The system will be down for regular maintenance from 8:00-10:00am PDT on April 3rd, 2024.

Show simple item record

dc.contributor.advisorKutz, Jose Nathanen_US
dc.contributor.authorMaia, Pedro Doriaen_US
dc.date.accessioned2015-02-24T17:30:21Z
dc.date.submitted2014en_US
dc.identifier.otherMaia_washington_0250E_13995.pdfen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1773/27392
dc.descriptionThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2014en_US
dc.description.abstractThere is a broad need in the neuroscience, neurological and biomedical engineering communities to better classify, quantify and diagnose Focal Axonal Swellings (FAS) and their impact on cognitive deficits and/or neural functionality. FAS is a critical biomarker in several leading neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, and others. They are also a hallmark feature of concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries -- the leading cause of death among youngsters worldwide and a lightning rod issue in contact sports. In this work, we discuss how different shapes of FAS can affect neuronal signaling and degrade the information encoded in spike trains. We adapted theoretical estimates, derived in idealized axonal geometry settings, to real axons with much more challenging structures. Our methods highlight potential trouble spots of axonal morphology and provide a starting point for novel FAS diagnosis. Finally, we discuss the collective effects of FAS in neuronal networks, where stable response patterns are lost, jeopardizing the system's ability to transmit information. A better understanding of the macroscopic effects of FAS pathologies -- that occur at a cellular level-- can shine new light onto the cognitive, behavioral, perceptual and sensory-motor impairments resulting from such disorders.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the individual authors.en_US
dc.subjectNeurodegenerative diseases; Traumatic Brain Injuriesen_US
dc.subject.otherApplied mathematicsen_US
dc.subject.otherNeurosciencesen_US
dc.subject.otherapplied mathematicsen_US
dc.titleMathematical modeling of focal axonal swellings arising in traumatic brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseasesen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.embargo.termsRestrict to UW for 1 year -- then make Open Accessen_US
dc.embargo.lift2016-02-24T17:30:21Z


Files in this item

Thumbnail

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record