Nervous System Commons^™

How Does Schizophrenia Affect The Expression Of Alpha 7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors In The Brain?, Shruti Varshney, Nimish Acharya

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a psychiatric disorder with a pathophysiology that has not yet been fully understood. This mental illness is characterized by disruptions in cognition, social activity, affect, and perception, and affects approximately 0.085% of individuals worldwide. The Alpha 7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor (α7nAChR) has been connected to auditory function gating deficits. The purpose of this review is to understand the current literature in how the levels of α7nAChR expression and function are affected by SZ, information that could be used to develop therapies to modulate auditory hallucinations in patients with SZ. A literature search was conducted for peer-reviewed journal …

Hippocampal Connectivity In Parkinson's Disease, Landis Llewelyn

Honors Theses

Background: This thesis was conducted in order to investigate possible connections between functional connectivity of the hippocampus in individuals who have Parkinson’s disease.

Methods: The MRI images, the clinical data, and the demographic data of 93 individuals with PD and 18 individuals without PD were obtained from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative. Resting-state fMRI data from a group of PD patients was compared to a control group of non-PD patients by using previously published methods with FMRIB Software Library (FSL) as well as Analysis of Functional Neuroimages (AFNI).

Results: Compared to the control (non-PD) group, results bilaterally showed lesser connectivity …

Chronic Binge Alcohol Administration Dysregulates Hippocampal Genes Involved In Immunity And Neurogenesis In Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Macaques, John K Maxi, Matt Dean, Jovanny Zabaleta, Krzysztof Reiss, Gregory J. Bagby, Steve Nelson, Peter J. Winsauer, Francesca Peruzzi, Patricia E. Molina

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Alcohol use disorders (AUD) exacerbate neurocognitive dysfunction in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV+) patients. We have shown that chronic binge alcohol (CBA) administration (13-14 g EtOH/kg/wk) prior to and during simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in rhesus macaques unmasks learning deficits in operant learning and memory tasks. The underlying mechanisms of neurocognitive alterations due to alcohol and SIV are not known. This exploratory study examined the CBA-induced differential expression of hippocampal genes in SIV-infected (CBA/SIV+; = 2) macaques in contrast to those of sucrose administered, SIV-infected (SUC/SIV+; = 2) macaques. Transcriptomes of hippocampal samples dissected from brains obtained at necropsy (16 …

From Squirrels To Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Cbt): The Modulation Of The Hippocampus, Rachel Ariella Bartfeld

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

The legitimacy of psychotherapy can often be thrown into doubt as its mechanisms of action are generally considered hazy and unquantifiable. One way to support the effectiveness of therapy would be to demonstrate the physical effects that this treatment option can have on the brain, just like psychotropic medications that physically alter the brain’s construction leaving no doubt as to the potency of their effects. Beginning with the understanding of therapy as a behavior, this paper first questions the possibility of behavior effecting measurable change on the brain. Examining diverse samples of both animals and humans repeatedly shows that the …

The Effect Of Minocycline Treatment On Cell Proliferation And Neurogenesis In The Hippocampus In Young And Aged Brains Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Ashley Harvin

Theses and Dissertations

Following traumatic brain injury, there is an enhanced cell proliferative and neurogenic response in the young adult hippocampus, which may be associated with innate cognitive recovery. However, in the aged brain, an increased level of inflammatory cell responses was observed following injury concomitant to decreased hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive recovery in the aging population. This suggests that excessive inflammation produced in the injured aging brain has a detrimental effect on neurogenesis and cognitive function. In this study, we examined the effect of anti-inflammatory treatment with minocycline on cell proliferation and generation of new neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG) of …

The Effects Of Bfgf Treatment In The Aged Brain Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Michael Zeigler

Theses and Dissertations

The mature mammalian brain continually generates new neurons in the subventricular zone and hippocampus throughout life. Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus is associated with hippocampal-dependent learning and memory function. During aging, this endogenous neurogenic potential is reduced which is accompanied by decreased cognitive function seen in the aging population. We have previously found that the injured adult brain shows heightened levels of endogenous neurogenesis and this response is associated with innate cognitive recovery. We have also found that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a potent neurotrophic polypeptide, can enhance injury-induced hippocampal neurogenesis and improve cognitive recovery following TBI. In this …

The Expression And Function Of Phosphacan/Rptpβ In Adaptive Synaptogenesis After Traumatic Brain Injury, Janna Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects 1.5 million Americans annually and is a major health concern. Increasing evidence suggests that the brain extracellular environment regulates plasticity and synaptic recovery following TBI. Here we have focused on phosphacan/RPTPβ, an alternatively spliced group of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans which are prominent within the mature brain extracellular matrix (ECM). Previous studies show that phosphacan/RPTPβ influences neuronal migration, adhesion, neurite outgrowth, and morphogenesis. However, our understanding of how these important ECM components are involved in recovery from brain trauma remains unclear. In the present study, we used unilateral entorhinal cortex lesion (UEC), a model which induces …