Digital Commons Network^™

Acute Stress Before Instrumental Conditioning Promotes Habit Expression In Female Rats, Russell J. Dougherty

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

The appropriate expression of deliberative and automatic behavioral processes is critical for maintaining adaptive responding in dynamic environments. In instrumental models of voluntary behavior, competing influences from goal-directed and habitual systems govern the performance of action. Neuroscientific research has suggested that these systems are instantiated within distinct cortico-striatal circuits, whose relative influence depends on variables such as the extent of training, modulation of attention, and stress. Stress has been demonstrated to deteriorate the use of deliberative memory strategies, but its distributed and non-linear effects upon the processes of action control are still unclear and a topic of debate in the …

Exploring The Differential Impacts On Student Equity Following Rapid & Disruptive Changes In Classroom Modality For Higher Education, Luke J. Willcox

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

In the past 3 years, the world has seen the largest disruption in the worldwide education system in history (United Nations, 2020). The introduction of COVID-19 has stopped the world as we knew it. With rapid technological advancements spanning the last few decades, the world was more prepared for this disruption than it could have been when work and education shifted from the traditional, in-person experience to, online, distanced interactions. In a report by the International Association of Universities (IAU), a survey that included over 400 higher educational institutions across over 100 countries, at least 2/3 of the institutions shifted …

Associations Between Impulsivity Behaviors And Difficulty Extinguishing Conditioned Fear In Adults With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Erin M. O'Donnell

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

The majority of adults will experience a traumatic event, although only a minority (25%) of people exposed to a potentially traumatic event (PTE) develop Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) within 12 months (Zatzick et al., 2007). This discrepancy underscores the importance of identifying risk factors that predict and contribute to the likelihood of developing PTSD. Individuals with PTSD face an increased risk for engaging in impulsive behaviors including substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, self-harm, and disordered eating. The presence of these behaviors exacerbates impairments associated with PTSD and complicates the treatment and recovery processes (Roley et al., 2017; Goldstein et al., …

Stress Management & Resiliency Training (Smart) For Nursing Students, Lili Martin, Msn, Rn, Pccn, Dnp(C), Marcia Bosek, Dnsc, Laura Foran-Lewis, Ph.D, Rn

College of Nursing and Health Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Publications

Background: Baccalaureate nursing students report high levels of stress and anxiety. Chronic stress in nursing students is on the rise and can increase the risk for suicide, depression, burnout, and increased academic attrition.

Objectives: The purpose of this EBP/QI project was to establish baseline stress and anxiety levels for senior baccalaureate nursing students and to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing the Benson Henry Institute (BHI) SMART program with nursing students.

Methods: Senior nursing students (n=32) self-selected into either the control or SMART group. The SMART group participated in 8 weekly 1.5 hour SMART sessions during the fall, 2020 semester. All …

Cooking Interventions And Perceived Stress Levels Among College Students, Nicole Marie Bellhorn

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

College is full of new experiences and pressures that may prevent students from having adequate cooking skills and knowledge, which often leads to increased stress. An intervention designed to improve cooking ability may reduce students’ stress levels by increasing their understanding surrounding food, and decreasing the time and effort needed to prepare meals. For this study, participants were randomly assigned to one of four intervention groups: cooking classes and meal kit, cooking classes only, meal kit only, and control. Phase 1 consisted of weekly cooking classes for six weeks, where the participants actively prepared a recipe and engaged in a …

Drug Use And Psychological Distress Among Uvm College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Allison M. Feeney

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

Drug and alcohol use among college students is ubiquitous and a serious health and educational risk. This study attempted to understand the relationship between drug use and psychological distress among college students (N = 97) enrolled at the University of Vermont during the COVID-19 pandemic. Volunteers answered the same survey once at the beginning and again at the end of the fall 2020 semester. This study presented usage rates of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, alcohol, and cannabis, as well as examined the change in drug use over the 45-day period separating the first and second waves of data collection. The present study …

Open Source Quantitative Stress Prediction Leveraging Wearable Sensing And Machine Learning Methods, Blake Hewgill

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The ability to monitor physiological parameters in an individual is paramount for the evaluation of physical health and the detection of many ailments. Wearable technologies are being introduced on a widening scale to address the absence of low-cost and non-invasive health monitoring as compared to medical grade equipment and technologies. By leveraging wearable technologies to supplement or replace traditional gold-standard measurement techniques, the research community can develop a deeper multifaceted understanding of the relationship between specific physiological parameters and particular health conditions. One particular research area in which wearable technologies are beginning to see application is the quantification of physical …

Stress And Stressors Affecting Latino Migrant Dairy Farmworkers In Vermont: An Exploratory Analysis, Virginia Kades

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Vermont is a largely rural and homogenous New England state not often thought of as a destination for Latino migrant farm laborers, but in recent years dairy farms have begun hiring Latino workers; there are now an estimated 1200 in the state, although the exact number is unknown (Baker, 2013). As the dairy industry is the largest contributor to sales from agriculture for the state, these farmworkers play an essential role in Vermont’s economy (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2014b). These migrant dairy farmworkers hail primarily from Mexico, with a small fraction from Central America, and lack sufficient documentation to work …

Psychogenic Stress-Induced Expression, Function And Regulation Of Vegf Receptor Signaling Pathways In The Neural Pathways To The Urinary Bladder, Harpreet Rattu

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

Stress has been implicated in the exacerbation of symptoms associated with functional lower urinary tract disorders, such as interstitial cystitis (IC)/bladder pain syndrome (BPS) in humans. Current research suggests a new, potential role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling in bladder dysfunction, where VEGF and associated receptors are upregulated in bladder reflex pathways in a preclinical animal model of IC/BPS. Additional research also associates increased VEGF expressions in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) with pain modulation, following CNS or PNS injury. We have examined psychogenic stress-induced expression, function and regulation of VEGF/receptors in neural circuitry controlling the urinary bladder. …

Lifetime Estrogen Exposure, Cumulative Lifetime Stress, And Cognition In Later Life, Anna Erika Senft Miller

UVM College of Arts and Sciences College Honors Theses

The main goal of this study was to begin to examine how stress and estrogen work together to influence memory and thinking in older women. We looked at how stressful experiences affected memory in older women and how the hormone estrogen influenced the relationship between stress and memory. The relationship between cognition, stress, and hormones was investigated by having 15 women aged 60 and older complete stress and hormone questionnaires and perform two memory tasks. Most likely due to the small sample size, we did not find the hypothesized combined effect of lifetime estrogen exposure and cumulative stress on cognition. …

Insights From Narrative Reflections Of First Year Medical Students On Their Professional Formation, Laurey Burris

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

First year medical school enrollment is projected to reach 21,349 by the 2018 school year, reflecting a 30 percent increase compared to 2002 enrollment numbers (Erikson, Whatley, & Tilton, 2014). In 2006, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recommended this increase in enrollment in response to concerns about a physician shortage. Unfortunately, the increase in the number of medical students enrolling in medical school may be good for society, but it may not be good for the health of medical students. A commentary in the journal, Academic Medicine, was titled, “Medical Student Distress: A Call to Action” (Dyrbye & …

Pathways Of P38, Gsk3b, And Their Extensions To Mental Health, Amanda Carr

UVM College of Arts and Sciences College Honors Theses

Nearly one in five adults in the United States experience mental illness during a year (NAMI). Neurobiological correlates of these diseases may provide treatment options if they are better understood. Research has provided evidence supporting p38’s role in many mental health disorders. P38 mitogen-activated protein kinases appear frequently in literature regarding cellular threats, such as UV irradiation, and subsequently serves various functions including cellular death. With respect to neurological and psychiatric disease, many of the observed effects are related to structures or substrates that are regulated, at least in part, by p38 or its downstream targets. The goal of this …

Interactions Between Bnst Pacap Stress System And Estrous Cycling In Non-Overiectomized Female Rats, Beniah Brumbaugh

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

The objective of this investigation is to examine possible interactions between the BNST PACAP stress system and hormone levels during the estrous cycle of naturally cycling female rats. This is significant as behavioral consequences, analogous to anxiety disorders in humans, including increased startle, anxious behavior during open arm tests, and decreased feeding are associated with increased transcripts of PACAP and PAC1 within the BNST of animals undergoing a chronic variant stress paradigm (reviewed by Hammack & May, 2014). As females are at a greater risk to suffer from symptoms of PTSD than men (Veteran Affairs, 2017), studying females is of …

Renewal In The Context Of Stress: A Potential Mechanism Of Stress-Induced Reinstatement, Scott Timothy Schepers

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

In the animal laboratory, stressors can produce the relapse of drug-seeking behaviors after the behavior has been inhibited by extinction. This type of relapse has been called stress-induced reinstatement, and it models the relapse that is commonly reported in human populations. Interestingly, in the laboratory, stress does not typically reinstate extinguished behaviors that have been reinforced by food. One account of the discrepancy is that drugs of abuse may induce stress; therefore, when organisms learn to respond for drugs, they might learn to make the response in the “context” of stress. If so, then stress-induced reinstatement may be better described …

The Effects Of Hypothalamic Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor On Catecholaminergic Regulation Of Cardiovascular Function., Nicholas Christopher Cruickshank

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Considerable evidence supports the claim that a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is involved in most cases of human hypertension, and therefore a more thorough understanding of the central regulation of the SNS may help elucidate novel therapeutic options. The PVN is a key region in SNS regulation of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). Stimulation of the parvocellular PVN neurons has been shown to enhance sympathetic outflow and thereby increase BP. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a modulator of neuronal activity is upregulated in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) in response to several hypertensive stimuli such as …

Interaction Of Stocking Density And The Feeding Environment In Lactating Holstein Dairy Cows, Mackenzie Andrew Campbell

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Stocking density serves as a sub-clinical stressor impacting natural behavior and affective state of dairy cows. However, cows rarely experience stocking density as an isolated stressor. Understanding the effects of stocking density with additional management stressors such as low-fiber diets or feed restriction is the next step in alleviating stress and improving the well-being of lactating dairy cows housed in freestall barns. The overall goal of this dissertation was to evaluate the interaction of stocking density and the feeding environment on short-term production, behavioral, ruminal fermentation, and stress responses of lactating dairy cattle.

The first two studies (Chapter 2 and …

The Effect Of Chronic Stress On Generalization Of Conditioned Fear, Amanda J. Senatore

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

Prior lifetime experience of stress is a significant risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other anxiety disorders. The mechanisms by which stress conveys these effects are unknown and likely involve complicated neurobiological alterations. In order to begin to characterize this relationship, we examined the effect of two weeks of chronic stress on fear learning and discrimination. Contrary to our hypothesis, we failed to observe exaggerated fear or poor discrimination in stressed mice. Although the lack of difference in fear learning between stressed and control mice may be attributed to complications in experimental design, these results suggest that the …

Chronic Stress Potentiates The Response To Intra-Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis (Bnst) Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Peptide (Pacap) Infusion., Steven Bradley King

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Chronic or repeated exposure to stressful stimuli can result in several maladaptive consequences, including increased anxiety-like behaviors and altered peptide expression in brain structures involved in emotion. Among these structures, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) has been implicated in emotional behaviors as well as regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. In rodents, chronic variate stress (CVS) has been shown to increase BNST pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) and its cognate PAC1 receptor transcript, and BNST PACAP signaling may mediate the maladaptive changes associated with chronic stress. In order to determine whether chronic stress would potentiate the …

The Influence Of Prenatal Stress On Behaviors Associated With Schizophrenia And Autism Spectrum Disorder., Harold Bauerle

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Disorders such as schizophrenia (SCZ) and austism spectrum disorder (ASD) have long been associated with prenatal stress. In these three experiments, we attempted to correlate stress during gestation with behaviors considered to have good facial validity with SCZ and ASD in both juvenile and adult animals. To differentiate the effects of prenatal stress (PS) from the effects of early life stress due to a dam's behavior (MS), half of offspring animals were cross fostered to dams treated in the alternative condition as the offspring during pregnancy in experiments 2 and 3. In experiment 1, but not in 2 or 3, …

Gene Expression Noise In Stress Response As A Survival Strategy In Fluctuating Environments, Javier Garcia-Bernardo

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Populations of cells live in uncertain environments, where they encounter large variations in nutrients, oxygen and toxic compounds. In the fluctuating environment, cells can sense their surroundings and express proteins to protect themselves against harmful substances. However, if the stressor appears infrequently or abruptly, sensing can be too costly or too slow, and cells cannot rely solely on it. To hedge against the sudden appearance of a stressor, cell populations can also rely on phenotypic diversification through bet-hedging. In bet-hedging, cells exploit noise in gene expression or use multistable genetic networks to produce an heterogeneous distribution of resistance-conferring protein levels. …

Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3Β: An Investigation Of The Novel Serine 389 Phosphorylation Site, Brendan Deegan Hare

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Stress associated psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder affect a large proportion of the population. Reductions in the complexity of neuronal morphology and reduced neurogenesis are commonly observed outcomes following stress exposure in rodent models and may represent a mechanism for the reduced brain volume in stress sensitive regions such as the hippocampus observed in individuals diagnosed with stress associated disorders. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-B may play a role in the neurodegenerative phenotype observed following stress exposure. GSK3B is atypical in that it is inhibited by phosphorylation. This inhibitory phosphorylation …

Factors In The Regulation Of Cycles Of Binge Eating Behavior, Andrew Knapp

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The reasons why people may periodically resort to binge eating behavior have long been a focus of study, and the reasons are elusive and varied. For people troubled by poor sleep and living with chronic stress, binge eating may be an attempt by the brain's glucose-depleted executive processing center to both regulate (i.e., increase) glucose levels and induce restorative sleep. Recovery resulting from restorative sleep may lead to a reduction in perceived stress, improved mood, and increased willpower, reducing the likelihood of another binge episode in close temporal proximity to the sleep-induced recovery. A repetitive cycle may ensue when stress …