Bradley Vu Rose Hills
Adrenergic-Thyroid Hormone Interactions' Effect on Neural Regeneration
As we age, we are more at risk for permanent injuries to the central nervous system due to losing the ability to repair that damage. Most warm-blooded animals experience this issue, losing their remarkable early neural regenerative capabilities with age. This loss is characterized by a distinct decrease in neural stem cells, especially radial glia that play a role in stem cell migration towards injuries. As such, we must explore ways to maintain radial glial cell populations in older mammals. Prior research has demonstrated that novel adrenergic-thyroid hormone interactions involving inhibiting the two can slow endotherm acquisition of “warm blood” and return older mice’s ability to regenerate their hearts. Individually, hypothyroidism delays glial cell development, and adrenergic receptor stimulation regulates glial cell generation. Taking this precedent into consideration, I seek to use these hormone treatments to brainstorm a solution for aging-related neural stem cell loss and return regeneration to the endotherm central nervous system.
Message To Sponsor
Thank you for so graciously funding my SURF project! I am very honored to have received this fellowship and am incredibly excited to be able to continue conducting my research. In the future I hope to pursue a PhD, and this accomplishment has made me realize that it is something I can truly achieve.