Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

PDF

Theses and Dissertations

Virginia Commonwealth University

Anxiety

Life Sciences

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Viral Injection Of Rna Polymerase Ii-Interacting Protein Rprd2 In The Nucleus Accumbens Induces Anxiety-Like Behavior In Mice, Hannah E. Woolard Jan 2022

Viral Injection Of Rna Polymerase Ii-Interacting Protein Rprd2 In The Nucleus Accumbens Induces Anxiety-Like Behavior In Mice, Hannah E. Woolard

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety and its related disorders have become increasingly prevalent as more awareness and acceptance of mental illnesses have come to fruition, especially in the light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety can affect anyone regardless of their age, sex, or social status and is currently the most commonly diagnosed mental illness worldwide (Bandelow & Michaelis, 2015). While there are several effective treatments available, the underlying brain mechanisms that cause anxiety are still largely unknown and further research continues to piece together the complex pathophysiology behind this disease. The use of laboratory animal models, such as mice, to induce and observe …


Chronic Adolescent Stress As A Predictive Factor For The Risk Of Developing Ptsd-Like Symptoms In Adulthood, Grace K. Young Jan 2022

Chronic Adolescent Stress As A Predictive Factor For The Risk Of Developing Ptsd-Like Symptoms In Adulthood, Grace K. Young

Theses and Dissertations

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a stress and trauma based psychological disorder that is defined by the DSM-IV as an anxiety disorder that affects approximately 7.8% of people in the United States. PTSD is when those who suffer a traumatic event have intense and distressing feelings, emotions, and memories for a prolonged period of time after the event. A prominent feature of PTSD is the impaired ability to properly extinguish a fear response after a dangerous trigger or stressor is no longer present, also known as safety learning. Stressors are threats perceived within the environment that activate a response within the …


Alpha6 Beta2 Subunit Containing Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Contributions To Abuse-Related Effects Of Nicotine And Alcohol, Alexandra M. Stafford Jan 2017

Alpha6 Beta2 Subunit Containing Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Contributions To Abuse-Related Effects Of Nicotine And Alcohol, Alexandra M. Stafford

Theses and Dissertations

Pharmacotherapies for tobacco and alcohol cessation are only modestly successful, so it is important to better understand mechanisms underlying their use and abuse. The overarching goal of this research is to assess a6b2 subunit containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (a6b2*nAChR; *denotes possible assembly with other subunits) contributions to abuse-related effects of nicotine and alcohol. In the absence of a6b2*nAChR-selective agonists, a6b2*nAChR gain-of-function (a6L9’S) mice provide a tool for selective activation of a6b2*nAChRs. Using the a6L9’S mice together with nicotine doses sub-threshold for stimulation of native nAChRs, these studies tested the hypothesis that activation of a6b2*nAChRs is sufficient to promote neurochemical and …