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Full-Text Articles in Neuroscience and Neurobiology
Muscarinic Excitation Of Dopamine Neurons In The Ventral Tegmental Area Via Activation Of A Trpc-Like Cation Conductance, Yu Tzu Chen
Theses and Dissertations
Dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) play a crucial role in reward and motivational behaviors, including the development of drug addictions. VTA DA neurons receive excitatory cholinergic inputs from the mesopontine tegmentum. Blockage of the M5 muscarinic receptor in DA neurons has been shown to attenuate drug-induced DA release and abuse-related behaviors, but the molecular mechanism is unknown. In this study, experiments were designed to identify the electrophysiological effects of muscarinic agonism in the modulation of action potential kinetics and firing patterns in VTA DA neurons of mice. Pharmacology of the muscarinic receptor-evoked current was also characterized. …
Role Of Clic4 And The Synaptic Transcriptome In The Behavioral And Molecular Neurobiology Of Ethanol, Rory M. Weston
Role Of Clic4 And The Synaptic Transcriptome In The Behavioral And Molecular Neurobiology Of Ethanol, Rory M. Weston
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. Published studies have identified chloride intracellular channel 4 (Clic4) as an ethanol-regulated gene in brain capable of modulating sensitivity to sedation in multiple species. The functions of Clic4 are …
Characterizing The Cellular Nature Of The Physical Interactions Necessary For Collective Neuron Migration, Rebecca Vareed
Characterizing The Cellular Nature Of The Physical Interactions Necessary For Collective Neuron Migration, Rebecca Vareed
Theses and Dissertations
Neuronal migration is an essential process in the development of the nervous system. Neurons are born in one location and migrate sizable distances to their final location. In many other developmental processes, cells migrate as collectives, where the migration of one cell influences the migration of another cell; this process has yet to be shown in the developing central nervous system. Using the conserved tangential migration of facial branchiomotor neurons (FBMNs), I aim to determine the nature of the collective migration in the developing nervous system. Here, two models of FBMN collective migration are tested: the “Pioneer” model, where following …
Methods For Integrative Analysis Of Genomic Data, Paul Manser
Methods For Integrative Analysis Of Genomic Data, Paul Manser
Theses and Dissertations
In recent years, the development of new genomic technologies has allowed for the investigation of many regulatory epigenetic marks besides expression levels, on a genome-wide scale. As the price for these technologies continues to decrease, study sizes will not only increase, but several different assays are beginning to be used for the same samples. It is therefore desirable to develop statistical methods to integrate multiple data types that can handle the increased computational burden of incorporating large data sets. Furthermore, it is important to develop sound quality control and normalization methods as technical errors can compound when integrating multiple genomic …