Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Separating The Signal From The Noise In Electrocorticographic (Ecog) Signals : Novel Analytic Methods And Their Application To Experimental And Theoretical Neuroscience, William Grey Coon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Measurements are comprised of two parts: signal, that is, the true quantity one wishes to measure, and noise, that is, measurement fluctuations that are unrelated to the true signal.

Proliferation, Migration, And Survival Of Cells In The Telencephalon Of The Ball Python, Python Regius, Thomas B. Bales

Master's Theses

Reptiles exhibit neurogenesis throughout the brain during adulthood. However, very few studies have quantified telencephalon-wide neurogenesis in adulthood, and no studies have performed these investigations in snakes. Quantifying neurogenesis in the adult snake is essential to understanding class-wide adult neurogenesis and providing insight into the evolution of this trait. The thymidine analog 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was used to quantify cell proliferation, migration, and survival in the ball python (Python regius). First, to determine the proper dose of BrdU for injection we subcutaneously injected 50mg/kg, 100mg/kg, and 250mg/kg into 15 adult male P. regius. We found the 250mg/kg dose …

Impact Of Faah Genotype And Marijuana Use On Brain Structure And Neuropsychological Performance In Emerging Adults, Skyler Gabriel Shollenbarger

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Chronic MJ use may be associated with higher cognitive ability impairments (see Lisdahl et al., 2013). Regions undergoing later maturation (Gogtay 2004), may be at increased risk for MJ-induced alterations. Endogenous cannabinoid signaling (ECS) is modulated by the function the enzyme Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (see Ho & Hilard, 2005), thus the gene encoding for this enzyme (FAAH) impacts ECS (Sipe et al., 2002). Here, we examine the impact of MJ use and FAAH genotype on PFC complexity and underlying frontal white matter (WM) integrity in young adults. Methods: Participants included 37 MJ users and 37 non-using young adults …

Fatty Acid Induced Insulin Resistance In The Brain, Hyoung Il Oh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The prevalence of obesity is rapidly increasing; it is now one of the most serious public health problems worldwide. Obesity is thought to reflect the interaction between genetics and modern life style. In particular, high fat diets (HFD) are considered as a major contributing factor to the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as other metabolic disorders such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and some types of cancer. Recently, it has been suggested that insulin actions in the brain are important in the regulation of energy homeostasis and peripheral metabolism.

With the support of USTAR (The Utah …

Doxorubicin-Induced, Tnf-Α-Mediated Brain Oxidative Stress, Neurochemical Alterations, And Cognitive Decline: Insights Into Mechanisms Of Chemotherapy Induced Cognitive Impairment And Its Prevention, Jeriel T. Keeney

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The works presented in this dissertation provide insights into the mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI or “ChemoBrain”) and take steps toward outlining a preventive strategy. CICI is now widely recognized as a complication of cancer chemotherapy experienced by a large percentage of cancer survivors. Approximately fifty percent of existing FDA-approved anti-cancer drugs generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). Doxorubicin (Dox), a prototypical ROS-generating chemotherapeutic agent, produces the reactive superoxide radical anion (O₂^-•) in vivo. Dox treatment results in oxidation of plasma proteins, including ApoA-I, leading to TNF-α-mediated oxidative stress in plasma and brain. TNF-α elevation in brain …

The Characterization Of The Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Substrate 3 And Its Role In Regulating Microtubule Dynamics And Molecular Transport In The Brain, Sarah J. Gamble

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The neuronal cytoskeleton is responsible for governing dynamics such as neurite extension and cortex development. In particular, microtubules (MTs) and their associated proteins, and molecular motors, have been shown to be critical in many neuronal processes such as intracellular molecular transport and neuron differentiation. The fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) act as powerful morphogens that have been shown to play a role in regulating cortical development. FGFs activate receptor tyrosine kinases, of which fibroblast growth factor receptor substrate 3(FRS3) has been shown to interact with, to mediate downstream signaling cascades (regulating cell proliferation and differentiation). In addition to FRS3’s role in …

Hemispheric Specialization For Musical Structure Processing: A Dichotic Listening Study, Deirdre M. Finnegan

Honors Theses

In a dichotic listening study using a musical priming paradigm Hoch and Tillman (2010) found a left-ear advantage for the tonal function effect on spoken syllable identification, suggesting a right-hemispheric specialization for musical structure processing. A pilot study was performed using healthy right-handed non-musician participants to investigate the possible moderating effects of the Hoch and Tillman (2010) findings caused by alternating response hand as well as response key orientation. Several interactions were found which indicated that response hand and response key orientation moderated task performance. Modulations appeared to be due to a Coherence between response hand and response key orientation, …

Physiology Of Yawning : Proximate Mechanisms Supporting An Ultimate Function, Melanie Lee Shoup-Knox

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Recent research suggests that yawning functions to cool the brain during periods of mild hyperthermia. Evidence for this hypothesis is largely behavioral, and includes reports of increased yawning during increases in ambient temperature and times of stress as well as an amelioration of yawning upon nasal breathing and forehead cooling. Little research has been published on the physiological mechanisms supporting a brain cooling function, however. The current set of studies explores human and animal physiological parameters in search of evidence of brain cooling during yawning. In humans, heart rate, skin temperature, and skin conductance findings suggest that yawning involves an …

Cortical-Spinal Interactions In Skill Acquisition And Performance And Their Implications For Rehabilitation, Chadwick Bruno Jean Boulay

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Many people in the United States have motor impairments due to stroke or other central nervous system (CNS) traumas. Motor impairments also burden the U.S. economy and health care system. Current rehabilitative therapies are moderately effective but can be improved upon. Improvements to rehabilitation protocols are informed by increased understanding of the CNS including understanding interactions between different structures in the CNS and understanding CNS plasticity in response to trauma or skill acquisition.