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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Investigations Into The Potential For 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine To Induce Neurotoxic Terminal Damage To Serotonergic Neurons, Dominik Biezonski Sep 2009

Investigations Into The Potential For 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine To Induce Neurotoxic Terminal Damage To Serotonergic Neurons, Dominik Biezonski

Open Access Dissertations

High doses of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "Ecstasy") are known to reduce levels of various serotonergic markers outside of the raphe nuclei. To test the hypothesis that these deficits reflect a degeneration of distal axons/terminals, we investigated the effects of an MDMA binge (10mg/kg x 4) on the relative protein and genetic expression of several serotonergic markers in rats, as well as the effects of this compound on the quantity of serotonergic terminals in these animals. In experiment I, we examined whether MDMA alters serotonin transporter (SERT) levels as determined by lysate binding and immunoblotting analyses. Both methods of analysis revealed MDMA-induced …


Early Rearing Experience, Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (Hpa) Activity, And Serotonin Transporter Genotype: Influences On The Development Of Anxiety In Infant Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca Mulatta), Amanda Dettmer May 2009

Early Rearing Experience, Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (Hpa) Activity, And Serotonin Transporter Genotype: Influences On The Development Of Anxiety In Infant Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca Mulatta), Amanda Dettmer

Open Access Dissertations

A gene x environment interaction exists in the expression of anxiety for both human and nonhuman primates, such that individuals who are carriers of the (s) allele of the serotonin transporter genotype ( 5-HTT LPR) and exposed to early life stress are more at risk for exhibiting anxiety. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has also been implicated in anxiety disorders but the relationship between early life/genotype, HPA activity, and anxiety is not well understood. Further, studies linking the HPA axis to anxiety have relied on "point" samples (blood and salivary cortisol) which reflect moments in time rather than long-term activity. The …


Visuospatial Reasoning In Toddlers: A Correlational Study Of Door Task Performance, Iris Louella Price May 2009

Visuospatial Reasoning In Toddlers: A Correlational Study Of Door Task Performance, Iris Louella Price

Open Access Dissertations

Previous research using violation-of-expectation paradigms suggests that very young infants have a good understanding of unobserved physical events. Yet toddlers appear to lack this knowledge when confronted with the door task, a visuospatial reasoning task which parallels ones used in the habituation/looking time studies. Many studies have been conducted in an effort to determine why toddlers perform poorly on the door task yet the answer remains unclear. The current study used a correlational approach to investigate door task performance from both psychological (executive function), and neuroscience (prefrontal cortex) perspectives. Children between the ages of 2 ½ - 3 years were …


Dopamine Controls Locomotion By Modulating The Activity Of The Cholinergic Motor Neurons In C. Elegans, Andrew T. Allen Jan 2009

Dopamine Controls Locomotion By Modulating The Activity Of The Cholinergic Motor Neurons In C. Elegans, Andrew T. Allen

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter in the brain, where it plays a regulatory role in the coordination of movement and cognition by acting through two classes of G protein-coupled receptors to modulate synaptic activity. In addition, it has been shown these two receptor classes can exhibit synergistic or antagonistic effects on neurotransmission. However, while the pharmacology of the mammalian dopamine receptors have been characterized in some detail, less is known about the molecular pathways that act downstream of the receptors. As in mammals, the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans uses two classes of dopamine receptors to control neural activity and thus …


A New Laser Pointer Driven Optical Microheater For Precise Local Heat Shock, Mike Placinta Jan 2009

A New Laser Pointer Driven Optical Microheater For Precise Local Heat Shock, Mike Placinta

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The zebrafish has emerged as an important genetic model system for the study of vertebrate development. However, while genetics is a powerful tool for the study of early gene functions, the approach is more limited when it comes to understanding later functions of genes that have essential roles in early embryogenesis. There is thus a need to manipulate gene expression at different times, and ideally only in some regions of the developing embryo. Methods for conditional gene regulation have been established in Drosophila, C.elegans and the mouse, utilizing conditional gene activation systems such as the Gal4-UAS system (fly) and the …


Event-Related Potential Indices Of Attentional Gradients Across The Visual Field, John C. Richiedei Jan 2009

Event-Related Potential Indices Of Attentional Gradients Across The Visual Field, John C. Richiedei

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Our lives are dominated by a complex visual world, and spatially selective attention allows us to process only the most relevant information. Previous evidence suggests that if possible locations of stimulus presentation are delineated, attention affects processing in a spatially graded manner. This gradient is seen in both behavioral measures and in visual evoked potentials (VEPs). Stimuli presented close to cued regions elicit faster responses and larger VEPs than those presented farther away. However, both position in the visual field and allocation of attention may contribute to the observed gradients. These relative contributions can be distinguished by comparing responses on …