A Role for the p75 Neurotrophin Receptor in Axonal Degeneration and Apoptosis Induced by Oxidative Stress By

To my best friend and beautiful wife Maria, who has always been there to comfort me in times of frustration and to celebrate with me in times of joy; and to my wonderful parents, whose loving support and ever-optimistic counsel continuously helped me to achieve this goal. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work would not have been possible without the support of the Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, NIMH Training in Fundamental Neuroscience Training Program T32 MH064913, and NIH grant R01NS038220. I am sincerely grateful to my mentor, Dr. Bruce Carter, for the tremendous amount of time and effort dedicated to my training over the last five years. From the hours upon hours spent in your office asking questions while studying for my qualifying exam, to the countless discussions in our weekly meetings, you have always had an open door and have been willing to listen to my questions or concerns. Your unique perspective and scientific curiosity has been a great example for me, and your guidance during my time in your lab has greatly shaped my development into an independent scientist. Thank you also for always promoting such a positive and supportive lab environment. The many lab trips, social events, and meetings to help others with preparations for qualifying exams, conference presentations, or other events have all had a tremendous effect on lab comradery and have made the lab a supportive and often fun place to work. Lastly, thank you for helping me to develop a taste for higher-quality beer, and to recognize the difference between a lager and an ale. The Carter lab has been much more than a workplace for me. From playing tennis with Bruce, to whitewater rafting and canoeing with my friends in the lab, to meeting my wife, the Carter lab has been a significant component of my social and personal life. I am deeply grateful to all of the members of the lab who have helped me in so many ways. Thank you to the former lab members Allison Limpert, Rajappa Kenchappa, Ana Perdigoto, and Jami Scheib, who were so instrumental in my early lab training, as well as iv to Uzma Saeed, who helped me to optimize neuronal cultures of superior cervical ganglia, and Malathi Naryan, who assisted with experiments designed to analyze tyrosine hydroxylase staining in the irides of mice. I am also grateful to current lab member Amrita Pathak, who contributed valuable control …