Conversations with a Neuron, Volume 2
[-] Preface
Welcome to the second edition of Conversations with a Neuron! We launched this journal in 2019 to feature articles written by our Neuroscience majors at Washington State University Vancouver. The articles all started as class assignments for classes such as Neuroanatomy and the neuroscience Capstone course; upper-division courses that invite the students to dig into a topic in neuroscience that interests them, to think deeply, and to synthesize ideas. The end result, of course, is a graded assignment – we know our students work hard for their grades! In a traditional course, the grade would be the end – a paper written by the student, read and graded by the professor, and set aside.
These papers are so much more than a chance to earn a grade! They show original thought and mastery of the subject matter, and they teach the professors something new every time. Hence, this journal. We wanted to showcase the great work of our students.
I particularly want to thank Editor-in-Chief Sydney Wolfe, a gifted writer and current neuroscience major, for her excellent editing on this volume. Also, special thanks to Cheyanne Lewis (B.S. Neuroscience 2019), our inaugural editor who paved the way for this edition and those to come.
To learn more about our Neuroscience program, please visit our website at https://cas.vancouver.wsu.edu/neuroscience. We hope you enjoy this issue… and learn something you are glad to know!
Sincerely,
Dr. Allison Coffin
Associate Professor of Neuroscience
[+] Neuroanatomy
A drug-free solution
Researchers show that stimulating the nucleus accumbens, a brain structure involved with reward, may offer a new treatment option for those suffering from severe depression and anxiety.
A new target for depression treatment?
It was found that overexpression of Regulator of G Protein Signaling 8 (RGS8) protein is linked to resistance of depression. This could lead to a new drug target for treatment of depression.
Adventurous monkeys: choosing to explore the unknown
Communication between the amygdala and the ventral striatum regulate decision-making behavior by determining whether new options outweigh a known option with a guaranteed reward.
Apathy or empathy: the systems behind guilt analyzed
What makes us feel guilty when we silently walk past a panhandler or say “no thanks” when asked to round up our purchase for charity at the grocery store? Brain scanning of individuals in guilt causing situations implicate the amygdala, insula, and superior temporal sulcus.
Broccoli can prevent psychosis
A new study shows intake of a glucoraphanin dietary prevents sfi1 expression in the medial prefrontal cortex for adult offspring of maternal immune activation.
Caffeine: does it improve our reading skills?
This study tests whether caffeine affects the global pattern processing, and more specifically, if caffeine could enhance text reading skills.
Can’t sleep? You might need some stimulation
Scientists discover the therapeutic potential of electrical vagus nerve stimulation in the treatment of primary insomnia.
Cerebellum at a junction, now there’s a function
This article provides new evidence that the cerebellum, a structure located in the rear of the brain, has a larger role in controlling reward circuitry and social behavior than previously thought.
Is your corpus callosum normal?
The left and right sides of your brain are connected via nerve bundles that make up the largest structure within your brain called the corpus callosum. Research highlighted here by Lischke et. al., show that disruptions in this key brain structure may correlate with increased suicidal behaviors in people suffering from borderline personality disorder.
Levels of blood proteins within the brain may be linked to major depressive disorder
A new study found that asymmetry of the frontal areas of the brain was positively correlated with thoughts of suicide in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
Mutation in receptors of the corpus callosum causes developmental issues in children
A mutation in the receptor DCC, needed for guidance of axons of the corpus callosum during development, is found to cause isolated agenesis. This provides information that can be used for prenatal detection of agenesis and the risk factor of an abnormal neurodevelopmental outcome.
Neurons in the dorsomedial striatum play a critical role in excessive alcohol consumption
Exciting D1 medium spiny neurons and Inhibiting D2 medium spiny neurons leads to excessive alcohol consumption in mice.
New imaging technique for assessing damage to brain cells
The study examines a novel myelin imaging technique (REMyDI) that was used to discover the amount of myelin in patients with multiple sclerosis and how the quantity was correlated with their physical and cognitive disability ratings.
Opening the blood-brain barrier
The study examines a novel myelin imaging technique (REMyDI) that was used to discover the amount of myelin in patients with multiple sclerosis and how the quantity was correlated with their physical and cognitive disability ratings.
PTSD and its effects on the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex
The study aims to show that amygdala hyperactivity following an acute trauma is indicative of chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Alternatively, the inability to sustain ventral anterior cingulate cortex activation when being exposed to similar trauma can be linked to difficulty recovering from ongoing PTSD symptoms.
Predicting nausea using AI
A new study shows that artificial intelligence may be able to predict an individual's susceptibility to nausea.
Size does matter
The article discusses the difference in the size of the pineal gland between those with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) and those without it. The size difference matters as those with smaller pineal gland have consistently been diagnosed with OCPD.
The obesity epidemic: one more reason to be anxious
Consuming a high-fat Western diet during adolescence can alter the development of brain circuitry involved in fear. This can put an individual at a higher risk for anxiety-related disorders.
The power of music on the brain
A study on the way music can anatomically alter the brain found that, amongst identical twins, the twin who had at least 1,000 hours of training on the keyboard had more advanced gray matter and white matter when compared to the twin who had no musical training.
[+] Neurophysiology
A new drug approach increases cognition in rats
In a new study the α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, a subtype of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors was studied in relation to their role in attention and cognition. This research presents a novel approach using a positive allosteric modulator on α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to increase cognition in rats. This approach can be used in cognitive deficit disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease and schizophrenia, which show a reduction of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in several parts of the brain.
A study of neuronal distribution within the brain of epileptic patients shows the preservation of a certain neuron
A new study finds a link between distribution patterns of neurons within the brain and tissue samples from epileptic patients, indicating that a certain interneuron is mainly preserved in the epileptic brain.
Brevican: perineuronal net protein captures new insights on interneuron activity
Study finds that brevican, a protein found in perineuronal nets and parvalbumin interneurons, is needed for short term memory. This is because brevican regulates the firing properties and type of inputs onto parvalbumin interneurons.
Degeneration of cells stimulated by a-synuclein
The brain is not the only organ involved in the development of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease spotted in the gut en route to the brain.
Gene mutation heals traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injuries heal differently for different people. That is because of an apoptotic gene, P53 which is mutated in some people and leads to higher resilience of programmed cell death. Thus, there is increased recovery in severe TBI patients with the mutated P53 gene.
Gene therapy for epilepsy
Snowball et. al have potentially discovered a way to bypass invasive surgeries commonly used to treat epilepsy, often risking a patient’s ability to function normally. This new method utilizes a less invasive gene therapy approach targeting the KCNA1 potassium channel gene, in turn decreasing the disorder’s effect.
How does alcohol affect your brain’s signaling?
Excessive alcohol consumption strengthens presynaptic D2R MSN to postsynaptic D1R MSN glutamatergic transmission.
No lonelier reverse transcriptase inhibitor
In a paper written by Kang, et al., a host of newly discovered azide compounds have been implicated in the treatment of HIV/AIDS in humans. The compounds are demonstrated to interact with a hydrophobic channel as well as the non-nucleoside inhibitory binding pocket (NNIBP) which is also known at the allosteric site of the channel.
Schizophrenia with depression: not just a black and white matter
A recent study challenges the classical model for schizophrenia with depression, finding evidence for a unique brain mechanism that is unseen in schizophrenia or depression alone.
Sensing acid in the brain
A study performed by Cakir et al. finds that acid-sensing ion channels, including calcium, sodium, lead, and zinc have varying effects on the excitability of stellate cells in the cochlear nucleus.
Stimulation frequency contributes to reward and aversion
New findings in the continued effort to understand the neuropsychiatry of addiction and depression suggest stimulation patterns in neuronal reward pathways contribute to reward and aversion behaviors.
The “hunt” for an answer continues
Functional deficits have been identified in striatal neurons of mice expressing the mutation for Huntington’s disease. This research identifies a potential target for therapy treatment.
Therapeutic potential of taurine supplementation for multiple sclerosis
Beyer et al. found taurine, in combination with drug-induced remyelination, to significantly enhance oligodendrocyte differentiation, making it a potential supplement for patients with demyelinating diseases.
Too much excitement can create painful hallucinations
Researchers found that excess glutamate can result in cortical spreading depression, and this can promote neuroplasticity in the primary motor cortex of the brain and potentially induce migraine with aura (Conte et al, 2010).
Want a better memory? More REM sleep could be the solution
Sleep has previously been identified as a critical period for consolidation of memory. A research team spanning labs in both New York and Peking recently identified one mechanism that only occurs during one specific stage of sleep: REM sleep. This mechanism is the pruning of dendritic spines.
What do cocktail parties and your reaction to a thunderclap have in common?
A new study finds that dopaminergic projections to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are heavily involved in reactions to aversive or dangerous stimuli.
[+] Neuroscience In Review
A literature review of interleukin-6 family cytokines regulation of oligodendrocytes following demyelination
Alzheimer’s disease: detecting pathophysiological and neuropathological changes with biomarkers
An overview of exercise-induced hippocampal neurogenesis
Circadian rhythm disruption and PACAP-38 in the pathophysiology of cluster headache
Effects of neonatal methamphetamine exposure
Opioid-induced hyperalgesia and enhanced pain in opioid withdrawal: a comparison of cellular mechanisms
Review of Drug Addiction and the Role of Perineuronal Nets
Review on the use of 3D cerebral organoids and the current technical progress in their development
Structural and functional prion malfunction as a catalyst for Alzheimer’s disease
The interactive role of Aβ plaques and tau pathology and their effects in Alzheimer’s disease
The neurological mechanisms of mindfulness meditation
The role of the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit in temporal processing, inflammation, and learning
Chief Editor: Sydney Wolfe
Publication Date: Aug 2020
Supervising Staff: Allison Coffin, PhD & Dale Fortin, PhD
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