| 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: |
Thomas Stroh |
| Email: |
thomas [dot] stroh [at] mcgill [dot] ca (thomas stroh mcgill ca) |
| Phone: |
514-398-2719 |
| Website: |
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| Supervisor's department: |
Anatomy and Cell Biology |
| Supervisor's department (if none of the above) |
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| Course number: |
ANAT396 (Anatomy and Cell Biology) |
| SECTION B: PROJECT INFORMATION |
| Term: |
Fall 2010 |
| Project start date: |
September 01, 2010 |
| Project end date: |
December 03, 2010 |
| Project title: |
Chemical neuroanatomy of the rat mediobasal hypothalamus |
| Project description: |
Growth hormone (GH) is a major regulator of body growth and metabolism. It is also a major player in the regulation of sleep and waking. In the male, GH secretion exhibits marked pulsatility and a characteristic ultradian periodicity. Major episodes of this GH secretion rhythm coincide with key periods of the circadian sleep-wake rhythm. GH secretion is under tight reciprocal control by the hypothalamic hormones, somatostatin (SST) and GH-releasing hormone (GHRH). Whereas SST neurons are concentrated in the periventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, GHRH neurons are mainly found in the ventromedial region of the arcuate nucleus in the mediobasal hypothalamus. We recently demonstrated that the SST receptor subtype 1 (sst1) is strikingly concentrated at postsynaptic specializations in arcuate neurons and this subcellular distribution is under the control of the GH secretion rhythm (Stroh et al., 2009). It had previously been shown that GHRH neurons express mRNA of two SST receptor subtypes, sst1 and sst2A (Tannenbaum et al., 1998). However, it is still unknown whether the sst1 and sst2A receptor proteins are expressed in the same GHRH-producing neurons. Even less is known about the cellular distribution of receptors for GHRH proper and other transmitters involved in regulating the activity of arcuate nucleus neurons. The present project aims at investigating these open questions using simultaneous multicolor immunolabeling of neuropeptides and their receptors in the arcuate nucleus of the male rat. The thus generated histological data will be analyzed through unbiased stereological analysis to create a realistic estimate of the populations of neurochemically identified neurons in the arcuate nucleus with the goal to better understand the neuronal interactions governing the activity of this key nucleus in the neuroendocrine system. |
| Prerequisite: |
1 term completed at McGill + CGPA of 3.0 or higher; or permission of instructor. |
| Other prerequisite, if applicable: |
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| Grading scheme (The final report must be worth at least 50% of final grade): |
50% laboratory performance, 50% written final report |
| Other project information: |
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| 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: |
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| Ethics, safety, and training |
| Which of the following, if any, is involved? |
None |
| Animal subjects |
[ ] |
| Human subjects |
[ ] |
| Biohazardous substances |
[ ] |
| Radioactive materials |
[ ] |
| Handling chemicals |
[ ] |
| 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: |
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| McGill ID: |
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| Email (first [dot] last [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca): |
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| Phone: |
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| Program (E.g., B.Sc. Maj. Chem. Min. Biol.): |
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| Level (U0 / U1 / U2 / U3): |
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| Student signature - I have not applied for another '396' course in this term: |
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| 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: |
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| Date: |
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| Unit chair/director/designate: I certify that this project conforms to departmental requirements for 396 courses. |
| Unit chair/director/designate's name: |
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| Unit chair/director/designate's signature: |
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| Date: |
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