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Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Interhemispheric Communication And Lateralization In The Mouse Hippocampus, Jake Jordan May 2019

Interhemispheric Communication And Lateralization In The Mouse Hippocampus, Jake Jordan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The hippocampus is essential for memory and spatial navigation. Many theories have been proposed to explain how the hippocampus contributes to cognition; however, none has fully explained relevant neurophysiological and behavioral data. Hemispheric lateralization of hippocampal function has been reported in humans and in rodents, and lateralization of hippocampal neural circuitry has been reported in rodents. Most theories of hippocampal function fail to consider the hippocampus as a bilateral structure with hemispheric differences. Further, proposed theories of hippocampal lateralization have their own limitations in explaining empirical data concerning left/right function. Little is known about communication between the hippocampi across hemispheres. …


Post-Synaptic Mechanisms Of Early And Late Prepulse Inhibition In The Goldfish, Daniel Bronson Feb 2019

Post-Synaptic Mechanisms Of Early And Late Prepulse Inhibition In The Goldfish, Daniel Bronson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Sensorimotor gating, or prepulse inhibition (PPI), attenuates the startle response during sensory processing by limiting sensory input to the startle circuit. In the goldfish startle circuit, a single action potential in the Mauthner-cell (M-cell) triggers the startle response. PPI in the M-cell is mediated by multiple post-synaptic mechanisms, including the activation of a tonic, shunting inhibition as well as a voltage-sensitive conductance, both of which briefly reduce M-cell excitability. However, the specific channels and pathways that modulate PPI are not fully known. This work further characterizes the post-synaptic conductances that mediate PPI by blocking voltage-gated and inward-rectifying potassium channels, antagonizing …