How G4C2 Hexanucleotide Repeat Expansion Impacts Drosophila Social Affiliative Behavior
Biomedical and Health Sciences
Lillian Vaughn
- Grade:
- 10
- Teacher:
- Ms. Caroline Krater
"Frontal Temporal Dementia (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is also the second most common form of dementia. FTD is caused by the hexanucleotide repeat of Guanine 4 and Cytosine 2 in the C9orf72 gene. Per it's name, FTD occurs in the mushroom bodies of drosophila, mushroom bodies are the part of the brain that translates the the frontal lobe in humans. FTD is a disease that hinders the sociability and communicability of the individual. In this experiment, the sociality of drosophila is being tested by changing the number of splices of G4C2 in C9orf72 gene to test the sociability of worsening FTD. "