MRI: Acquisition of Apparatus to Study the "Expression" of the Parental Brain

父母的大脑代表了一个重要的机会，以了解内在的神经可塑性，大脑的变化和适应储备，可以在许多不同的水平上表达的方式。 私家侦探，克雷格H。Kinsley有兴趣获得一套相关的神经科学设备，可以专注于详细和精确的基因表达问题，为他的学生和七位同事提供出色的研究经验。 这一请求将加强他们的研究，将以前NSF支持的详细行为观察，精确的神经元蛋白和组织学技术与使用Zeiss Axiovert PALM-Bioquant系统和一套Qiagen qRT-PCR设备的单细胞蛋白质组学分析联系起来。 目前PI实验室的显微镜都是直立平台，而要求的显微镜是倒置显微镜，从而大大增加和提高了他们的技术能力（包括细胞培养和活的，小动物[例如，C.线虫;蛔虫]能力）。 研究小组计划从动物神经组织中进行激光显微切割和显微捕获，精确地去除单个神经元/细胞的微小碎片，用于纯的，未污染的遗传分析，从而允许以前所未有的方式观察神经元和细胞基因表达模式，扩展他们已经详细的行为和区域大脑分析，并为学生提供多-学习和合作的学科机会，在这里和国外。 这种广泛的方法将基础研究与最新技术联系起来，并使他们能够：对父母大脑的神经调节进行更复杂的研究;从其他细胞领域获得更可靠的数据;增加研究的数量;增加参与的本科生人数，包括那些不愿意使用大鼠或其组织的人。 这些设备将由以下学校的教师和学生使用：兰多夫梅肯学院（Lambert博士）、弗吉尼亚联合大学（TBA）、马歇尔大学（巴尔迪博士）、罗兹学院（Gerecke博士）、朗伍德大学（Franssen博士）、巴西圣保罗大学（Felicio博士），并由其他UR研究人员（Radice、Telang和Warrick博士）用于教学和研究。 该设备代表了了解多个物种父母大脑发育的重大进展。 目前，他们有才华的本科生可以着手研究与大脑和行为有关的复杂问题。 目前，他们的设备使他们能够更快，更有效，更可靠地对母亲和父亲的大脑和其他组织进行互补的多抗原标记研究（对于寻求在一个学期内完成实验的学生来说，这是一个特别重要的优势）。 目前的MRI要求将为科学家与学生的工作增加一个重要的能力，一个大大增加学生对神经事件的理解，一个更多学生感兴趣的：蛋白质组学。 最后，扩大的研究机会将支持他们继续努力做出色的研究，扩大对科学的普遍兴趣和理解，教育和培训许多学生，包括更多样化的学生，其中过去（和现在）包括大量妇女和代表性不足的少数民族。 PI和他的同事是神经科学的热情倡导者，并补充实践经验，以提高学术经验。 他们的本科生已经成为神经科学和相关领域的助理和副教授，博士后研究员，博士前研究员，研究生和医学生以及共同作者。

The parental brain represents a significant opportunity to understand the manner in which inherent neuroplasticity, the brain's reserve for change and adaptation, can be expressed at many different levels. The PI, Craig H. Kinsley, is interested in acquiring a related suite of neuroscience equipment that can focus on detailed and precise genetic expression questions, to provide his students, and those of seven colleagues, with outstanding research experiences. This request will enhance their research, connecting previously NSF-supported detailed behavioral observations, and precise neuronal protein and histological techniques, with single-cell proteomic analyses using the Zeiss Axiovert PALM-Bioquant system and a suite of Qiagen qRT-PCR equipment. The current set of microscopes in the PIs' labs are all upright platforms, whereas the requested microscope is an inverted microscope, thereby increasing and enhancing their technical abilities significantly (including cell culture and live, small animal [e.g., C. elegans; roundworms] capabilities). The teams of investigators plan to perform laser micro-dissection and micro-capture from animal nervous tissues, precisely removing minute pieces of individual neurons/cells for pure, uncontaminated genetic analyses, thereby allowing observation of neuronal and cell gene-expression patterns in a heretofore unparalleled manner, expanding their already detailed behavioral and regional brain analyses and providing their students with multi-disciplinary opportunities for study and collaboration, both here and abroad. This broad approach will bridge basic research with the latest technologies, and allow them to: conduct more sophisticated studies on neural regulation of the parental brain; obtain more reliable data from other cellular realms; increase the number of studies performed; and increase the number of undergraduates involved, including those reluctant to use rats or their tissues. The equipment will be used by faculty and students from: Randolph Macon College (Dr. Lambert); Virginia Union University (TBA); Marshall University (Dr. Bardi); Rhodes College (Dr. Gerecke); Longwood University (Dr. Franssen); the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil (Dr. Felicio); and for teaching and research by other UR investigators (Drs. Radice, Telang, and Warrick). This equipment represents a significant advance in understanding the development of the parental brain, across multiple species. Presently, their talented undergraduates can embark on sophisticated questions related to brain and behavior. Currently, their equipment allows them to conduct complementary multiple antigen-labeling studies of maternal and paternal brains and other tissues faster, more efficiently, and more reliably (an especially important advantage for students seeking to complete an experiment in one+ semester). The current MRI request will add a significant capability to the scientists' work with students, one that substantially increases the students' understanding of neural events, and one in which more students are interested: proteomics. Last, the expanded research opportunities will support their continued efforts to do excellent research, expand general interest in and understanding of science, and educate and train many students, including more diverse students, which in the past (and currently) have included significant numbers of women and under-represented minorities. The PI and his colleagues are passionate advocates for the neurosciences and complementary hands-on experiences to enhance the academic experience. Scores of their undergraduates have gone on to become assistant and associate professors of neuroscience and related fields, postdoctoral fellows, predoctoral fellows, graduate and medical students, and co-authors.