Mihika
Bahekar
Sponsor: Satoshi Namekawa, Ph.D. Microbiology & Molec Genetics Male germ cell differentiation is a process that is tightly controlled by gene regulation. Poly-ADP Ribose Polymerase (PARP) is a family of proteins that are involved in this gene regulation. PARP has been implicated to affect both DNA-damage response and meiotic sex chromosome activation. In this study, we look to analyze the effects of the PARP family of proteins, and its associated gene expression, in male meiosis. We used an ex-vivo germ cell culture and in-vivo oral gavage treatments of PARP inhibitor Olaparib to collect data from both single-cell/bulk RNA sequencing. Preliminary results showed over 1000 differentially expressed genes. These genes are implicated in the gene regulatory process of meiotic spermatocytes and post-meiotic spermatids. Single cell data identified numerous genes impacted at different stages of meiosis, and can be used as further targets for analysis of protein interactions. Previous studies also implicate the protein Senataxin (SETX) as a coregulator with PARP in somatic cells, but the effect in the germ line has not been well documented. Examining immunostaining of mouse lines with SETX knocked out, the knockout provoked PARP accumulation and meiotic arrest in Leptotene/Zygotene. These results showcase some of the protein interaction complexity in mammalian germ cells. Investigating the Relationship Between Hippocampal Theta Activity and Vicarious Trial and Error During Goal-Directed Navigation in Humans
Abstract profile. Full document pending author claim.
Authors:
Mihika Bahekar
Date Created:
Not specified
Course Title:
Professor:
Not specified
About Paper:
In goal-directed navigation, the brain relates its current location to the destination to plan its route towards that destination, in which a cognitive "map" updates during progress towards the endpoint. Previous studies postulated that vicarious trial and error (VTE), or looking back and forth as if deliberating over a choice, has been observed in rats, and humans are hypothesized to behave similarly when making decisions. Critically, increased theta activity has been observed in the hippocampus during tasks involving encoding spatial information and linearly segmenting navigation routes during real-world navigation. In this study, we analyze the relationship between hippocampal theta activity during navigation and VTE in humans. After the patients briefly explored a virtual- reality Eye-Kea showroom, they searched for ten cues from three categories of furniture in multiple sessions of 20 trials. We recorded neural activity from intracranial EEG with depth electrodes in the patients' hippocampus, along with their speed, angular orientation, and velocity. We hypothesize that the deceleration points in the patients' trajectory to the target room will have increased angular velocity similar to animal VTE, which will correlate with higher theta activity in their hippocampal data. In the future, we can further analyze other aspects of the neural data. Logarithmic Spiral-Shaped End Effector for Gentle Plant Manipulation in Space Habitats Maya Bahnasy
Source:
UC Davis / MED: Neurology / 2026
Topics:
No topics listed
Co-authors:
Mihika Bahekar