Physiology Commons^™

The Camkkβ Inhibitor Sto-609 Causes Artefacts In Ca2+ Imaging And Selectively Inhibits Bkca In Mouse Carotid Body Type I Cells, Jennifer G. Jurcsisn

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It has previously been reported that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) may be critical for hypoxic chemotransduction in carotid body type I cells (Wyatt et al, 2007). This study sought to determine the importance of the regulatory upstream kinase of AMPK, CamKKβ, in the acute response to hypoxia in isolated mouse type I cells.

Initial studies indicated several previously unreported artefacts associated with using the CamKKβ inhibitor STO-609 and calcium imaging techniques. Strong STO-609 autofluorescence meant that Fura-2 could not be used and X-Rhod-1 imaging revealed that STO-609 quenched fluorescence even in the absence of intracellular Ca2+. The whole-cell configuration of …

Effects Of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation On Expression Of Immediate Early Genes (Ieg's), Jessica Wagner

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Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been utilized in human studies to modulate a multitude of psychological, cognitive, and psychiatric disorders. There have been positive behavioral results in human subjects but our knowledge of biological processes occurring during stimulation to elicit behavioral outcomes is limited. Our study utilizes a rodent tDCS (R-tDCS) model in which Sprague Dawley rats receive tDCS in order to examine whether tDCS affects neuronal activation. We examined two immediate early genes (IEG's), cFos and zif268, in order to discern if tDCS affects neuronal activation. Our findings indicate that tDCS does affect neuronal activation by means of …

Investigating Anatomical And Molecular Aspects Of Proprioceptive Sensory Neuron Diversity Using A Transgenic Mouse Model, Martha Jean Sonner

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Muscle spindles (MS) and Golgi tendon organs (GTOs) are encapsulated, stretch-activated sensory receptors housed within skeletal muscles, yet their functional contributions to proprioceptive monitoring of limb movements are quite different. For example, MS are responsible for detecting stretch of muscle fibers, and GTOs provide feedback regarding muscle tension during contraction. Peripheral axons extending from proprioceptive sensory neurons (PSNs) in the dorsal root ganglia supply MS and GTOs. MS are innervated by Group Ia and II sensory fiber endings, while GTOs are innervated by a single Group Ib sensory fiber. The developmental processes guiding axons from PSNs to their targets and …