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Full-Text Articles in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Integration Of Raman Spectroscopy And Python-Based Data Analysis For Advancing Neurobiological Research, Natalie E. Dunn Dec 2023

Integration Of Raman Spectroscopy And Python-Based Data Analysis For Advancing Neurobiological Research, Natalie E. Dunn

Doctoral Dissertations

The field of Raman spectroscopy continues to expand into biological applications due to its usefulness as a non-invasive technique that can be utilized qualitatively and quantitatively. However, the inherent weakness of Raman scattering leads to the need for each collected spectra to undergo a preprocessing step to remove noise, background drift, and cosmic rays. Biological research in particular needs large datasets due to the increased variability in samples. As datasets grow, the need to perform preprocessing on each individual spectra becomes daunting. Often, these steps are done by hand with the help of specialized software programs. Preprocessing can be accelerated …


Noradrenergic Regulation Of Decision-Making In Female And Male Rats, Emma S. Dauster Aug 2023

Noradrenergic Regulation Of Decision-Making In Female And Male Rats, Emma S. Dauster

Doctoral Dissertations

Decision-making is regulated by many associated brain regions, including the locus coeruleus (LC) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Disruptions in decision-making are a key feature of many disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder which is disproportionately diagnosed in one sex over another for reasons unknown. LC or its primary neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE) have been implicated in the etiology or treatment of disrupted decision-making. Understanding the relationship among LC, PFC, and decision-making across sexes may provide insight into the basic neurobiology of cognition and disorders that lead to disrupted decision making. There are sex differences in LC anatomy, however studies investigating sex differences …


Phenotyping Regression In A Female Mouse Model For Rett Syndrome Using Computational Neuroethology Tools, Michael J. Mykins Aug 2023

Phenotyping Regression In A Female Mouse Model For Rett Syndrome Using Computational Neuroethology Tools, Michael J. Mykins

Doctoral Dissertations

Regression is defined as loss of acquired skills over time and is a key feature of many neurodevelopmental disorders such as Rett syndrome (RTT). RTT is caused by mutations in the X-linked gene Methyl CpG-Binding Protein 2 (MECP2) and is characterized by a period of typical development with subsequent regression of previously acquired motor and speech skills in girls. In human and animal models, it is clear syndromic phenotypes are dynamic over time but phenotyping regression over time in animal models has remained elusive. Lack of established timelines to study the molecular, cellular, and behavioral features of regression in female …


Characterizing The Roles Of The Variable Linker And Hub Domains In Camkii Activation, Noelle Dziedzic Feb 2023

Characterizing The Roles Of The Variable Linker And Hub Domains In Camkii Activation, Noelle Dziedzic

Doctoral Dissertations

Learning and memory formation at the cellular level involves decoding complex electrochemical signals between nerve cells, or neurons. Understanding these processes at the molecular level requires a comprehensive study of calcium-sensitive proteins that serve as signal mediators within cells. More specifically, the protein calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a key regulator of downstream cellular signaling events in the brain, playing an important role in long term memory formation. CaMKII is encoded in humans on four different genes: alpha, beta, gamma and delta. For added complexity, each of these gene products can be alternatively spliced and translated into multiple protein …


The Neurobiological Underpinnings Of Depression-Related Maternal Behavior Deficits, Sarah B. Winokur Feb 2022

The Neurobiological Underpinnings Of Depression-Related Maternal Behavior Deficits, Sarah B. Winokur

Doctoral Dissertations

Maternal caregiving is a dynamic process that requires extensive cognitive, motivational, and affective processing. World-wide, approximately 17% of mothers are diagnosed with postpartum depression yearly (Wang et al., 2021). Untreated, mothers with postpartum depression experience deficits in cognition, motivation, affect, and parenting (Arteche et al., 2011; Dix and Meunier, 2009; Lovejoy et al., 2000). Although postpartum depression is related to compromised parenting, to date, few studies have examined the neurobiological mechanisms by which maternal behavior is compromised in postpartum depression (Field, 2010; Murray et al., 1996). This dissertation aims to examine how depression neurobiologically disrupts parenting abilities. These studies …


How Do Adult Songbirds Learn New Sounds? Using Neuromodulators To Probe The Function Of The Auditory Association Cortex, Matheus Macedo-Lima Jul 2020

How Do Adult Songbirds Learn New Sounds? Using Neuromodulators To Probe The Function Of The Auditory Association Cortex, Matheus Macedo-Lima

Doctoral Dissertations

The ability to associate sounds and outcomes is vital in the life history of many species. Animals constantly assess the soundscape for cues associated with threats, competitors, allies, mates or prey, and experience is crucial for those associations. For vocal learning species such as humans and songbirds, learning sounds (i.e. perception and association learning) is also the first step in the process of vocal learning. Auditory learning is thought to depend on high-order cortical brain structures, where sounds and meaning are bound. In songbirds, the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) is part of the auditory association cortex and is known to be …


Sex Differences In Estradiol Signaling In The Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Gutatta) Auditory Cortex, Amanda Krentzel Nov 2017

Sex Differences In Estradiol Signaling In The Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Gutatta) Auditory Cortex, Amanda Krentzel

Doctoral Dissertations

Although several sex differences have been described in brain structure, function, and development, sex as a biological factor is underrepresented in neuroscience studies. In the mammalian brain, there are sex differences in the mechanism of rapid estradiol actions on neuronal physiology. In the songbird, the brain is a major source of estradiol production, and estradiol rapidly modulates auditory responsiveness through dynamic changes and an unknown receptor mechanism. I set out to determine if there are sex differences in rapid estradiol modulation of auditory cortical activity, as has been shown in other systems. I tested this hypothesis through three aims: 1) …


Using The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus As A Model System To Assess Tolerance And Withdrawal To Alcohol, Jonathan Houghton Lindsay Aug 2017

Using The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus As A Model System To Assess Tolerance And Withdrawal To Alcohol, Jonathan Houghton Lindsay

Doctoral Dissertations

Alcohol abuse induces many disorders including depression, metabolic syndrome, and sleep disturbances. The strong link between alcohol abuse and sleep problems, along with the close connection between sleep and circadian rhythms, led us to investigate ethanol’s effects on the circadian clock. Previous work has shown that acute ethanol blocks photic phase shifts in vivo and glutamatergic phase shifts in vitro. However, neural systems become tolerant to ethanol across different timeframes. Despite both ethanol tolerance and ethanol withdrawal syndrome being listed as criteria for developing alcohol use disorders, little is known about how ethanol tolerance and withdrawal induced hyperexcitability develop and …


The Cellular Context Of Estradiol Regulation In The Zebra Finch Auditory Forebrain, Maaya Ikeda Nov 2016

The Cellular Context Of Estradiol Regulation In The Zebra Finch Auditory Forebrain, Maaya Ikeda

Doctoral Dissertations

Estradiol, traditionally known as a hormone that communicates with distant cells in the body, is also synthesized locally in the brain to act as a neuromodulator. Neuromodulators differ from neurotransmitters in that they simultaneously affect a population of neurons and their actions are not limited to the synapse. One of the many effects of estradiol signaling is rapid modulation of auditory processing in response to external stimuli. The enzyme required for estradiol synthesis, aromatase, is highly expressed in the regions that are involved in higher-order processing of sounds in humans and songbirds. Since zebra finches, a type of songbird, are …


Functional Role Of Each Component In Gamma Secretase Complex, Chen Hu May 2016

Functional Role Of Each Component In Gamma Secretase Complex, Chen Hu

Doctoral Dissertations

Amyloid hypothesis is widely accepted as the centerpiece of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. It is believed that the accumulation of amyloid beta (Ab) is the major deterministic factor of AD and the most important causative factor is the ratio of Ab42/Ab40. Gamma(g)-secretase defines the length of Ab and is composed of at least four subunits: presenilins (PS1 or PS2), nicastrin (NCT), anterior pharynx-defective 1 (Aph-1), and presenilin enhancer 2 (Pen-2). They have been reported to have different roles in g-secretase. For example, PS were believed as the catalytic components in g-secretase; NCT was recognized as a substrate receptor; Pen-2 was …


Behavioral, Neurobiological, And Genetic Analysis Of The Circadian Mutant Duper, Emily Nicole Corbett Manoogian Nov 2015

Behavioral, Neurobiological, And Genetic Analysis Of The Circadian Mutant Duper, Emily Nicole Corbett Manoogian

Doctoral Dissertations

The recently discovered circadian mutant hamster duper has a short period of ~23 hours and exhibits exaggerated phase shifts in response to a 15-min light pulse. To increase the understanding of the duper mutation, I performed behavioral, neurobiological, and genetic experiments. Behavioral studies using photic and non-photic stimuli found that large phase shifts exhibited by duper hamsters are specific to photic cues, but not to phase. Additionally, 2/3 of duper hamsters, but no WTs, displayed transient ultradian wheel-running patterns when transferred from light to dark at CT 18. This suggests that the mutation may weaken coupling among components of the …


Chemical Biology-Based Probes For The Labeling Of Targets On Live Cells, Amanda M. Hussey Nov 2015

Chemical Biology-Based Probes For The Labeling Of Targets On Live Cells, Amanda M. Hussey

Doctoral Dissertations

Proper detection is the key to studying any processes on the cellular scale. Nowhere is this more evident than in the tight space which confines the synaptic cleft. Being able to ascertain the location of receptors on live neurons is fundamental to our understanding of not only how these receptors interact and move inside the cell but also how neurons function. Most detection methods rely on significantly altering the receptor; both tagging with a fluorescent protein or targeting the receptor by a fluorescent reporter in the form of a small molecule causes significant difficulties. These localization techniques often result in …


Novel Strategies To Modulate Synaptic Communication And Investigate The Role Of Hdac6 In Alzheimer’S Disease, Kathryne A. Medeiros Aug 2014

Novel Strategies To Modulate Synaptic Communication And Investigate The Role Of Hdac6 In Alzheimer’S Disease, Kathryne A. Medeiros

Doctoral Dissertations

Neuronal communication is mediated by chemical signaling at the synapse. The underlying molecular mechanisms of learning and memory are poorly understood. Very few tools are available to study how memories are formed in the mammalian brain. This dissertation focuses on developing novel strategies to study neural activity. Here we develop and use a chemical-genetic approach to enable target-specific photocontrol of inhibitory synaptic neurotransmission of GABAA receptor subtypes. The tools developed here selectively photocontrolled GABAA receptor subtypes. This enabled the investigation of the functional role these receptor subtypes have in inhibitory synaptic neurotransmission. This dissertation also focuses on identifying …


Functional Analysis Of Corazonin And Its Receptor In Drosophila Melanogaster, Kai Sha Aug 2013

Functional Analysis Of Corazonin And Its Receptor In Drosophila Melanogaster, Kai Sha

Doctoral Dissertations

Corazonin (Crz) is an amidated undecapeptide originally isolated from the American cockroach. It has been shown to affect diverse physiological functions in a species-specific manner. However, the functionality of Crz in Drosophila melanogaster has not yet been determined. To gain insight into the role of Crz signaling in vivo, Crz and CrzR null alleles were obtained by transposable element mobilization. Flies carrying a deficiency uncovering Crz and pr-set7 loci were generated via P-element excision, and the latter was rescued by wild-type pr-set7 transgene. A mutation of Crz receptor (CrzR) was generated by Minos-element mobilization from …


Fibrinolytic Proteins And Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Modulation Of Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Circadian Clock, Xiang Mou Aug 2010

Fibrinolytic Proteins And Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Modulation Of Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Circadian Clock, Xiang Mou

Doctoral Dissertations

Mammalian circadian rhythms are controlled by a clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The mechanisms through which light phase-shifts the SCN circadian clock are similar to those underlying memory formation and long-term potentiation (LTP). Several secreted proteins, including tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), have been implicated in this process. These same proteins are important for photic phase-shifts of the SCN circadian clock. Early night glutamate application to SCN containing brain slices resets the circadian clock. Our experiments find that the endogenous tPA inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1(PAI-1), blocked these shifts in slices from wildtype …