Publications by authors named "Danielle Quinn"

Aim: The tools that have been used to assess the function of the vagus nerve lack specificity. This could explain discrepancies about the role of vagal gut-brain signalling in long-term control of energy balance. Here we use a validated approach to selectively ablate sensory vagal neurones that innervate the gut to determine the role of vagal gut-brain signalling in the control of food intake, energy expenditure and glucose homoeostasis in response to different diets.

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The vagus nerve conveys gastrointestinal cues to the brain to control eating behavior. In obesity, vagally mediated gut-brain signaling is disrupted. Here, we show that the cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) is a neuropeptide synthesized proportional to the food consumed in vagal afferent neurons (VANs) of chow-fed rats.

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Article Synopsis
  • There is a need for better tools to specifically target vagal afferent neurons (VAN) connected to the gut; researchers use a neurotoxin called CCK-SAP to selectively ablate these neurons in rats and mice.
  • * In vivo experiments show that CCK-SAP effectively reduces the VAN in the upper gastrointestinal tract but spares efferent neurons, thus not affecting certain neural pathways crucial for feeding.
  • * This novel technique enhances the understanding of gut-to-brain signaling effects in various biological contexts while offering greater tissue specificity compared to traditional methods.
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Pedestrian injury is the second leading cause of injury related death for children. The purpose of this research project was to determine the effectiveness of pedestrian and road traffic safety education with children, as part of the Walk This Way program through Safe Kids USA. Through the implementation of PHOTOVOICE, a project that captured children's narratives coinciding with a photograph, children engaged in community exploration to identify pedestrian hazards in their communities and explore possible solutions utilizing their photography and narrations.

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