Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Erika Calvo-Ochoa, Biology and Neuroscience
Document Type
Poster
Event Date
4-12-2024
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is increasing in prevalence, with around 1.5 million people in the United States sustaining a head injury every year. Neural death following TBI contributes significantly to neurological dysfunction and, in extreme cases, death. Adult zebrafish prove a unique and advantageous model of study as they are capable of de novo neural regeneration (i.e., neurogenesis) following brain injury. While it is known that robust cell proliferation occurs in the ventricular zone (VZ) of the telencephalon of adult zebrafish, it is unknown whether these newly-generated cells and their migration aid in the process of neural repair after TBI. In previous research, we showed that lesioned olfactory bulbs (OB) are capable of regeneration and recovery. We aimed to further investigate neural proliferation in the VZ, including neuronal migration to the OB following injury to assess if new neurons originating from the VZ could contribute to OB recovery. We expect to see increased cell proliferation in the lesioned OB compared to the contralateral, undamaged side. We also expect to see an increased migration of the new neurons from the VZ to the lesioned side. We used adult zebrafish that were lesioned using quinolinic acid (QA) injections into one OB while leaving the contralateral side undamaged as control. Fish recovered for 1-day post-lesion or 21-days post-lesion to measure the timing of cell proliferation. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and Hu antibodies were used to assess total cell proliferation and neurogenesis. This work aims to demonstrate the regenerative properties of the zebrafish CNS by observing the migration of new neurons following brain injury. The capacity for cell proliferation in zebrafish has implications for human treatment following TBI, which should be further investigated.
Recommended Citation
Repository citation: Czmer, Matthew; Trainor, Ashley; and Casper, Carmen, "The Role of Brain Injury in Neural Proliferation and Neuronal Migration in Adult Zebrafish" (2024). 23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024). Paper 20.
https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/curca_23/20
April 12, 2024. Copyright © 2024 Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
Comments
This research is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2313303. The research was also supported by the Lars Granberg Psychology Student Research Fund, and Hope College’s Neuroscience program and Biology Department.