Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Supraspinal Reorganization After Pediatric-Onset Spinal Cord Injury., Luis Alvarado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts the efferent and afferent flow of the developing brain, leading to devastating functional impairments below the injury site, yet our understanding of its impact on the brain remains limited. This study examines supraspinal reorganization in children with SCI using electrophysiology and neuroimaging techniques to understand the relationship between residual spinal transmission and supraspinal reorganization. Chapter 2 discusses the development of a child-centric approach using ‘learn, play, and practice’ to foster a trusting relationship with each child and increase compliance with experimental protocols. Chapter 3 evaluates the residual neural transmission of three spinal pathways in …

Chemosensory Processing By The Mediodorsal Thalamus., Kelly Fredericksen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The mediodorsal thalamus (MD) is thought to be key component of the network that processes chemosensory information to guide our consummatory choices. Previous studies show that the mediodorsal thalamus receives projections from both the piriform cortex (PC) and gustatory cortex (GC), suggesting that it may process chemosensory information from both areas. Although the mediodorsal thalamus has been shown to respond to odors detected by sniffing, it remains unknown how its neurons represent experienced odors, tastes, and odor-taste mixtures originating from the mouth. Importantly, humans and animals with mediodorsal thalamic lesions do not suffer from anosmia, but experience deficits in odor …

Analysis Of Genes Responsible For Neuronal Morphological Changes In Down Syndrome Hipsc-Derived Neurons, Juhi Patel

Senior Theses

Down syndrome (DS) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the trisomy of chromosome 21. DS is the largest genetic cause of intellectual disability, which occurs in varying severity among affected individuals. It is associated with a variety of developmental and cognitive defects, including reduced brain size, impaired synaptic function, and altered neuronal morphology. A number of genes have been identified to play critical roles in the development and maintenance of neuronal morphology, and alterations in the expression of some of these genes are implicated in the morphological changes observed in DS. Knocking out or altering their expression leads to …

Early Life Stress Predicts Future Conduct Disorder In Adolescents, Savannah Ellis

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Early Life Stress (ELS) and adversity increase people’s risk for developing mental, social, or emotional dysregulation and disorders later in life. The objective of this study was to test whether ELS in adolescents could prospectively predict future conduct disorder. The study additionally tested potential neural mediators of the effect of ELS on future conduct disorder, and specifically targeted the structural connections from the anterior insula and medial prefrontal cortex to the Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc). Data for the project came from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD study), which is a longitudinal multi-site consortium funded by the National Institutes of …

Transcriptional Regulation Of Stem Cell Function In The Drosophila Central Nervous System, Amalia S. Parra

Biology ETDs

Development of multicellular organisms depends on coordination of various molecular mechanisms to ensure proper tissue size and structure. This is accomplished through intrinsic and extrinsic cues that regulate cell growth and proliferation both spatially and temporally. These well-coordinated signals are present from early developmental stages and remain active throughout development to ensure tissue structure is appropriate for function. This is particularly important in early cell types that form specialized lineages such as stem cells or those found throughout the body such as epithelia. While much progress has been made in understanding growth regulatory mechanisms, several fundamental aspects remain unknown. This …

Neural Correlates Of Sub-Clinical Grandiose Cluster B Personality Disorders, Adriana Lavarco

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The Cluster B personality disorders (PDs) include antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), and histrionic personality disorder (HPD). With impulsivity being a commonly shared symptom across the cluster B personality disorders, specifically in BPD, the right and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was targeted for TMS. Since these personality disorders are grouped together due to their shared ‘dramatic’ characteristics, the current study aimed to investigate the effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on the presence of cluster B personality disorder traits in 13 healthy participants. We found that there is a significant decrease in …

Social Exclusion : How Inhibition And Excitation Of The Dorsal Lateral Prefrontal Cortex (Dlpfc) Influences Feelings Of Social Exclusion, Anthony Minervini

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Social exclusion refers to the experience of rejection by one or more people during a social event. Cyberball, a computer program, is one of the most common tools for analyzing social exclusion. Cyberball simulates a game of catch in which any number of individuals or computer- generated players can pass a virtual ball to one another. Regions of the brain that underlies pain perception include networks lined to the Dorsal Lateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC). Direct manipulation of this area may provide a better understanding of how the DLPFC can influence the perception of social exclusion. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was …

Immobilization And Its Effects On Functional Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury., William H. Gregory

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Recovery, or rather the failure to recover, is a perplexing issue of spinal cord injury that is currently being investigated. This issue becomes more puzzling when investigating models in which spinal cord injury (SCI) is studied. There appears to be greater functional recovery experienced by animals within these models after injury as compared to patients in the clinical setting. While many things could contribute to this disparity, one difference that stands out when comparing the basic research model and clinical experience of SCI is the inactivity and limb disuse after the injury. This same level of immobility is rarely accounted …

Accelerating Colorectal Cancer Screening And Follow-Up Through Implementation Science (Accsis) In Appalachia: Protocol For A Group Randomized, Delayed Intervention Trial, Electra D. Paskett, Aaron J. Kruse-Diehr, Jill M. Oliveri, Robin C. Vanderpool, Darrell M. Gray Ii, Michael L. Pennell, Bin Huang, Gregory S. Young, Darla Fickle, Mark Cromo, Mira L. Katz, Paul L. Reiter, Melinda Rogers, David A. Gross, Vickie Fairchild, Wendy Xu, Angela Carman, Jean M. Walunis, Ann Scheck Mcalearney, Timothy R. Huerta, Saurabh Rahurkar, Erika Biederman, Mark B. Dignan

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Appalachian regions of Kentucky and Ohio are hotspots for colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality in the USA. Screening reduces CRC incidence and mortality; however, screening uptake is needed, especially in these underserved geographic areas. Implementation science offers strategies to address this challenge. The aim of the current study was to conduct multi-site, transdisciplinary research to evaluate and improve CRC screening processes using implementation science strategies. The study consists of two phases (Planning and Implementation). In the Planning Phase, a multilevel assessment of 12 health centers (HC) (one HC from each of the 12 Appalachian counties) was conducted by interviewing key informants, …

Psychopathy In Society: Understanding The Neural Mechanisms That Give Rise To Psychopathic Traits, Phoebe Zalenski

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Psychopathy is characterized as an individual exhibiting callousness, grandiosity, lack of empathy, and manipulative behavior towards others over a long period of time. Given these symptoms, psychopathy is associated with a markedly increased risk of arrest and imprisonment. Together, these findings highlight the importance of understanding the cause(s) of psychopathy, as doing so may help to develop treatments or preventative interventions. Prior work has suggested that structural abnormalities in the amygdala may play a role in clinical psychopathy; however, it is less clear whether amygdala abnormalities exist on a continuum of psychopathic traits. In this study, I aimed to determine …

Validating A New In Vivo Model To Study Als, Izabela J. Cimachowska

Student Theses and Dissertations

Buildup of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are well known characteristics of both sporadic and hereditary amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). While both forms of the disease seem to arise from common cellular dysfunction, the genetic disease is studied to a much greater extent. Engineering novel animal models of the sporadic form of the disease is crucial for development of druggable targets to treat ALS and understand the underlying mechanisms. Interestingly, accumulation of oxidative stress by exacerbated emission of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from presynaptic mitochondria is a hallmark of both hereditary and sporadic ALS. Previous work by our laboratory showed …

Synaptic Properties Of Parabigeminal Circuits., Kyle Whyland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Subcortical structures of the visual system have been the subject of intense study in recent years, but there remain some important unanswered questions regarding the synaptic relationships linking the nuclei that comprise this important sensory network within the brain. In these studies, we use several modern and traditional approaches, including viral tract tracing, in vitro slice physiology, immunohistochemistry, optogenetics, and electron microscopy to characterize the circuits linking the superior colliculus (SC), parabigeminal nucleus (PBG), and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), with particular focus on GABAergic and cholinergic cell types. We found that the SC, an important visuomotor structure with connections to …

An Investigation Into Structural Plasticity In Peripheral Taste Neurons Associated With Taste Cell Turnover., Zachary Whiddon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The continual replacement of taste cells creates interesting questions regarding how the innervating neurons are impacted during this process. Here we ask how innervation within taste buds is affected when taste cell entry is inhibited and reestablished. Inhibition of sonic hedgehog signaling (Shh) is thought to inhibit taste cell turnover. Consistently, fewer new cells were added to individual taste buds after treatment with a Shh-inhibitor compared to vehicle treatment, and taste bud volume decreased after 16 days of treatment. We next examined how taste nerve fiber extension into the gustatory epithelium is affected by preventing taste cell turnover. Ten days …

Improving Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes: Early Identification And Management Of Paroxysmal Sympathetic Hyperactivity, Randi Rockwell

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Abstract

Background: Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) can occur in patients with acutely acquired brain injury and is associated with mortality, poor clinical outcomes, prolonged hospitalizations, physical disability, and increased healthcare costs. The most common cause of PSH syndrome is traumatic brain injury (TBI). Symptoms consist of hyperthermia, diaphoresis, arterial hypertension, tachycardia, tachypnea, and extremity motor dystonic posturing, often in response to evoked stimuli and occurs in 8% to 33% of TBI patients. Critical care nurses are at the forefront of providing direct patient care to TBI patients and are often the first to identify PSH.

Purpose: The objective of this …

Letters From The Professors

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Ptsd: The Way In & The Way Out, Carolyn Herbosa

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Psychopaths: Who Are They, Really?, Stephanie Kaufman

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Your Brain On Plastics, Bennett Andrassy

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Music Makes You Lose Control, Jac Cousineau

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

More Synapses, More Problems: The Underdiagnosis Of Depression In Patients With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Daisy Delgado

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.