Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Restructuring Of The Axon Initial Segment In Mouse Models Of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Rachel Ali Rodriguez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) affect more than 36% of children in countries with low- and middle- incomes (Boivin, 2015; McCoy, 2016). Interestingly, these heterogeneous disorders share a high incidence of epileptic seizures, suggesting a shared pathology. Seizures result when neuronal firing activity becomes disturbed and neurons fire excessively or in unregulated patterns. A key site in the control of neuronal firing patterns is the axon initial segment (AIS), where the local density of proteins and the morphology of the AIS in part determine the firing of neurons. We hypothesized that a disruption in the morphology and/or composition of the AIS can …

Trade-Offs Between Survival And Reproduction In Starvation-Selected Drosophila Melanogaster, Tammara Beeghly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Evolutionary outcomes are demonstrated by traits that affect an organism’s schedule of reproduction and survival. These life history traits are reflected in an organism’s physiology, development and behavior. Environmental changes, such as availability of nutritional resources, can profoundly affect evolutionary outcomes of individuals and populations. When shortages arise, there will be trade-offs in the allocation of resources, where one trait prevails at the expense of another.

In the laboratory, we can mimic conditions in nature and study the specific effects of the conditions that we re-create. In our case, over 100 generations of Drosophila melanogaster have been selected for starvation …

Reduced Gabaergic Signaling At The Axon Initial Segment Decreases Vigilance State Transitioning, Austin John Boren

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sleep is a highly regulated homeostatic process that is disrupted in an estimated 50-70 million Americans. Regulation of sleep depends upon coordinated signaling of multiple neurotransmitter systems. In particular, inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) signaling is required to suppress wake-active brain regions in order to initiate and maintain sleep states. GABA type A receptors (GABAARs) are ionotropic receptors with subunit compositions uniquely enriched on subcellular domains of target cells. α2 subunit-containing GABAARs are the primary target of GABA released onto the axon initial segment (AIS), a site critical for phasing the oscillatory activity of cortical cells. α2-containing GABAARs have previously been …

Health Care-Associated Infection Prevention Outcomes: Evaluating The Link Between Infection Prevention Practices In Healthcare Facilities And Their Health Care-Associated Infection Rates, Chidinma Veronica Njoku

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are a pressing problem affecting vulnerable individuals who come to the hospital to receive care for one condition only to find that they have contracted another during their stay. Studies point to the importance of training and educating staff in order to implement and comply with recommended infection control and prevention control and prevention practices as lack of training and knowledge about infection control and prevention has been perceived to bring about a limited ability for direct care staff to adhere to recommended processes and activities. Although there are prior studies on the effects of assessments, infection …

Implementation Of An Asthma Action Plan In A Pediatric Outpatient Clinic, Noelle Cerdan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A combination of asthma evidence-based education by nurse practitioners and other healthcare providers as well as self-management by patients with asthma and their caregivers are necessary to provide effective asthma care. According to the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) guidelines from the National Institute of Health (NIH), effective asthma care includes a detailed Asthma Action Plan (AAP). However, despite this evidence-based recommendation for all patients with asthma, studies suggest many healthcare providers do not routinely utilize an AAP.

The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to develop and evaluate a process for the integration …

Changes In Hippocampal-Anterior Cingulate Cortex Interactions During Remote Memory Recall, Ryan A. Wirt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Spatial memory is an important cognitive process that relies on extensive neural networks throughout the brain. The hippocampus (HC) is important for the formation of these memories but over time, in a process referred to as consolidation, recall becomes increasingly reliant on other brain areas. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a region within the medial prefrontal cortex, is important for spatial learning, spatial working memory, and remote memory recall, but the mechanisms underlying recall processes are still unknown. To better understand the role of the ACC and HC during memory recall, we introduced rodents into a series of spatially and …