Publications by authors named "Mackenzie A Topolski"
Molecular and functional diversity among synapses is generated, in part, by differential expression of neurotransmitter receptors and their associated protein complexes. -methyl--aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are tetrameric ionotropic glutamate receptors that most often comprise two GluN1 and two GluN2 subunits. NMDARs generate functionally diverse synapses across neuron populations through cell-type-specific expression patterns of GluN2 subunits (GluN2A - 2D), which have vastly different functional properties and distinct downstream signaling.
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- Somatosensory information is transmitted to the cerebral cortex via two pathways involving VPL (ventral posterolateral) for the body and VPM (ventral posteromedial) for the head, each having unique characteristics.
- A study comparing VPL and VPM neurons in mice revealed that VPL neurons are better at firing and adapting rates compared to VPM neurons, which have shorter burst latencies and more intricate dendritic structures.
- The findings suggest significant differences in how VPL and VPM neurons handle excitatory synaptic input and intrinsic firing properties, potentially affecting their roles in processing sensory information and susceptibility to diseases.
Thalamocortical network dysfunction contributes to seizures and sleep deficits in Dravet syndrome (DS), an infantile epileptic encephalopathy, but the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remain elusive. DS is primarily caused by mutations in the SCN1A gene encoding the voltage-gated sodium channel Na1.1, which is highly expressed in GABAergic reticular thalamus (nRT) neurons as well as glutamatergic thalamocortical neurons.
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