Medical Neurobiology Commons^™

The Role Of The Androgen Receptor Cofactor P44/Wdr77 In Astrocyte Activation, Bryce H. Vincent

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Astrogliosis is induced by neuronal damage and is also a pathological feature of the major aging-related neurodegenerative disorders. The mechanisms that control the cascade of astrogliosis have not been well established. In a previous study, we identified a novel androgen receptor (AR)-interacting protein (p44/WDR77) and found that it plays a critical role in the control of proliferation and differentiation of prostate epithelial cells. In the present study, we found that deletion of the p44 gene in the mouse brain caused accelerated aging with dramatic astrogliosis. The p44/WDR77 is expressed in astrocytes and loss of p44/WDR77 expression in astrocytes leads to …

Patterns Of Fetal Heart Rate Response At ∼30 Weeks Gestation Predict Size At Birth, C. Sandman, C. J. Cordova, E. P. Davis, Laura M. Glynn, C. Buss

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

There is evidence that fetal exposure to maternal stress is associated with adverse birth outcomes. Less is known about the association between fetal responses to a stressor and indicators of fetal maturity and developmental outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns in response to a startling stimulus at ∼30 weeks of gestation were associated with gestational age at birth and birth weight. FHR was measured in 156 maternal–fetal dyads following a vibroacoustic stimulus. All pregnancies were singleton intrauterine pregnancies in English-speaking women who were primarily married, middle class, White and at …

Acute Effects Of A Selective Cannabinoid-2 Receptor Agonist On Neuroinflammation In A Model Of Traumatic Brain Injury., Melanie B Elliott, Ronald F Tuma, Peter S Amenta, Mary F Barbe, Jack I Jallo

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Proposed therapeutic strategies for attenuating secondary traumatic brain injury (TBI) include modulation of acute neuroimmune responses. The goal of this study was to examine the acute effects of cannabinoid-2 receptor (CB(2)R) modulation on behavioral deficits, cerebral edema, perivascular substance P, and macrophage/microglial activation in a murine model of TBI. Thirty male C57BL/6 mice underwent sham surgery, or cortical contusion impact injury (CCI). CCI mice received vehicle or the CB(2)R agonist 0-1966 at 1 and 24 h after injury. Performance on the rotarod, forelimb cylinder, and open-field tests were evaluated before and at 48 h after sham or CCI surgery. Cerebral …

Noise, Delays, And Resonance In A Neural Network, Austin Quan

HMC Senior Theses

A stochastic-delay differential equation (SDDE) model of a small neural network with recurrent inhibition is presented and analyzed. The model exhibits unexpected transient behavior: oscillations that occur at the boundary of the basins of attraction when the system is bistable. These are known as delay-induced transitory oscillations (DITOs). This behavior is analyzed in the context of stochastic resonance, an unintuitive, though widely researched phenomenon in physical bistable systems where noise can play in constructive role in strengthening an input signal. A method for modeling the dynamics using a probabilistic three-state model is proposed, and supported with numerical evidence. The potential …

A Phase I/Iia Clinical Trial Of A Recombinant Rho Protein Antagonist In Acute Spinal Cord Injury., Michael G Fehlings, Nicholas Theodore, James Harrop, Gilles Maurais, Charles Kuntz, Chris I Shaffrey, Brian K Kwon, Jens Chapman, Albert Yee, Allyson Tighe, Lisa Mckerracher

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Multiple lines of evidence have validated the Rho pathway as important in controlling the neuronal response to growth inhibitory proteins after central nervous system (CNS) injury. A drug called BA-210 (trademarked as Cethrin(®)) blocks activation of Rho and has shown promise in pre-clinical animal studies in being used to treat spinal cord injury (SCI). This is a report of a Phase I/IIa clinical study designed to test the safety and tolerability of the drug, and the neurological status of patients following the administration of a single dose of BA-210 applied during surgery following acute SCI. Patients with thoracic (T2-T12) or …

The Effect Of Training On Motoneuron Survival In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Which Motoneuron Type Is Saved?, Sherif M. Elbasiouny, Jenna E. Schuster

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by selective and progressive degeneration of motoneurons (MNs). Although the etiology of the disease is unknown, glutamate toxicity and reactive oxygen species toxicity have been strongly implicated in ALS pathophysiology, Training exercise has been proposed to provide a beneficial therapy during the early or late stages of ALS; however, some studies showed deleterious effects of exercise on survival in ALS.

Nanotubes As Mitochondrial Uncouplers, Patrick G. Sullivan

Neuroscience Faculty Patents

A method of uncoupling mitochondria in a subject including administering nanotubes to the subject in a therapeutically effective amount, wherein the nanotubes are self-rectifying is provided. A method of decreasing reactive oxygen species and decreasing detrimental loading of Ca²⁺ into mitochondria is provided, including administering a pharmaceutically effective amount of nanotubes into the subject. A method of reducing weight, treating cancer, reducing the effects of traumatic brain injury, or reducing the effects of ageing, in a subject including administering a pharmaceutically effective amount of nanotubes into the subject is also provided.

Characterization Of Amino Acid Residues Integral To Neuronal Binding Of Amyloid Beta Protein In Alzheimer’S Disease, Nicole C. Olson

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Purpose:  Alzheimer’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disease resulting from over-production and neuronal accumulation of amyloid-beta proteins (Aβ40/Aβ42). The glycine residue at position 33 and histidine residues at positions 13 and 14 are involved with binding and internalization of these proteins, actions potentially inhibited by substituting or sterically hindering these residues with an antibody specific to positions 2-11 (IgG-4.1). Rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells differentiated with nerve growth factor were used as a neuronal model to determine whether substitution and/or antibody block amyloid-beta’s neuronal interactions.

Methods:  PC12 cells were incubated with fluorescein-labeled-amyloid-beta-40 (F-Aβ40) or substituted F-Aβ40 derivatives (F-Aβ40-H13,14G, F-Aβ40-H13,14G;G33A), with or without …

Proteomic Assessment Of A Cell Model Of Spinal Muscular Atrophy., Chia-Yen Wu, Dosh Whye, Lisa Glazewski, Leila Choe, Douglas Kerr, Kelvin H Lee, Robert W Mason, Wenlan Wang

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Deletion or mutation(s) of the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene causes spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a neuromuscular disease characterized by spinal motor neuron death and muscle paralysis. Complete loss of the SMN protein is embryonically lethal, yet reduced levels of this protein result in selective death of motor neurons. Why motor neurons are specifically targeted by SMN deficiency remains to be determined. In this study, embryonic stem (ES) cells derived from a severe SMA mouse model were differentiated into motor neurons in vitro by addition of retinoic acid and sonic hedgehog agonist. Proteomic and western blot analyses were …

Activation Of The Basolateral Membrane Cl- Conductance Essential For Electrogenic K+ Secretion Suppresses Electrogenic Cl- Secretion, Quanhua He, Susan T. Halm, Jin Zhang, Dan R. Halm

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

Adrenaline activates transient Cl^--secretion and sustained K⁺-secretion across isolated distal colonic mucosa of guinea pig. The Ca⁺⁺-activated Cl^- channel inhibitor CaCCinh-A01 [30μM] significantly reduced electrogenic K⁺-secretion, detected as short-circuit current (I_sc). This inhibition supported the cell model for K⁺-secretion in which basolateral membrane Cl^- channels provide an exit pathway for Cl^- entering the cell via Na⁺/K⁺/2Cl^--cotransporters. CaCCinh-A01 inhibited both I_sc and transepithelial conductance in a concentration dependent manner, IC₅₀ = 6.3 μM. GlyH-101, another Cl^- channel …

Fus Transgenic Rats Develop The Phenotypes Of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis And Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration., Cao Huang, Hongxia Zhou, Jianbin Tong, Han Chen, Yong-Jian Liu, Dian Wang, Xiaotao Wei, Xu-Gang Xia

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) proteinopathy is a feature of frontotemporal lobar dementia (FTLD), and mutation of the fus gene segregates with FTLD and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To study the consequences of mutation in the fus gene, we created transgenic rats expressing the human fus gene with or without mutation. Overexpression of a mutant (R521C substitution), but not normal, human FUS induced progressive paralysis resembling ALS. Mutant FUS transgenic rats developed progressive paralysis secondary to degeneration of motor axons and displayed a substantial loss of neurons in the cortex and hippocampus. This neuronal loss was accompanied by ubiquitin aggregation and …

Unifying The Mathematical Modeling Of In Vivo And In Vitro Microdialysis, Peter M. Bungay, Rachita K. Sumbria, Ulrich Bickel

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

A unifying approach is presented for developing mathematical models of microdialysis that are applicable to both in vitro and in vivo situations. Previous models for cylindrical probes have been limited by accommodating analyte diffusion through the surrounding medium in the radial direction only, i.e., perpendicular to the probe axis, or by incomplete incorporation of diffusion in the axial direction. Both radial and axial diffusion are included in the present work by employing two-dimensional finite element analysis. As in previous models, the nondimensional clearance modulus (Θ) represents the degree to which analyte clearance from the external medium influences diffusion through the …

How Loss Of Neurofibromin In Oligodendrocytes Affects The Brain, Debra A. Mayes, Tilat A. Rizvi, Nathan T. Kolasinski, S. Miller, Nancy Ratner

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

Neurofibromatosis type 1 patients are predisposed to central nervous system (CNS) phenotypes including enlarged brains, delayed acquisition of motor skills, brain tumors, and cognitive deficits. Imaging and pathologic analysis suggest that changes in white matter myelination may underlie both the enlargement of white matter tracts that contributes to megancephaly, and/or hyper-intense signals visualized on MRI. To study the role(s) of Nf1 and HRasin oligodendrocytes, we examined the optic nerve and corpus callosum,myelinated fiber tracts.We studiedNf1heterozygous mice,tamoxifen-induced Nf1 loss in mature oligodendrocytes (Plp-CreERT), and a new transgenic model in which the CNPase promoter drives expression of HRasG12V. Activated HRas and loss …

Perinatal Or Adult Nf1 Inactivation Using Tamoxifen-Inducible Plpcre Each Cause Neurofibroma Formation, Debra A. Mayes, Tilat A. Rizvi, Jose A. Cancelas, Nathan T. Kolasinski, Georgianne M. Ciraolo, Anat O. Stemmer-Rachamimov, Nancy Ratner

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES

Neurofibromas are tumors initiated by biallelic mutation of the NF1 tumor suppressor gene in the Schwann cell lineage. One idea within the field suggests that Nf1loss must occur within progenitor cells present within a critical window during Schwann cell development in order for neurofibromas to form. To test this hypothesis and to examine whethermyelinating Schwann cells can serve as aneurofibroma cell of origin, Nf1 loss was induced at perinatal or adult timepoints using a tamoxifen-inducible Plp-CreERT driver.

RESULTS

Perinatal loss of Nf1 resulted in small neurofibromas late in life, while adult loss caused large neurofibromas and morbidity beginning …

Toward A Mechanistic Understanding Of Narcolepsy With Cataplexy, William Mccurdy

McNair Poster Presentations

Narcolepsy (hypersomnolence) is a disorder that affects 1 in 2000 individuals in the United States and it is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and catalepsy, which is a sudden loss of muscle tone. As of relatively recent years, there has been a general consensus amongst the scientific community concerning the etiology of narcolepsy as numerous studies suggest that it is caused by the deficiency of neurotransmitters called orexin-A and orexin-B (or hypocretin-1 and hypocretin-2). Research suggests that deficiencies of these proteins are related to a mutation on chromosome 6 in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex which is a …

Nigrostriatal Dopamine-Neuron Function From Neurotrophic-Like Peptide Treatment And Neurotrophic Factor Depletion, Ofelia Meagan Littrell

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Trophic factors have shown great promise in their potential to treat neurological disease. In particular, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has been identified as a potent neurotrophic factor for midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN), which lose function in Parkinson’s disease (PD). GDNF progressed to phase II clinical trials, which did not meet proposed endpoints. The large size and binding characteristics of GDNF have been suspected to contribute to some of the shortcomings of GDNF related to delivery to target brain regions. Smaller peptides derived from GDNF (Dopamine-Neuron Stimulating Peptides – DNSPs) have been recently investigated …

Orbitofrontal Cortex Provides Cross-Modal Valuation Of Self-Generated Stimuli, William A. Cunningham, Ingrid J. Haas, Ashley S. Waggoner

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Prior research has shown that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) plays an important role in the representation of the evaluation of stimuli, regardless of stimulus modality. Based on these findings, researchers have proposed that the OFC serves a common currency function, allowing for the direct comparison of different types of perceptual stimuli (e.g. food, drink, money). The present study was designed to extend this research and investigate whether these same regions of OFC that have been identified in previous research are involved in evaluating imagined stimuli. Specifically, we asked participants to draw on prior attitudinal knowledge to generate internal representations of …

Trichloroethylene Exposure And Traumatic Brain Injury Interact And Produce Dual Injury Based Pathology And Pioglitazone Can Attenuate Deficits Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Andrew David Sauerbeck

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The development of Parkinson's disease (PD) in humans has been linked to genetic and environmental factors for many years. However, finding common single insults which can produce pathology in humans has proved difficult. Exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) or traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been shown to be linked to PD and it has also been proposed that multiple insults may be needed for disease development.

The present studies show that exposure to TCE prior to a TBI can result in pathology similar to early PD and that the interaction of both insults is required for impairment in behavioral function, and …

Genome-Wide Association Studies At The Interface Of Alzheimer’S Disease And Epidemiologically Related Disorders, Christopher Ryan Simmons

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS)s provide an unbiased means of exploring the landscape of complex genetic disease. As such, these studies have identified genetic variants that are robustly associated with a multitude of conditions. I hypothesize that these genetic variants serve as excellent tools for evaluation of the genetic interface between epidemiologically related conditions. Herein, I test the association between SNPs associated with either (i) plasma lipids, (ii) rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or (iii) diabetes mellitus (DM) and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to identify shared genetic variants. Regarding the most significantly AD-associated variants, I have also attempted to elucidate their molecular function. …

Functional Connectivity For Configural And Featural Face Processing In The Broad Autism Phenotype, Jonathan Darrell Clark

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

During normal development, face processing involves a gradual shift from a featurally oriented style to a mature configural style by adolescence. This shift may coincide with increased right hemispheric dominance for faces supporting configural processing. Previous studies suggest that individuals diagnosed with ASD continue to process faces using individual parts and features into adulthood. This continued bias may be due to deficits in configural processing abilities. The current study investigated measures of functional connectivity during featural and configural processing of faces in broad autism phenotype sibling (ASD-sibs) children compared to age, sex, and handedness matched normal developing (ND) controls and …