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Burgess HA, Burton EA. A Critical Review of Zebrafish Neurological Disease Models-1. The Premise: Neuroanatomical, Cellular and Genetic Homology and Experimental Tractability. OXFORD OPEN NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 2:kvac018. [PMID: 37649777 PMCID: PMC10464506 DOI: 10.1093/oons/kvac018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
The last decade has seen a dramatic rise in the number of genes linked to neurological disorders, necessitating new models to explore underlying mechanisms and to test potential therapies. Over a similar period, many laboratories adopted zebrafish as a tractable model for studying brain development, defining neural circuits and performing chemical screens. Here we discuss strengths and limitations of using the zebrafish system to model neurological disorders. The underlying premise for many disease models is the high degree of homology between human and zebrafish genes, coupled with the conserved vertebrate Bauplan and repertoire of neurochemical signaling molecules. Yet, we caution that important evolutionary divergences often limit the extent to which human symptoms can be modeled meaningfully in zebrafish. We outline advances in genetic technologies that allow human mutations to be reproduced faithfully in zebrafish. Together with methods that visualize the development and function of neuronal pathways at the single cell level, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to understand how disease-associated genetic changes disrupt neural circuits, a level of analysis that is ideally suited to uncovering pathogenic changes in human brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold A Burgess
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Edward A Burton
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA,15260, USA
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, 15240, USA
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Ramos-Vicente D, Grant SG, Bayés À. Metazoan evolution and diversity of glutamate receptors and their auxiliary subunits. Neuropharmacology 2021; 195:108640. [PMID: 34116111 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in vertebrate and invertebrate nervous systems. Proteins involved in glutamatergic neurotransmission, and chiefly glutamate receptors and their auxiliary subunits, play key roles in nervous system function. Thus, understanding their evolution and uncovering their diversity is essential to comprehend how nervous systems evolved, shaping cognitive function. Comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of these proteins across metazoans have revealed that their evolution is much more complex than what can be anticipated from vertebrate genomes. This is particularly true for ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), as their current classification into 6 classes (AMPA, Kainate, Delta, NMDA1, NMDA2 and NMDA3) would be largely incomplete. New work proposes a classification of iGluRs into 4 subfamilies that encompass 10 classes. Vertebrate AMPA, Kainate and Delta receptors would belong to one of these subfamilies, named AKDF, the NMDA subunits would constitute another subfamily and non-vertebrate iGluRs would be organised into the previously unreported Epsilon and Lambda subfamilies. Similarly, the animal evolution of metabotropic glutamate receptors has resulted in the formation of four classes of these receptors, instead of the three currently recognised. Here we review our current knowledge on the animal evolution of glutamate receptors and their auxiliary subunits. This article is part of the special issue on 'Glutamate Receptors - Orphan iGluRs'.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Ramos-Vicente
- Molecular Physiology of the Synapse Laboratory, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Seth Gn Grant
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, Chancellor's Building, Edinburgh BioQuarter, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4SB, UK; Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB), Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Àlex Bayés
- Molecular Physiology of the Synapse Laboratory, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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Health Impact Assessment of Sulfolane on Embryonic Development of Zebrafish ( Danio rerio). TOXICS 2019; 7:toxics7030042. [PMID: 31450778 PMCID: PMC6789604 DOI: 10.3390/toxics7030042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Sulfolane is a widely used polar, aprotic solvent that has been detected by chemical analysis in groundwater and creeks around the world including Alberta, Canada (800 µg/mL), Louisiana, USA (2900 µg/mL) and Brisbane, Australia (4344 µg/mL). Previous research provided information on adverse effects of sulfolane on mammals, but relatively little information is available on aquatic organisms. This study tested the effects of sulfolane (0–5000 µg/mL) on early development of zebrafish larvae, using various morphometric (survival, hatching, yolk sac and pericardial oedema, haemorrhaging, spinal malformations, swim bladder inflation), growth (larval length, eye volume, yolk sac utilisation), behavioural (touch response, locomotor activity and transcript abundance parameters (ahr1a, cyp1a, thraa, dio1, dio2, dio3, 11βhsd2, gr, aqp3a, cyp19a1b, ddc, gria2b and hsp70) for 120 h. Embryos were chronically exposed to sulfolane throughout the experimental period. For locomotor activity, however, we also investigated acute response to 2-h sulfolane treatment. Sulfolane sensitivity causing significant impairment in the observed parameters were different depending on parameters measured, including survival (concentrations greater than 800 µg/mL), morphometric and growth (800–1000 µg/mL), behaviour (500–800 µg/mL) and transcript abundance (10 µg/mL). The overall results provide novel information on the adverse health impacts of sulfolane on an aquatic vertebrate species, and an insight into developmental impairments following exposure to environmental levels of sulfolane in fish embryos.
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AMPA glutamate receptors are required for sensory-organ formation and morphogenesis in the basal chordate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:3939-3944. [PMID: 28348228 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1612943114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
AMPA-type glutamate receptors (GluAs) mediate fast excitatory transmission in the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS), and their function has been extensively studied in the mature mammalian brain. However, GluA expression begins very early in developing embryos, suggesting that they may also have unidentified developmental roles. Here, we identify developmental roles for GluAs in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis Mammals express Ca2+-permeable GluAs (Ca-P GluAs) and Ca2+-impermeable GluAs (Ca-I GluAs) by combining subunits derived from four genes. In contrast, ascidians have a single gluA gene. Taking advantage of the simple genomic GluA organization in ascidians, we knocked down (KD) GluAs in Ciona and observed severe impairments in formation of the ocellus, a photoreceptive organ used during the swimming stage, and in resorption of the tail and body axis rotation during metamorphosis to the adult stage. These defects could be rescued by injection of KD-resistant GluAs. GluA KD phenotypes could also be reproduced by expressing a GluA mutant that dominantly inhibits glutamate-evoked currents. These results suggest that, in addition to their role in synaptic communication in mature animals, GluAs also have critical developmental functions.
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Excessive activation of ionotropic glutamate receptors induces apoptotic hair-cell death independent of afferent and efferent innervation. Sci Rep 2017; 7:41102. [PMID: 28112265 PMCID: PMC5255535 DOI: 10.1038/srep41102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of excess glutamate plays a central role in eliciting the pathological events that follow intensely loud noise exposures and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Glutamate excitotoxicity has been characterized in cochlear nerve terminals, but much less is known about whether excess glutamate signaling also contributes to pathological changes in sensory hair cells. I therefore examined whether glutamate excitotoxicity damages hair cells in zebrafish larvae exposed to drugs that mimic excitotoxic trauma. Exposure to ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) agonists, kainic acid (KA) or N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), contributed to significant, progressive hair cell loss in zebrafish lateral-line organs. To examine whether hair-cell loss was a secondary effect of excitotoxic damage to innervating neurons, I exposed neurog1a morphants-fish whose hair-cell organs are devoid of afferent and efferent innervation-to KA or NMDA. Significant, dose-dependent hair-cell loss occurred in neurog1a morphants exposed to either agonist, and the loss was comparable to wild-type siblings. A survey of iGluR gene expression revealed AMPA-, Kainate-, and NMDA-type subunits are expressed in zebrafish hair cells. Finally, hair cells exposed to KA or NMDA appear to undergo apoptotic cell death. Cumulatively, these data reveal that excess glutamate signaling through iGluRs induces hair-cell death independent of damage to postsynaptic terminals.
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Horzmann KA, Freeman JL. Zebrafish Get Connected: Investigating Neurotransmission Targets and Alterations in Chemical Toxicity. TOXICS 2016; 4:19. [PMID: 28730152 PMCID: PMC5515482 DOI: 10.3390/toxics4030019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Neurotransmission is the basis of neuronal communication and is critical for normal brain development, behavior, learning, and memory. Exposure to drugs and chemicals can alter neurotransmission, often through unknown pathways and mechanisms. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) model system is increasingly being used to study the brain and chemical neurotoxicity. In this review, the major neurotransmitter systems, including glutamate, GABA, dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, acetylcholine, histamine, and glutamate are surveyed and pathways of synthesis, transport, metabolism, and action are examined. Differences between human and zebrafish neurochemical pathways are highlighted. We also review techniques for evaluating neurological function, including the measurement of neurotransmitter levels, assessment of gene expression through transcriptomic analysis, and the recording of neurobehavior. Finally examples of chemical toxicity studies evaluating alterations in neurotransmitter systems in the zebrafish model are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer L. Freeman
- School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA;
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The developmental effects of pentachlorophenol on zebrafish embryos during segmentation: A systematic view. Sci Rep 2016; 6:25929. [PMID: 27181905 PMCID: PMC4867433 DOI: 10.1038/srep25929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a typical toxicant and prevailing pollutant whose toxicity has been broadly investigated. However, previous studies did not specifically investigate the underlying mechanisms of its developmental toxicity. Here, we chose zebrafish embryos as the model, exposed them to 2 different concentrations of PCP, and sequenced their entire transcriptomes at 10 and 24 hours post-fertilization (hpf). The sequencing analysis revealed that high concentrations of PCP elicited systematic responses at both time points. By combining the enrichment terms with single genes, the results were further analyzed using three categories: metabolism, transporters, and organogenesis. Hyperactive glycolysis was the most outstanding feature of the transcriptome at 10 hpf. The entire system seemed to be hypoxic, although hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α) may have been suppressed by the upregulation of prolyl hydroxylase domain enzymes (PHDs). At 24 hpf, PCP primarily affected somitogenesis and lens formation probably resulting from the disruption of embryonic body plan at earlier stages. The proposed underlying toxicological mechanism of PCP was based on the crosstalk between each clue. Our study attempted to describe the developmental toxicity of environmental pollutants from a systematic view. Meanwhile, some features of gene expression profiling could serve as markers of human health or ecological risk.
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Li IC, Chen YC, Wang YY, Tzeng BW, Ou CW, Lau YY, Wu KM, Chan TM, Lin WH, Hwang SPL, Chow WY. Zebrafish Adar2 Edits the Q/R site of AMPA receptor Subunit gria2α transcript to ensure normal development of nervous system and cranial neural crest cells. PLoS One 2014; 9:e97133. [PMID: 24818983 PMCID: PMC4018279 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Accepted: 04/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Adar2 deaminates selective adenosines to inosines (A-to-I RNA editing) in the double-stranded region of nuclear transcripts. Although the functions of mouse Adar2 and its biologically most important substrate gria2, encoding the GluA2 subunit of AMPA (α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid) receptor, have been extensively studied, the substrates and functions of zebrafish Adar2 remain elusive. Methods/Principal Findings Expression of Adar2 was perturbed in the adar2 morphant (adar2MO), generated by antisense morpholio oligonucleotides. The Q/R editing of gria2α was reduced in the adar2MO and was enhanced by overexpression of Adar2, demonstrating an evolutionarily conserved activity between zebrafish and mammalian Adar2 in editing the Q/R site of gria2. To delineate the role of Q/R editing of gria2α in the developmental defects observed in the adar2MO, the Q/R editing of gria2α was specifically perturbed in the gria2αQRMO, generated by a morpholio oligonucleotide complementary to the exon complementary sequence (ECS) required for the Q/R editing. Analogous to the adar2-deficient and Q/R-editing deficient mice displaying identical neurological defects, the gria2αQRMO and adar2MO displayed identical developmental defects in the nervous system and cranial cartilages. Knockdown p53 abolished apoptosis and partially suppressed the loss of spinal cord motor neurons in these morphants. However, reducing p53 activity neither replenished the brain neuronal populations nor rescued the developmental defects. The expressions of crestin and sox9b in the neural crest cells were reduced in the adar2MO and gria2αQRMO. Overexpressing the edited GluA2αR in the adar2MO restored normal expressions of cresting and sox9b. Moreover, overexpressing the unedited GluA2αQ in the wild type embryos resulted in reduction of crestin and sox9b expressions. These results argue that an elevated GluA2αQ level is sufficient for generating the cranial neural crest defects observed in the adar2MO. Our results present a link between dysfunction of AMPA receptors and defective development of the nervous system and cranial neural crest in the zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- I-Chen Li
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chia Chen
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Yun Wang
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Bo-Wei Tzeng
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Wen Ou
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Yan Lau
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Kan-Mai Wu
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Min Chan
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Hsiang Lin
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Ping L. Hwang
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- * E-mail: (WYC); (SPLH)
| | - Wei-Yuan Chow
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- * E-mail: (WYC); (SPLH)
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Hoppmann V, Wu JJ, Søviknes AM, Helvik JV, Becker TS. Expression of the eight AMPA receptor subunit genes in the developing central nervous system and sensory organs of zebrafish. Dev Dyn 2008; 237:788-99. [PMID: 18224707 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.21447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The AMPA type glutamate receptors mediate the majority of fast synaptic transmission in the vertebrate nervous system. Whereas mammals have four subunit genes, Gria1-4, zebrafish has retained a duplicated set of eight genes named gria1-4a and b. We give here a detailed overview of the expression patterns of all eight zebrafish subunits within the developing central nervous system and sensory organs at 24, 48, and 72 hr after fertilization. Expression domains include distinct neuronal subsets in the developing forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain, and spinal cord, as well as in the ganglion- and inner nuclear layers of the retina. As a general rule, each pair of duplicated gria genes is differentially expressed, indicating subfunctionalization of AMPA receptor subunit expression in the teleost lineage. Our findings suggest that zebrafish can serve as a useful model system to investigate the role of AMPA receptors and their differential expression in the vertebrate nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Hoppmann
- Sars International Centre for Molecular Marine Biology, University Bergen, Thormøhlensgate, Bergen, Norway
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Chen YC, Kao SC, Chou HC, Lin WH, Wong FH, Chow WY. A real-time PCR method for the quantitative analysis of RNA editing at specific sites. Anal Biochem 2008; 375:46-52. [PMID: 18252192 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2007.12.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2007] [Revised: 12/24/2007] [Accepted: 12/28/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In this study, a quantitative PCR (qPCR) method was developed to determine the A-to-I RNA editing frequencies at specific sites. The A-to-I RNA editing of nuclear transcripts exerts profound effects on the biological activities of gene products. RNA editing of nuclear gene transcripts have been shown to be developmentally regulated and tissue specific, and alternations of RNA editing activities have been observed under pathological conditions. Two sites of ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits, the Q/R site of zebrafish gria2alpha and the Y/C site of grik2alpha, were chosen in this study to demonstrate the applicability of the SYBR Green detection-based real-time PCR method to measure RNA editing activities during zebrafish development. The results obtained by qPCR were consistent with those obtained by the limited primer extension. However, the qPCR method has the advantages of easy handling and low cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Chia Chen
- Department of Life Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Shih-Pai, Taipei 112, Taiwan
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Patten SA, Ali DW. AMPA receptors associated with zebrafish Mauthner cells switch subunits during development. J Physiol 2007; 581:1043-56. [PMID: 17412769 PMCID: PMC2170824 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2007.129999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate AMPA receptors (AMPARs) are major excitatory receptors in the vertebrate CNS. In many biological systems there is a developmental speeding in AMPAR kinetics, which occurs either because of a switch in AMPAR subunits or a change in synaptic morphology. We studied the development of AMPAR-mediated miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (AMPAR-mEPSCs) in zebrafish Mauthner cells (M-cells) to determine the reasons underlying the speeding of AMPA mEPSCs in this preparation. We recorded AMPAR-mEPSCs in zebrafish ranging in age from 33 h postfertilization (hpf) to 72 hpf. We found that the glutamate waveform in the synaptic cleft did not change during development, suggesting that synaptic morphology played little role in shaping the mEPSC. The current-voltage (I-V) relationship was linear at 33 hpf and outwardly rectified in older animals, while AMPAR decay kinetics were slower at positive potentials, compared with negative potentials. The relative change in tau with depolarization was found to be greater at 48 hpf than at 33 hpf. AMPARs in 33 hpf fish had a conductance of approximately 9 pS, and in older fish approximately 15 pS. Finally, the desensitization blocker, cyclothiazide, increased tau by approximately 4-fold in 48 hpf preparations, but only 1.5-fold in 33 hpf fish. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the major mechanism underlying the developmental speeding in AMPAR kinetics in zebrafish CNS is a switch in receptor subunits. To our knowledge this is the first study to suggest that AMPARs change subunits during development in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Declan W Ali
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of AlbertaEdmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E9
- Centre for Neuroscience, Biological Sciences Building, University of AlbertaEdmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E9
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