| INSTRUCTIONS - PROFESSORS: Fill out Sections A & B then submit this form online. (You will receive an email copy of the form. The Office for Undergraduate Research in Science will also post the project online, indicating whether the project is open for students to apply or taken.) DONE | |
|
INSTRUCTIONS - STUDENTS: You may receive this form by email, or you may download it after it has been posted. Either way, print this form. Complete and sign Section C on the hardcopy. Ask your supervisor to sign Section D. Take it to the department corresponding to the course number in Section A (this may or may not be your own department). Do not register for a '396' course on Minerva until you receive departmental permission. |
|
| INSTRUCTIONS - DEPARTMENTS: After the unit chair/director/designate approves (or not) this project, notify student. If approved, please give student permission to register on Minerva, and fax this form (with signatures) to the Office for Undergraduate Research in Science at 514-398-8102. | |
| QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK? Contact Victor Chisholm by email, or phone 514-398-5964. | |
| SECTION A: SUPERVISOR INFORMATION | |
| Name: | Anne McKinney, Dr.; Craig Mandato, Dr. |
| Email: | anne [dot] mckinney [at] mcgill [dot] ca |
| Phone: | |
| Website: | |
| Supervisor's department: | None of the above |
| Supervisor's department (if none of the above) | Pharmacology and Therapeutics; Anatomy and Cell Biology |
| Course number: | ANAT396 (Anatomy and Cell Biology) |
| SECTION B: PROJECT INFORMATION | |
| Term: | Summer 2010 |
| Project start date: | Monday, May 3, 2010 |
| Project end date: | Wednesday, June 30, 2010 |
| Project title: | Mature dendritic spine remodeling in an in vitro stroke model |
| Project description: | Synapses in the mature brain are dynamic structures, displaying both molecular and anatomical changes. Dendritic spines, the postsynaptic recipients of the majority of excitatory glutamatergic synapses in the CNS, show extensive structural plasticity both in vivo and in vitro. Spine remodeling is actin-dependent, sensitive to synaptic activity, and linked to synaptogenesis during development. However, the persistence of spine motility in the mature brain is less understood. Recently, we have reported spine-like extensions elaborate from the heads of a subset of large, mushroom-shaped dendritic spines of CA1 pyramidal neurons following the reduction of network activity in mature hippocampal slice cultures. These spine head protrusions (SHPs) extend directionally and contact functional presynaptic boutons, forming new synapses. SHPs occur in control condition and require glutamatergic signaling as their appearance is blocked by antagonists of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, inhibited by the motility-reducing effects of AMPA itself and by agents that depress presynaptic glutamate release. This novel morphological plasticity in a preparation that is no longer undergoing developmental synaptogenesis suggests SHP production may be a mechanism used by the mature brain to rapidly modify synaptic connections once most synaptogenesis has ceased. We now wish to investigate if a similar remodeling of dendritic spines occurs under pathological conditions such as ischemia. The student will learn organotypic slice culturing, immunohistochemistry, dynamic imaging and 4D quantification. |
| Prerequisite: | 1 term completed at McGill + CGPA of 3.0 or higher; or permission of instructor. |
| Other prerequisite, if applicable: | |
| Grading scheme (The final report must be worth at least 50% of final grade): | 50% Lab work 50% Written report |
| Other project information: | |
| Project status - This project is: | Taken. The professor has no more '396' projects this term. |
| How students can apply: | N/A; this project is filled. |
| If other, please specify: | |
| Ethics, safety, and training | |
| Which of the following, if any, is involved? | One or more of the following |
| Animal subjects | [ ] |
| Human subjects | [ ] |
| Biohazardous substances | [ ] |
| Radioactive materials | [ ] |
| Handling chemicals | [x] |
| Using lasers | [ ] |
| Supervisors are responsible for the ethics and safety compliance of undergraduate students. | |
| SECTION C: STUDENT INFORMATION | |
| Do not complete this section unless/until the student is identified. | |
| Name: | |
| McGill ID: | |
| Email (first [dot] last [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca): | |
| Phone: | |
| Program (E.g., B.Sc. Maj. Chem. Min. Biol.): | |
| Level (U0 / U1 / U2 / U3): | |
| Student signature - I have not applied for another '396' course in this term: | |
| SECTION D: APPROVALS. | |
| Do not complete this section unless/until the student is identified. | |
| Supervisor: I give my permission for the student identified in section C to register for this project under my supervision. | |
| Supervisor's signature: | |
| Date: | |
| Unit chair/director/designate: I certify that this project conforms to departmental requirements for 396 courses. | |
| Unit chair/director/designate's name: | |
| Unit chair/director/designate's signature: | |
| Date: | |