Browsing by Subject "neuron"

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    FKBP51 modulates hippocampal size and function in post-translational regulation of Parkin
    (Springer, 2022-03-04) Qiu, Bin; Zhong, Zhaohui; Righter, Shawn; Xu, Yuxue; Wang, Jun; Deng, Ran; Wang, Chao; Williams, Kent E.; Ma, Yao-ying; Tsechpenakis, Gavriil; Liang, Tiebing; Yong, Weidong; Surgery, School of Medicine
    FK506-binding protein 51 (encoded by Fkpb51, also known as Fkbp5) has been associated with stress-related mental illness. To investigate its function, we studied the morphological consequences of Fkbp51 deletion. Artificial Intelligence-assisted morphological analysis revealed that male Fkbp51 knock-out (KO) mice possess more elongated dentate gyrus (DG) but shorter hippocampal height in coronal sections when compared to WT. Primary cultured Fkbp51 KO hippocampal neurons were shown to exhibit larger dendritic outgrowth than wild-type (WT) controls and pharmacological manipulation experiments suggest that this may occur through the regulation of microtubule-associated protein. Both in vitro primary culture and in vivo labeling support a role for FKBP51 in the regulation of microtubule-associated protein expression. Furthermore, Fkbp51 KO hippocampi exhibited decreases in βIII-tubulin, MAP2, and Tau protein levels, but a greater than 2.5-fold increase in Parkin protein. Overexpression and knock-down FKBP51 demonstrated that FKBP51 negatively regulates Parkin in a dose-dependent and ubiquitin-mediated manner. These results indicate a potential novel post-translational regulatory mechanism of Parkin by FKBP51 and the significance of their interaction on disease onset.
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    Using Mathematics to Become in Sync With the Brain
    (Frontiers, 2022-05-19) Swartz, Micah; Rubchinsky, Leonid L.; Mathematical Sciences, School of Science
    From a young age, we are told that being “in sync” is a good thing! From being in sync with the music as we dance to being in sync with teammates on the field, synchronization is celebrated. However, too little or too much synchronization can be bad. In the brain, synchronization allows important information to be sent back and forth between neurons, so that we can make decisions and function in our daily lives. Mathematics can help researchers and doctors understand patterns of abnormal synchronization in the brain and help them to diagnose and potentially treat the symptoms of brain disorders. In this article, we will dive into how mathematics is used to explore and understand the brain—one of our body’s most important organs.