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STRIATAL DOPAMINE AND FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY AFTER CORTICAL LESION
by
Elizabeth J. H. Davis
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(NEUROSCIENCE)
December 2006
Copyright 2006 Elizabeth J.H. Davis
Object Description
| Title | Striatal Dopamine and functional recovery after cortical lesion |
| Author | Davis, Elizabeth J.H. |
| Author email | elizabjd@usc.edu |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Neuroscience |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2006-10-02 |
| Date submitted | 2006 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2006-10-19 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | McNeill, Thomas H. |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Winstein, Carolee Butler, Samantha Schauwecker, Elyse Hamm-Alvarez, Sarah F. |
| Abstract | Brain injury research utilizes animal models to examine the neuronal and neurological effects of damage, including reparative or compensatory cellular and molecular responses to injury. The experiments outlined in this thesis use an established model of motor cortex injury in rats to examine the mechanisms involved in determining the response to damage, with the goal of identifying endogenous factors or pathways that can be therapeutically manipulated to promote neural and behavioral functional recovery.; Following aspiration of the forelimb representation area of rat motor cortex, reactive changes are observed in growth-associated proteins, neuron and synapse morphology, and behavioral performance. Upregulation of the growth-associated proteins GAP-43 and SCG10 may underlie structural adaptations, such as multiple synaptic bouton formation, that compensate for weakened signals. Behaviorally, animals demonstrate deficits in sensorimotor ability and fine skilled usage of the forelimbs.; In these studies, we found that rats from different strains exhibit different behavioral profiles normally, and produce different growth-associated protein and neural remodeling responses to lesion. Their post-lesion behavioral recovery, however, is comparable. Strain considerations may be useful in designing studies that focus on these phenomena, and are critical to valid interpretation and generalization of study findings.; The studies documented here also show that both behavioral outcome and protein induction in response to cortical aspiration are dependent on intact nigrostriatal input. More specifically, striatal dopamine D1-type receptor function supports growth-associated protein induction, as well as spontaneous behavioral improvement. Finally, daily practice in a skilled reaching task can improve forepaw performance after lesioning, and the ability to develop a successful grasping strategy also involves striatal D1 receptors. In the rat cortical lesion model, intact striatal dopamine function appears to support endogenously activated mechanisms of recovery or compensation, highlighting the possibility of therapeutically manipulating the dopamine pathway to promote functional recovery. |
| Keyword | dopamine; strain; brain injury |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m97 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Davis, Elizabeth J.H. |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | http://www.usc.edu/isd/libraries/services/ask_a_librarian/email/ |
| Filename | etd-Davis-20061019 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume29/etd-Davis-20061019.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Full text | STRIATAL DOPAMINE AND FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY AFTER CORTICAL LESION by Elizabeth J. H. Davis A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (NEUROSCIENCE) December 2006 Copyright 2006 Elizabeth J.H. Davis |
