I have been affiliated with this project during the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. 

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Previous research focused on characterizing Gαolf expression and signaling within the spiny projection neurons (SPNs) of the striatum. However, the emphasis of Gαolf signaling in the striatum has led to conflicting literature regarding the extent of Gnal expression in other brain regions outside the basal ganglia. The goal of this study was to characterize Gnal expression throughout other brain structures. We found the Gnal was expressed throughout the brain, rather than localized in just the SPNs of the striatum. Our results help identify cell types and regions of interest in the brain for studying homeostatic and pathogenic Gαolf signaling pathways. Overall, the expression of Gnal is found widely across the murine brain tissue, suggesting that Gαolf is involved in signaling across many cell types, rather than just the striatum. . Because of this expression, we hypothesize that dystonia-linked Gnal mutations result in pathogenic signaling in many neuroanatomical structures, some of which may contribute to motor symptoms of dystonia. 

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I was involved in utilizing RNAScope to visualize and quantify individual  mRNA transcripts in order to characterize Gnal expression in the brain. assisting with writing the published paper.

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This project was published in Brain Research.

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