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	Kalynda Gonzales My pathway that brought me to this point in my career is not necessarily the ordinary. I have literally traveled up and down the east coast in pursuit of finding a career that I find physically and emotionally satisfying. I left south Florida in 1996 to attend Northeastern University (Boston, MA) in the physical therapy program. After a few orthopedic surgeries impeded my progress as a therapist, I decided to change schools and attended UMASS in the biology/pre-med program (2001-2005), where I received my Bachelor of Science. I was also working as a nursing assistant in the E.R. and Burn & Trauma I.C.U. at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, leading me even further onto the pathway of medical school. Then as many pre-med students do, I wanted to get experience working in a research laboratory for my medical school application. I spent a summer in Dr. Alexia Pollack’s laboratory due to my growing interest in neuroscience. The main focus of Dr. Pollack’s lab was to examine various dopaminergic therapeutic interventions in a rodent model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). My project was mainly focused on the behavioral sensitization (i.e. contralateral rotations) produced by the administration of a drug cocktail of various dopamine agonists and an A2A adenosine receptor antagonist in unilaterally 6-OHDA lesioned rats, a rodent Parkinsonian model. This research experience with Dr. Pollack made me realize that I truly enjoyed neuroscience laboratory research and using sophisticated techniques in order to understand the complex theories and concepts related to brain function in the normal and diseased state. By the end of my undergraduate work at UMASS-Boston, I was convinced that I wanted to pursue a career as a neuroscientist with a specific interest towards movement disorder research. Post-Baccalaureate Training: Then, I decided to pursue my interests in Parkinson’s disease research by working as a Post-baccalaureate IRTA at the National Institute of Health (NIH)/National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS) in the laboratory of Dr. Judith Walters. Her lab focuses on the use of in vivo electrophysiological techniques to determine the neural activity of various basal ganglia structures under normal conditions and after dopamine loss in rodent models of PD. I worked on two projects during my stay in Dr. Walters’s laboratory. The first project consisted of in vivo extracellular recordings in the subthalamic nucleus and the anterior cingulate cortex in anesthetized unilateral 6-OHDA lesioned rats, while the second project focused on in vivo extracellular recordings in the substantia nigra pars reticulata in unilateral 6-OHDA lesioned rats during locomotor activity and dyskinesias. Pre-doctoral Training: Following this exciting time at the NIH in Dr. Walter’s laboratory, I felt I was ready to make the final step towards graduate school and find an environment where I could perform cutting edge neuroscience research and get a thorough multidisciplinary graduate training in neuroscience. I decided that the overall training opportunity offered by the Emory Neuroscience program combined with the international reputation of many faculty members of this program in basal ganglia and Parkinson’s disease research was the best fit for me. Following my admission into the program in the Fall of 2006, I undertook my first rotation in the lab of Dr. Thomas Wichmann, who is an expert in the field of in vivo electrophysiology in normal and parkinsonian non-human primates. During this time, I was introduced to behavioral training of rhesus macaque monkeys, post-surgical care of head recording chambers, and in vivo single unit recordings in awake animals. I also had the opportunity to assist a postdoctoral fellow in a project aimed at recording local field potentials of basal ganglia nuclei in awake monkeys. My second rotation was with Dr. Yoland Smith, who is an expert in neuroanatomist specialized in studies of the functional circuitry and synaptic organization of the primate basal ganglia. During this rotation, I learned how to perform single label electron microscopic immunocytochemistry and electron microscopic procedures for the study of dopaminergic neuronal elements in various primate basal ganglia nuclei. My last rotation was with Dr. Dieter Jaeger, who is an expert in the field of in vitro slice electrophysiology and computational neuroscience. His research is mainly focused on the study of neuronal neworks and synaptic mechanisms in the basal ganglia and cerebellum. During this rotation, I familiarized myself with in vitro rat slice recording procedures to collect data from neurons of the rat globus pallidus. I also learned immunofluorescence procedures for the localization of various neuronal markers in thick slices of rodent pallidum. Together, these three rotations provided me with an opportunity to gain insight into the variety of techniques that are available to address broad and complex issues related to basal ganglia function and dysfunction. Thesis Dissertation: My final decision was to join the laboratories of Drs Smith and Wichmann for my pre-doctoral training. This collaboration has provided me with the unique opportunity to utilize electrophysiological and neuroanatomical techniques to study the functional organization of the thalamostriatal system in nonhuman primates. As is often the case for most neural networks, the neuronal microcircuits that mediate the physiological effects of the thalamostriatal system upon the basal ganglia appear to be more complex than originally thought. For example, striatal cholinergic interneurons respond to thalamic activation predominantly by a decrease in firing activity. This response is rather odd due to the fact that the projection from the thalamus to the striatum is monosynaptic and glutamatergic. One possible explanation is that the intrinsic striatal GABAergic system might be modulating this activity via a disyanptic connection. The issue of GABAergic involvement in modulating the thalamostriatal system will be studied and partially resolved by the two aims of my thesis project: (1) To determine the role of intrinsic GABAergic microcircuits in regulating spontaneous activity and CM-induced electrophysiological responses in TANs of the primate putamen (2) To define the microcircuitry and chemical phenotype of GABAergic synaptic inputs along the somatodendritic domain of striatal cholinergic interneurons in the primate Publications: Parr-Brownlie LC, Poloski SL, Flanagan KK, Eisenhofer G, Bergstrom DA and Walters JR (2007) Dopamine lesion-induced changes in subthalamic nucleus activity are not associated with alterations in firing rate or pattern in layer V neurons of the anterior cingulate cortex in anesthetized rats. European Journal of Neuroscience 26 (7): 1925-39. (PMID: 17897398) Pollack AE, Gonzales KK, Chen J-F, Maffeo M, Lee H, and Schneider L. Role of A2A adenosine receptors on the development of D1-, D2-, and D1/D2-mediated sensitization in 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats (manuscript in preparation). Abstracts: A. Pollack, J.-F. Chen, K. Gonzales, M. Maffeo, A. Hunkali, and L. Thomas. Role of A2A adenosine receptors on the induction and expression of dopamine-mediated sensitization in 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats. Program No. 534.6, 2004 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience (Authorship added after abstract submission for work contributed). K. Gonzales, M. Maffeo, J.-F. Chen, A. Pollack. Effect of blocking A2A adenosine receptors on the development of behavioral sensitization in 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats. Program Pg. No. 32, 2005 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA: New England Science Symposium. K. Gonzales, A.E. Pollack, J.-F. Chen, M. Maffeo, H. Lee, L. Schneider. Effects of blocking A2A adenosine receptors on the development of behavioral sensitization in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease. Program Pg. No. 11, 2005 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Washington DC Convention Center, Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience 35th Annual Meeting / Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience Symposium. L.C. Parr-Brownlie, S.L. Poloskey, D.A. Bergstrom, K.K. Gonzales, and J.R. Walters. Dopamine cell lesion-induced changes in neuronal activity in motor and anterior cingulate cortices in urethane anesthetized rats. FENS Abstr. Vol 3, A147.14, 2006. L.C. Parr-Brownlie, S.L. Poloskey, D.A. Bergstrom, K.K. Gonzales, and J.R. Walters. Contribution of cortical activity to changes in firing rate and pattern of subthalamic neurons in a rodent model of Parkinson’s disease. Program No. 65412. 2006 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Atlanta, GA: Society for Neuroscience. I. Avila, L.C. Parr-Brownlie, D.A. Bergstrom, K.K. Gonzales, S.L. Poloskey, E. Castaneda, and J.R. Walters. Firing rate and local field potential changes in a basal ganglia output nucleus during walking and rest in the hemiparkinsonian rat. Program No. 622. 2007 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. San Diego, CA: Society for Neuroscience. K.K. Gonzales, J.-F. Pare, S. Jenkins, T. Wichmann, and Y. Smith. Intrinsic microcircuitry of GABAergic inputs from direct and indirect striatofugal neurons on striatal cholinergic interneurons in the primate putamen. 2009 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Chicago, IL: Society for Neuroscience. K.K. Gonzales, J.-F. Pare, S. Jenkins, T. Wichmann, and Y. Smith. Intrinsic microcircuitry of GABAergic inputs from direct and indirect striatofugal neurons on striatal cholinergic interneurons in the primate putamen. 2009 Abstract Viewer. Emory University, Atlanta, GA: 7th Annual Student Research Symposium. K.K. Gonzales, J.-F. Pare, S. Jenkins, T. Wichmann, and Y. Smith. Striatal cholinergic interneurons receive intrinsic GABAergic inputs from axon collaterals of direct and indirect striatofugal neurons in the primate putamen. 2010 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Long Branch, NJ: International Basal Ganglia Society X.

Kalynda Gonzales

My pathway that brought me to this point in my career is not necessarily the ordinary. I have literally traveled up and down the east coast in pursuit of finding a career that I find physically and emotionally satisfying. I left south Florida in 1996 to attend Northeastern University (Boston, MA) in the physical therapy program. After a few orthopedic surgeries impeded my progress as a therapist, I decided to change schools and attended UMASS in the biology/pre-med program (2001-2005), where I received my Bachelor of Science. I was also working as a nursing assistant in the E.R. and Burn & Trauma I.C.U. at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, leading me even further onto the pathway of medical school. Then as many pre-med students do, I wanted to get experience working in a research laboratory for my medical school application. I spent a summer in Dr. Alexia Pollack’s laboratory due to my growing interest in neuroscience. The main focus of Dr. Pollack’s lab was to examine various dopaminergic therapeutic interventions in a rodent model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). My project was mainly focused on the behavioral sensitization (i.e. contralateral rotations) produced by the administration of a drug cocktail of various dopamine agonists and an A2A adenosine receptor antagonist in unilaterally 6-OHDA lesioned rats, a rodent Parkinsonian model. This research experience with Dr. Pollack made me realize that I truly enjoyed neuroscience laboratory research and using sophisticated techniques in order to understand the complex theories and concepts related to brain function in the normal and diseased state. By the end of my undergraduate work at UMASS-Boston, I was convinced that I wanted to pursue a career as a neuroscientist with a specific interest towards movement disorder research.

Post-Baccalaureate Training:

Then, I decided to pursue my interests in Parkinson’s disease research by working as a Post-baccalaureate IRTA at the National Institute of Health (NIH)/National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS) in the laboratory of Dr. Judith Walters. Her lab focuses on the use of in vivo electrophysiological techniques to determine the neural activity of various basal ganglia structures under normal conditions and after dopamine loss in rodent models of PD. I worked on two projects during my stay in Dr. Walters’s laboratory. The first project consisted of in vivo extracellular recordings in the subthalamic nucleus and the anterior cingulate cortex in anesthetized unilateral 6-OHDA lesioned rats, while the second project focused on in vivo extracellular recordings in the substantia nigra pars reticulata in unilateral 6-OHDA lesioned rats during locomotor activity and dyskinesias.

Pre-doctoral Training:

Following this exciting time at the NIH in Dr. Walter’s laboratory, I felt I was ready to make the final step towards graduate school and find an environment where I could perform cutting edge neuroscience research and get a thorough multidisciplinary graduate training in neuroscience. I decided that the overall training opportunity offered by the Emory Neuroscience program combined with the international reputation of many faculty members of this program in basal ganglia and Parkinson’s disease research was the best fit for me. Following my admission into the program in the Fall of 2006, I undertook my first rotation in the lab of Dr. Thomas Wichmann, who is an expert in the field of in vivo electrophysiology in normal and parkinsonian non-human primates. During this time, I was introduced to behavioral training of rhesus macaque monkeys, post-surgical care of head recording chambers, and in vivo single unit recordings in awake animals. I also had the opportunity to assist a postdoctoral fellow in a project aimed at recording local field potentials of basal ganglia nuclei in awake monkeys. My second rotation was with Dr. Yoland Smith, who is an expert in neuroanatomist specialized in studies of the functional circuitry and synaptic organization of the primate basal ganglia. During this rotation, I learned how to perform single label electron microscopic immunocytochemistry and electron microscopic procedures for the study of dopaminergic neuronal elements in various primate basal ganglia nuclei. My last rotation was with Dr. Dieter Jaeger, who is an expert in the field of in vitro slice electrophysiology and computational neuroscience. His research is mainly focused on the study of neuronal neworks and synaptic mechanisms in the basal ganglia and cerebellum. During this rotation, I familiarized myself with in vitro rat slice recording procedures to collect data from neurons of the rat globus pallidus. I also learned immunofluorescence procedures for the localization of various neuronal markers in thick slices of rodent pallidum. Together, these three rotations provided me with an opportunity to gain insight into the variety of techniques that are available to address broad and complex issues related to basal ganglia function and dysfunction.

Thesis Dissertation:

My final decision was to join the laboratories of Drs Smith and Wichmann for my pre-doctoral training. This collaboration has provided me with the unique opportunity to utilize electrophysiological and neuroanatomical techniques to study the functional organization of the thalamostriatal system in nonhuman primates. As is often the case for most neural networks, the neuronal microcircuits that mediate the physiological effects of the thalamostriatal system upon the basal ganglia appear to be more complex than originally thought. For example, striatal cholinergic interneurons respond to thalamic activation predominantly by a decrease in firing activity. This response is rather odd due to the fact that the projection from the thalamus to the striatum is monosynaptic and glutamatergic. One possible explanation is that the intrinsic striatal GABAergic system might be modulating this activity via a disyanptic connection.

The issue of GABAergic involvement in modulating the thalamostriatal system will be studied and partially resolved by the two aims of my thesis project:

(1) To determine the role of intrinsic GABAergic microcircuits in regulating spontaneous activity and CM-induced electrophysiological responses in TANs of the primate putamen

(2) To define the microcircuitry and chemical phenotype of GABAergic synaptic inputs along the somatodendritic domain of striatal cholinergic interneurons in the primate

Publications:

Parr-Brownlie LC, Poloski SL, Flanagan KK, Eisenhofer G, Bergstrom DA and Walters JR (2007) Dopamine lesion-induced changes in subthalamic nucleus activity are not associated with alterations in firing rate or pattern in layer V neurons of the anterior cingulate cortex in anesthetized rats. European Journal of Neuroscience 26 (7): 1925-39. (PMID: 17897398)

Pollack AE, Gonzales KK, Chen J-F, Maffeo M, Lee H, and Schneider L. Role of A2A adenosine receptors on the development of D1-, D2-, and D1/D2-mediated sensitization in 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats (manuscript in preparation).

Abstracts:

A. Pollack, J.-F. Chen, K. Gonzales, M. Maffeo, A. Hunkali, and L. Thomas. Role of A2A adenosine receptors on the induction and expression of dopamine-mediated sensitization in 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats. Program No. 534.6, 2004 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience (Authorship added after abstract submission for work contributed).

K. Gonzales, M. Maffeo, J.-F. Chen, A. Pollack. Effect of blocking A2A adenosine receptors on the development of behavioral sensitization in 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats.   Program Pg. No. 32, 2005 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA: New England Science Symposium.

K. Gonzales, A.E. Pollack, J.-F. Chen, M. Maffeo, H. Lee, L. Schneider.   Effects of blocking A2A adenosine receptors on the development of behavioral sensitization in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease. Program Pg. No. 11, 2005 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Washington DC Convention Center, Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience 35th Annual Meeting / Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience Symposium.

L.C. Parr-Brownlie, S.L. Poloskey, D.A. Bergstrom, K.K. Gonzales, and J.R. Walters. Dopamine cell lesion-induced changes in neuronal activity in motor and anterior cingulate cortices in urethane anesthetized rats. FENS Abstr. Vol 3, A147.14, 2006.

L.C. Parr-Brownlie, S.L. Poloskey, D.A. Bergstrom, K.K. Gonzales, and J.R. Walters. Contribution of cortical activity to changes in firing rate and pattern of subthalamic neurons in a rodent model of Parkinson’s disease. Program No. 65412. 2006 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Atlanta, GA: Society for Neuroscience.

I. Avila, L.C. Parr-Brownlie, D.A. Bergstrom, K.K. Gonzales, S.L. Poloskey, E. Castaneda, and J.R. Walters. Firing rate and local field potential changes in a basal ganglia output nucleus during walking and rest in the hemiparkinsonian rat. Program No. 622. 2007 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. San Diego, CA: Society for Neuroscience.

K.K. Gonzales, J.-F. Pare, S. Jenkins, T. Wichmann, and Y. Smith. Intrinsic microcircuitry of GABAergic inputs from direct and indirect striatofugal neurons on striatal cholinergic interneurons in the primate putamen. 2009 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Chicago, IL: Society for Neuroscience.

K.K. Gonzales, J.-F. Pare, S. Jenkins, T. Wichmann, and Y. Smith. Intrinsic microcircuitry of GABAergic inputs from direct and indirect striatofugal neurons on striatal cholinergic interneurons in the primate putamen. 2009 Abstract Viewer. Emory University, Atlanta, GA: 7th Annual Student Research Symposium.

K.K. Gonzales, J.-F. Pare, S. Jenkins, T. Wichmann, and Y. Smith. Striatal cholinergic interneurons receive intrinsic GABAergic inputs from axon collaterals of direct and indirect striatofugal neurons in the primate putamen. 2010 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Long Branch, NJ: International Basal Ganglia Society X.