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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
The Functional And Structural Consequences Of Aberrant Microglial Activity In Major Depressive Disorder, Jasmine D. Cakmak
The Functional And Structural Consequences Of Aberrant Microglial Activity In Major Depressive Disorder, Jasmine D. Cakmak
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly debilitating neuropsychiatric illness which has been linked with increases in both peripheral and central inflammation, as well as with changes in connectivity. Although countless studies have investigated these two topics, the relationship between neuroinflammation and functional/structural connectivity has not been explored. Using [18F]FEPPA PET imaging, we measured translocator protein-related (TSPO) microglial activity in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) and insula and confirmed significantly increased [18F]FEPPA uptake in depressed patients (N=12) compared to healthy controls (N=23). Using a seed-based ROI analysis of fMRI data, we found that patients show …
Protein Misfolding Toxicity And Inclusion Formation In Cellular Models Of Neurodegeneration, Sonja E. Di Gregorio
Protein Misfolding Toxicity And Inclusion Formation In Cellular Models Of Neurodegeneration, Sonja E. Di Gregorio
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Protein misfolding characterizes most neurodegenerative diseases. Protein misfolding is the conversion of specific proteins from their normal, often soluble, and native three-dimensional conformation into an aberrant, often insoluble, non-functional conformation. Protein inclusions and aggregates are among the major pathological hallmarks of protein misfolding associated with many neurodegenerative diseases. Yet, the role of aggregates and inclusions is not clearly defined and heavily debated. This study utilizes powerful genetic approaches in yeast and verification in mammalian neuronal cell lines to address the misfolding and toxicity of three proteins, the Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor (RGNEF), Matrin3, which are involved in amyotrophic lateral …