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ItemIdentifying the potential effect of zolmitriptan on the 1b pathway of Golgi tendon organs in regulating intermuscular inhibition in the extremities to find a link in the mechanism of spasticity(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-01-18) Davis, Adam EugeneThe deep dorsal horn (DDH) of the spinal cord is a major integration center for receiving a variety of neural projections from the brainstem as well as a variety of afferent inputs from muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs (GTOs) in the muscles. Following spinal cord injury (SCI) to the DDH, an overall loss of serotonergic input from the brainstem is observed, for which there is evidence to suggest that this may play a role in inhibiting the activity of bursting interneurons in the DDH, possibly leading to uncontrolled motoneuron activity, hyperreflexia. GTOs primarily supply the force feedback network (FBB), which also receives supraspinal input through the DDH, likely also affected by its loss in SCI. The purpose of this current study is to investigate if FBB function changes, with or without SCI, after the administration of a specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), zolmitriptan, which inhibits the activity of the bursting interneurons. FBB function was determined primarily as inhibitory signals from the flexor hallucis longus (FHL) onto the gastrocnemius (GAS), the muscle tensions compared after being stretched individually and pairwise, with some data from rectus femoris (RF) onto GAS. The autogenic stretch reflex was analyzed only in GAS. Animals with an intact spinal cord (n=1) and with a lateral hemisection (n=2) were used to compare the changes in reflexes following zolmitriptan administration. Data was variable across the subjects with no clear effect on the autogenic stretch reflex in GAS. The more stable lateral hemisection subject revealed that zolmitriptan largely and consistently increased inhibition from FHL onto GAS from a miniscule baseline, suggesting connectivity between the GTO circuit and the bursting interneurons of the DDH. Notably in the intact spinal cord animal, there was an immediate and complete correction of oscillations in the baseline tension of all muscles after drug administration, treating a symptom of hyperreflexia. These results suggest a connection between the two systems or a more significant role of this particular serotonin receptor on GTO circuit and the DDH. More studies may provide a deeper understanding of this network and these findings.
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ItemEmotional wellbeing in those with chronic illness due to a genetic mutation in valosin-containing protein(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-01-18) Jones, MalloryValosin-containing protein (VCP) is a ubiquitous protein and a member of the ATPases Associated with a variety of cellular Activities (AAA proteins) superfamily. VCP has many functions in the cell including protein quality control, membrane fusion, and maintenance of the cell cycle and apoptosis. Mutations of the gene encoding VCP lead to a rare but devastating disorder with several pathologies including inclusion body myopathy, Paget’s disease of bone, ALS, and frontotemporal dementia. People who develop VCP Disease often feel disenfranchised with their diagnosis, being unable to access appropriate treatments or support systems. Another complication of its rare nature is that this disease is frequently misdiagnosed, due in large part to lack of awareness. Advocacy programs like Cure VCP Disease, Inc. seek to educate caregivers, patients, and medical professionals about the disease and advocate for increased research and resources devoted to its cure. These groups are an integral facet of the rare disease community, and it is imperative that the scientific community bolster and encourage the work of these groups. This review will examine existing literature concerning VCP Disease and will present what is currently known of this multisystem proteinopathy through the lens of patient advocacy. Unpublished and deidentified testimonials of several patients and caregivers will be presented to emphasize the importance of patient advocacy work. Additionally, grip strength data obtained using a dynamometer is analyzed in an effort to identify factors for prediction of symptom progression.
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ItemUsing Infrared Technology to Examine Arousal in Brown Tufted Capuchin Monkeys (Sapajus [Cebus] apella)(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-01-18) Andrews, Charles JamesFrom a well-being standpoint, having a reliable measure of emotion is important for species in captivity for the purpose of determining animal welfare. This holds especially true as habitat destruction is increasing, and there are more animals being held in captivity as a result. From a research standpoint, having a reliable measure of arousal can be particularly useful when performing certain experiments that require subjective experiences and quantifiable behaviors. Infrared Thermography (IRT) is a technology that could possibly aid scientists interested in studying emotions and arousal in animals mainly due to its advantage of non-invasiveness, and there is a growing amount of evidence supporting its validity. Although multiple monkey taxa have been studied using IRT technology, there has been little to no research on brown tufted capuchins, Sapajus [Cebus] apella, thus far. Examining capuchin monkeys with IRT could help to further demonstrate the technology’s validity among all non-human primate (NHP) species. For Sapajus [Cebus] apella research specifically, having a reliable means of quantifying emotional states non-invasively could be valuable for future studies. Many experiments performed in this field currently depend on subjective behavioral cues to measure emotion and well-being. Having a valid and possibly automated tool like IRT to measure emotion could eliminate these potential errors and biases. In addition, IRT may be a useful tool when examining Sapajus [Cebus] apella welfare in captivity, and demonstrating this technology’s validity would allow for an improved measure of well-being for this species. In this study, a procedure was created and performed in order to investigate the relationship between arousal and nasal temperature in capuchin monkeys.
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ItemCan Equating Perception Also Equate Working Memory Performance in Young Adults? A Stage Report for an Attempt to Resolve Individual Differences in Working Memory(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-01-18) Wang, MinzhiWorking memory performances are not the same among different individuals, here we examined the role initial perceptual processing plays in working memory functioning. We sought to examine whether equating subjects on the initial perceptual processing could also equate their working memory performances. We did this by using a standard 2-back test using slanted bars as stimuli. Perception was equated by obtaining subjects’ 79% threshold for discrimination of two slanted bars with different orientation using a 3-down-1-up staircase. At this stage, we found some evidence that subjects equated on perception performance performed similarly in working memory tasks. A large scale experiment is needed to generalize the findings.