Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
The Impacts of Developmental Hypoxia on Dopaminergic Connectivity and Susceptibility to Substance Use Disorders in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) |
| Authors: |
Bingener, Gabrielle |
| Contributors: |
University of Scranton. Department of Biology |
| Publisher Information: |
University of Scranton |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Collection: |
The University of Scranton Digital Collections |
| Subject Terms: |
University of Scranton -- Dissertations, Academic theses, Hypoxia, Dopaminergic mechanisms, Substance use disorders, Zebra danio |
| Time: |
2020-2029 |
| Description: |
Around 1 in 10 births worldwide are premature (occurring before 37 weeks gestation). At this stage, the lungs and other vital organs, including the brain, are not fully developed. As a result, premature infants often have difficulty delivering enough oxygen to their tissues, especially the brain. The reduced oxygen supply during the critical period of development is known as developmental hypoxia, which can disrupt normal brain development and lead to long-term cognitive deficits and behavioral abnormalities. Substance use disorders (SUDs) are also a major public health concern due to their widespread prevalence, chronic nature, and significant societal impact. Interestingly, both developmental hypoxia and SUDs are thought to involve disruptions in dopaminergic (DA) signaling pathways, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Previously, our lab demonstrated that developmental hypoxia in zebrafish larvae disrupts DA connectivity with spinal cord motor neurons during early development. Additionally, our preliminary data suggest that hypoxia also impairs DA projections from the posterior tuberculum to subpallium- brain regions involved in motivation/reward processing in zebrafish and analogous to addiction-related areas in the human brain such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc). The aim of this study is thus to investigate how developmental hypoxia disrupts DA connectivity in zebrafish, Danio rerio, and to explore its potential role in increasing susceptibility to potential SUDs, with the goal of developing a translational model for prematurity and substance use vulnerability. I examined the lasting effects of developmental hypoxic injury in larval and juvenile zebrafish, including growth rate, reactive oxygen species (ROS) quantification, swimming behavioral analysis, and aggression behavior evaluation through mirror aggression tests. Susceptibility to nicotine misuse was also assessed using conditioned place preference paradigms. Dopaminergic connectivity in the posterior tuberculum to subpallium was ... |
| Document Type: |
text |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience; University of Scranton Archives; University of Scranton Masters and Honors Theses; University of Scranton Honors Theses; University of Scranton Magis Honors Program in STEM Theses; TH_Bingener_G_2025; http://digitalservices.scranton.edu/u?/p15111coll1,1488 |
| Availability: |
http://digitalservices.scranton.edu/u?/p15111coll1,1488 |
| Rights: |
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ ; The author of this work retains the copyright. The author has granted to The University of Scranton a non-exclusive license to preserve and make the thesis available in the Library's digital collections, with access open to the public. |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.737B0D06 |
| Database: |
BASE |