Page 14 - Abacoa Community News - April '20

Page 14, Abacoa

Cavefish: Out Of The Dark from page 12 Neuronal Glutamatergic Gregory Macleod, an associate professor of biology in FAU’s
unconventional sort of lab rat, a subject for routine use in studies Synaptic Clefts Alkalinize Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College and the College of Science, and
collaborators, used fluorescent reporters to investigate the acid/
intended to shed light on human biology. “We are developing Rather Than Acidify During base balance in between nerve cells as they communicate with
this fascinating animal into a new experimental model,” Keene each other. Researchers discovered that contrary to expectations,
said. “For FAU to be at the center of these advances, is exciting.” Neurotransmission the cleft between nerve cells alkalinizes, which has profound
Two Fish, One Species implications for the way in which the brain makes computations.
Scientists believe Mexican cavefish, whose Latin name Results of the study were recently published in the Journal of
is Astyanax mexicanus, started out just like the fish that still Neuroscience. The research is funded by a five-year National
inhabit the rivers in the Sierra del Abra region of Northeast Institutes of Health (NIH) grant awarded to MacLeod.
Mexico. After floods swept Astyanax mexicanus into at least 29
caves, these fish adapted to life in the dark, with little food and 20th Anniversary Wilkes Honors
no predators. Despite millennia spent apart, cavefish can still
breed with river fish – an enormous plus for scientists who can College Benefactors Dinner
readily examine the effects
of cave life by comparing the Nearly 200 people attended the Harriet L. Wilkes
two. Scientists first started Honors 20th Anniversary Benefactors Dinner on Feb. 20
studying cavefish about a at the Pelican Club. The event featured Florida Atlantic
century ago, but within the University’s Distinguished Teacher of the Year Jeffrey S.
past decade, interest in them Morton, Ph.D., as the keynote speaker, FAU President John
has expanded, according to
Kowalko, Ph.D., an assistant 20th Anniversary Wilkes Honors College on page 15
professor of biology in the
Harriet L. Wilkes Honors
College. “The recent Strengthen A Father-Son Relationship
development of new genetic
and genomic technologies Johanna Kowalko, Ph.D.
has allowed the field to take By Jim Forgan, Ph.D. volunteers led all activities. Your physical fitness level is
many new and exciting directions as new genomic resources, Life is built on not important as activities can be modified so everyone has
like the cavefish genome, and functional genetic tools have relationships and the father- success and fun.
become available for this species,” she said. As a postdoc, son relationship is a special One of the pinnacle moments was when I got to publically
Kowalko adapted gene editing systems to make precise changes one. Regardless of where a bless my son and speak words of life and encouragement over
within cave and river fish genomes. New technologies like this father and son are in their him. Sons (and daughters) need their father’s blessing. They
have made it possible to ask all kinds of new questions with journey, it’s a process that long for it. This camp gave my son and me the dialogue to
these fish, she said. Kowalko is using gene editing to examine is always in development. discuss life’s challenges and develop a common language to
their sociability. Unlike more gregarious river fish, cavefish With intentionality, you can use as he develops into a young man of integrity. It was the
don’t swim in coordinated schools. “We now have the tools to improve a strained father- perfect getaway and opportunity to create a foundation for
perturb genes we suspect are responsible, to see if that changes son relationship or increase his future.
schooling behavior,” she said. an already solid father-son Dads can spend quality time with their son, stepson, or
Starting Points relationship. son-in-law through an exciting father-son experience. A week
The subjects of the trio’s experiments inhabit three tank-lined I improved the relationship with my teenage son by going or weekend program is a great opportunity for everyone to
“fish rooms” on the Jupiter campus. Many more are coming. A on a father-son long weekend. When I did this with my disconnect from technology and reconnect in person.
recent grant from the National Science Foundation is making teenage son it transformed our relationship for the better. I A book that really helped me become a better dad was by
it possible for the FAU researchers and their collaborators to chose the Christ in the Rockies father-son passage to manhood Ed McGlasson and called The Difference a Father Makes:
develop new research tools and to prepare to supply the fish to experience but if you search “father son camp” you’ll find Calling Out the Magnificent Destiny in Your Children. I
labs around the world. many choices. Our long weekend was set in the Colorado encourage you to invest in your relationship with your son
Duboué, Ph.D., an Rocky Mountains and was so authentic with sleeping in or daughter.
assistant professor of biology private tents with comfy cots, excellent food, amazing Dr. Jim Forgan tests for ADHD, gifted, and is a certified
in the Harriet L. Wilkes downhill mountain biking, and manly content. It was a small dyslexia testing specialist. www.JimForgan.com or (561)
Honors College, together with group of six dads and six sons and the Christ in the Rockies 625-4125
Keene, is working to create
one such type of experiment-
ready fish: All of the nerves Dyslexia, ADD/ADHD,
in its brain and spinal cord
will be genetically engineered
to fluoresce when they fire Gifted Testing
electrical signals. Even made
visible, this activity can still Erik Duboué, Ph.D.
be difficult to interpret. He NOW OFFERING: Dr. Jim Forgan & Associates
and Keene are building another resource – detailed, three- • Jupiter & Stuart Offices
dimensional reconstructions of fish brains – that will make it Licensed School Psychologist
possible to more accurately decode the green glow. • Testing for Processing www.JimForgan.com
In his own experiments, Duboué has found that river fish Problems, Anxiety,
placed in an unfamiliar tank will hide out at the bottom, a sign Defiance (561) 625-4125
of stress. Cavefish, however, begin exploring upward much • Weekend and After
more quickly. Duboué thinks this boldness may result from School Appointments
living without fear of being eaten. The stressed-out and stress-
resistant fish may ultimately have something to tell us about
human anxiety. “We don’t understand why some people handle “Helping Parents Help Children”
stress really well and others don’t,” he said. “If we can trace
a cavefish’s dampened stress response to its genes or brain
anatomy, those may be starting points for human research.”
Likewise, Keene’s work suggests potential insights on sleep Experience Dentistry with a Woman’s Touch
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disorders. Before he and Duboué arrived at FAU, together they
discovered that cavefish doze about 80 percent less than river
fish. Keene has continued to tease out this difference, which he Cosmetic & Comprehensive Restorative Dentistry
thinks might have arisen to allow cavefish to spend more time
searching for food. State of the Art & Same Day Restorations
Researchers elsewhere have uncovered other parallels to
familiar conditions. Cavefish eat insatiably, put on more fat than Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen Sedation Available
river fish, and often possess a mutation associated with human
obesity. Meanwhile, cavefish have higher levels of potentially
harmful blood sugar than do river fish. In humans, elevated Joanne Green, D.D.S.
blood sugar is the primary characteristic of diabetes.
Keene and colleagues from the University of Minnesota 10887 N. Military Trail, Suite 6
and Stowers Institute for Medical Research are following these Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
leads. With funding from the National Institutes of Health, they
are examining the genetic underpinnings of sleep, eating and (561) 622-2815 • www.joannegreendds.com
metabolism in these fish. Perhaps most telling is what isn’t
happening to cavefish; they seem generally healthy and live Medical College of Virginia School of Dentistry - Cum Laude
about as long as river fish. “If we can figure out what makes Hospital of the University of Penn - General Practice Residency Training
them resilient to the harmful effects of, for example, chronic Harvard Dental School - Former Instructor
sleep loss,” Keene said, “then we may find new ways to treat Boston Brigham and Women’s Dental Group - Staff Dentist
these disorders in humans.”