Other Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

From Venom To Medicine: Harnessing Animal Toxins For Drug Discovery, Christine Vega, Ying Jia

Research Colloquium

Background: Drug development research has long focused on synthesizing novel therapeutics while overlooking isolation from naturally available sources such as animal venoms. Recently, the discovery of the therapeutic effects of highly bioavailable animal venom caused the field of venom research to soar in popularity. Animal venom serves as a natural, sophisticated tool optimized over millions of years by evolution with the ability to bind to ion channels such as nAChRs, non-specific ligand-gated ion channels distributed throughout the human nervous system. However, purifying individual venom toxins from crude venom is challenging due to its availability. Therefore, synthesizing large quantities of venom …

Exploring Neuroplasticity Changes In Neurotoxin-Induced Parkinson’S Disease: A Preliminary Analysis Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Tomas Gomez Jr., Daniel Salinas, Kelsey Potter-Baker, Nawaz Hack, Ramu Vadukapuram

Research Symposium

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition that affects movement, cognition, gait, and significantly impacts one's quality of life. Studies have suggested that neurotoxin pre-exposure is related to PD pathology and progressive motor/non-motor deficits, though it remains unclear how neurotoxin exposure affects neuroplasticity. The present study aimed to examine neurotoxin–induced PD-associated neuroplasticity changes in relationship to mental acuity and PD motor functionalities.

Methods: 7 voluntary participants experiencing early-stage PD symptoms with self-reported neurotoxin pre-exposure were enrolled in the longitudinal, repeated-measures clinical study; 2 sex-matched, age-matched, and occupation-matched healthy subjects were recruited for controlled comparative analysis (n=9). UTRGV’s Institute …

A Potential Role Of Urinary P75ecd As A Biomarker For Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis In An American Cohort, Swati Dhasmana, Anupam Dhasmana, Sheema Khan, Acharan S. Narula, Murali Yallapu, Subhash Chauhan

Research Symposium

Background: Neurological disorders present a unique complexity compared to other diseases, involving multiple risk factors, causes, treatments, and outcomes. These disorders often exhibit various molecular and morphological changes indicative of disruptions in cellular plasticity and resilience. The pathogenesis of many neurological disorders remains unclear, necessitating ongoing investigations. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) exemplifies an idiopathic and fatal neurodegenerative disease marked by the degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons. The average life expectancy post-diagnosis is a mere 36 months, primarily attributed to respiratory muscle denervation.The persistent challenges in ALS clinical trials and the absence of effective therapeutic options have intensified interest …

Investigating Monodelphis Domestica As An Alternative To The Mus Musculus As An Animal Model, Cristian M. Botello, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Symposium

Background: Mus Musculus is one of the first and one of the most widely used animal models in current neuroscience literature (Phifer-Riley & Nachmann, 2015). However, the research community needs alternatives to rodent models to study the mammalian brain. Research is needed to see if antibodies that target tyrosine hydroxylase, which are well researched in mice, can also be used to study the Monodelphis domestica brain.

Methods: Following transcardial perfusions and brain extractions, mouse and opossum brains were processed and stained for tyrosine hydroxylase (and with Nissl). Opossum brains will then be sliced and processed using IHC methods to compare …