Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Commons^™

Uridine Promotes Neurite Outgrowth In Neuro2a Cells, Jacquelyn Spathies

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are the main causes of age-related dementia. These diseases can be due to neuronal cell death and/or impairment of neurite outgrowth. Giant oyster mushroom (GOM), Pleurotus giganteus, is used as a nootropic to improve cognitive function. GOM can also be used to prevent the onset of dementia. The underlying mechanism behind the medicinal property of GOM is unclear. Previous studies have shown that GOM has a high concentration of uridine. In this study, I examined the effects of uridine on neurite outgrowth in the Neuro-2a (N2a) neuroblastoma cell line. We also examined …