Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Oral Contraceptives And Affective Disorders: Neurobiology And Informed Choice, Sophia Mae Drezner
Oral Contraceptives And Affective Disorders: Neurobiology And Informed Choice, Sophia Mae Drezner
Scripps Senior Theses
Pregnancy prevention and female reproductive freedom have been some of the most contested political issues for decades. Abortion, a fundamental part of women’s healthcare, divides liberals and conservatives on an international scale. The consequences of unintended pregnancy without safe and reliable contraception are widespread, disproportionately impacting women of color, trans and non-binary folks, and poorer communities. The birth control pill is the most common form of oral contraception (OC) globally. Many people with ovaries begin the pill or other hormonal contraceptive (HC) methods as young as 11 years old. Exogenous progesterone and estrogen are known to impact mood, affect, physiology, …
Stress And The City: The Impacts Of City Living And Urbanization On Mental Health, Natalie Akins
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 …
Neuroscience Of Stress & Addiction: A Digitally Animated Video On How These Brain Systems Interact And Influence Each Other From Early Life Stress To Withdrawal, Claire Bacon-Brenes
Neuroscience Of Stress & Addiction: A Digitally Animated Video On How These Brain Systems Interact And Influence Each Other From Early Life Stress To Withdrawal, Claire Bacon-Brenes
Scripps Senior Theses
Alcohol addiction and stress are both highly prevalent health conditions impacting our society. With stress on the rise in college students and alcohol addiction impacting 19.7 million Americans as of 2017, communication around the science of these issues is ever important because of stigma around them. This digitally animated video effectively explains alcohol addiction and stress on a neurobiological level with college science students as the audience, including two important examples of how stress and alcohol addiction interact. Stress experienced early in life is a known risk factor in developing addiction due to dysregulation of the reward pathway and altered …
Relations Among Maternal And Paternal Behavior And Children's Stress Biology, S.K. Jiaming Lin, Stacey N. Doan, John Milton
Relations Among Maternal And Paternal Behavior And Children's Stress Biology, S.K. Jiaming Lin, Stacey N. Doan, John Milton
Scripps Senior Theses
Parenting behavior has been shown to have a wide range of effects, influencing children’s psychological and biological stress outcomes. Most research focuses on maternal parenting behaviors, with few studies observing the effects of paternal behaviors or the influence of both parents on their children. In this study, the relationship between maternal and paternal parenting behaviors was examined in its association to predict children’s cortisol levels. Cultural differences in parenting styles was also observed. American (N=86) and Chinese (N=97) families participated in the study, with parents reporting their behaviors. Children’s cortisol was collected during a stressor task and correlational analysis was …
Evidence-Based Probiotic Intervention For Behavioral And Social Deficits In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Allisen To
Evidence-Based Probiotic Intervention For Behavioral And Social Deficits In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Allisen To
Scripps Senior Theses
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a heterogeneous neurological condition characterized by repetitive and restrictive behaviors and social communication deficits. ASD diagnoses are at a record high, at approximately 1 in 59 children according to the US Center for Disease Control. Currently, there are no available interventions that effectively treat the core symptoms of ASD. All pharmaceutical options address comorbid side effects of ASD but not core deficits and are particularly associated with negative side effects. Additionally, there are economic and geographic barriers that can prevent families of individuals with ASD from seeking or receiving effective interventions. Many of the …
Effects Of Cannabidiol On Mk-801-Induced Locomotor Sensitization In Mice, Sara K. Cronin
Effects Of Cannabidiol On Mk-801-Induced Locomotor Sensitization In Mice, Sara K. Cronin
Scripps Senior Theses
Previous research has shown that cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound in the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, may be useful in treating drug craving, one of the hallmarks of drug addiction. However, the neural mechanism by which CBD attenuates craving is poorly understood. Studies from other laboratories have shown that neuroplastic changes associated with brain NMDA glutamate systems may at least partially serve as a neural mechanism for craving. In the current study, the noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 maleate was used to induce locomotor sensitization, a form of NMDA glutamate-mediated neuroplasticity, in mice to test the sensitization-attenuating potential of …