Research Symposium

BIO

Emma is a freshman from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. She is majoring in biological sciences on a pre-med track. At FSU she is an active member of the Honors Medical Scholars (HMS) Society and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP) program.

Understanding the Molecular Impacts of Sleep Deprivation in Mus Musculus

Abstract

Sleep deprivation is a widespread health issue that has adverse effects on neurobehavioral and cognitive functions. This is an increasing problem in all facets of society as there is a growing tendency to prioritize work and education over health. Sleeplessness accounts for an increased risk of developing metabolic, cardiac, and neurodegenerative diseases along with other health problems throughout the body. The hippocampus, frontal cortex, and cerebellum are regions of the brain that are particularly susceptible to alterations in gene regulation. What makes these brain regions of particular interest under the conditions of sleep deprivation are the hippocampus’ regulation of spatial memory, the cerebellum’s control of motor functions, and the alteration of neural networks in the frontal cortex. Sleep deprivation results in changes in gene expression as well as post-transcriptional impacts leading to changes in protein expression. Of particular interest is the long-term effects of sleep deprivation with an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias. Our research seeks to investigate the effects of sleep deprivation on the Tau protein, a neuropathological hallmark for Alzheimer’s Disease. In order to model the effects of sleep deprivation on our target regions of the brain, Mus musculus were sleep deprived with a particular emphasis on preventing micro-sleeps and their brains were then extracted for molecular analysis. The hippocampus, cerebellum, and frontal cortex tissue samples were fractionated and quantified using western blots to gain insight into the different levels of protein expression due to sleep deprivation.

Keywords: Sleep, Sleep Deprivation, Neuroscience, Mice, Biology