PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Nikola Saunders

MA-Research
August 2004

Injury Induced Cytogenesis and the Influence of BDNF on Cell Proliferation in Adult Zebra Finches

    Neurogenesis and gliogenesis are observed following learning, experience and injury in both birds and mammals.  Neurotrophic factors, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), act to reorganize neural circuits and are produced in the brain by both neurons and glia.  Little is known regarding the effects of neurotrophic factors on brain injury and cytogenesis.  Hence, adult male zebra finches received bilateral lesions to the hippocampus, followed by infusions of BDNF into one hemisphere and saline in the other.  Twenty-four hours post-lesion they were injected once with BrdU to label mitotic cells.  Birds were then sacrificed 2 hours, 7 days or 14 days post-injection.  BrdU-IR cells were counted in hippocampus, SVZ, Septum and “HotZone.”  A significantly greater number of BrdU-IR cells were observed n the BDNF hemisphere in the hippocampus but not SVZ, Septum or HotZone, indicating that BDNF promoted highly localized cell proliferation following injury.

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