The floor plate (FP) is a ventral midline organizing structure of the developing neural tube that provides positional information using morphogen concentration gradients towards the production of diverse neuron types. In caudal regions the FP is non-neurogenic unlike the mesodiencephalic region of the FP that is highly neurogenic, and is...
Dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta are richly innervated by GABAergic neurons. The postsynaptic effects of GABA on SNc DA neurons are mediated by a mixture of GABAA and GABAB receptors. Although activation of GABAA receptors inhibits spike generation, the consequences of GABAB receptor activation are less well...
Age-related cognitive deficits are observed in both humans and animals. Yet, the molecular mechanisms underlying these deficits are not yet fully elucidated. In aged animals, a decrease in intrinsic excitability of pyramidal neurons from the CA1 sub-region of hippocampus is believed to contribute to age-related cognitive impairments, but the molecular...
Loss of inhibitory control from descending serotonergic (5-HT) fibers deregulates the excitability of spinal motoneurons and interneurons following spinal cord injury (SCI). Exaggerated synaptic activity triggers long-lasting excitatory postsynaptic potentials (long EPSPs) in hyperexcitable motoneurons to ultimately drive muscle spasms at the chronic stage of SCI. Deep dorsal horn (DDH)...
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), the result of fetal alcohol exposure (FAE), affects 2-11% of children worldwide with no treatments in sight. In my thesis work, I aimed to identify underlying biological mechanisms of the FAE-induced hippocampus-based cognitive deficits that would lead to identify potential treatment targets to reverse the...
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by progressive motoneuron loss. Autopsy from thoracic spinal tissues of sALS patients revealed a significant loss of large motoneurons while medium and small motoneurons were relatively unaffected. Using two-photon microscopy, we observed a soma hypertrophy of neonatal motoneurons in mice overexpressing mutant human G93A-superoxide...
The striatum is a subcortical nucleus that regulates a number of complex activities ranging from voluntary action selection to the subconscious formation of habit. The coordination of these operations is mediated by the principle cells of the striatum, spiny projection neurons (SPNs). SPN activity is dictated by a confluence of...
Chronic pain is a prevalent and under-treated condition that remains a mystery to the medical system and a major social and economic problem. Unfortunately, there is no single treatment superior to others for relieving chronic pain. While recent scientific discoveries have provided us with functional and anatomical brain biomarkers of...