Date Thesis Awarded
5-2017
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Science (BS)
Department
Neuroscience
Advisor
Mainak Patel
Committee Members
Greg Smith
William Buchser
Abstract
Activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors has been shown to increase the frequency of gamma oscillations in the CA3 region of the hippocampus. The underlying mechanism of the increase however, is unclear. This project utilizes an integrate-and-fire model of the CA3, based on experimental data, to investigate the increase in oscillation frequency. The model was built first without NMDA receptors to simulate carbachol induced oscillations in vitro. Then, NMDA receptors were added to evoke the increase in oscillation frequency. The model shows that a shift in mechanism, from a pyramidal neuron-interneuron feedback loop, to interneuron-interneuron oscillations, is responsible for the increase in gamma oscillation frequency. An interesting relationship between the active NMDA mediated current and instantaneous cycle frequencies points to further areas of study.
Recommended Citation
Bishwakarma, Prajal, "The Mechanism of NMDA Receptor Mediated Increased in Gamma Oscillation Frequency" (2017). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1005.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1005
