Evaluation of GFAP and pTau Protein Expression in Male and Female CCI Mouse Models

Authors

Sara Wallace, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Dr. Forrest Kievit

Date of this Version

3-31-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

Wallace, S. 2025. Evaluation of GFAP and pTau Protein Expression in Male and Female CCI Mouse Models. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

Comments

Copyright Sara Wallace 2025

Abstract

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a serious public health concern that leads to the death or disability of thousands of individuals in the US annually. Progression of TBI involves primary damage from the initial, mechanical injury and secondary damage, from nonmechanical, pathological dysfunction. The secondary damage mechanisms can be better understood, diagnosed, and treated through the quantification of TBI biomarkers. The two biomarkers of interest in this study are pTau and GFAP. The male and female mouse models showed similar significant increase in GFAP following injury, as well as a general lack of increase in pTau expression following the injury. Overall, these results suggested a similar level of severity of secondary injury in the male and female mouse models within the 7 days following injury[BM1] . Overall, this research aids in the understanding of how different biomarkers are expressed in TBI in both male and female mouse models, as well as in different brain regions, and provides an understanding of the severity of injury impacts in each sample group.