{"id":2547,"date":"2015-06-25T19:06:25","date_gmt":"2015-06-25T19:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/In\u00a0a%20flap%20of%20skull%20the%20size%20of%20a%20pinhead,"},"modified":"2018-01-22T20:29:19","modified_gmt":"2018-01-22T20:29:19","slug":"window-to-the-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazines.uthscsa.edu\/mission-old\/window-to-the-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"Window to the brain"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"WindowIn\u00a0a flap of skull the size of a pinhead, Martin Paukert<\/a>, M.D., mounts and seals a thin window onto an anesthetized mouse.<\/div>\n

This window will allow Dr. Paukert and his team to monitor, in real time, effects of stimuli to the brain of a conscious mouse while it walks on a tiny treadmill. That\u2019s something that\u2019s not often done, Dr. Paukert said, but that can yield important data.<\/p>\n

Dr. Paukert is the principal investigator of a five-year, $2 million grant from The Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation to study brain activity that may take place long before Alzheimer\u2019s disease symptoms are observed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe unraveling of the mystery of this terrible illness will emanate from discoveries along the lines of what Dr. Paukert and his colleagues are doing,\u201d said UT Health Science Center President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP. \u201cYou can\u2019t develop a drug, you can\u2019t develop an antibody, you can\u2019t develop something to prevent this unless you know what lies at the very center of the problem. That\u2019s why this work is so important. The consequences of having a neurodegenerative disease are deeply felt by everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the earliest sites of noticeable neurodegeneration is a brain stem structure called the locus coeruleus. This structure has a major influence on the entire central nervous system because it delivers norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter associated with attention or arousal. Initial triggers of Alzheimer\u2019s disease may include less norepinephrine release, and fewer norepinephrine-dependent calcium spikes in cells called astrocytes. While astrocytes are the major support cells for neurons, in Alzheimer\u2019s this relationship appears to be somehow affected, causing the death of neurons.<\/p>\n

Using Dr. Paukert\u2019s system, the scientists measure spikes in calcium signaling in the astrocytes, which occur when the mouse walks on a treadmill or, more pronounced, when the mouse follows the movement of the motorized belt of the treadmill. During the measurements, the mouse is conscious and the window to its brain is immobilized under the microscope. Critically, its legs remain free to walk.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis technique gives us a window into how brain cells engage in a cross-talk and how these communications are determined and interpreted by a certain behavior,\u201d said Dr. Paukert, assistant professor of physiology.\u00a0\u201cThe hope is that we can use these signals as a readout of what is necessary to normalize norepinephrine signaling, and to see whether this intervention slows the progression of Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only a handful of labs around the world are recording these spikes in real time, while the mice are awake, said Manzoor Bhat, Ph.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Physiology.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Paukert lab is in its early phases in San Antonio, and funding from The Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation will have a major impact on how quickly they can get the animal models established to address the central questions related to the early onset and progression of Alzheimer\u2019s disease in real time,\u201d Dr. Bhat said. \u201cIn the future, this will allow exploration of new avenues for therapeutic intervention.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In\u00a0a flap of skull the size of a pinhead, Martin Paukert, M.D., mounts and seals a thin window onto an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":3452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,60],"tags":[93,94,92],"class_list":["post-2547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philanthropy","category-summer-2015","tag-alzheimers","tag-brain","tag-grant"],"yoast_head":"\nWindow to the brain - Mission magazine | UT Health Science Center San Antonio<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/magazines.uthscsa.edu\/mission-old\/window-to-the-brain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Window to the brain - 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