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Physically, Mentally, And Emotionally Drained, Kaitlin Medina

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Hormonal cycles play an essential role in the development and maturation of young boys and girls into men and women. As teenagers enter their late teens and early twenties, their hormonal cycles are primarily responsible for functions related to fertility and hormone production. During this period of time, these men and women are often in their collegiate years. Overall, the college experience is enjoyable for many students, but it can also be a very stressful time due to a difficult class load and the students’ need to balance their academic, social, and personal lives. Recent studies have analyzed the effects …

Identification And Delineation Of Neuronal Pathways Underlying Hypophagia, Jing Cai

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

In terms of metabolism, eating disorders manifest in two extreme directions: overnutrition, which can lead to obesity, and malnutrition, which can result in underweight or even starvation. Both extremes compromise the quality of life. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) standard, eating disorders affect up to 17.9% of young women and 2.4% of young men. Although eating disorders are primarily defined as mental disorders rather than metabolic disorders, they are intertwined with complex emotions and sensory perceptions. However, in contemporary animal research related to eating disorders and feeding behaviors, the majority of neuroscientists still examine …

Electrophysiological Signatures Of Stress Adaptability In The Bnst-Vta Pathway, Yuka Miura

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Chronic stress has detrimental effects on psychological and physiological health. Incapability to adapt to chronic stress can lead to depression, anxiety disorders, and addiction. The brain regions critical for reward processing share diverse physiological and molecular changes linked to depressive-like behaviors as a result of chronic stress. Cumulative evidence shows that counteraction or prevention of these alterations in neurons, occasionally in a projection-specific manner, can enhance stress adaptation or resilience.

Chronic stress induces various changes in the brain, including in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The neural projections from the BNST …

Understanding The Environmental And Genetic Influence On Fluctuating Asymmetry And Developmental Instability In Primates, Ashly N. Romero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the impact of environmental factors on the development and perpetuation of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and sought to understand the role evolution may play in the FA exhibited in two primate populations: the free-ranging Cayo Santiago rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and the Southwest National Primate Research Center olive baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis). Demographic, ontogenetic, secular, external, and genetic factors were examined. Specifically, this dissertation investigated FA over all ontogenetic stages, across decades, between sexes, in association with ecological catastrophes, and with tooth pathology to try and tease apart factors that may influence FA and developmental instability. This dissertation …

Evaluation Of A Nutritional Calming Supplement For Stress Management In Beef Cattle, Randall Mallette

LSU Master's Theses

Two studies were conducted to determine the efficacy of two formulations of a nutritional calming product, Placid 1.0 and Placid 2.0, at keeping beef cattle in a calm state when exposed to environmental factors that put them into an excited state. In the pilot study, nine crossbred beef heifers were orally drenched daily for three days with 60 mL of their respective treatments, pen scores and exit scores were recorded, and blood was collected for cortisol analysis. There were no treatment effects for either treatment on any of the measured behavioral parameters or serum cortisol concentrations.

The products were …

Role Of Chronic Stress-Induced Neuroinflammation In Rodent Locus Coeruleus Physiology And Anxiety-Like Behaviors, Arthur Anthony Alfonso Reyes

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The locus coeruleus (LC), the primary site of brain norepinephrine (NE), is a key anatomical brain region implicated in the stress response. Stress is a neuroendocrine physiologic response to a stressor that promotes organism survival through adaptive change and restoration of homeostasis. The central stress response, which drives behavioral and physiological change, is primarily mediated by activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. While advantageous in the short term, chronic stress exposure can lead to HPA axis and LC dysregulation, which are thought to contribute to the etiology of anxiety disorders. Previous studies demonstrate the effects of acute stress in increasing LC …

Demystifying The Mind-Body Connection: The Neuroscience Behind How Thoughts Impact Physical Health, Sofia Pantis

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The beliefs, emotions, and experiences that constitute a mindset shape numerous aspects of one’s reality, but in particular, health. Health is defined by not only the physical state of one’s body, but also the content of one’s mind. The integration of the mind and body is often associated with naturopathic medicines or pseudoscience, and thus is usually left out of Western medicinal practices. This review aims to demystify the mind-body connection in health and wellness by introducing it within an empirical, neuroscientific landscape. This research supports the hypothesis that mind over matter rings true even at the biochemical level. Activation …

Serotonin And Its Effects On The Chronic Stress Response In Crayfish Following Nonylphenol Exposure, Tara M. Olen

Masters Theses

Current research suggests that stress in both vertebrates and invertebrates is modulated in part by the neurotransmitter serotonin. It has been shown that crayfish can function as a good neurophysiological model, as they have less complex neurological systems than vertebrates, so mechanistic causes for stress can be more readily studied and understood. One potential stressor for aquatic species such as crayfish would be nonylphenol, a hydrophobic chemical used in agricultural products that can make its way into the water supply due to agricultural runoff. Nonylphenol can lead to physiological and behavioral impairments in crayfish and these impairments likely induce stress …

Cultivating Algae To Generate Pufas, And Macromolecules Using Struvite And Stress Factors, Alejandro Torres

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural and municipal wastewaters contain vital elements necessary for algal growth (i.e., N, P, Mg, K). One way to capture these elements, in an environmentally friendly way, is through struvite production (NH4MgPO4·6H2O), however, this process is costly to implement. High-value secondary commodities coupled to struvite production can enable implementation of this nutrient capture strategy for agricultural and municipal wastewater systems. In this study, struvite was tested as a nutrient source for cultivation of high-value algal biomass with the main focus on high-value lipids such as Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). We compared the growth of microalgal strains C. …

The G Protein-Coupled Receptor (Gpcr) Fshr-1 And The Sphk-1 Lipid Kinase Regulate C. Elegans Life- And Healthspans Via A Common Pathway, Ryan Dennis Adkins

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Later years of life are often characterized by reduced cognitive function and mobility. One contributor is the cellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but our understanding of how cells respond to ROS to promote health and survival is incomplete. Follicle stimulating hormone receptor-1 (FSHR-1) and sphingosine kinase-1 (SPHK-1) mediate responses to oxidative stress and regulate life history traits in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. The genes encoding both proteins are conserved in humans where they are implicated in stress responses, cell survival and neuronal function. fshr-1 and sphk-1 work together to mediate responses to intestinal oxidative stress in C. elegans. …

Effects Of Development On Hpa Function Following Pubertal Stress, Brittany D. Elliott

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

For women, two of the greatest risk factors for affective disorders are adversity experienced during puberty and later becoming pregnant. We have created a translationally relevant mouse model where we address these complex risk factors. Previously, we discovered that pregnant mice (dams) that experienced chronic variable stress (CVS) during puberty display a blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response when exposed to an acute stressor. Interestingly, this alteration only first becomes apparent during pregnancy, which is a sensitive period for these effects due to normative neuroendocrine changes. Further investigation of the mechanisms underlying this dysfunction revealed altered gene expression in the paraventricular nucleus …

Negative Social Media And Its Influence On Athlete's Performance, Bernd R. Huber

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study aimed to investigate the potential impact of negative social media content on athletes' cortisol levels and subsequent performance. The study focused on the change in cortisol levels and differences in free throw performance, based on previous research findings. We hypothesized that negative social media postings would increase the stress experienced by student-athletes, resulting in elevated cortisol levels and decreased performance. Additionally, participants (n = 8) completed a questionnaire to examine the interaction between preexisting fear and the biological stress response. Contrary to expectations, there was no significant change in stress response, and negative postings did not have …

Stress And Parity Among Female Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus Pygerythrus) At Two Sites In South Africa, Jo Gansemer

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the hypothesis that in both Soetdoring and !Gariep populations, a femaleSouth African vervet's parity status (nulliparous or parous) affects her physiological stress levels. Vervet monkey ecology and life history are examined to contextualize the relationship between stress and parity. The testing of this hypothesis involves the analysis of hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) of samples from nulliparous and multiparous adult females of the two different South African sites. The HCC was statistically analyzed to look for correlations between stress, parity status, and site. No significant relationship between stress and parity status was found. However, significant relationships were found …

Alcohol, Stress, And Sex In The Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis, Nicholas Burski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) costs the U.S. billions of dollars each year and is a leading cause of preventable death. AUD leads to many health complications, and those who suffer from AUD will often have stress and anxiety disorder comorbidities. To better understand this connection between AUD and stress and anxiety disorders, restraint stress (RS) and chronic-intermittent ethanol exposure (CIE) procedures were used on rats to analyze neuroinflammation via ELISA in the infralimbic and prelimbic cortices, and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Levels of proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and IL-1β, were found to be elevated across different tests …

The Role Of Emotion Regulation In Long-Term Weight Loss Maintenance: A Cross-Sectional Study, Karyn M. Aiello

Graduate Masters Theses

While many weight loss interventions have resulted in significant weight loss, maintaining that weight loss long-term continues to be challenging for most, with long-term weight loss maintenance (LTWLM) rates as low as 20% among participants of clinical weight loss studies. Those who struggle with LTWLM exhibit many shared characteristics, including lower mental health composite scores; high levels of perceived stress; and lower rates of adherence to WLM behaviors. One explanation for this might be that emotion regulation (ER) skills are stronger among those who are successful at LTWLM, and therefore more successful at self-regulating for the goal of LTWLM.

The …

“Sometimes The People Giving The Care Get A Little Overlooked”: Athletic Trainers’ Personal Use Of Psychosocial Strategies And Interactions With Mental Performance Consultants, Alexander Bianco

Doctoral Dissertations

In National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I (NCAA DI) athletic departments, athletic trainers (ATs) must navigate an array of stressors in the workplace, and are effectively performers themselves (Estock & Simon, 2018, Mazerolle et al., 2013). While ample research has been conducted on the stressors that ATs experience (see Oglesby et al., 2020) there has been limited work surrounding how ATs can best navigate this environment. Therefore, the purpose of the current investigation was to explore NCAA DI ATs’ perceptions of and experiences with the personal use of psychosocial strategies and sport psychology services to manage their stress, improve their …

Evaluation Of Noninvasive Methods For Determining Pregnancy, Diet, Nutrition, And Stress Among Pronghorn Antelope: Implications For Population Monitoring, Cole Bleke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to increase our understanding of the influence of adult female pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) physiology on fawn summer survival. Pronghorn are a valued big game animal in Idaho, but are particularly sensitive to capture; therefore, we designed a noninvasive fecal sampling study to measure pregnancy (progesterone and estrogen), diet, nutrition (fecal nitrogen and DAPA), and stress (cortisol), during metabolically-demanding female life history stages (late gestation, early lactation, and breeding season). We also compared survey results between ground and aerial methods within mountain valley landscapes.

Pregnancy determination, via progesterone, is possible for pronghorn, but sample collection …

Patterns Of Evolutionary Conservation And Divergence In The Short-Term Hyposalinity Stress Response Of A Euryhaline Diatom, Skeletonema Marinoi, Kathryn Judy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Survival under fluctuating environmental conditions, such as those increasing in frequency and magnitude under environmental change, requires a successful response to stress. Interspecific differences in stress responses may result in differential survival of species, even within a lineage. Diatoms may constitute one such lineage, as salinity tolerance among extant species is diverse, and the observation of frequent historic habitat transitions between marine and freshwater environments indicates that diatoms successfully mitigated (low) salinity stress in the past, followed by adaptation and diversification over evolutionary time scales. To understand to what extent the diatom hypoosmotic stress response consists of conserved and variable …

Physical Activity And Stress Between American Students And Asian International Students At The University Of South Carolina, Hao Lei

Theses and Dissertations

Many college students are physically inactive and have high levels of stress, and this may be worse among increasing number of international students studying in the US. This study investigated the relationship between physical activity and stress among American students (n=92) and Asian international students (n=64). The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare MET minutes/week from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form between those two groups. The independent-samples t test compared the mean of stress from the Perceived Stress Scale between those two groups. Chi-square test was used to compare the percentage of Asian international students and American students …

Investigation Into The Comorbidities Of Disordered Eating And Social Anxiety Disorder In College Students, Alice Mccraney

Honors Theses

In recent years, psychiatrists have reported a trend that individuals with social anxiety disorders are more likely to also have disordered eating and vice versa. Research into this connection has suggested that risk factors, such as stress reactivity, negative self- esteem, perfectionism and fear of negative evaluation are potential links. This is important because understanding the correlation between the two disorders could help develop better treatments plans for people who suffer from these disorders. This study investigates the relationship between the two. A total of 257 college students between ages 18-22 completed a questionnaire using the Disordered Eating Attitude Scale …

Anxiety And Immunity: Affecting The Body And The Mind, Katelynn Dobbs

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Speculations have been made within the scientific community that there is a link between the underlying mechanisms that impact anxiety disorders and immune system disorders. While many correlations between these disorders have been observed through various immune system disorder studies, this subject is still severely under-explored. In order to examine the potential relationship between anxiety disorders and immune system disorders, a survey was conducted and distributed among the student population at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. This survey collected data by asking a variety of questions that pertained to anxiety and immune system disorders diagnoses within the student population …

A Study Of The Effect Of Physiological Stressors On Hypothalamic Regulation Of Reproduction Using An In Vitro System, Lisa L. Amelse

Doctoral Dissertations

Stressors have a negative impact on reproductive efficiency in humans and other animals, which has an economic cost due to infertility treatments for humans and reduced income for food producers. We wished to determine the molecular pathways by which metabolic disturbances and low-level inflammation impact the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis using an in vitro model. To this end, we used the GT1-7 cell line, an immortalized line expressing the Kiss1R receptor that responds to kisspeptin stimulation with the release of GnRH to assess the impact of stressors on the GnRH-releasing cells. Additionally, we used the KTaV-3 and KTaR-1[A1] …

Examining Difference In Social Perceptions Between Women Using Hormonal Contraceptives And Naturally Cycling Women, Caroline B. Johnson

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The term “stress” refers to a person’s psychological and physiological response to the demands and pressures of the world around them (Farlex, 2021). Past research has shown that stress can have negative side effects on a person’s well-being (Aneshensel et al., 1991; Wunsch et al., 2017; Michie, 2002). Although people experience stress, some people perceive more stress than others. Perceptions are important because the way one understands certain conditions can elicit distinct emotional and physiological responses (Kemeny, 2003). An important factor that has not received a lot of attention is women’s use of hormonal contraceptives. In the United States, 24.4% …

Analysis Of Test Anxiety In Human Anatomy And Physiology I Students At The University Of Mississippi, Anne Piazza

Honors Theses

Student anxiety, specifically test anxiety, is common hindrance to student performance in various courses including Human Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Mississippi. Through a sequence of three surveys we collected demographic information, anxiety data related to the course, and test anxiety in general We researched factors that could potentially influence student anxiety such as at what point in the semester the student is evaluated, when students feel the most stressed, outcomes on previous evaluations, and perceived outcomes of the course. We also examined what effect the anxiety has on the student such as lowered performance, lowered test scores, …

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 …

The Regulation Of Stress Steroid Release In Freshwater Turtles, Yoke Tassent

Honors Program Theses

The goal of this study is to characterize the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis regulators of the stress response in a turtle species, the Red-Eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans and to determine if NPY acts as a secretagogue for adrenal steroids in reptilian species, as it does in mammals. Here, I caught turtles using baited hoop traps. Then, I used pharmacological injections of ACTH (intermediate in HPA axis), dexamethasone (DEX, a synthetic steroid that blocks ACTH release and induces HPA negative feedback), NPY (starvation hormone), and NPY receptor agonists. Each turtle received a single injection upon capture, and I recorded whether adrenal …

Effects Of Cannabinoid Supplementation On Weaning And Transportation Stress In Beef Calves, Savannah Kaitlyn Austin

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Transportation stress is a major factor increasing the risk of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in young calves. Bovine respiratory disease is currently the most economically important disease affecting the cattle industry, costing producers millions of dollars annually. Cannabidiol (CBD) has shown therapeutic benefits in other species, making it a potential tool to use as a supplement to reduce transportation and weaning stress in calves. However, little information is available on cannabinoid bioavailability and disposition of bioactive residue in livestock tissues. The objectives of these studies were to evaluate effective dosage rates of a cannabinoid gel on beef cattle and to …

The Role Of The Prefrontal Cortex And Stress In Huntington Disease-Mediated Aggression, Kadambari Vyas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Huntington Disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. Although HD onset is determined by motor symptoms, psychiatric symptoms, like depression and aggression, can develop earlier, have a larger impact on quality of life, and are understudied due to stigma. Our lab has observed hyper aggression in our humanized HD mouse model (Hu97/18) compared to our knock-in HD mouse model (Q175FDN). We characterized these differences and found that the Hu97/18 mice overreact in neutral situations, behaving as if they are in threatening situations. We are now using this novel model of HD-related …

Stress And The City: The Impacts Of City Living And Urbanization On Mental Health, Natalie Akins

Scripps Senior Theses

Urbanization is causing a demographic and cultural shift to the landscape of cities across the globe. Although urban living can be advantageous for both individual and societal growth, it can negatively affect mental health and wellbeing. Individuals living in urban environments have an increased risk for mental disorders like depression and schizophrenia. Certain challenges common in urban environments and associated with increased stress, may be causing the increase with mental illness. Chronic stress and the subsequent hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and sustained synthesis of glucocorticoids is detrimental to metabolic, endocrine, and immunologic processes. The overexposure to glucocorticoids can lead …

Stress, Stress Appraisal And Coping In Athletic Trainers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lawson Holton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: There have been many studies conducted on the stress and mental health of frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) over the past months since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Very limited literature has examined the effect of the pandemic on athletic trainers (ATs). Objective: The aim of this investigation was to examine the stress, stress appraisal, and coping measures of ATs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants were recruited members from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA). The Perceived Stress Scale-10 was used to measure stress, the Stress Appraisal Measure was used to measure stress appraisal, and the Brief COPE was used …