Potential models / assessments for fly experiments

IVs:

• gender / age (probably the lowest hanging fruit)
• diet (pomegranate juice, ellagic acid, sugar @ different concentrations)
• TBI with High Impact Trauma (HIT) device
• exercise with the Power Tower
• genetics (ApoE, epilepsy, protein knockout or under/over-expressers, transgenics, seizure-prone, etc.)
  • anything that might elucidate the mechanisms of polyphenols and/or resiliency in the nervous system)
    • many models are available at bdsc.indiana.edu and they’re relatively cheap

irradiation with LLU’s proton beam (might cost some money) exposure to anesthesia (depending on the treatment, could be cheap or expensive) exposure to hypoxia (depending on the treatment, could be cheap or expensive) lit reviews will turn up more options

 

DVs:

• lifespan / survival analysis
• learning / memory (aversion to phototaxis)
• motor / climbing performance (negative geotaxis text)
• activity levels / circadian rhythms (Drosophila Activity Monitor [DAM])
• sociality / aggression 
• amount of feeding
• weight (will require lots to flies to weigh at once and average)
• histology (tissue staining) for neurodegenerative biomarkers
• “smurfing” / stun time for TBI flies
• seizure duration for seizure-prone flies
• lit reviews will turn up more options