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Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Investigation Of Mirnas Expression In A Citron-Kinase Mutant Model Of Microcephaly, Shan Parikh Jun 2011

Investigation Of Mirnas Expression In A Citron-Kinase Mutant Model Of Microcephaly, Shan Parikh

Master's Theses

Mutation of Citron-Kinase (Cit-K) in rodents causes substantial reductions in the number of neurons generated in the CNS and results in a primary microcephaly-like phenotype. Evidence from drosophila genetics has further established a genetic link between Cit-K and a protein Argonaut 1 (AGO1), which is required for proper functioning of the miRNA machinery (2). Experiments characterizing the role of miRNAs in the developing cortex demonstrate the requirement of miRNAs for differentiation of neural progenitor cells starting at embryonic day 12.5 (3). Together, this evidence links the role of miRNAs to neurogenesis and thus this relationship warrants further investigation. Here miRNA …


Gabaergic And Glutamatergic Identities Of Developing Midbrain Pitx2 Neurons, Mindy Waite Jan 2011

Gabaergic And Glutamatergic Identities Of Developing Midbrain Pitx2 Neurons, Mindy Waite

Mindy Waite

Pitx2, a paired-like homeodomain transcription factor, is expressed in post-mitotic neurons within highly restricted domains of the embryonic mouse brain. Previous reports identified critical roles for PITX2 in histogenesis of the hypothalamus and midbrain, but the cellular identities of PITX2-positive neurons in these regions were not fully explored. This study characterizes Pitx2 expression with respect to midbrain transcription factor and neurotransmitter phenotypes in mid-to-late mouse gestation. In the dorsal midbrain, we identified Pitx2-positive neurons in the stratum griseum intermedium (SGI) as GABAergic and observed a requirement for PITX2 in GABAergic differentiation. We also identified two Pitx2-positive neuronal populations in the …


Sex Difference In Calbindin Cell Number In The Mouse Preoptic Area: Effects Of Neonatal Estradiol And Bax Gene Deletion, Richard F. Gilmore Iii Jan 2011

Sex Difference In Calbindin Cell Number In The Mouse Preoptic Area: Effects Of Neonatal Estradiol And Bax Gene Deletion, Richard F. Gilmore Iii

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) was first discovered in rats and is one of the most famous and best studied sex differences in the field of neuroscience. Though well documented in rats (larger in males than females), this sex difference was only recently able to be observed in mice due to the discovery of the protein calbindin-D28k as a marker. Recent studies have shown a larger, more distinct calbindin-immunoreactive (ir) cell cluster in male mice compared to females. However, the exact location of the cluster and whether the sex difference is one of total cell number …


Relative Dependence Of Neural Plasticity On Age And Activity In The Bumblebee (Bombus Huntii), Geoffrey Nielsen Jan 2011

Relative Dependence Of Neural Plasticity On Age And Activity In The Bumblebee (Bombus Huntii), Geoffrey Nielsen

Summer Research

Neural Plasticity is one of the most fascinating and complex aspects of neuroscience. Due to the complexity of neural plasticity mechanisms, simple models are used to study neural plasticity. The bumblebee, Bombus huntii provides an ideal model organism with which to study neural plasticity, particularly the way it is affected by age and activity1. The Mushroom Body is the portion of the B. huntii brain that is responsible for higher order sensory integration and experience related learning so it will be the focus of this study.


Nico-Teen: Neural Substrates That Mediate Adolescent Tobacco Abuse., Laura O'Dell Dec 2010

Nico-Teen: Neural Substrates That Mediate Adolescent Tobacco Abuse., Laura O'Dell

Laura Elena O'Dell

No abstract provided.


Nico-Teen: Neural Substrates That Mediate Adolescent Tobacco Abuse., Laura O'Dell Dec 2010

Nico-Teen: Neural Substrates That Mediate Adolescent Tobacco Abuse., Laura O'Dell

Laura Elena O'Dell

No abstract provided.