Neurosciences Commons^™

Prefrontal Engagement In Cognitive Flexibility Across Paradigms, Katarina Kalajzic

Honors Scholar Theses

Cognitive flexibility is an executive function that involves dynamically adapting behavior in the face of changing environmental circumstances to achieve a particular goal. Disrupted in numerous psychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, OCD, and depression, the neural correlates of cognitive flexibility are not well understood. However, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is strongly implicated in executive function and attentional control processes. Thus, we sought to examine the neural circuitry involved in distinct cognitive flexibility tasks – the attentional set-shifting task and the probabilistic 2-armed bandit task. Through optogenetic suppression, we targeted pyramidal neurons of the rodent medial prefrontal cortex, an …

Use Of Electroencephalography To Evaluate Neural Correlates Of Attention In The Oddball Paradigm, Folsom J. Berry

Honors Theses

Electroencephalography (EEG) and Event-Related Potentials (ERP) are tools used to study and analyze cognitive processing. EEG measures neuroelectric brain activity from the scalp, while ERPs are time-locked averages that are used to isolate neural responses to stimuli. The P300 (P3) component (positive waveform elicited at 300 milliseconds (ms)) is the primary ERP component. This thesis project had two main objectives. The first objective was to develop conceptual and technical competency in EEG/ERP theory, data acquisition, and processing. The second objective was to implement the visual oddball paradigm through experimental demonstration. This experiment tested the hypothesis that infrequent target stimuli will …

Adhesion G Protein-Coupled Receptors, Tobias Langenhan, Garret R Anderson, Demet Araç, Gabriela Aust, Monserrat Avila-Zozaya, Sofie Morsing Bagger, Patrick Barth, Sandra Berndt, Stephen C Blacklow, Beatriz Blanco-Redondo, Antony A Boucard, James P Bridges, Lara-Sophie Brodmerkel, Kathleen M Caron, Yin Kwan Chung, Andrew N Dates, Virginea De Araujo Farias, Daniel Del Toro, Joseph G Duman, Felix B Engel, David M Favara, Caroline J Formstone, Chaoyu Fu, Alain Garcia De Las Bayonas, Anastasia Georgiadi, David E Gloriam, Randy A Hall, Jörg Hamann, Peter W Hildebrand, Cheng-Chih Hsiao, Bill X Huang, Jonathan A Javitch, Hee-Yong Kim, Robert J Kittel, Gunnar Kleinau, Richard Leduc, Ines Liebscher, Hsi-Hsien Lin, Joshua Linnert, Marie-Gabrielle Ludwig, David C Martinelli, Signe Mathiasen, Daniel Matúš, Mariam Melkumyan, Ana L Moreno-Salinas, Jan Mulder, Michael A Nash, Kasturi Pal, Daniel T Pederick, Nicole A Perry-Hauser, Xianhua Piao, Yu-Qi Ping, Dimitris G Placantonakis, Fabian Pohl, Simone Prömel, Mette M Rosenkilde, Laurent Sabbagh, Richard C Sando, Patrick Scheerer, Torsten Schöneberg, Elena Seiradake, Mareike Selcho, Florian Seufert, Abhishek K Singh, Georgios Skiniotis, Katja Spiess, Norbert Sträter, David Strutt, Thomas C Südhof, Jinpeng Sun, Gregory G Tall, Doreen Thor, Douglas G Tilley, Kimberley F Tolias, Mario Vallon, Erwin G Van Meir, Benoit Vanhollebeke, Giselle R Wiggin, Uwe Wolfrum, Jie Yan, Nathan A Zaidman, Yimin Zou, Nicole Scholz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (aGPCRs) constitute a structurally and functionally distinct group within the superfamily of GPCRs. In 2015, the International Union of Pharmacology invited the Adhesion GPCR Consortium to publish a comprehensive review about aGPCRs and establish a unified nomenclature. Since then, substantial progress has been made in delineating the biological roles, molecular architecture, biochemical properties, expression profiles, ligand repertoire, and activation and signaling strategies of aGPCRs. Commensurate with these advances, their relevance to human pathophysiology has become increasingly apparent. In a coordinated effort, the Adhesion GPCR Consortium has reviewed recent progress in this field and provides a comprehensive …

Adhesion G Protein-Coupled Receptors, Tobias Langenhan, Garret R Anderson, Demet Araç, Gabriela Aust, Monserrat Avila-Zozaya, Sofie Morsing Bagger, Patrick Barth, Sandra Berndt, Stephen C Blacklow, Beatriz Blanco-Redondo, Antony A Boucard, James P Bridges, Lara-Sophie Brodmerkel, Kathleen M Caron, Yin Kwan Chung, Andrew N Dates, Virginea De Araujo Farias, Daniel Del Toro, Joseph G Duman, Felix B Engel, David M Favara, Caroline J Formstone, Chaoyu Fu, Alain Garcia De Las Bayonas, Anastasia Georgiadi, David E Gloriam, Randy A Hall, Jörg Hamann, Peter W Hildebrand, Cheng-Chih Hsiao, Bill X Huang, Jonathan A Javitch, Hee-Yong Kim, Robert J Kittel, Gunnar Kleinau, Richard Leduc, Ines Liebscher, Hsi-Hsien Lin, Joshua Linnert, Marie-Gabrielle Ludwig, David C Martinelli, Signe Mathiasen, Daniel Matúš, Mariam Melkumyan, Ana L Moreno-Salinas, Jan Mulder, Michael A Nash, Kasturi Pal, Daniel T Pederick, Nicole A Perry-Hauser, Xianhua Piao, Yu-Qi Ping, Dimitris G Placantonakis, Fabian Pohl, Simone Prömel, Mette M Rosenkilde, Laurent Sabbagh, Richard C Sando, Patrick Scheerer, Torsten Schöneberg, Elena Seiradake, Mareike Selcho, Florian Seufert, Abhishek K Singh, Georgios Skiniotis, Katja Spiess, Norbert Sträter, David Strutt, Thomas C Südhof, Jinpeng Sun, Gregory G Tall, Doreen Thor, Douglas G Tilley, Kimberley F Tolias, Mario Vallon, Erwin G Van Meir, Benoit Vanhollebeke, Giselle R Wiggin, Uwe Wolfrum, Jie Yan, Nathan A Zaidman, Yimin Zou, Nicole Scholz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (aGPCRs) constitute a structurally and functionally distinct group within the superfamily of GPCRs. In 2015, the International Union of Pharmacology invited the Adhesion GPCR Consortium to publish a comprehensive review about aGPCRs and establish a unified nomenclature. Since then, substantial progress has been made in delineating the biological roles, molecular architecture, biochemical properties, expression profiles, ligand repertoire, and activation and signaling strategies of aGPCRs. Commensurate with these advances, their relevance to human pathophysiology has become increasingly apparent. In a coordinated effort, the Adhesion GPCR Consortium has reviewed recent progress in this field and provides a comprehensive …

Dyadic Agreement In And Task Correlates To A Measurement Of Conversational Success, Samantha Budge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Successful conversation matters for social connection, wellbeing, and quality of life, but people do not always agree on whether a conversation was successful, even when they participated in the same interaction. Conversation is also commonly measured through task success, even though it’s unclear how task success correlates to how successful a conversation feels. This study examined how conversational success is experienced by different conversation partners and whether feeling successful in a conversation is related to how well a task is completed.

Participants took part in a structured conversational task and then rated their own conversational experience using a self-report questionnaire …

Factors Associated With Postpartum Depression Symptoms Following Antepartum Hospitalization, Alison N Goulding, Daniel Palacios, Sukru Aras, Hu Chen, Sasidhar Pasupuleti, Marika Toscano, Nicole Cirino, Israel C Christie, Zhandong Liu, Emily S Miller, Terri L Fletcher

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Hospitalized antepartum patients are at increased risk for postpartum depression (PPD). Developing approaches to identify those at highest risk for PPD would enable timely and targeted intervention.

Objective: We aimed to identify factors associated with the development of PPD symptoms in hospitalized antepartum patients and to assess their predictive utility.

Study design: This retrospective cohort study included pregnant individuals hospitalized in a regional referral center due to medical or obstetric complications between 2012 and 2025. Data were extracted from the electronic health record, including demographics, medical and obstetric history, hospitalization characteristics, and postpartum Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores …

Maximal Motor Unit Firing Rates Decline With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Progression, Gabriel L. Fernandes, Lucas B.R. Orssatto, Matheus D. Pinto, Joao S. Henkin, Ehsan Shandiz, Pamela A. Mccombe, Robert D. Henderson, Gabriel S. Trajano

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterised by progressive degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons and their motor units (MUs). MU loss is compensated by collateral sprouting and reinnervation of muscle fibres. There is limited information about the properties of these surviving MUs as these processes take place. High-density surface electromyography (HD-sEMG) decomposition enables non-invasive analysis of individual MU firing behaviour during maximal voluntary contractions and assess their changes with ALS progression. Methods: Thirty-nine individuals with ALS (24 men; mean age 63 ± 16 years) completed up to five visits (interval 20.0 ± 7.9 weeks). Tibialis anterior HD-sEMG recordings …

A High-Throughput Assay For Monitoring And Quantifying Amyloid-Β Accumulation And Clearance In Alzheimer's Disease Cell Models, Ajish Ariyath, Fraulein Denise Arigo, Anna Fyfe, W. M.A.D.Binosha Fernando, Ralph Martins, Prashant Bharadwaj

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Amyloidogenic proteins, such as amyloid-β (Aβ), self-assemble into cross-β fibrils whose accumulation is central to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Measuring Aβ aggregation and clearance in living cells remains challenging using current cell-based assays, which are often low-throughput or not suited for real-time monitoring. This study aimed to (1) develop a robust, quantitative, and scalable fluorescence-based assay using Amytracker to monitor Aβ accumulation and clearance in an Aβ-producing neuronal cell model, and (2) validate its utility for mechanistic studies and therapeutic screening. We established a plate-based fluorescence assay using Amytracker in MC65 neuronal AD model expressing the Amyloid precursor protein C-terminal fragment …

Circulating Sphingomyelins Correlate With Plasma T-Tau In Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults At Risk Of Developing Alzheimer's Disease, Tahmida Sharmin, James D. Doecke, Pratishtha Chatterjee, Steve Pedrini, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Nicholas J. Ashton, Henrik Zetterberg, Manohar L. Garg, Kaj Blennow, Ralph N. Martins

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Alterations in plasma sphingomyelin (SM) levels have been reported in Alzheimer's disease (AD), pointing to disturbances in lipid metabolism that may contribute to disease pathogenesis. Neuronal damage in early AD triggers tau release into central and peripheral systems. Despite influence from peripheral contributions, alterations in plasma total-tau (T-tau) remain valuable in indicating AD-related neurodegeneration. Investigating relationships between SM metabolism and tau release during preclinical AD may uncover important biochemical processes and support advancing early non-invasive detection and treatment approaches. This cross-sectional study investigated cognitively unimpaired (CU) older adults from the KARVIAH cohort, grouped by cortical amyloid-β (Aβ) status through positron …

Predicting Epileptic Seizures From Eeg Signals Using Machine Learning, Hamzah Luqman, Galal M Binmakhashen, Hanan Alali, Marwa Alsleebi, Hamdi A. Al-Jamimi, Motaz Alfarraj, Shahid Bashir, Brent Hedgcock, Ali Mir, Raidah Albaradie

Neurosciences

Objective: To develop a machine learning-based model for predicting epileptic seizures by analyzing electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and classifying the interictal and preictal phases.

Methods: The EEG signals were analyzed in both the time and frequency domains using advanced feature extraction techniques. Three different machine learning approaches were employed, with special focus on long short-term memory (LSTM) networks. Features were extracted and classified to differentiate between seizure and non-seizure phases. The proposed models were evaluated using the publicly available CHB-MIT EEG dataset. The study was conducted between September 2022 and September 2024.

Results: Among the tested models, the LSTM-based approach using …

Epilepsy And Cluster C Personality Disorders: A Saudi Cross-Sectional Study, Mohammed A. Aljaffer, Ahmad H. Almadani, Ayedh H. Alghamdi, Mohammad N. Aljarba, Azzam A. Alotaibi, Mohammed A. Alorayyidh, Abdulaziz M. Alawwad, Rakan S. Alromayan, Faisal M. Alkhunein, Sohaila A. Alshimemeri, Bandar N. Aljafen

Neurosciences

Objective: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder with profound impacts on various aspects of life. It may lead to significant medical and psychiatric comorbidities, one of which is personality disorders (PDs). This study aims to assess the prevalence of Cluster C PDs among adult patients with epilepsy (PWE) at a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Method: This cross-sectional study, conducted between January 2024 and April 2025, enroled 360 adult PWE using convenience sampling. The study tool included the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders criteria, along with additional demographic and epilepsy-related questions developed by the research team. Results: Cluster …

The Role Of The Ventral Tegmental Area In Reward And Addiction: A Comprehensive Review, Emad Ali Albadawi

Neurosciences

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a central hub in reward and motivation, integrating heterogeneous neuronal populations and projection-defined circuits to regulate learning, decision-making, and addiction. This review synthesizes anatomical organization and cellular diversity (dopaminergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic neurons, including multitransmitter co-release), and maps major efferent pathways constituting the mesolimbic and mesocortical systems. We highlight computational roles of VTA activity, including reward prediction errors, incentive salience, and context memory integration, and summarize drug class-specific mechanisms that perturb VTA output. We then outline time-dependent neuroadaptations across mesocorticolimbic networks and discuss therapeutic implications spanning pharmacological, behavioral, and emerging circuit-targeted interventions. Together, these …

Associations Of Regional White Matter Hyperintensities Severity With Different Visual Rating Scales And Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment, Xiaolu Zheng, Sipei Pan, Yi Man, Zhenghao Shi

Neurosciences

Objective: To explore the association between regional white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) severity and domain-specific cognitive impairment.
Methods: We analyzed 95 WMHs patients retrospectively and evaluated cognitive function. We quantified regional WMHs severity using the Scheltens Rating Scale (SRS) and Cholinergic Pathways Hyper intensities Scale (CHIPS). According to the regional WMHs scores, we divided the patients for intergroup comparisons of WMHs severity with domain-specific cognitive scores via the nonparametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test.
Results: Neither the SRS nor the CHIPS total scores showed statistically correlation with cognitive scores (p > 0.05). However, in the bands lateral ventricles of periventricular hyperintensities …

To Calculate The Nationwide Incidence/Prevalence Figures For Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, The Entire Population Must Be Screened, Sinda Zarrouk, Josef Finsterer

Neurosciences

No abstract provided.

Alterations In Gut Microbiota And Their Association With Intestinal Mucosal Injury In Children With Febrile Seizures, Lin Yang, Shuan Yin, Wenchao Zou

Neurosciences

Objective: To explore the correlation between diversity of the gut microbiota and key markers of inflammation and intestinal mucosal injury in pediatric febrile seizures (FS).

Methods: This study compared 15 FS children (FS group) and 15 healthy individuals (normal control group). The participants underwent 16S rDNA sequencing to analyze gut microbiota profiles. ELISA was employed to measure peripheral blood concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6, as well as intestinal mucosal injury indicators such as endotoxin (BT), D-lactate (D-Lac), and diamine oxidase (DAO). Analysis assessed the correlation between gut microbiota composition, inflammatory factors, and indicators of intestinal mucosal damage …

Timing Matters: Optimizing Oncology Involvement In Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Pathways In Saudi Arabia, Ali H. Algiraigri, Mohammed Basamh, Ghadeer Alobaid, Lama M. Alsulami, Razan A. Almutairi, Zahraa S. Alsultan, Rawan M. Hammad

Neurosciences

Objective: To explore current practices and barriers in pediatric neuro-oncology care coordination, and to identify opportunities to optimize care pathways. Timely coordination between pediatric neurosurgery and oncology is critical for optimal outcomes in children with central nervous system (CNS) tumors. However, in many centers, pediatric oncologists are not involved until after surgery, which contributes to treatment delays and repeated procedures. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among neurosurgeons and pediatric oncologists in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire addressed the timing of oncological involvement, neuroimaging practices, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology collection, and opinions on care coordination solutions. Results: A total of 62 …

Comparison Of Free-Hand Technique And Neuronavigation In Intraventricular Shunt Catheter Placement, Ümit Kocaman, Durmuş O Karakoyun, Emre Çavuşoğlu

Neurosciences

Objective: To compare the accuracy and clinical outcomes of proximal catheter placement using neuronavigation guidance versus the traditional free-hand technique in patients undergoing ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) surgery. Methods: We performed a single-surgeon, before–after cohort study: free-hand cases (2013–2019) and neuronavigation cases (2020–2024). Ethics approval was obtained (İzmir Bakırçay University; Approval No. 2407; 20 Aug 2025). The primary endpoint was a composite of first-attempt ventricular entry and absence of postoperative day-1 (POD1) Grade-3 malposition. Secondary endpoints included grades, 12-month proximal tip dysfunction, and operative duration. Results: Fifty-two patients were included (neuronavigation N = 24; free-hand N = 28). Composite success was …

Science First, Formatting Second: Is It Feasible To Adopt A Free-Format Submission Policy?, Anas Alyazidi

Neurosciences

No abstract provided.

Neuroinflammation At The Crossroads Of Neurodegeneration: The Roles Of Microglia And Astrocytes In Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, And Multiple Sclerosis, Mohannad A. Almikhlafi

Neurosciences

Neuroinflammation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and multiple sclerosis. This review explores the underlying mechanisms of neuroinflammation, with a focus on the roles of microglia, astrocytes, peripheral immune cell infiltration, and cytokine release. The complex interplay between oxidative stress and chronic inflammation accelerates neurodegeneration, contributing to disease progression. Microglial activation, initially protective, becomes harmful when sustained over time, driving chronic inflammation. Similarly, astrocytes once considered passive are now recognized for their active involvement in both inflammatory and neuroprotective responses, depending on their activation state. Prolonged activation of microglia and …

Protein Intake In Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Narrative Review Highlighting The Implications Of Protein Intake On Muscle Mass, Growth, And Overall Nutritional Status, Manar Waleed Simbawa, Sheikha Nasser Alqahtnai

Neurosciences

Children with cerebral palsy experience nutritional challenges that affect protein intake and may contribute to poor muscle mass and growth faltering. Since protein plays a major role in preserving muscle mass and supporting growth, ensuring adequate intake is critical. A comprehensive literature search was conducted for observational studies published between 2006 and 2025. The reviewed studies results were grouped into: [1] Protein intake, with values ranging from 0.66 to 4.1 g/kg/day, with higher intake observed among ambulatory or orally fed children, [2] Nutritional Status and Body Composition, as reduced muscle was reported in children with severe motor impairment, and [3] …

Role Of Bevacizumab In Multiple Glioblastomas: A Retrospective Single-Center Analysis, Yongrui Zhao, Yidong Chen, Leiming Wang, Ye Cheng, Feng Yan, Jiankun Xu

Neurosciences

Objective: To explore the prognostic factors of multiple glioblastomas (M-GBMs) and the role of bevacizumab (BEV) in M-GBMs. Methods: 162 patients treated for primary glioblastoma (GBM) from 2020 to 2024 were retrospectively reviewed. Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed to compare progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between the single glioblastoma (S-GBM) group and the M-GBMs group. Independent predictors of OS among M-GBMs patients were evaluated via multivariable Cox regression analysis. Results: 116 patients had S-GBM, and 46 had M-GBMs. Compared with S-GBM patients, M-GBMs patients had poorer PFS (6.5 vs. 11 months, p<0.001) and OS (15.5 vs. 21 months, p=0.005). In the M-GBMs group, based on the RANO resection criteria, both univariable analysis and multivariable Cox models confirmed that the extent of resection, use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, p53 overexpression, and use of BEV were all factors that significantly influenced OS. Specifically, the use of BEV prolonged OS from 12 months to 19.5 months (p = 0.017). From the initiation of BEV therapy, the median PFS was 5.5 months (95% CI 4.45–6.56 months), and the median survival was significantly longer than in those who did not received BEV (10 vs. 3 months, p = 0.021). Conclusion: The extent of resection, radiotherapy/chemotherapy, p53 …

Lateral Habenula And Dorsal Raphe Neurons Signal Value Computations In Multi-Attribute Decision-Making, Yang-Yang Feng

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Decision-making is a fundamental part of adaptive behavior and can be compromised in psychiatric illness. Humans and animals are continuously presented with objects and opportunities as options to decide between. One challenge is that these options may independently vary along multiple dimensions or attributes that we care about. This can include attributes of physical reward, such as amount, delay, or uncertainty. When these attributes are present, the possibility of an abstract, cognitive reward, advance information to resolve uncertainty, may also motivate our decisions. It is unclear how the brain makes these subjective decisions, trading off between these multiple attributes based …

Functional And Spatially Specialized Inhibition And Neuromodulation During Learning In The Hippocampus, Gerardo Enrique Molina

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The hippocampus relies on a diverse network of regulatory components for memory formation. Neuromodulators and inhibitory interneurons act in concert with excitatory neurons to control learning. Even within one of these components there is a vast diversity of genetic or chemical composition that may come from unique sources at uniquely timed intervals or events. The goal of this dissertation is to identify specific functional-behavioral attributes of two such examples: parvalbumin (PV)-expressing interneurons and the neuromodulator dopamine, in hippocampal CA1. In separate experiments, I used two-photon microscopy of the calcium sensor, GCaMP, which measures neuronal activity, and GRAB-DA, which reports levels …

Eeg Studies Of Pre-Stimulus Activity During Turn-Taking In Naturalistic Conversation, Seyedmohamadreza Manzourolajdad

Student Works (2020-2029)

This study integrates conversational analysis principles and neural activity to investigate natural cognition and examine event-related brain changes. A wireless electroencephalography (EEG) device was used in an ecological validity setting to analyse pre-stimulus brain activity preceding conversational turns. This study aims to identify aspects of the conversation that reflect its naturalness in the aspect of listening and the corresponding brain activity by analysing the signals before and after a turn in a conversation. This research contributes to an ecologically valid understanding of natural conversation as a social action that enables seamless communication. Seven Malaysian participants (aged 19–22, M=20.46) engaged in …

Disruption Of The Lrrk2 Substrate Rab12 Facilitates Neurotransmission And Causes Hyperactivity In Mice, Xingjian Li, Yuanxin Chen, Huaixing Wang, Xue Zhang, Noah Guy Lewis Guiberson, Xianting Li, Jacqueline Burré, Junmin Peng, Hui Zhang, Zhenyu Yue

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

RAB12 is a small GTPase and a validated substrate of LRRK2, a kinase genetically linked to Parkinson's disease (PD). While RAB12-LRRK2 signaling has been implicated in ciliogenesis and immune regulation, the neuronal function of RAB12 remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the role of RAB12 in synaptic physiology using Rab12 knockout (KO) mice. Rab12 KO mice developed normally but exhibited increased locomotor activity in adulthood. Electrophysiological recordings from striatal slices revealed enhanced presynaptic release probability and increased excitatory drive onto medium spiny neurons. Consistently, live-cell imaging of cultured cortical neurons revealed that Rab12 deletion facilitated, while Rab12 overexpression inhibited, synaptic …

Investigating Sertraline‑Mediated Modulation Of Succinate Dehydrogenase To Sensitize Tmz‑Resistant Glioblastoma Cells, Supraja Mallapuram

Create@State

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the deadliest and most common brain tumor which remains highly resistant to temozolomide (TMZ), contributing to poor patient outcomes. Literature suggests that sertraline, a widely used SSRI, disrupts mitochondrial metabolism in cancer cells. Because GBM depends heavily on succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) for oxidative phosphorylation, sertraline‑mediated SDH inhibition may increase metabolic stress and reduce functional TMZ resistance. This poster presents a literature‑based rationale and proposed experimental design to evaluate sertraline‑induced SDH modulation and its potential to sensitize TMZ‑resistant T98G glioblastoma cells. These findings will guide future experimental work.

Astrocyte Circadian Regulation In Neurodegeneration: In Vivo Bmal1 Occupancy Mapping Using Macs-Calling Cards, India Reiss

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Astrocytes maintain neuronal homeostasis through cellular programs that are frequently disrupted early in neurodegenerative disease, many of which are regulated by the circadian clock. The core clock transcription factor BMAL1 is required for normal astrocyte function, yet whether its regulatory activity is altered during neurodegeneration remains unclear. BMAL1 expression changes in disease are often inconsistent, suggesting that transcription factor binding, rather than expression, may be a more informative readout of BMAL1 function. We used a Cln3Δex7/8 model of neurodegeneration, which exhibits early astrocyte dysfunction prior to widespread neuronal loss, to test whether degenerative pathology reprograms BMAL1 binding in astrocytes. We …

Conserved Post-Odor Dynamics In The Olfactory Systems Of Mice And Locusts, Elizabeth H Moss, Doris Ling, Cameron L Smith, Feiyang Deng, Ryan Kroeger, Jacob Reimer, Baranidharan Raman, Benjamin R Arenkiel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Interpreting chemical information and translating it into ethologically relevant output is a shared challenge of olfactory systems across species, but are olfactory computations conserved across species to overcome these common challenges? To investigate this, we compared neural activity in the locust antennal lobe (AL) and mouse olfactory bulb (OB) both during and after odor presentations. We found that odors activated nearly mutually exclusive neural ensembles during odor presentations ("ON response") and after the termination of the odor stimulus ("OFF response"). ON and OFF responses evoked by a single odor were anticorrelated with each other. Inverted OFF responses persisted long after …

Convergent Rna Pathophysiology In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Hunter Lee Patterson

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the connection between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathogenesis and RNA biology via two mechanisms: microRNA regulation of gene expression in the spinal cord and modulation of TDP-43 pathology through synthetic oligonucleotides. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by selective loss of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord that leads to progressive weakness. However, despite this shared clinical pattern the known causes of ALS are extremely varied. Only about 10% of ALS cases are familial while the other 90% occur sporadically. Even among that small fraction of familial cases, researchers have identified dozens …

Spontaneous Blood Oxygen Level Dependent Signals In Glioblastoma-Bearing And Aging Brains, Ki Yun Park

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Brain activity fluctuates across timescales from microseconds to decades, reflecting processes ranging from rapid synaptic transmission to slow neuromodulatory and homeostatic changes. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) captures the slow end of this spectrum (spontaneous blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) fluctuations over tens to hundreds of seconds), which reflect the integrated output of these underlying processes and are increasingly recognized as sensitive to both pathological and physiological brain states. The core of this thesis examines rs-fMRI as a biomarker for two clinical entities: glioblastoma and aging. Reliable biomarker development requires both methodological rigor and analytic breadth, knowing what the method …