Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Carvelli, Lucia

Abstract

Killer Red (KRed) is a fluorescent protein which is capable of the selective ablation of targeted cells via the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) when exposed to the appropriate wavelengths of visible light. By expressing KRed in the dopaminergic neurons via the dopamine transporter (dat-1) promoter, these neurons may then be ablated with minimal to no damage to other limitrophe cells. Utilizing this cell-targeted ablation in the model organism C. elegans, this study aims to ascertain the impacts of amphetamine exposure in the absence of proteins exclusively expressed in dopaminergic neurons. These impacts will be investigated via the comparison of amphetamine-induced behaviors in control animals and animals which have undergone the selective ablation of dopaminergic neurons. This study adds to a body of literature assessing the neurobiological mechanisms of addiction, raising further research questions and possibilities in the realm of treatment, mechanistic action, and impacts of drug abuse.

Comments

Thesis (B.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, 2021

Extent

42 p.

Identifier

FAUHT00138

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