Title:
The Neurochemical Mobile: Analysis of Dynamic Interactions between Six Neurotransmitters

dc.contributor.author Fieni, David en_US
dc.contributor.department Biomedical Engineering en_US
dc.date.accessioned 2013-05-10T13:06:48Z
dc.date.available 2013-05-10T13:06:48Z
dc.date.issued 2013-05-08
dc.description.abstract A mobile, typically seen in an infant’s crib, is an eloquent representation of the balance between multiple items. The neurochemical mobile is a tool used to visualize the balance between six major neurotransmitters in the human brain. Neurotransmitters are chemical compounds that govern the behavior of the brain. Here, this somewhat abstract model has been converted into a more applicable form. This was done using nonlinear computational systems modeling within the framework of biochemical systems theory, which allows even ill-characterized systems to be mapped into a mathematical representation. The interactions between the individual neurotransmitters and the system are described by the “neurochemical interaction matrix”. This matrix explicitly records whether the reaction between two neurotransmitters is excitatory or inhibitory. These interactions have an effect on the concentrations of the six compounds, which in turn make up the symbolic weight. The various weights are then incorporated into a model of a spring-mass system in order to quantitatively represent overall shifts in balance upon alterations in weights. Simulations show how short- and long-term perturbations in any of the neurotransmitters migrate through the entire system, thereby affecting the balances within the mobile. In cases of short-term alterations, transients are of particular interest, whereas long-term changes shed light on persistently altered, allostatic states, which in mental diseases and sleep disorders could be due to a combination of unfavorable factors, resulting from a specific genetic predisposition, epigenetic effects, disease, or the repeated use of drugs, such as opioids and amphetamines. Based on the research done here, the Voit lab continued this line of investigation and published the paper, “The Neurochemical Mobile with Non-Linear Interaction Matrix: An Exploratory Computational Model” [19]. en_US
dc.description.advisor Eberhard O. Voit - Faculty Mentor en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/1853/46895
dc.language.iso en_US en_US
dc.publisher Georgia Institute of Technology en_US
dc.subject Neurotransmitters en_US
dc.subject Neurology en_US
dc.subject Neuroscience en_US
dc.subject Computational biology en_US
dc.title The Neurochemical Mobile: Analysis of Dynamic Interactions between Six Neurotransmitters en_US
dc.type Text
dc.type.genre Undergraduate Thesis
dspace.entity.type Publication
local.contributor.corporatename Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
local.contributor.corporatename Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program
local.contributor.corporatename College of Engineering
local.relation.ispartofseries Undergraduate Research Option Theses
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