Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Brain-Computer Interfaces In Medicine, Jerry J. Shih, Dean J. Krusienski, Johnathan R. Wolpaw

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) acquire brain signals, analyze them, and translate them into commands that are relayed to output devices that carry out desired actions. BCIs do not use normal neuromuscular output pathways. The main goal of BCI is to replace or restore useful function to people disabled by neuromuscular disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, or spinal cord injury. From initial demonstrations of electroenceph-alography-based spelling and single-neuron-based device control, researchers have gone on to use electroenceph-alographic, intracortical, electrocorticographic, and other brain signals for increasingly complex control of cursors, robotic arms, prostheses, wheelchairs, and other devices. Brain-computer interfaces …

Physiological & Cellular Mechanisms Of Ammonia Tolerance In The Goldfish (Carassius Auratus), Sanya Sidhu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Ammonia may increase in the blood and tissues of fishes following feeding or exposure to high concentrations of environmental ammonia arising from the degradation of organic matter in aquatic environments, sewage effluent, and run-off from landfills. Ammonia may be detoxified using the enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS), which catalyzes the conversion of ammonia to glutamine. It has been suggested, however that build-ups of glutamine within the astrocytes of the brain can cause brain swelling by increasing intracellular osmolarity and water uptake by the cells. Using in vivo and in vitro approaches, the goal of this thesis was to determine if: (i) …

Genetic Control Of A Central Pattern Generator: Rhythmic Oromotor Movement In Mice Is Controlled By A Major Locus Near Atp1a2, Steven J. St. John, John D. Boughter Jr, Megan K. Mulligan, Kenichi Tokita, Lu Lu, Detlef H. Heck, Robert W. Williams

Faculty Publications

calreticulin, Animals, Chromosome Mapping, Mammalian Chromosomes, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Linkage, Genome-Wide Association Study. Inbred C57BL Mice, Inbred DBA Mice, Quantitative Trait Loci, Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase/genetics, Atp1a2 protein, Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase, feeding behavior, drinking behavior, mice, central pattern generator, genetic control

The Effects Of Extended Access To Methamphetamine Self-Administration On Dopaminergic Markers In The Striatum, Joe Luevano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is a persistent problem in the U.S. and abroad. Escalation of METH use among independent users occurs for a variety of physiological and psychological reasons. Methamphetamine dependence may be attributed to the rewarding effect of this drug via the dopaminergic systems of the central nervous system (CNS). The presence of METH in the CNS increases synaptic release of dopamine. This increase in dopaminergic neurotransmission is thought to be directly attributed to the rewarding effects of METH. Following METH use, compensatory changes have been found to occur in the dopaminergic system during various periods of abstinence. It is …

Examination Of The Neurochemical Mechanisms That Mediate Nicotine Withdrawal In Adolescent And Adult Rats, Luis Alberto Natividad

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: The mechanisms that mediate nicotine withdrawal are presently unclear and age group differences in the neurochemical effects of withdrawal have been largely unexplored. Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated that adult rats display a decrease in extracellular levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) during nicotine withdrawal and this decrease is reduced in adolescent rats (Natividad et al., 2010). The goal of this dissertation was to examine whether these age group differences in dopamine during withdrawal are mediated via excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms that modulate dopamine in the cell body region of the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Methods: …

The Cellular Nucleic Acid Binding Protein Regulates The Alzheimer’S Disease Β-Secretase Protein Bace1, Christopher J. Holler

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease affecting the elderly population and is believed to be caused by the overproduction and accumulation of the toxic amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide in the brain. Aβ is produced by two separate enzymatic cleavage events of the larger membrane bound amyloid precursor protein, APP. The first, and rate-limiting, cleavage event is made by beta-secretase, or BACE1, and is thus an attractive therapeutic target. Our lab, as well as many others, has shown that BACE1 protein and activity are increased in late-stage sporadic AD. We have extended these findings to show that BACE1 …

Hcn1 Immunoreactivity Of Α-Motoneurons Following Peripheral Nerve Injury, Saif Ahmed

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Peripheral axotomy causes significant alterations in intrinsic motoneuron activity and excitability. Despite successful reinnervation of peripheral targets after injury, the recovery of motor function is incomplete. Following axotomy in the adult cat, there is an increase in the afterhyperpolarization (AHP) of the action potential in specific motoneuron types. AHP duration can be inversely correlated with the amount of Ih or sag current and further shaped through SK (Small conductance calcium-activated potassium) channel currents (Gustafsson and Pinter, 1985; Kuno, Miyata, and Muñoz-Martinez, 1974a). Hyperpolarizing-cyclic nucleotide gated (HCN) channels underlie sag currents and are critical to neuronal function by their unique property …

Comparing Two Different Statins In A Delayed Pharmacological Treatment For Ischemic Stroke, Kailyn M. Hagerty

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and the top cause of long term disability. Currently there exists no standardized treatment of care for ischemic stroke patients during the days following stroke other than giving aspirin. A drug combination containing fluoxetine, one of two statins, and ascorbic acid was used to try and improve motor function following strokes in rats. Endothelin induced stroke survival surgery was performed on the right cortex of Long Evans and Sprague Dawley rats. Functional tests were completed pre- and post-surgery and immunohistochemistry was carried out to analyze infarct volume, angiogenesis, and the glial …

Quantitative Analysis Of Glycinergic Neurons Including Ia Inhibitory Interneurons In The Ventral Spinal Cord Using A Bac-Glyt2-Egfp Transgenic Mouse Model, Palak Rajeshkumar Painter

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

We are interested in understanding the development of reciprocal inhibition, an important sensory-motor circuit that prevents co-contraction of antagonist muscles during locomotion. This effect is mediated by a subset of glycinergic neurons termed Ia inhibitory interneurons (IaINs). Transgenic mouse models are useful in helping to identify subsets of neurons in developing animals. In this thesis we first wanted to test the BAC-GlyT2-eGFP mice model by measuring GFP expression overlap in neurons with glycine in late-stage embryos (E17.5) and early postnatal animals (P0/P1). Our results suggest more than 98% of glycinergic neurons at these stages also express GFP in GlyT2-EGFP transgenic …

The Use Of Forelimb Asymmetry Functional Tests To Determine Motor Recovery With Various Drug Treatments Following Endothelin-Induced Stroke, Kelly Rebecca Leach

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Our laboratory has found increased functional recovery post-stroke with Long Evans rats that received a combination of fluoxetine, simvastatin, and vitamin C. The objectives of this study were to test that treatment and other drug combinations on Sprague Dawley rats, to determine whether Forelimb Asymmetry is a reliable behavioral measure for stroke studies, and to determine the most optimal surgical procedure on Sprague Dawley rats. There were more significant increases in functional recovery observed on the Forelimb Asymmetry than on Montoya Staircase behavioral tests, but there were no significant differences between treatment groups and control. The largest number of rats …

Expressing Human Orai3 In Insect Cells For Pharmacological Studies, Orville R. Bennett

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The Orai3 protein forms a Ca2+ channel with a pharmacological profile distinct from its close relative, the store-operated Ca2+ channel Orai1. Though closely related to Orai1, the function of Orai3 in humans is still unclear. This study attempts to contribute to the body of knowledge by undertaking a pharmacological analysis of Orai3 in insect cells. We describe here the creation of a vector capable of expressing the mammalian Orai3 gene on an insect background. We demonstrate the ability to induce gene expression of Orai3 in these insect cells, and then assess the effectiveness of this system by characterizing the pharmacological …

Iptakalim Preferentially Decreases Nicotine-Induced Hyperlocomotion In Phencyclidine-Sensitized Rats: A Potential Dual Action Against Nicotine Addiction And Psychosis, Nick Volf, Gang Hu, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: Iptakalim is a putative ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel opener. It is also a novel nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) blocker and can antagonize nicotine-induced increase in dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Our recent work also shows that iptakalim exhibits a clozapine-like atypical antipsychotic profile, indicating that iptakalim may possess a dual action against nicotine addiction and schizophrenia.

Methods: The present study examined the potential therapeutic effects of iptakalim on nicotine use in schizophrenia. We created an animal model of comorbidity of nicotine addiction and schizophrenia by injecting male Sprague-Dawley rats with nicotine (0.40 mg/kg, subcutaneously［sc］) or saline, in combination …

Evolution And The Expression Of Biases: Situational Value Changes The Endowment Effect In Chimpanzees, Owen D. Jones, Sarah F. Brosnan, Molly Gardner, Susan P. Lambeth, Steven J. Schapiro

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Cognitive and behavioral biases, which are widespread among humans, have recently been demonstrated in other primates, suggesting a common origin. Here we examine whether the expression of one shared bias, the endowment effect, varies as a function of context. We tested whether objects lacking inherent value elicited a stronger endowment effect (or preference for keeping the object) in a context in which the objects had immediate instrumental value for obtaining valuable resources (food). Chimpanzee subjects had opportunities to trade tools when food was not present, visible but unobtainable, and obtainable using the tools. We found that the endowment effect for …

Investigations Into Modulation Of Brain Oxidative Stress By Various Interventions, Jessica Lynn Harris

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

In this thesis study we examined glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and its effects over Nrf2 and Pin 1 as it relates to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a prolonged high oxidative environment. Transcription factor Nrf2 is vital in the brain’s defense against oxidative insults through its up-regulation of over 100 antioxidants. Depletion of the brain’s antioxidant defense system results in intolerance to an oxidative environment, contributing to the progression of AD. The regulatory Pin 1 protein promotes cellular homeostasis, and when down-regulated results in increased deposits of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, the …

Feeling At Home: Learning, Law, Cognitive Science, And Narrative, Lea B. Vaughn

Articles

What is the "how and why" of law's affinity for narrative? In order to explain why the use of stories is such an effective teaching and presentation strategy in the law, this paper will consider theories and accounts from cognitive as well as evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and, briefly, cultural anthropology. This account seeks to address "how" narrative helps us learn and use the law as well as "why" we are so compelled to use stories in teaching and in practice.

Brain science, simplified here, suggests that the first task is to grab someone's attention. Emotionally charged events are more likely …

A Proposal To Test The Effects Of Factor Ecat1 On Pluripotency, From Reprogramming To Differentiation Of Human Somatic Cells, Vritti R. Goel

CMC Senior Theses

The field of stem cell research has been growing more because of the interest in using stem cells to cure diseases and heal injuries. Human embryonic stem cells, because of the controversy surrounding them—and subsequently the difficulties in acquiring samples of the existing aging cell lines—can only be used in limited capacities. While the development of induced pluripotent stem cells in the last decade has allowed the field to progress closer to medical treatments, the low efficiency of reprogramming a somatic cell to a pluripotent state, and the vast molecular and genomic differences between human embryonic stem cells and human …

Septotemporal Variation In Theta Rhythm Dynamics: Effects Of Speed And Habituation, James Hinman

Master's Theses

Theta (6-12 Hz) field potentials and the synchronization (coherence) of these potentials present neural network indices of hippocampal physiology. Theta signals within the hippocampal formation may reflect alterations in sensorimotor integration, the flow of sensory input and/or distinct cognitive operations. While the power and coherence of theta signals vary across lamina within the septal hippocampus, limited information is available about variation in these indices across the septotemporal (long) or areal axis. The present study examined the relationship of locomotor speed to theta indices at CA1 and DG sites across the septotemporal axis as well as in the entorhinal cortex. Our …

Map Kinases Couple Hindbrain-Derived Catecholamine Signals To Hypothalamic Adrenocortical Control Mechanisms During Glycemia-Related Challenges, Arshad Khan, Kimberly Kaminski, Graciela Sanchez-Watts, Todd Ponzio, J. Kuzmiski, Jaideep Bains, Alan Watts

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

Map Kinases Couple Hindbrain-Derived Catecholamine Signals To Hypothalamic Adrenocortical Control Mechanisms During Glycemia-Related Challenges, Khan, Kimberly Kaminski, Graciela Sanchez-Watts, Todd Ponzio, J. Kuzmiski, Jaideep Bains, Alan Watts

Departmental Papers (Biology)

No abstract provided.

Empathy-Based Conservation: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Conservation Policy And Decision-Making, Kaitlyn Delashmutt

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

In the late 20^th century, neuroscientists in Italy discovered a neuron in the brain capable of mentally mimicking the emotions derived from the actions of others (Rizzolatti and Craighero, 2004). It is the process that makes your elbow ache when someone else knocks their elbow on the counter or the uncontrollable smile that creeps up when someone smiles at you. No questions asked, people intuitively sense what others are feeling. The old school of thought was that humans deduced through logic and reason the actions of others and interpreted the emotions through a rational process (Carew et al, 2008). …

Maternal Separation Affects Dopamine Transporter Function In The Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat: An In Vivo Electrochemical Study, Jacqueline S. Womersley, Jennifer H. Hsieh, Lauriston A. Kellaway, Greg A. Gerhardt, Vivienne A. Russell

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is a well-characterised model of this disorder and has been shown to exhibit dopamine dysregulation, one of the hypothesised causes of ADHD. Since stress experienced in the early stages of life can have long-lasting effects on behaviour, it was considered that early life stress may alter development of the dopaminergic system and thereby contribute to the behavioural characteristics of SHR. It was hypothesized that maternal separation would alter dopamine regulation by the transporter (DAT) in ways that distinguish SHR …

Change Detection Memory In Rhesus Monkeys And Humans, Lauren C. Elmore

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Visual short-term memory (VSTM) is the storage of visual information over a brief time period (usually a few seconds or less). Over the past decade, the most popular task for studying VSTM in humans has been the change detection task. In this task, subjects must remember several visual items per trial in order to identify a change following a brief delay interval. Results from change detection tasks have shown that VSTM is limited; humans are only able to accurately hold a few visual items in mind over a brief delay. However, there has been much debate in regard to the …

Conformational Changes In The Extracellular Domain Of Glutamate Receptors, Anu Rambhadran

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The family of membrane protein called glutamate receptors play an important role in the central nervous system in mediating signaling between neurons. Glutamate receptors are involved in the elaborate game that nerve cells play with each other in order to control movement, memory, and learning.

Neurons achieve this communication by rapidly converting electrical signals into chemical signals and then converting them back into electrical signals. To propagate an electrical impulse, neurons in the brain launch bursts of neurotransmitter molecules like glutamate at the junction between neurons, called the synapse. Glutamate receptors are found lodged in the membranes of the post-synaptic …

Definition Of The Landscape Of Chromatin Structure At The Frataxin Gene In Friedreich’S Ataxia, Eunah Kim

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) is caused by the transcriptional silencing of the frataxin (FXN) gene. FRDA patients have expansion of GAA repeats in intron 1 of the FXN gene in both alleles. A number of studies demonstrated that specific histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) affect either histone modifications at the FXN gene or FXN expression in FRDA cells, indicating that the hyperexpanded GAA repeat may facilitate heterochromatin formation. However, the correlation between chromatin structure and transcription at the FXN gene is currently limited due to a lack of more detailed analysis. Therefore, I analyzed the effects of the hyperexpanded GAA …

The Dissociation Of Location And Object Working Memory Using Fmri And Meg, Antony Passaro

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Visual working memory (VWM) involves maintaining and processing visual information, often for the purpose of making immediate decisions. Neuroimaging experiments of VWM provide evidence in support of a neural system mainly involving a fronto-parietal neuronal network, but the role of specific brain areas is less clear. A proposal that has recently generated considerable debate suggests that a dissociation of object and location VWM occurs within the prefrontal cortex, in dorsal and ventral regions, respectively. However, re-examination of the relevant literature presents a more robust distribution suggestive of a general caudal-rostral dissociation from occipital and parietal structures, caudally, to prefrontal regions, …

Anatomical Correlates To Nectar Feeding Among The Strepsirrhines Of Madagascar: Implications For Interpreting The Fossil Record, Magdalena N. Muchlinski, Jonathan M. G. Perry

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

One possible ecological scenario for the origin of primates is the archaic pollination and coevolution hypothesis. Its proponents contend that the consumption of nectar by some early primates and the resulting cross-pollination is an example of coevolution that drove adaptive radiations in some primates. This hypothesis is perhaps ecologically sound, but it lacks the morphology-behavior links that would allow us to test it using the fossil record. Here we attempt to identify cranial adaptations to nectar feeding among the strepsirrhines of Madagascar in order to provide such links. Many Malagasy strepsirrhines are considered effective cross-pollinators of the flowers they feed …

In Search Of The Neurobiological Substrates For Social Playfulness In Mammalian Brains, Stephen M. Siviy, Jaak Panksepp

Psychology Faculty Publications

Play behavior is a fundamental and intrinsic neurobehavioral process in the mammalian brain. Using rough-and-tumble play in the juvenile rat as a model system to study mammalian playfulness, some of the relevant neurobiological substrates for this behavior have been identified, and in this review this progress. A primary-process executive circuit for play in the rat that includes thalamic intralaminar nuclei, frontal cortex and striatum can be gleaned from these data. Other neural areas that may interact with this putative circuit include amygdala, ventral hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray (PAG), and deep tectum, as well as ascending dopamine systems which participate in all …

Serotonin, Motivation, And Playfulness In The Juvenile Rat, Stephen M. Siviy, Loren M. Deron, Chelsea R. Kasten

Psychology Faculty Publications

The effects of the selective 5HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT were assessed on the play behavior of juvenile rats. When both rats of the test pair were comparably motivated to play, the only significant effect of 8-OH-DPAT was for play to be reduced at higher doses. When there was a baseline asymmetry in playful solicitation due to a differential motivation to play and only one rat of the pair was treated, low doses of 8-OH-DPAT resulted in a collapse of asymmetry in playful solicitations. It did not matter whether the rat that was treated initially accounted for more nape contacts or fewer …

Functional Plasticity Of Central Trpv1 Receptors In Brainstem Dorsal Vagal Complex Circuits Of Streptozotocin-Treated Hyperglycemic Mice, Andrea Zsombok, Muthu D. Bhaskaran, Hong Gao, Andrei V. Derbenev, Bret N. Smith

Physiology Faculty Publications

Emerging data indicate that central neurons participate in diabetic processes by modulating autonomic output from neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV). We tested the hypothesis that synaptic modulation by transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) receptors is reduced in the DMV in slices from a murine model of type 1 diabetes. The TRPV1 agonist capsaicin robustly enhanced glutamate release onto DMV neurons by acting at preterminal receptors in slices from intact mice, but failed to do so in slices from diabetic mice. TRPV1 receptor protein expression in the vagal complex was unaltered. Brief insulin preapplication …

Temporal Sensitivity Changes With Extended Training In A Bisection Task In A Transgenic Rat Model, Bruce L. Brown, Sophie Hohn, Alexis Faure, Stephan Von Horsten, Pascale Le Blanc, Nathalie Desvignes, Nicole El Massioui, Valerie Doyere

Publications and Research

The present study investigated temporal perception in a Huntington disease transgenic rat model using a temporal bisection procedure. After initial discrimination training in which animals learned to press one lever after a 2-s tone duration, and the other lever after a 8-s tone duration for food reward, the bisection procedure was implemented in which intermediate durations with no available reinforcement were interspersed with trials with the anchor durations. Bisection tests were repeated in a longitudinal design from 4 to 8 months of age.The results showed that response latencies evolved from a monotonic step-function to an inverted U-shaped function with repeated …