Date of Submission
Spring 2020
Academic Program
Biology
Project Advisor 1
Arseny Khakhalin
Abstract/Artist's Statement
Valproic acid, or VPA, is a drug used in the treatment of epileptic seizures and one with potential for further clinical use. Importantly, both in a biological and medical context, it is interesting and important to study the effect of this drug on synaptic plasticity. In this study, the aim was to gain an understanding for the effects of VPA on synaptic plasticity in Xenopus laevis tadpoles through the analysis of optomotor response behavior. To do this, tadpoles were exposed to VPA, then exposed to a visual stimulus, and the optomotor response behavior was recorded and analyzed. Overall, I established a successful and reliable protocol for testing the effects of VPA on synaptic plasticity and found Xenopus laevis to be a reliable model for future testing on this subject.
Open Access Agreement
On-Campus only
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Mordecai, Rachel Ani, "The Effects of Valproic Acid on the Optomotor Response Behavior in Xenopus laevis Tadpoles" (2020). Senior Projects Spring 2020. 92.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2020/92
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