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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Mediodorsal Thalamic Neurons Mirror The Activity Of Medial Prefrontal Neurons Responding To Movement And Reinforcement During A Dynamic Dnmtp Task, Rikki L.A. Miller Phd, Miranda J. Francoeur, Brett M. Gibson, Robert G. Mair Oct 2017

Mediodorsal Thalamic Neurons Mirror The Activity Of Medial Prefrontal Neurons Responding To Movement And Reinforcement During A Dynamic Dnmtp Task, Rikki L.A. Miller Phd, Miranda J. Francoeur, Brett M. Gibson, Robert G. Mair

Faculty Publications

The mediodorsal nucleus (MD) interacts with medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to support learning and adaptive decision-making. MD receives driver (layer 5) and modulatory (layer 6) projections from PFC and is the main source of driver thalamic projections to middle cortical layers of PFC. Little is known about the activity of MD neurons and their influence on PFC during decision-making. We recorded MD neurons in rats performing a dynamic delayed nonmatching to position (dDNMTP) task and compared results to a previous study of mPFC with the same task (Onos et al., 2016). Criterion event-related responses were observed for 22% …


Subcutaneous Neurotophin 4 Infusion Using Osmotic Pumps Or Direct Muscular Injection Enhances Aging Rat Laryngeal Muscles, Richard D. Andreatta, Joseph C. Stemple, Tanya S. Seward, Colleen A. Mcmullen Jun 2017

Subcutaneous Neurotophin 4 Infusion Using Osmotic Pumps Or Direct Muscular Injection Enhances Aging Rat Laryngeal Muscles, Richard D. Andreatta, Joseph C. Stemple, Tanya S. Seward, Colleen A. Mcmullen

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Laryngeal dysfunction in the elderly is a major cause of disability, from voice disorders to dysphagia and loss of airway protective reflexes. Few, if any, therapies exist that target age-related laryngeal muscle dysfunction. Neurotrophins are involved in muscle innervation and differentiation of neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). It is thought that neurotrophins enhance neuromuscular transmission by increasing neurotransmitter release. The neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) become smaller and less abundant in aging rat laryngeal muscles, with evidence of functional denervation. We explored the effects of NTF4 for future clinical use as a therapeutic to improve function in aging human laryngeal muscles. Here, we provide …


Bk Channels Mediate Synaptic Plasticity Underlying Habituation In Rats, Tariq Zaman, Cleusa De Oliveira, Mahabba Smoka, Chakravarthi Narla, Michael O. Poulter, Susanne Schmid Apr 2017

Bk Channels Mediate Synaptic Plasticity Underlying Habituation In Rats, Tariq Zaman, Cleusa De Oliveira, Mahabba Smoka, Chakravarthi Narla, Michael O. Poulter, Susanne Schmid

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Habituation is a basic form of implicit learning and represents a sensory filter that is disrupted in autism, schizophrenia, and several other mental disorders. Despite extensive research in the past decades on habituation of startle and other escape responses, the underlying neural mechanisms are still not fully understood. There is evidence from previous studies indicating that BK channels might play a critical role in habituation. We here used a wide array of approaches to test this hypothesis. We show that BK channel activation and subsequent phosphorylation of these channels are essential for synaptic depression presumably underlying startle habituation in rats, …


Loss Of Displaced Starburst Amacrine Cells In A Rat Glaucoma Model, C A. Cooley-Themm, Q Ameel, David M. Linn, Cindy L. Linn Apr 2017

Loss Of Displaced Starburst Amacrine Cells In A Rat Glaucoma Model, C A. Cooley-Themm, Q Ameel, David M. Linn, Cindy L. Linn

Peer Reviewed Articles

Acetylcholine (ACh) release by starburst amacrine cells (SACs) has been implicated in the production of retinal waves during early retinal development. Inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release by SACs is known to be involved in directional selectivity in the mature retina. However, the role of SAC release of ACh in the adult developed mammalian retina is not entirely understood. Some evidence suggests a neuroprotective effect on retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) acting through alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) present in RGCs. If ACh released by SACs is neuroprotective to RGCs, it would follow that this cholinergic transmission might be compromised in glaucoma …


Improved Social Interaction, Recognition And Working Memory With Cannabidiol Treatment In A Prenatal Infection (Poly I:C) Rat Model, Ashleigh L. Osborne, Nadia Solowij, Ilijana Babic, Xu-Feng Huang, Katrina Weston-Green Jan 2017

Improved Social Interaction, Recognition And Working Memory With Cannabidiol Treatment In A Prenatal Infection (Poly I:C) Rat Model, Ashleigh L. Osborne, Nadia Solowij, Ilijana Babic, Xu-Feng Huang, Katrina Weston-Green

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia are associated with cognitive impairment, including learning, memory and attention deficits. Antipsychotic drugs are limited in their efficacy to improve cognition; therefore, new therapeutic agents are required. Cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating component of cannabis, has anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and antipsychotic-like properties; however, its ability to improve the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia remains unclear. Using a prenatal infection model, we examined the effect of chronic CBD treatment on cognition and social interaction. Time-mated pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats (n=16) were administered polyinosinic-polycytidilic acid (poly I:C) (POLY; 4 mg/kg) or saline (CONT) at gestation day 15. Male offspring …