MSc Molecular Neuroscience research project examples
Research project examples: 2017, 2018 and 2019 Research Project Titles
· Effect of new street dissociative drug on hippocampal synaptic activity
· How can we enhance NMDA receptor function? Looking for a way to overcome synaptic dysfunction
· The relationship between intracerebral Aβ, systemic hypertension and hypoperfusion in the brain
· Keep It Calm: Does brain activity accelerate stress-induced synaptic dysfunction?
· Cell transplants for spinal cord repair: optimising secretion of chondroitinase ABC from olfactory ensheathing cells
· The relationship of synaptic markers to hypertension in dementia
· An information theoretic approach to signalling via Gq coupled GPCRs
· Can influenza infection lead to Parkinson’s Disease?
· The influence of Wnt/Beta-catenin signalling on neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus
· How oxidative stress alters RPE and photoreceptor cell functional responses to promote retinal degeneration?
· Impact of stress on the expression of neuronal motility associated genes in the hippocampus
· The effect of long-term administration of a synthetic glucocorticoid on the adrenal steroidogenic pathway in the rat
· Do all isoforms of Tau affect L-type calcium current?
· Investigating neural progenitor differentiation in the presence of cerebrospinal fluid from neonates following intraventricular haemorrhage
· Targeting dopamine to enhance memory consolidation in older adults
· Active and reactive: the role of neuronal activity on ROS production
· The effect of FKBP51 antagonists on glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors nuclear translocation in the brain and pituitary of rat
· Characterising hits from a phenotypic screen of Parkinson’s disease
· Age-related changes in the brain RAS – implications for clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease
· Impact of stress on the expression of neuronal plasticity associated genes in the hippocampus
· Dysregulation of the circadian transcriptome in hippocampus and perirhinal cortex of rats during chronic methyl-prednisolone treatment
· Role of dopamine in modulating neurophysiological markers of human sleep
· Developmental expression of the apelin receptor gene
· Investigating synucleinopathies in human dopamine neurons
· Behaviour modification of neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus
· How do nicotinic receptors enhance cellular mechanisms of learning?
· MicroRNAs in the differentiation of neuronal and glial cells: implications for dementia
· Characterizing the metabolic response of Müller (retina glial) cells to stress and investigating the role of Interleukin-33
· Characterising new modifiers or risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease in Drosophila: characterising the role of CaMKII in AD-like pathology
· An information theoretic approach to neuropeptide hormone signalling.
· The influence of Wnt/SHH signalling on neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus
· The role of mossy cells in epilepsy pathogenesis
· Can influenza infection lead to Parkinson’s Disease?
· Can microRNA-7 clear the way for effective GNDF treatment in Parkinson’s disease?
· 3D Visualisation of whole organ neuroinflammation
· Cellular senescence and inflammatory responses to oxidative stress in murine retina
· Gene therapy for Hydrocephalus using CRISPR-Cas9
· Drosophila models of Parkinson’s disease
· DOPAMIND: Targeting dopamine to enhance memory consolidation in older adults
· α-synuclein and microRNA function in human dopamine neurons
· A combination approach: chondroitinase ABC secreting olfactory ensheathing cells in spinal cord repair
· Targeting olfactory ensheathing cell therapy to the glial scar
· The role of mast cells in the pathophysiology of age-related macular degeneration
· Exploring the pathophysiology of cerebral hypoperfusion in Multiple sclerosis
· Microbes as a source of neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases
· Impact of acute stress on the development of adult-born young neurons in the rat hippocampus
· Are visual hallucinations in Alzheimer’s a result of decreased perfusion of visual processing areas of the brain?
· Characterising the stress response in human neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells
· Using microfluidics to characterise the mitochondrial response to stress in models of human neurodegenerative disease
· Investigating the involvement of novel RNA binding proteins in the aetiology of Huntington’s disease using a mass spectrometry, proteomic approach.
· Effect of immune system stimulation on apelin receptor gene expression in the brain
· Impact of spatial training on the expression of spatial memory-associated genes in the rat brain
· Role of Krüppel-like Factors in stress-induced neuroplasticity in the rat hippocampus
· Identification of transcriptional targets of Creb3l1 in mouse pituitary AtT20 cells by high-throughput RNAseq
· Investigation of proteins interacting with transcription factor CREB3L1 in the hypothalamus
· PAK it in! The role of p21 activated kinases (PAKs) in neuronal development
· Exploratory studies of brain RAS changes in Parkinson’s disease – hints towards new interventions?
· Blood biomarkers for neurogenic hypertension
· Microbes in relation to inflammation and vascular changes in Alzheimer’s disease
· The impact on memory of epilepsy (TIME study) – EEG subgroup analysis
· The role of mossy cells in human dementia pathogenesis
· Is microRNA-7 the answer to effective GDNF treatment in Parkinson’s?
· inDOPA: a MultiBac gene therapy approach to dopamine replacement in Parkinson’s
· Targeting astrogliosis in preterm infants with IVH
· Investigation of proteins interacting with transcription factor CREB3L1 in the hypothalamus
· In vivo characterisation of novel risk genes for Alzheimer’s disease identified by Genome Wide Association Studies
· Neuropathological impact of risk factor genes for Dementia
· Ddddeveloping an organotypic cerebellar slice culture system to model axonal injury in progressive multiple sclerosis
· Exploring the role of the renin-angiotensin system in neurodegenerative disease
· Characterising the involvement of the renin-angiotensin system in learning and memory
· Exploring the role of pericytes in neurovascular coupling and blood flow reduction in Alzheimer’s disease
· Investigation of proteins interacting with Caprin2 in the hypothalamus
· Localisation of transcription factor CREB3L1 in the hypothalamus
· Regulation of apelin receptor gene expression in the brain
· Impact of stress on the expression of synapse-related neuroplasticity genes in the rat brain
· Impact of stress on the expression of neuronal motility associated genes in the hippocampus
· Cerebral microvascular endothelial glycocalyx
· Sleep biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease
· Investigating the involvement of novel RNA binding proteins in cytoplasmic stress body formation and the aetiology of Huntington’s disease
· The role of p120 catenin proteins in mediating the synaptotoxic effects of amyloid-beta
· The effects of ultrasound on the excitability of neurons
· Enhancing cell transplant therapy for spinal cord repair