Undergraduate Students, Robert Defranco

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Academic dishonesty poses a challenge for the online and campus-based learning environment where technology and assessment at a distance may encourage easy and innovative ways of cheating. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess campus-based and online students’ attitudes and perceptions toward academic dishonesty. Data were collected via the Student Academic Honesty Survey to measure student perceptions of academic dishonesty to determine the following: (a) whether biological males and females differed in their perceptions of academic dishonesty, (b) the predictive relationships between perceptions of academic dishonesty and locus of control after controlling for type of school, and (c) …

Il-1r1 Within The Meningeal Lymphatic System, Nolan Abdelsayed

Lewis Honors College Thesis Collection

The meninges are made up of three membranes; the pia mater, arachnoid mater, and dura mater, that surround the brain and spinal cord. These specialized layers work in concert with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), to protect the central nervous system by adding a layer of cushion and removing waste products from the CNS. Additionally, the meninges act as a physical barrier between the central nervous system and the periphery. The meningeal lymphatic system is a specialized group of vessels that lie within the meninges that assist in the flow of fluid and waste products from the brain. If the meningeal lymphatic …

Microtubule Polarity Flaws As A Treatable Driver Of Neurodegeneration, Bridie D. Eckel, Roy Cruz Jr., Erin M. Craig, Peter W. Baas

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Microtubule disruption is a common downstream mechanism leading to axonal degeneration in a number of neurological diseases. To date, most studies on this topic have focused on the loss of microtubule mass from the axon, as well as changes in the stability properties of the microtubules and/or their tubulin composition. Here we posit corruption of the normal pattern of microtubule polarity orientation as an underappreciated and yet treatable contributor to axonal degeneration. We include computational modeling to fortify the rigor of our considerations. Our simulations demonstrate that even a small deviation from the usual polarity pattern of axonal microtubules is …

Minding Rights: Mapping Ethical And Legal Foundations Of ‘Neurorights’, Sjors Ligthart, Marcello Ienca, Gerben Meynen, Fruzsina Molnar-Gabor, Roberto Andorno, Christoph Bublitz, Paul Catley, Lisa Claydon, Thomas Douglas, Nita A. Farahany, Joseph J. Fins, Sara Goering, Pim Haselager, Fabrice Jotterand, Andrea Lavazza, Allan Mccay, Abel Wajnerman Paz, Stephen Rainey, Jesper Ryberg, Philipp Kellmeyer

Faculty Scholarship

The rise of neurotechnologies, especially in combination with artificial intelligence (AI)-based methods for brain data analytics, has given rise to concerns around the protection of mental privacy, mental integrity and cognitive liberty – often framed as “neurorights” in ethical, legal, and policy discussions. Several states are now looking at including neurorights into their constitutional legal frameworks, and international institutions and organizations, such as UNESCO and the Council of Europe, are taking an active interest in developing international policy and governance guidelines on this issue. However, in many discussions of neurorights the philosophical assumptions, ethical frames of reference and legal interpretation …

Microglia Proliferation Underlies Synaptic Dysfunction In The Prefrontal Cortex: Implications For The Pathogenesis Of Hiv-1- Associated Neurocognitive And Affective Alterations, Hailong Li, Kristen A. Mclaurin, Charles F. Mactutus, Rosemarie M. Booze

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

Microglia, which are productively infected by HIV-1, are critical for brain development and maturation, as well as synaptic plasticity. The pathophysiology of HIV-infected microglia and their role in the pathogenesis of HIV-1-associated neurocognitive and affective alterations, however, remains understudied. Three complementary aims were undertaken to critically address this knowledge gap. First, the expression of HIV-1 mRNA in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of postmortem HIV-1 seropositive individuals with HAND was investigated. Utilization of a combined RNAscope multiplex fluorescent and immunostaining assay revealed prominent HIV-1 mRNA in microglia of postmortem HIV-1 seropositive individuals with HAND. Second, measures of microglia proliferation and neuronal …

Family Income Is Not Significantly Associated With T1w/T2w Ratio In The Human Connectome Project In Development, David G. Weissman, Graham L. Baum, Ashley Sanders, Maya L. Rosen, Deanna M. Barch, Katie A. Mclaughlin, Leah H. Sommerville

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

Growing evidence indicates that brain development varies as a function of family socioeconomic status (SES). Numer- ous studies have demonstrated that children from low-SES backgrounds have thinner cortex than children from higher- SES backgrounds. A recent study in a large developmental sample found widespread associations between lower SES and greater cortical T1w/T2w ratio—thought to be an indirect proxy for cortical myelin. We evaluated the association of family income with cortical T1w/T2w ratio as a function of age in the Human Connectome Project in Development sample of 989 youth aged 8-21 years. We observed no associations between family income and T1w/ …

Benefits Of A Family-Based Judo Program For Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jeslin George

Honors Undergraduate Theses

A diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can impact the entire family. Parents of children with ASD reportedly have greater stress levels, family conflict, financial concerns, and poor health habits than parents of neurotypical (NT) children. While many parent-focused interventions have been developed, these interventions focus on parent training and child behavior outcomes rather than the health and well-being of the parents. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of a 15-week family judo program on physical and psychosocial health in parents of children with ASD. A total of 18 parents of children with ASD participated in a weekly …

Narrating The Fragmenting Brain: Alzheimer's Disease Neuronarratives, Bonnie Cross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This dissertation examines the representation of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) neuronarratives (NN), works that centralize the brain or consciousness in the plot, in multiple modalities to support that argument that neuronarratives should be expanded into a transmedia genre. These modalities include neurogames, neurocomics, and neuromemoirs. These three modalities were analyzed to determine how selfhood and social networks are represented by characters or authors with Alzheimer's Disease. As AD is often viewed as the loss of selfhood and is associated with isolation, these works combat these stigmas and complicate representations of the disease. The use of images was also examined in neurogames …

Effects Of Hiv-1 Tat And Opiates On Gene Regulation Of Oligodendrocyte Lineage Cells: Identification Of Myrf As A Novel Target, Kelly M. Flounlacker

Theses and Dissertations

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders remain pervasive even with increased efficacy/use of antiretroviral therapies. Opioid use/abuse among HIV+ individuals is documented to exacerbate deficits. White matter (WM) alterations (myelin pallor, volume/structural) detected by diffusion tensor imaging, are common observations in HIV+ individuals. Using transgenic mice expressing HIV-1 Tat, we examined effects of 2-6 weeks of Tat/morphine exposure on WM using genomic/biochemical methods. RNA sequencing of striatal tissue after 2-weeks revealed robust changes in mRNAs associated with oligodendrocyte populations/myelin integrity, including Transferrin, Ndrg1, and myelin regulatory factor (Myrf/Mrf), an oligodendrocyte-specific transcription factor involved in differentiation/maturation. Immunoblots conducted after 6-weeks exposure in …

Scale-Free Behavioral Dynamics Directly Linked With Scale-Free Cortical Dynamics, Sabrina A. Jones, Jacob H. Barfield, V. Kindler Norman, Woodrow L. Shew

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Naturally occurring body movements and collective neural activity both exhibit complex dynamics, often with scale-free, fractal spatiotemporal structure. Scale-free dynamics of both brain and behavior are important because each is associated with functional benefits to the organism. Despite their similarities, scale-free brain activity and scale-free behavior have been studied separately, without a unified explanation. Here, we show that scale-free dynamics of mouse behavior and neurons in the visual cortex are strongly related. Surprisingly, the scale-free neural activity is limited to specific subsets of neurons, and these scale-free subsets exhibit stochastic winner-take-all competition with other neural subsets. This observation is inconsistent …

Is The Area Postrema Resistant To The Anesthetic Effects Of Ms-222?, Austin T. Csiszar

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

MS-222 is a common fish anesthetic that dampens neural activity by inhibiting neuronal voltage-gated sodium channels (Na_v) required for action potentials. Previous experiments conducted by our lab’s primary investigator using fluorescence calcium imaging in zebrafish neurons resulted in the observation that neurons in the area postrema (AP), a circumventricular organ located in the dorsal hindbrain, displayed prominent fluorescence intensity during MS-222 induced sedation. I used the genetically encoded calcium indicator GCaMP6s to conduct fluorescence calcium imaging with the goal of recording neural activity in the larval zebrafish area postrema and optic tectum to compare the anesthetic effects of …

Negative Social Media And Its Influence On Athlete's Performance, Bernd R. Huber

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study aimed to investigate the potential impact of negative social media content on athletes' cortisol levels and subsequent performance. The study focused on the change in cortisol levels and differences in free throw performance, based on previous research findings. We hypothesized that negative social media postings would increase the stress experienced by student-athletes, resulting in elevated cortisol levels and decreased performance. Additionally, participants (n = 8) completed a questionnaire to examine the interaction between preexisting fear and the biological stress response. Contrary to expectations, there was no significant change in stress response, and negative postings did not have …

Investigating Neuroanatomical Evolution Through Proliferative Cells In The Astyanax Mexicanus, Sophie Staeger

Pitzer Senior Theses

The Astyanax mexicanus is a single species of fish that has two very distinct morphs, the cave fish and the surface fish. 200,000 years ago, cave fish ancestors entered the dark and challenging cave environment of Mexico and were forced to adapt in order to survive. Such adaptions include larger fat reserves, more sensitive olfaction, increased neuromasts, and a unique nervous system structure. Yet, other functions regressed, as they lost their eyes and pigmentation. The Duboué lab has established a clear reciprocal relationship between the volume of structures involved in the neuronal adaptations, but the biological mechanisms underlying the development …

Expression Of Htyr In Drosophila As A Novel Model Of Parkinson’S Disease, Madeleine Callan

Scripps Senior Theses

Parkinson’s disease is a debilitating and often deadly neurodegenerative disease affecting a growing and large population. Its etiology has long remained elusive, and because no other organisms have Parkinsonian-like diseases, it is difficult to study PD using model organisms. Neuromelanin (NM), an insoluble melanin synthesized in the dopaminergic synthesis pathway in DA neurons, has recently been implicated in PD as a major causal factor. At high levels in DA lysosomes, it functions as a proteostatic pathway inhibitor–blocking dopaminergic neurons from breaking down harmful molecules until the lysosomes eventually degenerate as well as triggering autophagy, inflammation, and total neurodegeneration. Recently, neuromelanin …

Oral Contraceptives And Affective Disorders: Neurobiology And Informed Choice, Sophia Mae Drezner

Scripps Senior Theses

Pregnancy prevention and female reproductive freedom have been some of the most contested political issues for decades. Abortion, a fundamental part of women’s healthcare, divides liberals and conservatives on an international scale. The consequences of unintended pregnancy without safe and reliable contraception are widespread, disproportionately impacting women of color, trans and non-binary folks, and poorer communities. The birth control pill is the most common form of oral contraception (OC) globally. Many people with ovaries begin the pill or other hormonal contraceptive (HC) methods as young as 11 years old. Exogenous progesterone and estrogen are known to impact mood, affect, physiology, …

Functional Organization Of Auditory And Reward Systems In Aging, Alexander Belden, Milena Aiello Quinci, Maiya Geddes, Nancy J. Donovan, Suzanne B. Hanser, Psyche Loui

Faculty Works

The intrinsic organization of functional brain networks is known to change with age, and is affected by perceptual input and task conditions. Here, we compare functional activity and connectivity during music listening and rest between younger (n = 24) and older (n = 24) adults, using whole-brain regression, seed-based connectivity, and ROI–ROI connectivity analyses. As expected, activity and connectivity of auditory and reward networks scaled with liking during music listening in both groups. Younger adults show higher within-network connectivity of auditory and reward regions as compared with older adults, both at rest and during music listening, but this agerelated difference …

Meta-Analytic Connectivity Modelling Of Healthy Swallowing, Chris R. Tilton

Honors Theses and Capstones

A quantitative, voxel-wise meta-analysis was performed to investigate the brain regions involved in healthy human swallowing. Studies included in the meta-analysis (1) examined water swallowing, saliva swallowing, or both, (2) included healthy, normal subjects, and (3) reported stereotaxic brain activation coordinates in standard space. Following these criteria, a systematic literature review identified 8 studies that met the criteria. An activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis and meta-analytic connectivity modelling (MACM) analysis were performed with BrainMap software. Ten clusters with high activation likelihood were found in the bilateral precentral gyri, right insula, left declive, right medial frontal gyrus, right dorsal nucleus of …

Individual Behavioral And Neurobiological Markers Associated With A Vulnerable To Ethanol Use Phenotype, Kelsey M. Alimandi

Honors Theses and Capstones

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing brain condition that is characterized by excessive alcohol consumption, continued use when faced with negative consequences, and a negative emotional state associated with withdrawals (anxiety, irritability, depression). The main challenge to treating AUD is preventing relapse. The purpose of this study was to use a prolonged-exposure model to allow rats to self-administer ethanol to determine the brain regions active during relapse events. The rats performed multiple behavioral tests such as economic demand, negative consequences, and an elevated plus maze. These tests determined how hard rats were willing to work for an ethanol …

Neuronal Primary Cilia In Postnatal Brains & Alzheimer’S Disease Mice Eeg Patterns Under Fear Conditioning, Sierra Rose Mae Walsh

Honors Theses and Capstones

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition caused by the abnormal accumulation of amyloid β plaque. While small amounts of amyloid β plaque is to be expected with increased age, AD presents amyloid precursor protein (APP), a gene promoting inappropriate plaque formation, causing early neuronal death and tissue depreciation. APP23 transgenic mouse models contain the human mutation in the neocortical and hippocampal positions, areas revealing of plaque accumulation and memory loss. Within the hippocampal cortices, the primary cilia, which regulate higher cognition and neurodevelopment can be studied along with burst suppressions, or moments of high focal activity, to target potential …

Molecular Components Of A Putative Membrane Androgen Receptor: Implications For Treating Glioma, Saira Khurana

Master's Theses

Gliomas, which are tumors of any number of glial cell types in the brain or spinal cord, can be malignant or benign. They represent approximately 33% of all central nervous system tumors. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a fatal, grade 4 glioma, that accounts for nearly 14.5% of all central nervous system tumors. Current treatment options for GBM, however, remain ineffective, with the median survival period following diagnosis being only 15 months. Thus, there is an urgent and unmet need for the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of GBM and other gliomas. Previously, our laboratory showed that testosterone, conjugated …

Remote Working And Online Education Among Neurodiverse Individuals, Kendall Smith

Emerging Writers

Many jobs and schools closed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and a vast majority of students and employees found it difficult to resume their education and careers online; however, those on the neurodiverse spectrum found it much harder. Upon first glance, it was easy to see how frustrating and stressful online schooling was for special needs students. Many had difficulty concentrating during virtual lectures or lacked motivation to stay on task. Likewise, many neurodiverse employees found that at-home distractions were far worse than in-office ones, and the loneliness from staying home all day was jarring. But after pulling research …