Measuring Arctic Ground Squirrel Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis Across Seasonal States Using DAB/DAB-Ni Enzyme-Based Immunohistochemistry

Neuronal cell death from cerebral ischemic reperfusion injury (CIRI) is a major cause of poor neurological outcomes in post-cardiac arrest patients, and although some new neurons are formed in adults, this is usually not enough to repair the brain. Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has been used to reduce brain damage after cardiac arrest, but recent clinical trials have not shown clear benefits, likely because the warming-up phase was not managed well. Controlled rewarming is now seen as a key part of TH to help improve brain recovery. Interestingly, the warming-up process in hibernating arctic ground squirrels (AGS) is similar to rewarming in TH, as both involve a careful return to normal body temperature after deep cooling. This rewarming in AGS is known as interbout arousal (IBA), a phase that occurs after torpor when the animals temporarily return to normal body temperature before entering torpor again. While new neuron growth stops during torpor, the effects of IBA on making new neurons are not well understood. My study looks at adult hippocampal neurogenesis in AGS to see if IBA helps create new neurons after torpor by using the DAB/DAB-Ni enzyme base-immunohistochemistry approach to simultaneously stain immature neurons (Doublecortin) and mitotic activity (Ki67) in the dentate gyrus. The results from this research may provide new insights into how therapeutic hypothermia protocols could be optimized to enhance
neurogenesis and improve brain repair following cardiac arrest.

 

Vy is co-advised by: Kelly Drew, Maegan Weltzin, Judith Kelleher-Andersson, and Carla Frare.

Desired degree: MS in Chemistry, concentration: Biochemistry and Neuroscience.