1. Astrid Díaz
804-11-2548
Seminar: “Neurotrophic Factor Biodynamics in Animal Models of
Disease.”
Speaker: Dr. John Spitsbergen
Western Michigan State University
“Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system including: the brain, the
spinal cord, and networks of sensory nerve cells, or neurons, throughout the
body.”(SfN) The hypertension research examines the NGF and GDNF expression in
cardiovascular tissues from hyperventensive and normotesis. Dr. Spitsbergen uses rats
to investigate hypertension problems. Evidence that altered NGF expression is
involved in the development of hypertension, have been found. The investigators used
spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). They saw that
SHR developed high blood pressure between days 5 and 10 of age, while age-
matched WKY did not. Also, elevated levels of NGF on blood vessels were present
on SHR.