Presentation Type
Poster - Campus Access Only
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Nathan Insel
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Psychology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), such as Alzheimer's Disease and Schizophrenia, have been associated with altered brainwaves and the dysfunctions of ion channels critical for excitatory neurotransmission in the CNS, including the N-methyl-D-aspartate Receptors (NMDARs). One compound shown to pharmacologically regulate brainwaves is AICP (((R)-2-amino-3-(4-(2-ethylphenyl)-1H-indole-2-carboxamido) propanoic acid), an agonist of NMDARs, which can act as a modulator of NMDAR activity. Our study was designed to provide information about the effect of AICP on neural activity on a network level. Of particular interest is the impact on gamma oscillations, 40-90 Hz waves of depolarization, that have been linked to higher brain functions such as cognition and behavior and are usually higher in patients with Schizophrenia. We recorded local field potentials from the hippocampal area of the brain of rats using implanted electrodes. Local field potentials (LFPs) are the electric potential in the extracellular space of a group of neurons and provide an indicator of neural activity. LFPs were recorded before and after a local infusion of AICP, with the goal of comparing the brainwaves' frequencies and amplitudes. After filtering the neural activity, the amplitudes were averaged for the different periods pre- and post-treatment with AICP. The preliminary analysis of the data of two animals shows the expected increase in high-frequency (65 to 90 Hz) gamma amplitude after AICP injection in one animal. The absence of change in the other animal might be due to technical errors in the cannula placement, which will be investigated using histological examination. The analyzed effect of AICP on neural activity will help in further research on NMDARs, which is of consequence for understanding the pathophysiology of diseases caused by NMDA receptor dysfunction and their treatment.
Category
Life Sciences
Effects of subtype-specific NMDA receptor modulation on neural activity in behaving rats
UC South Ballroom
Diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), such as Alzheimer's Disease and Schizophrenia, have been associated with altered brainwaves and the dysfunctions of ion channels critical for excitatory neurotransmission in the CNS, including the N-methyl-D-aspartate Receptors (NMDARs). One compound shown to pharmacologically regulate brainwaves is AICP (((R)-2-amino-3-(4-(2-ethylphenyl)-1H-indole-2-carboxamido) propanoic acid), an agonist of NMDARs, which can act as a modulator of NMDAR activity. Our study was designed to provide information about the effect of AICP on neural activity on a network level. Of particular interest is the impact on gamma oscillations, 40-90 Hz waves of depolarization, that have been linked to higher brain functions such as cognition and behavior and are usually higher in patients with Schizophrenia. We recorded local field potentials from the hippocampal area of the brain of rats using implanted electrodes. Local field potentials (LFPs) are the electric potential in the extracellular space of a group of neurons and provide an indicator of neural activity. LFPs were recorded before and after a local infusion of AICP, with the goal of comparing the brainwaves' frequencies and amplitudes. After filtering the neural activity, the amplitudes were averaged for the different periods pre- and post-treatment with AICP. The preliminary analysis of the data of two animals shows the expected increase in high-frequency (65 to 90 Hz) gamma amplitude after AICP injection in one animal. The absence of change in the other animal might be due to technical errors in the cannula placement, which will be investigated using histological examination. The analyzed effect of AICP on neural activity will help in further research on NMDARs, which is of consequence for understanding the pathophysiology of diseases caused by NMDA receptor dysfunction and their treatment.