Neurosciences Commons^™

Bioavailability And Spatial Distribution Of Fatty Acids In The Rat Retina After Dietary Omega-3 Supplementation, Elisa Vidal, Bokkyoo Jun, William C. Gordon, Marie Annick Maire, Lucy Martine, Stéphane Grégoire, Spiro Khoury, Stephanie Cabaret, Olivier Berdeaux, Niyazi Acar, Lionel Bretillon, Nicolas G. Bazan

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Spatial changes of FAs in the retina in response to different dietary n-3 formulations have never been explored, although a diet rich in EPA and DHA is recommended to protect the retina against the effects of aging. In this study, Wistar rats were fed for 8 weeks with balanced diet including either EPA-containing phospholipids (PLs), EPA-containing TGs, DHA-containing PLs, or DHA-containing TGs. Qualitative changes in FA composition of plasma, erythrocytes, and retina were evaluated by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector. Following the different dietary intakes, changes to the quantity and spatial organization of PC and PE species in retina were determined …

Immune Modulation As A Therapeutic Target In An Α-Synuclein Model Of Parkinson’S Disease, Meena Subhashini Subbarayan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder affecting about 1.5 million people in the United States with more than 60,000 people diagnosed each year. It is classically characterized by four major symptoms: tremor, postural instability, stiffness in joints, and slow movement (bradykinesia). Pathologically PD is characterized by up to 70% loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) of midbrain and accumulation of presynaptic protein called α-synuclein (α-syn) within dopaminergic neurons that extend to the striatum. This disrupts the nigrostriatal pathway leading to the motor symptoms seen in PD patients. Microglia, the innate immune cells …

Distribution Of Microglial Phenotypes As A Function Of Age And Alzheimer's Disease Neuropathology In The Brains Of People With Down Syndrome, Alessandra C. Martini, Alex M. Helman, Katie L. Mccarty, Ira T. Lott, Eric Doran, Frederick A. Schmitt, Elizabeth Head

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Introduction: Microglial cells play an important role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). People with Down syndrome (DS) inevitably develop AD neuropathology (DSAD) by 40 years of age. We characterized the distribution of different microglial phenotypes in the brains of people with DS and DSAD.

Methods: Autopsy tissue from the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) from people with DS, DSAD, and neurotypical controls was immunostained with the microglial marker Iba1 to assess five microglia morphological types.

Results: Individuals with DS have more hypertrophic microglial cells in their white matter. In the gray matter, individuals with DSAD had significantly fewer ramified …

Marking Time: Colorful New Insights Into Master Clock Circuits, Deborah A.M. Joye, Jennifer A. Evans

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Neuronal Calcium Imaging, Excitability, And Plasticity Changes In The Aldh2-/- Mouse Model Of Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease, Adam O. Ghoweri, Peter Gagolewicz, Hilaree N. Frazier, John C. Gant, R. David Andrew, Brian M. Bennett, Olivier Thibault

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Dysregulated signaling in neurons and astrocytes participates in pathophysiological alterations seen in the Alzheimer's disease brain, including increases in amyloid-β, hyperphosphorylated tau, inflammation, calcium dysregulation, and oxidative stress. These are often noted prior to the development of behavioral, cognitive, and non-cognitive deficits. However, the extent to which these pathological changes function together or independently is unclear.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the temporal relationship between calcium dysregulation and oxidative stress, as some reports suggest that dysregulated calcium promotes increased formation of reactive oxygen species, while others support the opposite. Prior work has quantified several key outcome measures associated with …

Visual Corticocortical Inputs To Ferret Area 18, Reem Khalil, Moody Roberne Jensy Saint Louis, Shaima Alsuwaidi, Jonathan B. Levitt

Publications and Research

Visual cortical areas in the adult mammalian brain are linked by a network of interareal feedforward and feedback circuits. We investigated the topography of feedback projections to ferret (Mustela putorius furo) area 18 from extrastriate areas 19, 21, and Ssy. Our objective was to characterize the anatomical organization of the extrastriate feedback pool to area 18. We also wished to determine if feedback projections to area 18 share similar features as feedback projections to area 17. We injected the tracer cholera toxin B subunit (CTb) into area 18 of adult ferrets to visualize the distribution and pattern of retrogradely labeled …

Feasibility Of Treating High Grade Gliomas In Children With Tumor-Treating Fields: A Case Series., John Crawford, Marlon G Saria, Girish Dhall, Ashley Margol, Santosh Kesari

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Children diagnosed with high grade gliomas (HGG) have dismal prognoses and treatment options remain limited. Tumor treating fields (TTFields) in combination with temozolomide (TMZ) is approved for the treatment of newly diagnosed and recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) in adult patients. However, clinical experience with TTFields in the pediatric HGG population is lacking. This retrospective review of four clinical cases was undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of treating children diagnosed with HGG off-label with TTFields. Patients were evaluated for device compliance, safety, and outcome. Treatment with TTFields was delivered via four transducer arrays placed on the shaved scalp, which were connected to …

The Acute Effects Of The Atypical Dissociative Hallucinogen Salvinorin A On Functional Connectivity In The Human Brain, Manoj K. Doss, Darrick G. May, Matthew W. Johnson, John M. Clifton, Sidnee L. Hedrick, Thomas E. Prisinzano, Roland R. Griffiths, Frederick S. Barrett

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Salvinorin A (SA) is a κ-opioid receptor agonist and atypical dissociative hallucinogen found in Salvia divinorum. Despite the resurgence of hallucinogen studies, the effects of κ-opioid agonists on human brain function are not well-understood. This placebo-controlled, within-subject study used functional magnetic resonance imaging for the first time to explore the effects of inhaled SA on strength, variability, and entropy of functional connectivity (static, dynamic, and entropic functional connectivity, respectively, or sFC, dFC, and eFC). SA tended to decrease within-network sFC but increase between-network sFC, with the most prominent effect being attenuation of the default mode network (DMN) during the …

Aci-35 And Aadvac1 Active Immunotherapy As Preventative Treatment Options For Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Emily C. Boehlein

Selected Honors Theses

One of the most common, as well as one of the most dangerous injuries amongst athletes today is mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), commonly known as concussion. Aside from physical symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and headaches; concussions have can have longterm effects on brain physiology. A common neurological disease that can result from multiple concussions is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), characterized by symptoms such as severe depression, anxiety, confusion, and aggression; amongst others.1 On the cellular level, CTE is classified by a unique pathway that leads to the hyperphosphorylation of tau protein and subsequent clumping of tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles …

2021: Will It Be The Best Season For International Spine Meetings Ever?, Karsten Wiechert, Jens R Chapman, Jeffrey C Wang

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Classifying Complications: Assessing Adult Spinal Deformity 2-Year Surgical Outcomes., Eric O Klineberg, Peter G Passias, Gregory W Poorman, Cyrus M Jalai, Abiola Atanda, Nancy Worley, Samantha Horn, Daniel M Sciubba, D Kojo Hamilton, Douglas C Burton, Munish Chandra Gupta, Justin S Smith, Alexandra Soroceanu, Robert A Hart, Brian Neuman, Christopher P Ames, Frank J Schwab, Virginie Lafage

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of prospective database.

OBJECTIVE: Complication rates for adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery vary widely because there is no accepted system for categorization. Our objective was to identify the impact of complication occurrence, minor-major complication, and Clavien-Dindo complication classification (Cc) on clinical variables and patient-reported outcomes.

METHODS: Complications in surgical ASD patients with complete baseline and 2-year data were considered intraoperatively, perioperatively (<6 >weeks), and postoperatively (>6 weeks). Primary outcome measures were complication timing and severity according to 3 scales: complication presence (yes/no), minor-major, and Cc score. Secondary outcomes were surgical outcomes (estimated blood loss [EBL], …

Minimal Structural Elements Required For Midline Repulsive Signaling And Regulation Of Drosophila Robo1, Haley E. Brown, Timonthy A. Evans

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Roundabout (Robo) family of axon guidance receptors has a conserved ectodomain arrangement of five immunoglobulin-like (Ig) domains plus three fibronectin type III (Fn) repeats. Based on the strong evolutionary conservation of this domain structure among Robo receptors, as well as in vitro structural and domain-domain interaction studies of Robo family members, this ectodomain arrangement is predicted to be important for Robo receptor signaling in response to Slit ligands. Here, we define the minimal ectodomain structure required for Slit binding and midline repulsive signaling in vivo by Drosophila Robo1. We find that the majority of the Robo1 ectodomain is dispensable …

Testing The Motivational Tradeoffs Between Pathogen Avoidance And Status Acquisition, Mitch Brown, Donald F. Sacco

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

To reduce disease transmission through interpersonal contact, humans have evolved a behavioral immune system that facilitates identification and avoidance of pathogens. One behavioral strategy in response to pathogenic threat is the adoption of interpersonal reticence. However, reticence may impede status acquisition. This program of research tested whether activating pathogen-avoidant motives through priming fosters reticence related to status, namely disinterest in pursuing a group leadership position (Study 1) or disinterest in accepting a group leadership position bestowed onto them (Study 2). Individuals high in germ aversion were particularly interested in pursuing leadership as a form of status, with disease salience unexpectedly …

Current Role Of Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy In The Treatment Of Intracranial Tumors, Farhan A. Mirza, Rida Mitha, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim

Neurosurgery Faculty Publications

Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is gaining popularity in the treatment of both primary and secondary intracranial tumors. The goal of LITT is to deliver thermal energy in a predictable, controlled, and minimally invasive fashion. It can be particularly valuable in patients with recurrent tumors who, due to previous radiation or surgery, may have a potentially higher risk of wound breakdown or infection with repeat craniotomy. Deep-seated lesions that are often inaccessible through open approaches (thalamus, hypothalamus, mesial basal temporal lobe, brainstem) may also be suitable targets. The experience and data published thus far on this modality is limited but …

Uncovering The Complex Genetics Of Human Temperament, Igor Zwir, Javier Arnedo, Coral Del-Val, Laura Pulkki-Råback, Bettina Konte, Sarah S. Yang, Rocio Romero-Zaliz, Mirka Hintsanen, Kevin M. Cloninger, Gabriel A. De Erausquin

School of Medicine Publications

Experimental studies of learning suggest that human temperament may depend on the molecular mechanisms for associative conditioning, which are highly conserved in animals. The main genetic pathways for associative conditioning are known in experimental animals, but have not been identified in prior genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of human temperament. We used a data-driven machine learning method for GWAS to uncover the complex genotypic–phenotypic networks and environmental interactions related to human temperament. In a discovery sample of 2149 healthy Finns, we identified sets of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that cluster within particular individuals (i.e., SNP sets) regardless of phenotype. Second, we identified …

Ssh1 Impedes P62/Sqstm1 Flux And Tau Clearance Independent Of Cofilin Activation, Cenxiao Fang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accumulation of toxic protein assemblies and damaged mitochondria are key features of neurodegenerative diseases, which arise in large part from clearance defects in the autophagy-lysosome system. The autophagy cargo receptor p62/SQSTM1 plays a major role in the clearance of ubiquitinated cargo through Ser403 phosphorylation by multiple kinases. However, no phosphatase is known to physiologically dephosphorylate p62 on this activating residue. RNAi-mediated knockdown and overexpression experiments using genetically encoded fluorescent reporters and defined mutant constructs in cell lines, primary neurons, and brains show that SSH1, the canonical cofilin phosphatase, mediates the dephosphorylation of phospho-Ser403-p62, thereby impairing p62 flux and phospho-tau clearance. …

Mental Health & Drugs; A Map Of The Mind, Wylie Jones Jordan

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

The practice of physical medicine underwent a sea change at the turn of the 20th century, but the management of mental disorders stayed much the same as it had been since Rome. New names have been coined for disorders, and synthetic drugs are advertised as a solution to every problem, but the causes are still largely unknown and, although spontaneous remission can occur, there are no cures. This review of psychiatric diagnosis and treatment from Rome to the 21st century offers a rationale to support the classic (and still current) classification of disorders. It offers a method of distinguishing the …

Tdp-43 Mediated Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability And Leukocyte Infiltration Promote Neurodegeneration In A Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation Mouse Model, Frank Zamudio, Anjanet R. Loon, Shayna Smeltzer, Khawla Benyamine, Nanda K. Navalpur Shanmugam, Nicholas J. F. Stewart, Daniel C. Lee, Kevin Nash, Maj-Linda B. Selenica

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions containing TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) are a neuropathological feature of several neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Emerging evidence also indicates that systemic inflammation may be a contributor to the pathology progression of these neurodegenerative diseases.

METHODS: To investigate the role of systemic inflammation in the progression of neuronal TDP-43 pathology, AAV9 particles driven by the UCHL1 promoter were delivered to the frontal cortex of wild-type aged mice via intracranial injections to overexpress TDP-43 or green fluorescent protein (GFP) in corticospinal motor neurons. Animals were then subjected …

Effects Of Neuronic Shutter Observed In The Eeg Alpha Rhythm, Kevin E. Alexander, Justin R. Estepp, Sherif M. Elbasiouny

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

The posterior alpha (α) rhythm, seen in human electroencephalogram (EEG), is posited to originate from cycling inhibitory/excitatory states of visual relay cells in the thalamus. These cycling states are thought to lead to oscillating visual sensitivity levels termed the “neuronic shutter effect.” If true, perceptual performance should be predictable by observed α phase (of cycling inhibitory/excitatory states) relative to the timeline of afferentiation onto the visual cortex. Here, we tested this hypothesis by presenting contrast changes at near perceptual threshold intensity through closed eyelids to 20 participants (balanced for gender) during times of spontaneous α oscillations. To more accurately and …

Facial Grimace Testing As An Assay Of Neuropathic Pain-Related Behavior In A Mouse Model Of Cervical Spinal Cord Injury., Nicolette M Heinsinger, Gabrielle Spagnuolo, R Vivian Allahyari, Simon Galer, Tyler Fox, David A Jaffe, Samantha J Thomas, Lorraine Iacovitti, Angelo C Lepore

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

A major portion of individuals affected by traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) experience one or more types of chronic neuropathic pain (NP), which is often intractable to currently available treatments. The availability of reliable behavioral assays in pre-clinical models of SCI-induced NP is therefore critical to assess the efficacy of new potential therapies. Commonly used assays to evaluate NP-related behavior in rodents, such as Hargreaves thermal and von Frey mechanical testing, rely on the withdrawal response to an evoked stimulus. However, other assays that test spontaneous/non-evoked NP-related behavior or supraspinal aspects of NP would be highly useful for a more …