Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Orca Scholarship Report, Andrew Moore

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I received an ORCA award in December of 1999. At the time, my proposal dealt with family dynamic influences on EEG neurofeedback treatement of adolescents with ADHD. This was a multidisciplinary effort, and, to my knowledge, research of this sort had not been conducted before. Though I felt a genuine excitement at the beginning, I soon realized that I had bitten off a coordination and research effort bigger than I could chew. I had to rely on a local psychologist that I was working with for help in recruiting patients, as well as for use of his facilities and equipment, …

A Kinder, Gentler Dopamine. . . Highlighting Dopamine's Role In Behavioral Flexibility, Jeff A. Beeler, Roshan Cools, Monica Luciana, Sean B. Ostlund, Giselle Petzinger

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Are There Memory Deficits Among High School Participants From Heading Soccer Balls?, John R. Dayton, Dr. Donovan E. Fleming

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A unique aspect of soccer is the use of the player’s head to direct the ball. Participants can “head” the ball to score a goal, pass to a teammate or gain control of possession. Studies performed on soccer players at the international^2,5,7,10,12 and Olympic¹ levels have shown memory^{2,3,4,6,8,9,10,12}, attention^3,6,11,12, concentration^2,3,6,11,12, and judgment²⁴ deficits. Is such damage due to practice schedule and necessitated drills, or is it the cumulative result of lifelong soccer participation? If due to lifelong participation, are high school participants at risk?

The Mammalian Neocortex New Pyramidal Neuron: A New Conception, Miguel Marín-Padilla

Dartmouth Scholarship

The new cerebral cortex (neocortex) and the new type of pyramidal neuron are mammalian innovations that have evolved for operating their increasing motor capabilities while essentially using analogous anatomical and neural makeups. The human neocortex starts to develop in 6-week-old embryos with the establishment of a primordial cortical organization, which resembles the primitive cortices of amphibian and reptiles. From the 8th to the 15th week of age, new pyramidal neurons, of ependymal origin, are progressively incorporated within this primordial cortex forming a cellular plate that divides its components into those above it (neocortex first layer) and those below it (neocortex …

Morphine Enhances Hiv-1sf162-Mediated Neuron Death And Delays Recovery Of Injured Neurites, Ruturaj R. Masvekar, Nazira El-Hage, Kurt F. Hauser, Pamela E. Knapp

Anatomy and Neurobiology Publications

HIV-1 enters the CNS soon after initial systemic infection; within the CNS parenchyma infected and/or activated perivascular macrophages, microglia and astrocytes release viral and cellular toxins that drive secondary toxicity in neurons and other cell types. Our previous work has largely modeled HIV-neuropathology using the individual viral proteins Tat or gp120, with murine striatal neurons as targets. To model disease processes more closely, the current study uses supernatant from HIV-1-infected cells. Supernatant from HIV-1SF162-infected differentiated-U937 cells (HIV+sup) was collected and p24 level was measured by ELISA to assess the infection. Injection drug abuse is a significant risk factor for HIV-infection, …

Post-Acute Brain Injury Urinary Signature: A New Resource For Molecular Diagnostics, Andrew K. Ottens, Jillian E. Stafflinger, Hailey E. Griffin, Richard D. Kunz, David X. Cifu, Janet P. Niemeier

Anatomy and Neurobiology Publications

Heterogeneity within brain injury presents a challenge to the development of informative molecular diagnostics. Recent studies show progress particularly in cerebrospinal fluid with biomarker assays targeting one or a few structural proteins. Protein-based assays in peripheral fluids, however, have been more challenging to develop in part due to restricted and intermittent barrier access. Further, a greater number of molecular variables may be required to inform on patient status given the multifactorial nature of brain injury. Presented is an alternative approach profiling peripheral fluid for a class of small metabolic by-products rendered by ongoing brain pathobiology. Urine specimens were collected for …

An Introduction To Drugs And The Neuroscience Of Behavior, Adam J. Prus

Books

This up-to-date text provides an introductory overview of the nervous system actions and behavioral effects of the major classes of psychoactive drugs, using pedagogy unique among pharmacology texts to make the topic approachable.

Neuropathological Responses To Chronic Nmda In Rats Are Worsened By Dietary N-3 Pufa Deprivation But Are Not Ameliorated By Fish Oil Supplementation, Vasken L. Keleshian, Matthew Kellom, Hyung-Wook Kim, Ameer Y. Taha, Yewon Cheon, Miki Igarashi, Stanley I. Rapoport, Jagadeesh S. Rao

Anatomy and Neurobiology Publications

Background

Dietary long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation may be beneficial for chronic brain illnesses, but the issue is not agreed on. We examined effects of dietary n-3 PUFA deprivation or supplementation, compared with an n-3 PUFA adequate diet (containing alpha-linolenic acid [18:3 n-3] but not docosahexaenoic acid [DHA, 22:6n-3]), on brain markers of lipid metabolism and excitotoxicity, in rats treated chronically with NMDA or saline.

Methods

Male rats after weaning were maintained on one of three diets for 15 weeks. After 12 weeks, each diet group was injected i.p. daily with saline (1 ml/kg) or a subconvulsive dose …

Estimating The Amount Of Information Conveyed By A Population Of Neurons, Marshall Crumiller

Knight Laboratory

Recent advances in electrophysiological recording technology have allowed for the collection of data from large populations of neurons simultaneously. Yet despite these advances, methods for the estimation of the amount of information conveyed by multiple neurons have been stymied by the “curse of dimensionality”–as the number of included neurons increases, so too does the dimensionality of the data necessary for such measurements, leading to an exponential and, therefore, intractible increase in the amounts of data required for valid measurements. Here we put forth a novel method for the estimation of the amount of information transmitted by the discharge of a …

Short-Term Activity-Dependent Changes In Schaffer Collateral Axon Function, Benjamin Michael Owen

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Schaffer collaterals are the unmyelinated axons of pyramidal neurons in the CA3 area of the hippocampus, a brain structure essential for memory formation. Schaffer collateral axons conduct electrical signals in the form of action potentials from CA3 pyramidal cells to synaptic terminals in area CA1. The fidelity with which these axons conduct action potentials determines the nature of the information which can be transmitted between areas CA3 and CA1. Conduction fidelity may be affected by both normal and abnormal patterns of firing, fluctuations in ion concentration, and some drugs and toxins. In this dissertation, I examined the function of Schaffer …

Perceived Depth In Non-Transitive Stereo Displays, Bart Farell, Cherlyn J. Ng

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering - All Scholarship

The separation between the eyes shapes the distribution of binocular disparities and gives a special role to horizontal disparities. However, for one-dimensional stimuli, disparity direction, like motion direction, is linked to stimulus orientation. This makes the perceived depth of one-dimensional stimuli orientation dependent and generally non-veridical. It also allows perceived depth to violate transitivity. Three stimuli, A, B, and C, can be arranged such that A > B (stimulus A is seen as farther than stimulus B when they are presented together) and B > C, yet A 6 C. This study examines how the visual system handles the depth of A, …

Rho Gtpases In Neuronal Apoptosis And Neurodegeneration, Trisha Stankiewicz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several studies have identified Rho family GTPases (i.e. Rho, Rac, Cdc42) as mediators of diverse critical cellular processes, such as actin cytoskeleton remodeling, gene transcription, cell-cell adhesion, and cell cycle progression. However, more recent data highlight an essential role for Rho GTPases as regulators of neuronal morphology and neuronal survival. In particular, Rac GTPase generally induces neurite outgrowth and promotes neuronal survival while Rho GTPase typically provokes neurite retraction and induces neuronal apoptosis. However, the precise signaling pathways that regulate neuronal survival downstream of Rho GTPases and the potential involvement of dysregulated activity of Rho GTPases as a causative factor …

The Helminthological Society Of Washington 2013 Anniversary Award: Larry S. Roberts, Sherman S. Hendrix

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Dr. Roberts was born in the great state of Texas, and much of his early life is murky, but snakes are often mentioned. Larry received his Bachelor’s degree at Southern Methodist University; his Master of Science at the University of Illinois; and his Doctorate in the Department of Pathobiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Larry’s doctoral research, published in Experimental Parasitology, documented the early development and crowding effect of the tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, in the rat small intestine. His publication on this subject opened the door to the golden age of cestode physiology and biochemistry …

Can Helmet Design Reduce The Risk Of Concussion In Football?, Steven Rowson, Stefan M. Duma, Richard M. Greenwald, Jonathan Beckwith, Jeffrey J. Chu, Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Jason P. Mihalik, Joe Crisco, Bethany J. Wilcox, Thomas W. Mcallister, Arthur C. Maerlender, Steven P. Broglio, Brock Schnebel, Scott Anderson, P. Gunnar Brolinson

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Of all sports, football accounts for the highest incidence of concussion in the US due to the large number of athletes participating and the nature of the sport. While there is general agreement that concussion incidence can be reduced through rule changes and teaching proper tackling technique, there remains debate as to whether helmet design may also reduce the incidence of concussion. A retrospective analysis was performed of head impact data collected from 1833 collegiate football players who were instrumented with helmet-mounted accelerometer arrays for games and practices. Data were collected between 2005 and 2010 from 8 collegiate football teams: …

Winning And Losing: Differences In Reward And Punishment Sensitivity Between Smokers And Nonsmokers, Laura E. Martin, Lisa S. Cox, William M. Brooks, Cary R. Savage

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Background: Smokers show increased brain activation in reward processing regions in response to smoking-related cues, yet few studies have examined secondary rewards not associated with smoking (i.e., money). Inconsistencies exist in the studies that do examine secondary rewards with some studies showing increased brain activation in reward processing brain regions, while others show decreased activation or no difference in activation between smokers and nonsmokers. Aims: The goal of the current study is to see if smokers process the evaluation and delivery of equally salient real world rewards similarly or differently than nonsmokers. Methods: The current study employed functional magnetic resonance …

A Mitochondrial Rnai Screen Defines Cellular Bioenergetic Determinants And Identifies An Adenylate Kinase As A Key Regulator Of Atp Levels, Nathan J. Lanning, Brendan D. Looyenga, Audra L. Kauffman, Natalie M. Niemi

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Altered cellular bioenergetics and mitochondrial function are major features of several diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders. Given this important link to human health, we sought to define proteins within mitochondria that are critical for maintaining homeostatic ATP levels. We screened an RNAi library targeting >1,000 nuclear-encoded genes whose protein products localize to the mitochondria in multiple metabolic conditions in order to examine their effects on cellular ATP levels. We identified a mechanism by which electron transport chain (ETC) perturbation under glycolytic conditions increased ATP production through enhanced glycolytic flux, thereby highlighting the cellular potential for metabolic plasticity. Additionally, …

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Mechanism Behind Mutant Sod Toxicity And Improving Current Therapeutic Strategies, Cassandra Dennys

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is an always lethal motor neuron disease with unknown pathogenesis. Inhibitors of the molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) have limited neuroprotection in some models of motor neuron degeneration. However the direct effect of Hsp90 inhibition on motor neurons is unknown. Here we show that Hsp90 inhibition induced motor neuron death through activation of the P2X7 receptor. Motor neuron death required phosphatase and tensein homolog (PTEN)-mediated inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway leading to Fas receptor activation and caspase dependent death. The relevance of Hsp90 for motor neuron survival was investigated in mutant Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase …

Nel Positively Regulates The Genesis Of Retinal Ganglion Cells By Promoting Their Differentiation And Survival During Development, Chizu Nakamoto, Soh-Leh Kuan, Amy Findlay, Elaine Durward, Zhufeng Ouyang, Masaru Nakamoto, Ewa Zakrewska, Takuma Endo

Biology Faculty Publications

For correct functioning of the nervous system, the appropriate number and complement of neuronal cell types must be produced during development. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the production of individual classes of neurons are poorly understood. In this study, we investigate the function of the thrombospondin-1–like glycoprotein, Nel (neural epidermal growth factor [EGF]-like), in the generation of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in chicks. During eye development, Nel is strongly expressed in the presumptive retinal pigment epithelium and RGCs. Nel overexpression in the developing retina by in ovo electroporation increases the number of RGCs, whereas the number of displaced amacrine …

The Neural Substrates Of Natural Reading: A Comparison Of Normal And Nonword Text Using Eyetracking And Fmri, W. Choi, Rutvik Desai, J. M. Henderson

Faculty Publications

Most previous studies investigating the neural correlates of reading have presented text using serial visual presentation (SVP), which may not fully reflect the underlying processes of natural reading. In the present study, eye movements and BOLD data were collected while subjects either read normal paragraphs naturally or moved their eyes through “paragraphs” of pseudo-text (pronounceable pseudowords or consonant letter strings) in two pseudo-reading conditions. Eye movement data established that subjects were reading and scanning the stimuli normally. A conjunction fMRI analysis across natural- and pseudo-reading showed that a common eye-movement network including frontal eye fields (FEF), supplementary eye fields (SEF), …

The Functional Organization Of The Left Sts: A Large Scale Meta-Analysis Of Pet And Fmri Studies Of Healthy Adults, E. Liebenthal, Rutvik Desai, C. Humphries, M. Sabri, A. Desai

Faculty Publications

The superior temporal sulcus (STS) in the left hemisphere is functionally diverse, with sub-areas implicated in both linguistic and non-linguistic functions. However, the number and boundaries of distinct functional regions remain to be determined. Here, we present new evidence, from meta-analysis of a large number of positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, of different functional specificity in the left STS supporting a division of its middle to terminal extent into at least three functional areas. The middle portion of the left STS stem (fmSTS) is highly specialized for speech perception and the processing …