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Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Rela/P65 Blocks Histone Deacetylase-3 Neurotoxicity And Protects Neurons Against Neuronal Death Induced By Polyq-Expanded Huntingtin And Ataxin-1 In A P65 Phospho S276 Dependent Manner, Yiyu Zhang Aug 2020

Rela/P65 Blocks Histone Deacetylase-3 Neurotoxicity And Protects Neurons Against Neuronal Death Induced By Polyq-Expanded Huntingtin And Ataxin-1 In A P65 Phospho S276 Dependent Manner, Yiyu Zhang

Biological Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative diseases have a large negative impact to human society. Symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases includes memory loss, impaired recognition, motor dysfunction due to dysregulated neuronal loss in different brain regions. However, the neurobiological basis of these brain diseases is not fully understood and there are no cures or effective treatments. Polyglutamine (Poly-Q) disorders is a class of neurodegenerative diseases that are caused by polyglutamine expansion within the protein coding regions of specific genes. Huntington’s disease (HD), Spinal Cerebellar Ataxia Type 1 (SCA1) and Spinal Cerebellar Ataxia Type 3 (SCA3) are three common diseases among Poly-Q disorders. To better understand the …


Effect Of Reduced Neurogenesis On Microglial Activation, Amelia Smith Apr 2020

Effect Of Reduced Neurogenesis On Microglial Activation, Amelia Smith

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

The geriatric population of America has grown exponentially in the past century. Health degradations and expensive medical care are characteristic of this population with many of these costs due to age-related cognitive decline. It is essential to completely understand the mechanisms of normal and abnormal aging in the search for treatments for cognitive decline. A reduction of neurogenesis is a common factor in aging, but this reduction is even more drastic in individuals experiencing cognitive decline. It is unclear what effect reduced neurogenesis has on the extracellular environment, including glial cells. In particular, changes in microglial activation could be related …


The Effects Of A New Mutation In Lis1 And Its Potential Role In Autism Spectrum Disorder, John A. Slovensky Apr 2020

The Effects Of A New Mutation In Lis1 And Its Potential Role In Autism Spectrum Disorder, John A. Slovensky

Senior Theses

LIS1 is a protein, particularly concentrated in the brain, that is important in regulating the movement and transport capabilities of dynein. Dynein is protein that can move along pathways in the cell, carrying various cellular components and also helping brain cells migrate. These two proteins are crucial during the development of the nervous system, and mutations in them can lead to lissencephaly, a disorder in which the brain does not form properly. This disease causes patients to develop cognitive-motor defects and seizures that can lead to early death. While all previously identified mutations in LIS1 are known to cause lissencephaly, …


Optimization And Validation Of The Neurolux Wireless Optoelectronics System For Optogenetics, Karis Courey, Su Hyun Lee Ph.D., Adam Smith Ph.D., Nicholas Cilz Ph.D., Sarah K. Williams Avram Ph.D., Adi Cymerblit-Sabba Ph.D., June Song, Nicholas Leipzig Ph.D., W. Scott Young M.D., Ph.D. Jan 2020

Optimization And Validation Of The Neurolux Wireless Optoelectronics System For Optogenetics, Karis Courey, Su Hyun Lee Ph.D., Adam Smith Ph.D., Nicholas Cilz Ph.D., Sarah K. Williams Avram Ph.D., Adi Cymerblit-Sabba Ph.D., June Song, Nicholas Leipzig Ph.D., W. Scott Young M.D., Ph.D.

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Utilizing light and genetic engineering, optogenetics permits the manipulation of events within cells via light using the light-sensitive properties of single-component microbial opsins. Microbial opsins are activated by a light source, such as lasers, light-emitting diodes, and incandescent sources that deliver light to the region of interest either directly or indirectly, such as through fiberoptics. In classical in vivo optogenetics, the wiring of optic fibers necessitates tethering of animals by the optic fiber to the light source. The novel NeuroLux wireless optoelectronic system for optogenetics circumvents issues pertaining to classical optogenetics by utilizing near-field power transfer via magnetic coil antennae …


Assessing Morphology Of Iprgcs After Traumatic Brain Injury, Brian Foresi, Matt Smith Jan 2020

Assessing Morphology Of Iprgcs After Traumatic Brain Injury, Brian Foresi, Matt Smith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

ipRGCs are retinal ganglion cells that project to visual processing centers of the brain for nonimage forming visual functions. The relation of ipRGCs to tramatic brain injury (TBI) is emerging as data has been published describing ipRGC functional changes in TBI affected military veterans. Major symptomologies of concussions, a mild form of TBI, also overlap with the function governed by sites in the brain with major ipRGC projection percentages. Assesing if a morphological change is occuring in the ipRGCs after a TBI could support the idea of a pathological mechanism of the injury. This study could also indicate further relevance …


Neuroanatomy Of The Blackspotted Rockskipper, Entomacrodus Striatus, Pooja Dayal Jan 2020

Neuroanatomy Of The Blackspotted Rockskipper, Entomacrodus Striatus, Pooja Dayal

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Here I characterized the central neuroanatomy of the Blackspotted Rockskipper, Entomacrodus striatus, native to French Polynesia. The neuroanatomy of E. striatus has not been studied prior to this paper. I used several histology and antibody staining techniques to accomplish this, including Crystal Violet, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and Bielschowsky’s Silver Nitrate staining. This paper describes the most successful techniques used, identifies major structures in the species’ neuroanatomy, and also explains why studying E. striatus is important in the future of vertebrate research.