Degree Type

Honors Capstone Project

Date of Submission

Spring 5-1-2011

Capstone Advisor

Mary Lou Vallano

Honors Reader

John Russell

Capstone Major

Biology

Capstone College

Arts and Science

Audio/Visual Component

no

Capstone Prize Winner

no

Won Capstone Funding

yes

Honors Categories

Sciences and Engineering

Subject Categories

Biology | Laboratory and Basic Science Research | Neuroscience and Neurobiology

Abstract

In January 2010, I started work as an undergraduate research assistant at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Dr. Mary Lou Vallano’s laboratory in the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology. My research project was part of a collaborative effort with the laboratory of Dr. Eric Deshaies, a vascular neurosurgeon at Upstate. The goal was to establish a rodent model of subarachnoid hemorrhage and delayed vasospasm, and to test possible protective strategies. We used an adult rat model, in which two injections of autologous blood were given in the cisterna magna region of the brain. Analysis was done using a combination of histology, immunohistochemistry, and molecular biology to examine vasospasm in the basilar artery, and changes in the surrounding neural tissues. Based on Dr. Deshaies’ patient information and clinical work, we examined whether exercise preconditioning or the injection of stannous chloride would decrease the inflammatory response and the occurrence or intensity of vasospasm. Our results indicate that the model is working, and they point to the possible protective effect of stannous chloride.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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