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Functional relationship between forebrain cholinergic projections and somatostatin neurons in the rat

dc.contributor.authorPerry, Theresa Frieden
dc.contributor.departmentVeterinary Medical Sciencesen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T21:31:40Zen
dc.date.adate2009-03-14en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T21:31:40Zen
dc.date.issued1990en
dc.date.rdate2009-03-14en
dc.date.sdate2009-03-14en
dc.description.abstractThe two neuron types that initially degenerate with Alzheimer's Disease are the cholinergic projections from the septum to the hippocampus and from the substantia innominata to the cortex, and the somatostatinergic neurons in the hippocampus and cortex. The functional relationship between these two types of neurons was investigated using folic acid, a neuro-excitant, and cysteamine, a somatostatin depleter. Folic acid causes a neuron to fire at a much higher rate than normal (Spector, 1971). Folic acid was injected into either the septum or the substantia innominata, and the long-term effect of the resulting acute hyperactivity of the cholinergic neurons on somatostatin neurons was measured as somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in the hippocampus and cortex. Glutamic acid decarboxylase activity, a marker for gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) neurons, was also measured because it has been shown to decrease in the cortex after injection of folic acid into the substantia innominata. The administration of folic acid to the cholinergic neurons did not have a significant long-term effect on somatostatin-like immunoreactivity nor glutamic acid decarboxylase activity; therefore, a hyperactivity of the cholinergic neurons did not result in degeneration of GABAergic nor somatostatinergic neurons. Cysteamine causes a short-term depletion of somatostatin. Cysteamine was injected subcutaneously and the effect of an acute decrease of brain somatostatin on the cholinergic neurons was studied by measuring high affinity choline uptake, an indicator of cholinergic activity. Administration of cysteamine had no measured effect on high affinity choline uptake in the hippocampus or frontal cortex; therefore, a depletion of somatostatin did not effect cholinergic activity. The assay for high affinity choline uptake was tested by injection of pentobarbital, a drug known to decrease high affinity choline uptake. We detected a decrease in high affinity choline uptake after pentobarbital administration, indicating that if cysteamine were decreasing high affinity choline uptake, the assay would have detected it.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.extentvi, 88 leavesen
dc.format.mediumBTDen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.otheretd-03142009-040550en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-03142009-040550/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/41603en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartLD5655.V855_1990.P449.pdfen
dc.relation.isformatofOCLC# 23123335en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subject.lccLD5655.V855 1990.P449en
dc.subject.lcshAcetylcholine -- Researchen
dc.subject.lcshGABA -- Researchen
dc.subject.lcshNeural transmission -- Regulationen
dc.subject.lcshNeurotransmitters -- Researchen
dc.subject.lcshRats -- Physiologyen
dc.subject.lcshSomatostatin -- Researchen
dc.titleFunctional relationship between forebrain cholinergic projections and somatostatin neurons in the raten
dc.typeThesisen
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
thesis.degree.disciplineVeterinary Medical Sciencesen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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