Journal of Undergraduate Research

Michael Gillespie and Jonathan Wisco, Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction Due to the relatively poor fiber contrast of tendons in comparison with muscles, the anatomical, and therefore, functional relationship of muscle attachments to bones via tendons has not been well mapped. We were interested in mapping the 3D gross anatomical structure of tendons using a […]

Nathaniel Hainsworth and Jon Wisco, Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction Not all tendons and ligaments are created equally. Many have different structural characteristics based on functionality or need for stability. This turns out to be true even between different portions of the same tendon. This project’s purpose was to analyze and compare structural differences between […]

Craig D. Clayton and Dr. Jonathan Wisco, Physiology and Developmental Biology The floor of the oral cavity is covered by a mucosal layer to protect underlying structures against the digestive events of the mouth. Ducts of the salivary glands open into this mucosa along the lingual frenulum. The lingual nerve from the mandibular division of […]

Michael Thayer Christensen and Dr. Jeff Edwards, Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alzheimer’s disease – infamously known for its patients’ loss of memory and other intellectual abilities – is the sixth most common cause of death in the United States. Sadly this is just one of […]

Bradley Haynes and Stark Michael, Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction Both Wnt signaling and neural crest cells (NCCs) have a well-established role in the development of facial bones and cartilage. Wnt signaling is known to be required for neural crest cell formation; however, Wnt expression originating from the neural crest after their specification by Wnt1 […]

Brandon Herrington and Jonathan Wisco, Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction As the 6th leading cause of death in the United States1, and because of the significant deterioration it causes in the quality of life of its victims, Alzheimer’s disease is an area where research to improve its early diagnosis is paramount to establishing […]

Adam Jorgensen and Jonathan J. Wisco, Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction Arrhythmia is a serious heart condition that affects 14 million people in the United Statesi, and is characterized by irregular frequency of atrial and ventricular beats.ii The most serious effects of arrhythmia include sudden cardiac arrest and stroke.iii About 383,000 cases of […]

Hannah Waddel and Dr. Arminda Suli, Physiology and Developmental Biology A major task of the central nervous system is to make sense of the environment and mount an appropriate reaction. The ability to organize and integrate inputs from different sensory systems is critical for survival in animals. Sensory integration dysfunction is implicated in human disorders […]

Mark Roth and Jonathan Alder, PhD PDBio Introduction Telomeres, located at the ends of chromosomes, are repetitive DNA sequences composed of TTAGGG repeated thousands of times. Each time a cell copies its DNA a small amount of telomeric DNA is lost due to the end replication problem. Because of this, telomeres are eventually lost. New […]

Tyler Hammond and Dr. Jeffrey Edwards, Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction Both exercise and stress have an impact on learning and memory. Exercise appears to have positive effects on learning and memory while stress appears to have negative effects on learning and memory. Previous work in our lab has demonstrated that exercise enhances […]