Reshma Brown
STAR Scholars Program Abstract
August 14th 2019
The Knockdown of Rok and PDGFRB and its Effect on Early Cognition in Drosophila
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) are caused by violent jolts of the brain within the skull from falling or being struck by objects and can disrupt normal brain function. Recent studies show that TBIs increase the risk of developing early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) most prevalently in military veterans that experience head trauma. To understand the long-term effects of TBIs, we examined the cognitive abilities of fruit flies that express TBI related genes Rok and PDGFRB. The human homologs of these genes are known to cause cell death and glial scaring after a TBI. In addition, the expression of Rok and a mutation in PDGFRB may be implicated in AD onset. Using genes identified in both RNA sequencing data from a well-characterized AD model fly and RNA sequencing data from human TBI patients, we investigated if the knockdown of these genes played a role in early cognition through behavioral assays. Here, we observed that the knockdown of Rok and PDGFRB are not standalone factors that lead to decline in early cognition.
STAR Scholars Program Abstract
August 14th 2019
The Knockdown of Rok and PDGFRB and its Effect on Early Cognition in Drosophila
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) are caused by violent jolts of the brain within the skull from falling or being struck by objects and can disrupt normal brain function. Recent studies show that TBIs increase the risk of developing early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) most prevalently in military veterans that experience head trauma. To understand the long-term effects of TBIs, we examined the cognitive abilities of fruit flies that express TBI related genes Rok and PDGFRB. The human homologs of these genes are known to cause cell death and glial scaring after a TBI. In addition, the expression of Rok and a mutation in PDGFRB may be implicated in AD onset. Using genes identified in both RNA sequencing data from a well-characterized AD model fly and RNA sequencing data from human TBI patients, we investigated if the knockdown of these genes played a role in early cognition through behavioral assays. Here, we observed that the knockdown of Rok and PDGFRB are not standalone factors that lead to decline in early cognition.