Newton, Adam J. H. (2015) Modelling adenosine dynamics in neural tissues. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

The neuromodulator adenosine is involved in both physiological and pathological activity, such as sleep, epilepsy and stroke. However, the complex processes underlying the release, transport and clearance of adenosine from the extracellular space and their interactions are still poorly quantified. In this thesis I develop the �rst detailed model of the dynamics of adenosine in neural tissue, including intracellular and extracellular metabolism, using parameters taken from an extensive search of the literature. This approach also identifies physiological and metabolic parameters that have yet to be experimentally measured. The model provides estimates of the range of influence of adenosine, the distance where the extracellular concentration is greater than that required for half of the maximum inhibition by the dominant type of adenosine receptors in the cortex, and suggests that under physiological conditions the adenosine signal will be highly localised. The model predicts that adenosine concentration profiles are primarily determined by diffusion and that neuronal transport and metabolism are the dominant clearance mechanisms. The model can be used with either experimental or endogenous sources of adenosine, and I apply it to the bath application of adenosine to a tissue slice, (a method used extensively to study the e�ect of adenosine on synaptic transmission). The model is used to predict the effective dose response curve of bath applied adenosine and to compare the effects of transporter blockers. I then turn to the modelling of biosensors, which are used extensively to measure the concentration of various analytes in tissue, including adenosine. Biosensors are often calibrated in a flow injection system with a known concentration of the analyte. Mathematical and computational models are used to compare the response characteristics of biosensors in this free environment with the tortuous environment in which they are used. An estimated correction factor is obtained together with the sensitivity of this factor to the characteristics of the biosensor. This work provides a framework to move from qualitative studies of changes of adenosine in the brain to quantitative analysis of the spatio-temporal dynamics of adenosine signalling and its in uence on networks of neurons.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	Q Science > QM Human anatomy
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Adenosine, Nerve tissue
Official Date:	September 2015
Dates:	Date Event September 2015 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Centre for Complexity Science
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Richardson, Magnus
Extent:	xi, 226 pages
Language:	eng

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