Physiology Graduate Theses (July 2007 - Sept 2016)
PLEASE NOTE: The disciplines of pharmacology and toxicology are now part of the new interdisciplinary program of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences.
Recent Submissions
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The Regulation of Intracellular Ca2+ and Secretion in the Bag Cell Neurons of Aplysia Californica
(2015-08-26)Neurons enter states of heightened excitability and secretory capacity to initiate fundamental behaviours. This is exemplified by the bag cell neurons of the marine mollusc, Aplysia californica. These neuroendocrine cells ... -
Regulation of the Human Ether-a-go-go Related Gene Potassium Channel by Neural Precursor Cell Expressed Developmentally Down-regulated Protein 4-2 Interacting Proteins
(2015-08-19)Dysfunction of the human ether-a-go-go related gene (hERG)-encoded rapidly activating delayed rectifier K+ channel is a major cause of long QT syndrome (LQTS) due to its critical role in the repolarization of cardiac action ... -
Proteolytic Cleavage of the Kv1.5 Channel in the S1-S2 Linker Does Not Affect Channel Function
(2015-08-13)Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most prevalent human cardiac arrhythmia, is characterized by rapid and disorderly electrical activity in the atria of the heart. Kv1.5 channel mediated ultra-rapidly activating delayed rectifier ... -
Scorpion Toxin BeKm-1 Prevents Low K+ Induced Internalization of Cell-Surface hERG Channels
(2015-08-07)The human ether-à-go-go related gene (hERG) encoded the pore forming subunit of a K+ channel that conducts an important current for the repolarization of the cardiac action potential. Dysfunction of the hERG channel leads ... -
The Effect of Insulin Sensitivity on Corticolimbic Responses to Metabolic and Visual Food Cues
(2015-06-02)Insulin is one of several molecules that signals the energy balance state to the brain. This study examined the effect of insulin sensitivity on the responsiveness of appetite regulatory brain regions to visual food cues. ... -
The Effects of Hydrogen Sulfide on Neurons in the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract
(2015-01-30)Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gasotransmitter that has recently been described to affect the membrane potential of neurons in a number of brain areas. Using whole cell patch-clamp electrophysiological techniques, I investigated ... -
mRNA Variants of a Neuronal Sodium Channel in Rat Cardiac Myocytes
(2015-01-06)Death due to ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the result of cardiac arrhythmias and loss of cardiac pump function. One of the putative underlying mechanisms is impaired inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC), ... -
Evidence for effects of nesfatin-1, alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone, and glucose on the excitability of individual neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract
(2014-10-14)The nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) is a medullary autonomic center with essential roles in the regulation of energy homeostasis. Understanding how the NTS contributes to the coordination of ingestive behaviors and ... -
The Effect of Exercise Test Modality on Dyspnea Perception in Obese Patients with COPD
(2014-08-27)Background: Obesity is becoming increasingly prevalent in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but the physiological and clinical consequences of their combination remain poorly understood. In ... -
Febrile Temperature Facilitates Degradation of Human Ether-a-Go-Go-Related Gene (hERG) Channels
(2014-08-21)The human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) encodes the α subunit of the rapidly activating delayed rectifier K+ channel (IKr), which plays an essential role in human cardiac repolarization. Dysfunction of hERG caused by ... -
Identification of Retrieval-Trafficking of the Human Ether A-Go-Go-Related Gene Channel
(2014-08-21)The human ether-a-go-go related gene (hERG) encodes the pore-forming subunit of the rapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium channel (IKr). A reduction in the hERG current causes long QT syndrome, predisposing affected ... -
The Role of Interleukin-17A in Inflammatory Bowel Disease-related Neural Plasticity
(2014-08-06)Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that cause impairments in GI functions, as well as structural and functional plasticity to the innervation of gut ... -
Characterization and Modulation of Electrical Coupling Between Molluscan Neuroendocrine Cells
(2014-07-23)The bag cell neurons of Aplysia initiate reproductive behaviour by secreting egg-laying hormone during a prolonged period of synchronous and repetitive firing known as the afterdischarge. Electrical coupling facilitate the ... -
Bronchodilating and Bronchoprotective Effects of Deep Inspirations in Asthma, Cough Variant Asthma, and Methacholine-induced Cough but Normal Airway Sensitivity
(2014-07-02)Rationale: The pathophysiologic differences between classic asthma (CA), cough variant asthma (CVA), and methacholine (MCh)-induced cough but normal airway sensitivity (COUGH) are poorly understood and may relate to ... -
Cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 2 activation mediates post-myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury inflammatory processes
(2013-09-26)Myocardial infarction (MI) is primarily caused by blockade of the coronary circulation, resulting in ischemic insult. The only available remedy is reperfusion, which induces oxidative stress and activates inflammatory ... -
Plasticity of Adrenal Chromaffin Cell Function During Inflammation and Exposure to Microbe-Associated Molecular Patterns
(2013-08-20)The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is part of an integrative network that functions to restore homeostasis following injury and infection. The SNS provides negative feedback control over inflammation through the secretion ... -
The Serum-‐ and Glucocorticoid-‐Inducible Kinase SGK1 and SGK3 Regulate hERG Channel Expression via Ubiquitin Ligase Nedd4-‐2 and GTPase Rab11
(2013-08-14)The rapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium channel (IKr) encoded by the human ether-a-go-go related gene (hERG) is a crucial component of cardiac repolarization of the action potential. ... -
Regulation of the Human Ether-à-Go-Go-Related Gene (hERG) Channel by RAB4 Through Neural Precursor Cell-Expressed Developmentally Downregulated Protein 4-2 (NEDD4-2)
(2013-08-14)The human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG) encodes the pore-forming α-subunits of the Kv11.1 channel that is responsible for the cardiac rapidly activating delayed rectifier K+ current (IKr), which plays a critical role ... -
Cholinergic transmission in molluscan neuroendocrine cells
(2013-07-03)Elucidating the process by which an animal can transduce a brief signal into a predictable set of behaviours has important implications for understanding brain function. I explored the transition from quiescence to ... -
Increased calcium intake regulates colonic CaSR expression and inhibits induced colitis and Wnt/β-catenin signaling
(2012-12-21)One of the major complications in patients with long standing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is colitis-associated colon cancer. The signaling pathways that promote the transformation of colitis to colorectal cancer (CRC) ...