Neurosciences Commons^™

The Cgas/Sting Pathway: Friend Or Foe In Regulating Cardiomyopathy, Weiyue Wang, Yuanxu Gao, Hyun Kyoung Lee, Albert Cheung-Hoi Yu, Markus Kipp, Hannes Kaddatz, Jiangshan Zhan

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Inflammation is a central hallmark of cardiomyopathy, where misdirected immune responses contribute to chronic myocardial dysfunction. Among the emerging molecular mechanisms implicated in this process, the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)/stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway has garnered increasing attention. Acting as a key cytosolic DNA sensor, the cGAS/STING pathway orchestrates inflammatory responses triggered by microbial infections or endogenous cellular stressors such as autophagy and apoptosis. Despite its pivotal role, the precise molecular mechanisms regulating this pathway and its role in cardiomyopathy-associated inflammation remain poorly understood and subject to ongoing debate. To address this scientific gap, we first reviewed key …

Effect Of Anesthesia And Diurnal Variation On Chronic Vagus Nerve Activity In Rats, Bhanu P. Kotamraju, Grant A. Mccallum, Dominique M. Durand

Faculty Scholarship

The vagus nerve, serving as a pivotal link between the brain and vital organs, regulates crucial physiological functions. It plays a central role in maintaining homeostasis within the body and must dynamically adapt to changing conditions such as anesthesia or sleep. While vagal tone, typically estimated indirectly from heart rate variability, has been extensively studied, direct measurement of vagal activity during sleep and anesthesia remains unreported to date. Recent technological advancements have facilitated the recording of vagus nerve activity in freely moving rodents using small, highly flexible carbon nanotube yarns. Consequently, it is now feasible to directly investigate vagal activity …

Investigating Empathy In Rats: Behavioral Responses To Distress, Isabella Sophia Avery, Kolette Stuhmer, Jeffrey Schell

2025 Symposium

INTRODUCTION: Empathy can be defined as the ability to recognize, understand, and match one’s emotional state to that of another. Previous research has suggested that emotional contagion produces empathetic responses among familiar rats when their cage mate is exposed to a stressor. This study seeks to further explore this relationship and compare responses among familiar vs. unfamiliar rats. METHODS: Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into cohorts including an observer, demonstrator, and stranger rat. The demonstrator was exposed to shock paired with a tone and the demonstrator, its cage mate, was only exposed a tone but no shock. The …

Fear And Oxytocin: Effects Of Intraperitoneal Pretreatment In Rats, Daniel Yeromenko, Kelsie German, Eros Fuentes, Jenna Meade, Ben Bustos

2025 Symposium

INTRODUCTION: Oxytocin is a neuropeptide widely known for its role in social bonding and emotional regulation. Recent studies have suggested its involvement in modulating fear, stress, and anxiety responses, potentially offering therapeutic applications for trauma-related disorders such as PTSD. This study investigated whether pretreatment with oxytocin reduces behavioral and physiological fear responses in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats using a classical fear conditioning model. METHODS : Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats (12 males, 12 females) were assigned to one of four groups: control (no shock, no oxytocin), shock only, shock + low-dose oxytocin (0.5 mg/kg), and shock + high-dose oxytocin (1.0 mg/kg). …

Literature Review Of Stiff Person Syndrome, Mustafa Ansari, Adam Davis, Donald Penney

The Journal of Integrated Primary Care

Background: Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) is a rare, debilitating autoimmune neurological disorder characterized by progressive muscle rigidity, painful spasms, and gait disturbances. It is strongly associated with autoantibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), leading to impaired GABAergic neurotransmission. SPS exists on a spectrum, with both classical and paraneoplastic variants, the latter often linked to malignancies such as breast cancer.

Methods: This review synthesizes current literature on the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic criteria, and treatment modalities of SPS. We examine emerging therapies, including immunomodulatory approaches and antibody-targeted interventions, to address the heterogeneity of disease progression and treatment response.

Results: SPS remains …

Movement Disorders In Relapsing And Progressive Ms: A Comprehensive Prospective Evaluation Of A Large Real-Life Cohort, Hannah Kelly, Rongyi Sun, Mohamed Elkasaby, Alexander Wang, Hesham Abboud

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Recent studies suggest that movement disorders are common in early MS. However, the frequency and clinical characteristics of movement disorders at all stages of MS remain unknown. Objectives: To evaluate the frequency, clinical characteristics, and anatomical generators of movement disorders in relapsing and progressive MS. Methods: We conducted a prospective study of adult MS patients from 2016 to 2022 at a neuroimmunology clinic. Patients were evaluated for demyelination-related movement disorders via a survey and focused examination. We classified movement disorders based on phenomenology and identified anatomic correlates according to lesion locations and relation to relapses. Findings were compared between …

Mapping Pain Management In Maine Participant Flyer, Ling Cao

Maine Pain Registry

Flyer calling for participation in UNE project Mapping Pain Management in Maine.

Peripheral Neuroimmune Mechanisms Of Chronic Back Pain, Aleyah Esther Goins

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Chronic back pain (CBP) affects 1 in 10 people worldwide, reducing mobility, productivity, and quality of life. Despite its prevalence, non-addictive treatments remain limited due to an incomplete understanding of chronic pain mechanisms. This dissertation examines peripheral neuroimmune interactions in CBP using a urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)-induced mouse model (uPA-CBP). uPA, a pro-inflammatory serine protease, was injected into the L2/L3 lumbar spinous ligament, inducing prolonged mechanical and cold hypersensitivity. Flow cytometry of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) showed increased CD45+CD11b+ myeloid cells in males and CD45+CD3+CD4+ lymphocytes in females. DRG neurons from male uPA-CBP mice exhibited heightened action potential firing. Pharmacological …

Development And Validation Of A Clinical Risk Model For Postoperative Outcome In Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Report Of The Rano Resect Group, Philipp Karschnia, Jacob S Young, Gilbert C Youssef, Antonio Dono, Levin Häni, Tommaso Sciortino, Francesco Bruno, Stephanie T Juenger, Nico Teske, Jorg Dietrich, Michael Weller, Michael A Vogelbaum, Martin Van Den Bent, Juergen Beck, Niklas Thon, Jasper K W Gerritsen, Shawn Hervey-Jumper, Daniel P Cahill, Susan M Chang, Roberta Rudà, Lorenzo Bello, Oliver Schnell, Yoshua Esquenazi, Maximilian I Ruge, Stefan J Grau, Raymond Y Huang, Patrick Y Wen, Mitchel S Berger, Annette M Molinaro, Joerg-Christian Tonn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Following surgery, patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma frequently enter clinical trials. Nuanced risk assessment is warranted to reduce imbalances between study arms. Here, we aimed (I) to analyze the interactive effects of residual tumor with clinical and molecular factors on outcome and (II) to define a postoperative risk assessment tool.

Methods: The response assessment in neuro-oncology (RANO) resect group retrospectively compiled an international, seven-center training cohort of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. The combined associations of residual tumor with molecular or clinical factors and survival were analyzed, and recursive partitioning analysis was performed for risk modeling. The resulting model …

Assessing The Effects Of Streptozotocin-Induced Hyperglycemia On Amyloid Beta Accumulation And Cognitive Behavior In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease-Related Pathology, Andrew Adonay Ortiz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an irreversible and devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive synaptic, dendritic, glial, and neuronal loss, collectively leading to impairments in learning, memory, and deterioration of cognitive and behavioral functions. AD is the most common form of dementia accounting for 60-80% of all cases. AD affects approximately 7 million Americans and is the 6th leading cause of death in the US. Furthermore, by 2050, the US is projected to spend over $1.1 trillion on AD-related treatments. Pathological hallmarks of AD include beta-amyloid (Aβ) plaques, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), and chronic neuroinflammation, which can promote and exacerbate both …

Identifying Key Factors Associated With Assistive Technology Availability For Dementia Care Using Machine Learning, Wai Hang Kwok, Syed Afaq Ali Shah, Guanjin Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study explores the factors influencing the availability of assistive technology for people with dementia through the application of machine learning. The analysis identified key factors, including carer support, protective legislation, and access to reimbursable products from the WHO Global Health Observatory. A random forest model with high accuracy emphasises the importance of targeted resources and policies in improving dementia care infrastructure.

The Endocannabinoid System's Influence And Modulation Of Nociception, Doreen M. Flannery

Honors Thesis

The anatomy and physiology of pain is a well-defined pathway where noxious stimuli is processed by different systems in the brain. The central research question of this review is how can we better understand the neurobiological effects pain has, and assess if there is therapeutic potential in using endocannabinoids to modulate these effects. Endocannabinoids are signaling molecules that play a key role at both the cellular and molecular level in modulating both acute and chronic pain by influencing different processes within each level that affect how the body responds to both internal and external stimuli. The endocannabinoid system is a …

Investigating Neural, Neurovascular, And Vascular Function: Insights From Imaging 5-Ht2ar Compounds, Optogenetic Motor Mapping, And Cross-Modal Functional Mapping, Jonah Aryeh Padawer-Curry

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Understanding how brain activity relates to behavior and cognition remains a central challenge in neuroscience. Brain function emerges from interactions between electrical, chemical, and blood dynamics across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Capturing this complexity requires methods that assess both large-scale neurophysiological activity and precise, cell-type-specific processes. Widefield optical imaging (WFOI) enables high-resolution monitoring of cortical function by simultaneously measuring hemodynamic and calcium dynamics. WFOI is particularly valuable for studying psychedelics, which show therapeutic potential but may alter neurovascular coupling, complicating the interpretation of hemodynamic signals. Using WFOI, we examined the hallucinogenic 5-HT2A receptor agonist DOI in awake mice, revealing …

Brain And Cerebrospinal Fluid 3d Center Of Mass Shift After Spaceflight, Katherine G Warthen, Stuart H Sater, Larry A Kramer, Khader M Hasan, Michael A Williams, Millennia Young, Brandon R Macias, Steven S Laurie, Bryn A Martin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A subset of long-duration spaceflight astronauts at the International Space Station has been documented to develop spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS). Researchers have sought to understand SANS by quantification of ocular and brain structural changes thought to be associated with weightlessness induced headward fluid shift. Brain tissue shift and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) redistribution has been observed as measured by MRI on return to Earth, and not fully quantified. To improve the understanding of this phenomenon, we developed and applied automated methods to quantify 3D center of mass shift within the skull of the extra-axial cerebrospinal fluid (eaCSF) and brain after …

Lifespan Reference Curves For Harmonizing Multi-Site Regional Brain White Matter Metrics From Diffusion Mri, Alyssa H. Zhu, Talia M. Nir, Shayan Javid, Julio E. Villalón-Reina, Amanda L. Rodrigue, Lachlan T. Strike, Greig I. De Zubicaray, Katie L. Mcmahon, Margaret J. Wright, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications

Age-related white matter (WM) microstructure maturation and decline occur throughout the human lifespan, complementing the process of gray matter development and degeneration. Here, we create normative lifespan reference curves for global and regional WM microstructure by harmonizing diffusion MRI (dMRI)-derived data from ten public datasets (N = 40,898 subjects; age: 3–95 years; 47.6% male). We tested three harmonization methods on regional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based fractional anisotropy (FA), a metric of WM microstructure, extracted using the ENIGMA-DTI pipeline. ComBat-GAM harmonization provided multi-study trajectories most consistent with known WM maturation peaks. Lifespan FA reference curves were validated with test-retest data …

Lifespan Reference Curves For Harmonizing Multi-Site Regional Brain White Matter Metrics From Diffusion Mri, Alyssa H Zhu, Talia M Nir, Shayan Javid, Julio E Villalón-Reina, Amanda L Rodrigue, Lachlan T Strike, Greig I De Zubicaray, Katie L Mcmahon, Margaret J Wright, Sarah E Medland, John Blangero, David C Glahn, Peter Kochunov, Douglas E Williamson, Asta K Håberg, Paul M Thompson, Neda Jahanshad

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Age-related white matter (WM) microstructure maturation and decline occur throughout the human lifespan, complementing the process of gray matter development and degeneration. Here, we create normative lifespan reference curves for global and regional WM microstructure by harmonizing diffusion MRI (dMRI)-derived data from ten public datasets (N = 40,898 subjects; age: 3-95 years; 47.6% male). We tested three harmonization methods on regional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based fractional anisotropy (FA), a metric of WM microstructure, extracted using the ENIGMA-DTI pipeline. ComBat-GAM harmonization provided multi-study trajectories most consistent with known WM maturation peaks. Lifespan FA reference curves were validated with test-retest data …

Alzheimer’S Disease Protective Allele Of Clusterin Modulates Neuronal Excitability Through Lipid-Droplet-Mediated Neuron-Glia Communication, Xiaojie Zhao, Yan Li, Siwei Zhang, Ari Sudwarts, Hanwen Zhang, Alena Kozlova, Matthew J Moulton, Lindsey D Goodman, Zhiping P Pang, Alan R Sanders, Hugo J Bellen, Gopal Thinakaran, Jubao Duan

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have identified a plethora of risk loci. However, the disease variants/genes and the underlying mechanisms have not been extensively studied.

Methods: Bulk ATAC-seq was performed in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) differentiated various brain cell types to identify allele-specific open chromatin (ASoC) SNPs. CRISPR-Cas9 editing generated isogenic pairs, which were then differentiated into glutamatergic neurons (iGlut). Transcriptomic analysis and functional studies of iGlut co-cultured with mouse astrocytes assessed neuronal excitability and lipid droplet formation.

Results: We identified a putative causal SNP of CLU that impacted neuronal chromatin accessibility to transcription-factor(s), with …

Design And Assembly Of A Lightweight, Multi-Cannula Tetrode Drive For Bilateral Hippocampal And Acc Recordings, Homero Phelps, Jasmine Sidhu, Jonathan V. Trinidad, Talha Soluoku

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Implants and Electrophysiology:

Electrophysiology is the study of the electrical properties of cells and tissues, neuronal implants enable high-resolution recordings of neuron action potentials and their locations in the brain.

Data gathered is key in investigating/mapping cognition and effects of neurological pathologies on regular neural systems.

Hyperdrive Model:

Previous model was restricted to two implant sites, and displayed frequent tetrode deformation

Hyperdrive was modified to support four implant sites and 16 independently movable tetrodes using 3D modeling software, while keeping its weight below 1.5 grams.

Targets:

Researchers targeted the hippocampus (CA1, CA3) and ACC, using the novel bilateral model

Influence Of Hearing Loss On Self-Reported Hearing Ability And Listening Fatigue In Persons With Aphasia, Ashlyn Kilgore

Poster Presentations

Aphasia is an acquired disorder, often caused by stroke, that results in language deficits. It can greatly impact a person's ability to communicate with others. Cognitive deficits may accompany aphasia. Additionally, hearing loss is a disability likely to co-occur with aphasia, as they both most commonly impact the same age group. When a person has hearing loss, the quality of the auditory signal is degraded when it reaches the brain. The poor signal quality, compounded with linguistic and possible cognitive deficits that are associated with aphasia, makes it more difficult for persons with aphasia (PWA) to comprehend speech.

For all …

Hypercoagulable And Autoimmune Factors In Patients With Moyamoya Syndrome, Justin F. Fraser, Min Jian Hou Ma, Christopher Mclouth, Laura Whitnel, Jessica Lasslo, David Dornbos Iii, Jill Roberts

Neuroscience Research Data

Moyamoya is a progressive cerebrovascular condition leading to stenosis of the internal carotid arteries (ICA) and formation of abnormal vasculature at the base of the brain. Patients ultimately suffer from ischemic and/or hemorrhagic stroke. In Kentucky, patients often present with comorbidities, which classifies them as having moyamoya syndrome (MMS). In this prospective observational study, we measured coagulable- and autoimmune-related factors in MMS subjects to identify possible therapeutic targets and help inform clinical care. Venous blood samples were collected from adult subjects diagnosed with MMS and analyzed by the UK Healthcare Clinical Laboratory. Blood samples, demographics, and medical records were obtained …