Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

The Effects Of Chronic Partial Sleep Deprivation And Chronic Voluntary Alcohol Consumption On Δfos B Accumulation, Kristian Ponder

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The present study explores the relation between sleep restriction and alcohol use and the neural substrates that result from chronic behaviors. Accumulation of the transcription factors ΔFosB is suggested as a possible outcome of chronic behaviors, such as addiction. Sleep is discussed as possible mediating factor in the relationship between ΔFosB and chronic alcohol consumption. There were four experimental groups in this study: Control (C), Sleep Deprivation only (SD), Alcohol Exposure only (AO), and both sleep deprivation and alcohol exposure (B). Levels of ΔFosB accumulation in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) revealed a significant main effect of sleep deprivation, but no …

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Damage Is Associated With Decreased Ventral Striatum Volume And Response To Reward, Maia Pujara, Carissa Philippi, Julian Motzkin, Mustafa Baskaya, Michael Koenigs

Psychology Faculty Works

The ventral striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) are two central nodes of the “reward circuit” of the brain. Human neuroimaging studies have demonstrated coincident activation and functional connectivity between these brain regions, and animal studies have demonstrated that the vmPFC modulates ventral striatum activity. However, there have been no comparable data in humans to address whether the vmPFC may be critical for the reward-related response properties of the ventral striatum. In this study, we used fMRI in five neurosurgical patients with focal vmPFC lesions to test the hypothesis that the vmPFC is necessary for enhancing ventral striatum responses to …

The Tnfα-Transgenic Rat: Hippocampal Synaptic Integrity, Cognition, Function, And Post-Ischemic Cell Loss, L. Creed Pettigrew, Richard J. Kryscio, Christopher M. Norris

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

The cytokine, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), is a key regulator of neuroinflammation linked to numerous neurodegenerative conditions and diseases. The present study used transgenic rats that overexpress a murine TNFα gene, under the control of its own promoter, to investigate the impact of chronically elevated TNFα on hippocampal synaptic function. Neuronal viability and cognitive recovery in TNFα Tg rats were also determined following an ischemic insult arising from reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Basal CA3-CA1 synaptic strength, recorded in acute brain slices, was not significantly different between eight-week-old TNFα Tg rats and non-Tg rats. In contrast, slices from …

The Relationship Between Time Of Day, Mood, And Electroencephalography (Eeg) Asymmetry, Morgan Tantillo

Honors Projects

Previous researchers have had success in finding a correlation between exercise and an increase in positive mood. Researchers have also found a correlation between time of day and mood. The current study will explore the relationship between time of day, mood, and electroencephalography (EEG) asymmetry. The study utilized a convenient sample of ten undergraduate students at Bowling Green State University. Participants had baseline EEG recordings taken, and then participated in moderate exercise, followed by another EEG recording. Participants’ mood was assessed through a self-reported mood questionnaire before the condition as well as immediately after. Due to multiple statistical tests, the …

Acth Prevents Deficits In Fear Extinction Associated With Early Life Seizures, Andrew T. Massey, David K. Lerner, Gregory L. Holmes, Rod C. Scott, Amanda Hernan

Dartmouth Scholarship

Objective: Early life seizures (ELS) are often associated with cognitive and psychiatric comorbidities that are detrimental to quality of life. In a rat model of ELS, we explored long-term cognitive outcomes in adult rats. Using ACTH, an endogeneous HPA-axis hormone given to children with severe epilepsy, we sought to prevent cognitive deficits. Through comparisons with dexamethasone, we sought to dissociate the corticosteroid effects of ACTH from other potential mechanisms of action.

Results: Although rats with a history of ELS were able to acquire a conditioned fear learning paradigm and controls, these rats had significant deficits in their ability to extinguish …

Anatomical Markers For Elevated Cognition In Dinosaurs, Thomas Gaetano

Honors Projects

Much research has been conducted on brain evolution within Dinosauria. Dinosaurs were originally believed to be incapable of any advanced cognitive abilities beyond the level observed in modern reptiles. This is likely true for many dinosaurs, but recent discoveries suggest that the non-avian maniraptor dinosaurs shared many physical characteristics with their bird descendants, including body feathers and neural adaptations for flight. By studying cranial endocasts (the braincase of fossilized skulls) using computed tomography (CT), paleontologists are beginning to understand the neural changes that took place across the dinosaur-bird transition. Most of these studies are focused on the development of flight, …

Neurocalcin ẟ Response To Calcium: Which Ef Hand Matters The Most?, Trokon Fiawoo

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Changes in intracellular calcium levels play a very important role in cell signaling, in turn, affecting neuronal functions such as memory, learning and cell death. A class of proteins called Neuronal Calcium Sensor (NCS) proteins serves to modulate the functioning of the neuronal cells in response to changes in calcium levels. Structurally, all NCS proteins have 4 calcium-binding EF hand motifs, although EF I does not bind to calcium in many members. All NCS proteins are myristoylated at the N-terminus. Neurocalcin delta (NCALD) is an NCS protein, and shares 95% similarity in primary amino acid sequence with another major NCS …

Exploring The Effect Of Novel Small Molecules On Oligodendrocyte Precursor Proliferation, Sagune Sakya

University Scholar Projects

Gliomas, a type of brain tumor, can be difficult to treat and have a poor survival rate. One pathway that leads to glioma formation is excessive signaling by platelet derived growth factors (PDGF) through PDGF receptor α (PDGFRα). Through this research, I found that novel compounds that downregulate PDGFRα decrease proliferation of Oli-neu cells, an oligodendrocyte precursor cell model, and identified signaling pathways through which these compounds may exert their effect. Further investigation may identify targets for development of glioma treatments.

Evaluation Of Seizure Threshold As An Early Behavioral Marker Of Disease Progression In The Mouse Model Of Mucopolysaccharidosis Iiia, Pamela Santiago

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIA (MPS IIIA) is a lysosomal storage disease caused by a mutation in the gene that codes for the enzyme heparan sulfamidase. The decreased enzyme activity of heparan sulfamidase results in the accumulation of heparan sulfate (HS). HS accumulation in the brain causes severe central nervous system (CNS) complications, including learning and memory deficits and seizure. MPS IIIA patients have short life expectancies and there currently is no cure for the disease. This thesis work was aimed at identifying an early neurological phenotype in the mouse model of MPS IIIA. The data will aid in the design of an …

Synaptic Homeostasis At The Drosophila Neuromuscular Junction: Molecular Mechanisms And Developmental Adaptation, Lindsay A. Gray

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

No abstract available

Building Object Representations: Mechanisms Of Perceptual Learning In Human Visual Cortex, Stephanie M. Long

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Extensive literature in the cognitive neurosciences has been dedicated to understanding the neural processes involved in object category learning. However, much remains to be learned regarding the mechanisms by which high-level visual patterns are extracted from a crowded visual scene, segregated into discrete object categories, and represented in the cortical visual hierarchy. Here, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the neural underpinnings of visual object category extraction in a cluttered visual environment. Electroencephalography (EEG) was continuously recorded while subjects were given a hybrid of an object category learning and visual search task. In this hybrid task, a peripheral array …

Cognitive Control Network Contributions To Memory-Guided Visual Attention, Maya L. Rosen, Chantal E. Stern, Samantha W. Michalka, Kathryn J. Devaney, David C. Somers

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

Visual attentional capacity is severely limited, but humans excel in familiar visual contexts, in part because long-term memories guide efficient deployment of attention. To investigate the neural substrates that support memory-guided visual attention, we performed a set of functional MRI experiments that contrast long-term, memory-guided visuospatial attention with stimulus-guided visuospatial attention in a change detection task. Whereas the dorsal attention network was activated for both forms of attention, the cognitive control network (CCN) was preferentially activated during memory-guided attention. Three posterior nodes in the CCN, posterior precuneus, posterior callosal sulcus/mid-cingulate, and lateral intraparietal sulcus exhibited the greatest specificity for memory-guided …

Histological Verification Of Electrode Placement In Single Unit Recorded Rats, Dana Lew

Honors Scholar Theses

The hippocampus is a region of the brain which plays a major role in encoding spatial and episodic memory. The hippocampus is divided in to two main subregions, dorsal and ventral. These subregions are connected, but their functional organization remains widely unknown. Place cells are cells of the hippocampus which fire in a specific spatial area and help create a mental map of our surroundings. Place cells have been seen to remain constant during slight fluctuations in surroundings, but completely remap in response to large fluctuations in the environment. There is little known about the relatively few place cells in …

Effect Of Zymosan-Induced Peritonitis On The Expression Of Substance P In Primary Sensory Neurons And Spinal Nerve Processes, Michael G. Armstrong

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Macrophages and other cells of the innate immune system recognize foreign particles that could be potentially dangerous and respond by initiating an inflammatory response. The biologically active chemical mediators of this response called pro-inflammatory cytokines are produced in various myeloid derived immune cells and can affect other cells of the body. Interleukin-1β, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been shown to have direct effects on dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cell bodies including the upregulation and direct release of a nociceptive neurotransmitter called substance P (SP). Using a zymosan-induced model of systemic inflammation, we hypothesized that murine DRG neurons and the nerve processes …

Development Of Vip-Sst Interneuron Associations In Mouse Neocortex And Entorhinal Cortex, Aayushi A. Mehta

Honors Scholar Theses

Cortical networks depend upon inhibition through the neurotransmitter GABA to control and coordinate specific spatiotemporal circuit patterns, underlying the exquisite complexity of neural signaling. Disinhibition, a form of inhibition where inhibitory neurons inhibit other inhibitory cells, further aids in amplifying local neural processing in a selective, organized manner. A subset of GABAergic interneurons, vasoactive intestinal peptide-expressing (VIP) cells, preferentially inhibit somatostatin interneurons, which provide inhibitory input onto pyramidal cells, thus creating an archetypal circuit illustrating disinhibition in the cortex. The aim of this anatomical study was to investigate variations in GABAergic VIP synapses onto somatostatin-expressing inhibitory interneurons in mice at …

Network Dynamics Of Visual Object Recognition, Mehmet C. Kadipasaoglu

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Visual object recognition is the principal mechanism by which humans and many animals interpret their surroundings. Despite the complexity of neural computation required, object recognition is achieved with such rapidity and accuracy that it appears to us almost effortless. Extensive human and non-human primate research has identified putative category-selective regions within higher-level visual cortex, which are thought to mediate object recognition. Despite decades of study, however, the functional organization and network dynamics within these regions remain poorly understood, due to a lack of appropriate animal models as well as the spatiotemporal limitations of current non-invasive human neuroimaging techniques (e.g. fMRI, …

Assessing Clinical Significance Of The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment And Cognitive Testing Battery When Comparing Adjusted And Unadjusted Rci Methods For Different Ranges Of Baseline Scores, Ashley N. Figaro

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The growing concern revolving around the dangers of sports-related concussions have led to the most recent implementation of neurocognitive (NC) test batteries as a means to objectively determine the presence of a cognitive defect. Whereas any other sports-related injury can be diagnosed with tools such as an x-ray or MRI, a concussion represents a metabolic disturbance that cannot be identified by these diagnostic tools. Many neurocognitive test batteries employ statistical techniques to derive cut off scores in order to represent significant or insignificant changes as compared to individual baseline scores, or pre-established normative values. If an individuals’ post-injury score exceeds …

Lesion Identification And The Effect Of Lesion On Motor Mapping After Stroke, Ruixi Zhou

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Stroke is the most common cause of long-term severe disability and the motor system that is most commonly affected in stroke. One of the mechanisms that underlies recovery of motor deficits is reorganization or remapping of functional representations around the motor cortex. This mechanism has been shown in monkeys, but results in human subjects have been variable. In this thesis, I used a database that includes longitudinal behavioral and multimodal imaging data in both stroke patients and healthy controls for two research projects. Firstly, I improved an automatic lesion segmentation method to aid in the identification of the location and …

Experimental And Computational Studies Of Cortical Neural Network Properties Through Signal Processing, Wesley Patrick Clawson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies, both theoretical and experimental, of network level dynamics in the cerebral cortex show evidence for a statistical phenomenon called criticality; a phenomenon originally studied in the context of phase transitions in physical systems and that is associated with favorable information processing in the context of the brain. The focus of this thesis is to expand upon past results with new experimentation and modeling to show a relationship between criticality and the ability to detect and discriminate sensory input. A line of theoretical work predicts maximal sensory discrimination as a functional benefit of criticality, which can then be characterized …

Intensive Sound Production Treatment For Apraxia Of Speech: An Analysis Of Error Consistency, Victoria M. Abolafia

Honors Scholar Theses

In the past, clinicians have diagnosed acquired apraxia of speech based upon the presentation of an inconsistent error pattern. However, recent research studies have begun to suggest quite the contrary, pointing towards a consistent pattern of errors in the speech of those with apraxia. The present study utilized an intensive Sound Production Treatment (SPT) for a 51-year-old male with severe acquired apraxia of speech and moderate-severe aphasia. Treatment was administered over a period of five days per week, three hours a day, for two consecutive weeks. During this treatment, probes were gathered daily to evaluate the efficacy of the intensive …