Developmental Neuroscience Commons^™

Micu2 Controls Mitochondrial Calcium Signaling And Migration In Neurons During Development, Elena Berezhnaya, Benjamín Cartes-Saavedra, Raghavendra Singh, Macarena Rodríguez-Prados, Orly Reiner, Fowzan S Alkuraya, György Hajnóczky

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Neurological disorders are linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and calcium overload. Mitochondrial calcium uptake is mediated by the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (mtCU), regulated by MICU1, which can be either homodimerized or heterodimerized with MICU2 or MICU3. Though MICU2 is scarce in the adult brain, MICU2 loss in patients leads to a neurodevelopmental disorder. We hypothesized that MICU2 is required for developmental calcium signaling and neuronal migration. MICU2 is present in the developing mouse brain but disappears by maturation, contrasting with other mtCU subunits that increase. MICU2 loss in mice does not affect cytoplasmic calcium but augments the mitochondrial matrix calcium rise …

An Analysis Of Developmental Changes In Twitch Patterning During Rem Sleep, Claire Wolfer-Jenkins, Taylor Svoboda

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Ontogenetic Analysis Of Parasaurolophus Braincases (Ornithischia, Hadrosauridae) From The Kaiparowits Formation (Upper Cretaceous) Of Utah, Usa: Comparing Juvenile And Adult Morphology, Amanda "Billie" C. Guerrero

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study documents the ontogenetic development of the braincase in Parasaurolophus, a lambeosaurine hadrosaurid dinosaur known for its distinctive cranial crest. Whereas the crest has been extensively examined for its roles in communication and display, the braincase remains less understood, despite its structural and functional relationship with the crest. This research compares the braincase morphology of a juvenile specimen (RAM 14000, "Baby Joe"), a subadult specimen (RAM 17000), and an adult P. tubicen (NMMNH P-25100), to investigate how developmental changes influenced sensory systems, neurocranial architecture, and biomechanical adaptations across ontogeny.

Detailed morphological analysis reveals progressive changes from juvenile to …

Developmental Effects On Zebrafish Embryos Exposed To Alcohol, Tamya Mchaney

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Zebrafish are a good organism model due to their similarities with human biology. The transparency of their embryos allows for an easier view to see the developmental stages of the embryos, and easily and accurately note any mutations or defects in any of the embryos. In addition, they make excellent candidates to track potential effects that mirror human embryos with ethanol and alcohol will have on their developmental stages. The aim of this study was to measure the genetic size developmental differences of the embryo’s lens, eyes, and heart that are given 1% alcohol and 2% alcohol. This study’s experimental …

Appearance Over Function - The Impact Of Long-Term Oral Contraceptive Use On Brain Development, Breast Tissue Composition, And Future Lactation Outcomes, Fiona M. Wang

Dissertations

This integrative review examines the long-term effects of combined oral contraceptive (COC) use beginning in puberty on brain development, breast tissue composition, and future breastfeeding outcomes. Puberty is a critical developmental stage during which hormonal changes significantly impact the neurological and reproductive systems. The introduction of synthetic estrogen and progestin through COC use during this time may disrupt natural hormonal pathways, potentially altering neuroendocrine signaling and breast tissue maturation. Such changes may have lasting consequences, including impaired milk production, a weakened milk ejection reflex, disrupted maternal-infant bonding, and reduced overall breastfeeding success. The review synthesizes findings from endocrinology, neuroscience, and …

The Role Of Androgen Receptor And B2/Alu Sine Rna Interaction In Hippocampal Dendritic Development, Troy A. Richter

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Once dismissed as “junk”, transposable elements have recently gained recognition for their regulatory roles, especially in the brain. During development, circulating androgens promote proper morphological development of hippocampal neurons. We and others have shown that murine B2 SINE RNA is a regulator in the rodent hippocampus. It is unknown, however, if B2 is necessary for the proper development of hippocampal neurons. This dissertation investigates the role of murine B2 in the development of primary hippocampal neurons in combination with androgen treatment. We first examined the role of ALU SINE and androgen receptor in a prostate cancer cell model and found …

Sex-Specific Effects Of Early-Life Unpredictability On Hippocampal And Amygdala Responses To Novelty In Adolescents, Elysia Poggi Davis, Bianca T. Leonard, Robert J. Jirsaraie, David B. Keator, Steven L. Small, Curt A. Sandman, Victoria B. Risbrough, Hal S. Stern, Laura M. Glynn, Michael A. Yassa, Tallie Z. Baram, Jerod M. Rasmussen

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Unpredictable childhood experiences are an understudied form of early-life adversity that impact neurodevelopment. The neurobiological processes by which exposure to early-life unpredictability impact development and vulnerability to psychopathology remain poorly understood. In the current study, we investigated the sex-specific consequences of early-life unpredictability on the limbic network, focusing on the hippocampus and the amygdala.

Methods

Participants included 150 youths (54% female). Early-life unpredictability was assessed using the Questionnaire of Unpredictability in Childhood (QUIC). Participants engaged in 1 or more task–functional magnetic resonance imaging scans between the ages of 8 and 17 (223 total observations) measuring blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) …

Neurodevelopmental And Environmental Mechanisms Of Invasion, Proliferation, And Tumor Cell Fate Specification In Glioblastoma, Bianca Lynn Myers

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most aggressive primary brain tumors, and despite over 50 years of research efforts, the median survival remains at 14 months post-diagnosis. The current standard of care consists of maximal surgical resection radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy using temozolomide. However, the highly proliferative and invasive nature of GBM cells renders total resection nearly impossible as tumor cells invade the surrounding healthy tissue. The molecular and environmental drivers of these tumorigenic phenotypes are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the neurodevelopmental transcription factor ASCL1 enhances tumor cell proliferation and invasion while activating the expression of a neural stem cell …

Characterizing The Medial Forebrain Bundle In Adolescents With Anhedonic Depression, Tina Nguyen

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Adolescent depression has quickly grown in prevalence, yet the underlying neuropathology remains poorly understood. Anhedonia–the diminished ability to experience pleasure–is a core symptom of melancholic depression. Early identification of biomarkers associated with anhedonic depression could help mitigate the severity of the disorder by enhancing treatment efficacy. Blunted functionality of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), the reward center of the brain, and abnormal dopaminergic activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) have both been linked to depression. Furthermore, glutamatergic input from the hypothalamus modulates the VTA which in turn, downregulates dopamine release in the NAcc. However, there is limited evidence supporting that …

Poor Sleep Quality Is Associated With Decreased Structural Coherence Of Mesolimbic Dopamine Projections In Children, William A. Walker

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Insomnia is the second most common mental disorder that affects approximately 10% of the population. An additional one-third of the population experiences occasional symptoms of insomnia like difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Sleep quality is also a key indicator of overall mental and physical health; however, researchers have only begun to study the effects of the structure of the mesolimbic pathway on sleep cycle regulation and quality. Emerging research suggests that mesolimbic dopamine projections from the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) to the Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc) play a role in sleep-wake regulation. In this study, I analyzed data from the …

Rod Photoreceptor Regeneration In A Zebrafish Model With Retinitis Pigmentosa, Eyad Shihabeddin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

A cellular hallmark of inherited retinal degenerative diseases is progressive loss of photoreceptors until one is completely blind. Unlike mammalian models, Zebrafish have the ability to naturally regenerate their neurons after injury or disease is detected. We have generated a zebrafish model with the most common autosomal dominant form of the inherited retinal degenerative disease known as Retinitis Pigmentosa. We utilize immunohistochemistry, single-cell RNA sequencing, several analysis tools, behavioral assays and oligonucleotides to characterize our zebrafish model and identify the transcription factors necessary for rod photoreceptor regeneration. We show that our zebrafish model has continuous degeneration and regeneration of rod …

Atypical Morphometry And Connectivity Of The Cortico-Striatal-Thalamo-Cortical Circuit In Children And Adolescents With Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: A Population At Ultra-High Risk For Developing Obsessive-Compulsive And Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Amanda I. Rowan

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder associated with serious medical, cognitive, and psychiatric conditions, including significantly elevated risk for obsessive-compulsive (OCD) and/or schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SCZ). The cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) neural circuit is critical for cognitive and emotional processing. Dysfunction of the CSTC circuit is implicated in the etiopathology of both OCD and SCZ but has not been specifically examined in individuals with 22q11.2DS. This study used structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), along with standardized psychological and cognitive measures, to investigate atypical morphometry and white matter connectivity within CSTC-related brain regions in …

Adverse Cognitions: The Impact Of Childhood Trauma On Brain Development, Faith Salamone

2025 Student Academic Showcase

The effect of adverse experiences in childhood have been known to create lasting difficulties, even in adulthood. While it can be hard to determine the effects of childhood trauma on the brain, many studies have identified areas that appear to be negatively impacted by these adverse childhood experiences. This paper is a meta-analysis of eight articles that have attempted to investigate the effects of childhood trauma on the developing brain. These articles are specifically investigating the effects of childhood physical and/or sexual abuse. The areas that will be discussed in this paper are the prefrontal cortex, corpus callosum, the limbic …

Neural Efficiency Hypothesis In Motor Actions; Spectral Power Of Balancing Ballet Dancers, Carter G. Disantis

Senior Theses

Reduced activity observed during functional imaging of motor experts led to the Neural Efficiency Hypothesis (NEH) in motor skills, which posits that expert performers use fewer neural resources during motor execution than novices, reflecting greater neural efficiency.

This pilot study compared EEG recordings from five novices and four expert ballet dancers during standing and one-leg balance. Whole-brain theta (4–8 Hz) and alpha (8–12 Hz) power were quantified, and topographic maps were generated. In addition to testing the primary hypotheses, the experimental design was evaluated as a practical and scalable approach for investigating the NEH in motor skills. Novices showed significantly …

Early Motor And Language Development In Infants At Elevated Likelihood For Autism, Natalie C. Deal

Senior Theses

During the early stages of infant development, various emerging skills set the foundation for more complex abilities. One such connection is the development of motor skills, which play a crucial role in influencing language outcomes later in the infants' first year. Although these developmental cascades are well understood in typically-developing populations, less is known about the cascade in infants at elevated likelihood for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Many infants who are later diagnosed with ASD have motor delays or language delays, suggesting that the cascade from motor to language may not be typical in this population. Additionally, little is known …

Data Reporting Quality And Semantic Interoperability Increase With Community-Based Data Elements (Codes). Analysis Of The Open Data Commons For Spinal Cord Injury (Odc-Sci), Anushka Sheoran, Kenneth A. Fond, Lex Maliga Davis, J. R. Huie, Romana Vavrek, P. J. Axtman, Vance P. Lemmon, John L. Bixby, Ubbo Visser, John C. Gensel, Karim Fouad, Adam R. Ferguson, Jeffrey S. Grethe, Anita Bandrowski, Maryann E. Martone, Abel Torres-Espin

Neurology Faculty Publications

Data interoperability is crucial for effectively combining data for scientific inquiry. To facilitate interoperability, data standards such as a common definition of variables are often developed. The Open Data Commons for Spinal Cord Injury (odc-sci.org) has established an initial set of community-based data elements (CoDEs)—a minimal set of variables for sharing—to promote data interoperability in SCI research, aligning with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles. We sought to understand the use of CoDEs by the SCI community to inform current standards adherence and future standards development. We systematically analyzed 39 public datasets in relation to 17 required CoDEs …

Neural Correlates Of Infant Attention During Initial Exposure To Own- And Other-Race Faces, Ashley N. Barrows, Lauren Slivka, Kenna Clayton, Kelly Roth, Greg Reynolds

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Past research has shown that infants raised in a racially homogenous environment demonstrate an advantage for processing own-race faces at the individual level in comparison to other-race faces (Lewkowicz, 2014; Mauer & Werker, 2014; Quinn, Lee, & Pascalis, 2018). This advantage for processing own-race faces develops across infancy and has been referred to as the own-race bias (e.g., Anzures, Quinn, Pascalis, Slater, Tanaka, & Lee, 2013). The processes that lead to development of the own-race bias are complex and not fully understood. Recent work suggests that by 10 months of age, differences in own- and other-race face processing may be …

Neurophysiological Indices Of Lexical Tone Processing In Children With Different Language Background, Andres Felipe Diaz

Theses and Dissertations

The development of lexical tone processing in children is shaped by both language experience and acoustic salience. While mismatch responses (MMRs) and late negativity (LN) components of event-related potentials (ERPs) have revealed early sensitivity to lexical tone in monolingual children, the timeline for achieving adult-like neural responses—particularly for acoustically distinct versus subtle tone contrasts— remains unclear. Moreover, little is known about how bilingual language experience, especially with tonal versus non-tonal home languages, modulates this neural processing. This study employed a passive multi-oddball paradigm using Mandarin Tone 3 (low dipping) as the standard, and Tone 1 (high level) and Tone 2 …

Plasma S100Β Is A Predictor For Pathology And Cognitive Decline In Alzheimer’S Disease, Geetika Nehra, Bryan J. Maloney, Rebecca Smith, Wijitra Chumboatong, Erin L. Abner, Peter T. Nelson, Björn Bauer, Anika M. S. Hartz

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Background Blood–brain barrier dysfunction is one characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and is recognized as both a cause and consequence of the pathological cascade leading to cognitive decline. The goal of this study was to assess markers for barrier dysfunction in postmortem tissue samples from research participants who were either cognitively normal individuals (CNI) or diagnosed with AD at the time of autopsy and determine to what extent these markers are associated with AD neuropathologic changes (ADNC) and cognitive impairment.

Methods We used postmortem brain tissue and plasma samples from 19 participants: 9 CNI and 10 AD dementia patients who …

Effect Of Paxlovid On Neurodevelopmental Disorder Diagnosis Outcomes In Offspring Of Mothers Infected With Sars-Cov-2 During Pregnancy, Simone Rogers

CMC Senior Theses

The onset of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic brought concern over the effects that this virus would have on pregnancy and fetal outcomes, specifically neurodevelopmental outcomes. Maternal immune activation (MIA), caused by infection during pregnancy, is known to result in neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) diagnosis in offspring, typically autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This effect has already been observed in mothers who were infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy. However, in 2023, Paxlovid, the COVID-19 antiviral drug, became available to patients experiencing symptoms of the virus, including pregnant women. Consequently, this study seeks to determine whether the risk of …

Blood Biomarkers In Down Syndrome: Facilitating Alzheimer’S Disease Detection And Monitoring, Melissa E. Petersen, Lisi Flores-Aguilar, Elizabeth Head, Laia Montoliu-Gaya, Andre Strydom, Sarah E. Pape, Juan Fortea, Nicholas J. Ashton, Chinedu Udeh-Momoh, Sid E. O’Bryant, Dwight German, Florin Despa, Mark Mapstone, Henrik Zetterberg

Neurology Faculty Publications

Blood-based biomarkers continue to be explored for disease detection, monitoring of progression, and therapeutic outcomes as the diagnostic determination of Alzheimer’s Disease in Down Syndrome (DS-AD) remains challenging in clinical settings. This perspective highlights the current status of this effort. Overall, amyloid (A), tau (T), and neurodegeneration (AT[N]) blood-based biomarkers have been shown to increase with disease pathology for individuals with DS. Phosphorylated tau biomarkers (p-tau217, p-tau181) have been consistently shown to track disease progression for DS-AD and are likely good candidates for use in clinical settings. Biomarkers of inflammation (glial fibrillary acidic protein) also show promise; however, additional work …

Weighted Family History Density Of Substance Use: Influence On Participant Substance Use Onset, Escalation, And Duration, Carleigh A. Litteral

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Substance use disorders impose a staggering toll on the United States (U.S.), straining healthcare systems, destabilizing communities, and profoundly impacting both individuals and families. Approximately one in six Americans aged 12 and older had a past-year substance use disorder in 2022 (Key Substance Use, 2022), and nearly one-third of adults experience a substance use disorder in their lifetime (Wu, 2010), contributing to an economic burden exceeding $400 billion annually (National Drug Threat Assessment, 2011). Family history of substance use disorders is a key predictor of vulnerability, with individuals who have affected relatives being 2–8 times more …

Effect Of Family-Centered Care Interventions On Motor And Neurobehavior Development Of Very Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Manasa Kolibylu Raghupathy, Shradha S. Parsekar, Shubha R. Nayak, Kalesh M. Karun, Sonia Khurana, Alicia J. Spittle, Leslie Edward S. Lewis, Bhamini Krishna Rao

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Aim

To assess the effectiveness of family-centered care (FCC) interventions on motor and neurobehavior development of very preterm infants.

Method

Randomized and quasi-randomized trials assessing the effect of FCC on motor and neurobehavioral outcomes in very preterm infants (28–32 wk gestation) were included. Five electronic databases and grey literature were searched from January 2010 to August 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the titles/abstracts and full texts, assessed the risk of bias, and extracted data. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 Tool and GRADE were used for risk and evidence certainty assessments. Meta-analysis or narrative synthesis was performed based on data …

Neural And Computational Approach To Understanding Environmental Modulation Of Behavioral Identity In Zebrafish, John W. Hageter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Organisms rely on behavior for survival. Animals engage in behaviors that allow for feeding, mating, exploring and navigating their environment among others. Necessary for these behaviors to develop are the environmental factors and underlying circuitry which make behavior possible. Specifically, how the environment guides underlying neural circuitry to develop unique facets or phenotypes of a larger behavior are key to understanding why unique behaviors exist. In this thesis, I build foundational evidence for determining these mechanisms through the use of the zebrafish local search behavior. This is a behavior that zebrafish employ following the loss of environmental illumination where they …