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The Role Of Dentate Gyrus Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Polypeptide (Pacap) In Contextual Fear Discrimination, Samantha Kelly Moriarty
The Role Of Dentate Gyrus Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Polypeptide (Pacap) In Contextual Fear Discrimination, Samantha Kelly Moriarty
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
When dysregulated, neural systems important for fear behaviors can contribute to mental health disorders such as anxiety, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In PTSD, a myriad of symptoms is possible, but a hallmark feature of the disorder is generalizing fear. This occurs when fear is experienced inappropriately in relation to the environment or circumstances. To study this behavior in rodent models, contextual fear conditioning is used. Contextual fear conditioning is a learning theory preparation where rodents are conditioned with an aversive stimulus such as foot-shock in one distinct context (A), while concurrently being exposed to a safe context (B). …
Context, Goals, And Operant Behavior: The Role Of The Prelimbic Cortex And Associated Neural Circuitry, Callum Mark Piper Thomas
Context, Goals, And Operant Behavior: The Role Of The Prelimbic Cortex And Associated Neural Circuitry, Callum Mark Piper Thomas
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Operant (instrumental) conditioning is a laboratory model of voluntary behavior. In its simplest form, performing a particular response, such as a lever press, leads to delivery of a reinforcing outcome (e.g., a sucrose pellet). Operant behaviors can be associated with preceding stimuli (“habits”) or outcomes (“goal-directed actions”). A factor that influences performance of operant behaviors is the context in which they are learned. Contexts can be defined as background stimuli that are present during behavior. For example, eating dessert may occur in the context of a restaurant and the sated feeling of a finished meal. The context for eating dessert, …