Date of Award
5-2010
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Biological Sciences
First Advisor
Dr. Charles F. Ide
Second Advisor
Dr. Rob Eversole
Third Advisor
Dr. John Spitsbergen
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Campus Only
Abstract
Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) is a sporadic, neurodegenerative disease with varied clinical phenotypes that include Parkinsonism and cerebellar and autonomic dysfunction. Glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs), aggregates of the presynaptic protein a-synuclein, appear in oligodendrocytes in MSA. In this study, the amount of a-synuclein was measured in multiple regions of the rostral pons using quantitative image analysis. Alpha-synuclein was significantly increased in the dorsal-most pontocerebellar fiber tract, in pontocerebellar fiber tracts ventral to the dorsal-most tract, in adjacent non-pontocerebellar fiber tracts (corticopontine, corticobulbar, corticospinal), and in the central tegmental tract of MSA patients compared to controls. The distribution of a-synuclein in these specific tracts is consistent with pontocerebellar involvement in MSA. In addition, the amount of a-synuclein in the four analyzed regions varied amongst MSA patients, and may be associated with the severity of specific symptoms in different patients. Increased amounts of a-synuclein in the dorsal-most pontocerebellar fiber tract correlated with changes in global gene expression, most notably changes in genes associated with oligodendrocyte and mitochondrial functions, the inflammatory/stress response, and protein degradation processes.
Recommended Citation
Walburn, Jeffrey T., "Quantitative Image Analysis of the Rostral Pons in Patients with Multiple System Atrophy" (2010). Masters Theses. 333.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/333