Presentation Type
Poster
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Ryan M. Yoder, Psychology
Major
Psychology
Presentation Abstract
Hypoxic conditions disrupt brain development in many species, but oxygen deprivation may be particularly detrimental to ectotherms such as reptiles. Our preliminary data suggest the brains of embryonic leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) are damaged following brief hypoxic conditions in ovo, and these developmental changes are associated with altered exploratory behavior in adulthood. The objective of this study is to understand the effects of such hypoxic conditions neuronally once the geckos have reached adulthood. However, no previous studies have evaluated the neuronal density of navigation-related brain regions in normal adult geckos, or whether these regions are sensitive to early hypoxia. Here, we present the optical density measurements from the medial cortex, the dorsal and lateral cortex, the dorsal lateral thalamus, and the septal region of adult geckos (n=2) that developed in normoxic conditions, to establish a baseline measure of cell density. Mean (SEM) optical density values are shown in the Table. These optical density values provide an important baseline for our on-going evaluation of neuronal sensitivity to hypoxic conditions in ovo. We anticipate that neuronal density values from hypoxic geckos will be reduced, relative to those of geckos that develop in normoxic conditions.
Location
Poster Session 1
Start Date
12-4-2022 12:30 PM
End Date
12-4-2022 2:30 PM
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Adorno, Kyleigh; Ozimac, Kayley; Kinerson, Emma; and Boon, Nikki, "Neuronal Density in Navigation-Related Regions of the Adult Leopard Gecko Brain" (2022). Undergraduate Research Competition. 2.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2022/fullconference/2
Included in
Neuronal Density in Navigation-Related Regions of the Adult Leopard Gecko Brain
Poster Session 1
Hypoxic conditions disrupt brain development in many species, but oxygen deprivation may be particularly detrimental to ectotherms such as reptiles. Our preliminary data suggest the brains of embryonic leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) are damaged following brief hypoxic conditions in ovo, and these developmental changes are associated with altered exploratory behavior in adulthood. The objective of this study is to understand the effects of such hypoxic conditions neuronally once the geckos have reached adulthood. However, no previous studies have evaluated the neuronal density of navigation-related brain regions in normal adult geckos, or whether these regions are sensitive to early hypoxia. Here, we present the optical density measurements from the medial cortex, the dorsal and lateral cortex, the dorsal lateral thalamus, and the septal region of adult geckos (n=2) that developed in normoxic conditions, to establish a baseline measure of cell density. Mean (SEM) optical density values are shown in the Table. These optical density values provide an important baseline for our on-going evaluation of neuronal sensitivity to hypoxic conditions in ovo. We anticipate that neuronal density values from hypoxic geckos will be reduced, relative to those of geckos that develop in normoxic conditions.