Seminars & Events
Monday, February 11, 2013: Dr. Daphne Soares (University of Maryland College Park) will speak on "The Sensory World of Cavefishes" at 4:45 pm in Goodpaster Hall 195.
Monday, March 4, 2013: Dr. Joe Cheer (University of Maryland Baltimore) will speak on "Endogenous Cannabinoids and the Pursuit of Reward" at 4:45 pm in Goodpaster Hall 195.
Friday, April 12, 2013: Dr. Jill McGaughy (University of New Hampshire) will speak on "The Role of Cortical Norepinephrine in the Ontogeny of Executive Function" at 3:00 pm in Schaefer Hall 106.
Alumni Highlight
Dr. Erin Johnson '02 recently received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and was inducted as an alumni member of Nu Rho Psi.
SMP Spotlight
Ron Saul, "Chronic activation of the substantia nigra nociceptin/orphanin receptor induces motor deficits similar to Parkinson's disease," 2008. Saul, the 2008 winner of the Neuroscience Award, infused a drug into the substantia nigra of rats and measured the resulting motor behaviors, mood disturbances, and cognitive abilities.
Singley, Rachel (2012). Ototoxicity and otoprotection in the goldfish (Carassius auratus) lateral line system. (Mentor: J. Ramcharitar)
Abstract
Many life-saving drugs result in irreversible ototoxicity, the destruction of mechanosensory hair cells, which implies ongoing deficits in balance (e.g. vertigo) and hearing loss. As the cellular mechanisms of various ototoxic compounds are realized, different molecules emerge as possible otoprotectants that can prevent hair cell death without preventing a drug’s therapeutic effects. Hair cells are found in the semicircular canals and cochlea of the mammalian inner ear, similar structures in other vertebrate ears, and the neuromasts of the fish lateral line system. The fish lateral line system is a model system for ototoxicity and otoprotection studies due to similarities between its hair cells and those in mammals. This study developed dose-response curves for the effects of cisplatin and gentamicin on neuromast death in adult goldfish, with the hypothesis that both drugs would show a dose-dependent neuromast decrease. Both ototoxins demonstrated the expected relationship, although cisplatin’s dose-response curve better fit the data. This study also examined the dose-response relationship between epicatechin treatment before 50 µM cisplatin exposure and neuromast survival, with the hypothesis that epicatechin would show a dose-dependent neuromast increase. The epicatechin dose-response curve supported this hypothesis. These findings contribute to the current knowledge by providing additional information about dose-related effects of these drugs, with the hope that similar studies will eventually lead to the development of FDA-approved ototprotective drugs.
