Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

1187

Eric McKimm

Date

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Psychology

Concentration

Behavioral Neuroscience

Committee Chair

Charles Blaha

Committee Member

Guy Mittleman

Committee Member

Ramin Homayouni

Abstract

Neural abnormalities commonly associated with autism spectrum disorders include prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction and cerebellar pathologies in the form of Purkinje cell loss and cerebellar hypoplasia. It has been shown that cerebellar Purkinje cell loss and dysfunction results in abnormal dopamine neurotransmission in the PFC. With use of a mouse model, we explored the effects of Purkinje cell loss on the disruption of glutamatergic projections to the PFC that ultimately influences dopamine (DA) release. Glutamate release was evoked by localized electrical stimulation coupled with fixed potential amperometry in combination with a glutamate selective enzyme-based recording probe in urethane anesthetized Lurcher mutant and wildtype mice. The results indicated, in comparison to wildtype mice, evoked glutamate release was reduced in Lurcher mutants. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that developmental loss of cerebellar Purkinje cells directly influence evoked glutamate release in cerebellar efferent pathways that ultimately influences PFC DA.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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