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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Cognitive Control And Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Katherine Slinn, Michael Larson Feb 2016

Cognitive Control And Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Katherine Slinn, Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project was an in-depth statistical analysis of previously collected data in order to explore the hypothesis that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with a decrease in the ability to regulate behavior and to apply top-down cognitive control. OCD has been diagnosed in approximately 2.2 million Americans, typically appearing in early adulthood. Approximately half of these cases show severe functional impairment (Kessler, Chiu, Demler, & Walters, 2005). Obsessions are defined as unwanted and recurrent thoughts or impulses, and compulsions are repetitive behaviors that are driven by these obsessions, such as ordering or counting (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). 20% to 30% …


Electrophysiological Testing Of Iterhemispheric Transfer In Individuals With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Nathan Alder, Michael J. Larson, Phd Feb 2016

Electrophysiological Testing Of Iterhemispheric Transfer In Individuals With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Nathan Alder, Michael J. Larson, Phd

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A key issue in mild traumatic brain injury (TBI; also known as concussion) research is the identification and validation of a cost-effective, physiological measure that accurately identifies individuals who have experienced a mild TBI, is robust against motivation difficulties, and aids in the prediction of which individuals will experience persisting cognitive or emotional side effects. Nearly two million cases of TBI occur each year (Langlois, Rutland-Brown, & Thomas, 2004). Mild TBI is considered a major health concern (Ragnarsson, 2002) and can be associated with some long-term functional deficits including memory decline and decreased job satisfaction (Carroll et al., 2004; Iverson, …


Marital Satisfaction, Error-Observation, And The Brain: Harmful Or Beneficial Effects Of Spouse Observation?, Chelsea Romney, Michael Larson Feb 2016

Marital Satisfaction, Error-Observation, And The Brain: Harmful Or Beneficial Effects Of Spouse Observation?, Chelsea Romney, Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Romney, Chelsea Marital Satisfaction, Error-observation, and the Brain: Harmful or Beneficial Effects of Spouse Observation? Faculty Mentor: Larson, Michael, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Introduction Rewarding marital relationships are associated with many positive outcomes in one’s physical and mental health (Robles, & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2003). These benefits include improved cardiovascular functioning (Kiecolt-Glaser, & Newton, 2001), decreased depression risk (Robins & Reiger, 1991), higher self-reported levels of happiness (Proulx & Snyder-Rivas, 2013), and overall lower rates of mortality (Manzoli, Villari, Pirone & Boccia, 2007). Furthermore, positive health outcomes are not only due to marital status, but also to the quality of one’s …


Receiving Reward’S Effect On Ego-Depletion, Travis Johnson, Michael J. Larson, Phd Feb 2016

Receiving Reward’S Effect On Ego-Depletion, Travis Johnson, Michael J. Larson, Phd

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Recent research suggests that willpower–the capacity to exert self-control–is a limited resource that is depleted after exertion (Job, Dweck & Walton, 2010). We aimed to explore the influence of ego-depletion on how we process rewards and punishment. Ego depletion specifically refers to the idea that self-control or willpower draws upon a limited pool of mental resources that can be used up (i.e., depleted) after cognitive exertion. For example, an experiment performed by Kathleen Vohs and Todd Heatherton (2000) demonstrated how ego depletion was relevant in how it affected chronic dieters compared to non-dieters. Their results showed that dieters, in responding …


Cognitive Control And Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Katherine Slinn, Michael Larson Feb 2016

Cognitive Control And Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Katherine Slinn, Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project was an in-depth statistical analysis of previously collected data in order to explore the hypothesis that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with a decrease in the ability to regulate behavior and to apply top-down cognitive control. OCD has been diagnosed in approximately 2.2 million Americans, typically appearing in early adulthood. Approximately half of these cases show severe functional impairment (Kessler, Chiu, Demler, & Walters, 2005). Obsessions are defined as unwanted and recurrent thoughts or impulses, and compulsions are repetitive behaviors that are driven by these obsessions, such as ordering or counting (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). 20% to 30% …


Marital Satisfaction, Error-Observation, And The Brain: Harmful Or Beneficial Effects Of Spouse Observation?, Chelsea Romney, Michael Larson Feb 2016

Marital Satisfaction, Error-Observation, And The Brain: Harmful Or Beneficial Effects Of Spouse Observation?, Chelsea Romney, Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Romney, Chelsea Marital Satisfaction, Error-observation, and the Brain: Harmful or Beneficial Effects of Spouse Observation? Faculty Mentor: Larson, Michael, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Introduction Rewarding marital relationships are associated with many positive outcomes in one’s physical and mental health (Robles, & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2003). These benefits include improved cardiovascular functioning (Kiecolt-Glaser, & Newton, 2001), decreased depression risk (Robins & Reiger, 1991), higher self-reported levels of happiness (Proulx & Snyder-Rivas, 2013), and overall lower rates of mortality (Manzoli, Villari, Pirone & Boccia, 2007). Furthermore, positive health outcomes are not only due to marital status, but also to the quality of one’s …


Electrophysiological Testing Of Iterhemispheric Transfer In Individuals With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Nathan Alder, Michael J. Larson Feb 2016

Electrophysiological Testing Of Iterhemispheric Transfer In Individuals With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Nathan Alder, Michael J. Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A key issue in mild traumatic brain injury (TBI; also known as concussion) research is the identification and validation of a cost-effective, physiological measure that accurately identifies individuals who have experienced a mild TBI, is robust against motivation difficulties, and aids in the prediction of which individuals will experience persisting cognitive or emotional side effects. Nearly two million cases of TBI occur each year (Langlois, Rutland-Brown, & Thomas, 2004). Mild TBI is considered a major health concern (Ragnarsson, 2002) and can be associated with some long-term functional deficits including memory decline and decreased job satisfaction (Carroll et al., 2004; Iverson, …


Effects Of Exercise On Food-Related Cognition, Tyshae Davis, Michael J. Larson Feb 2016

Effects Of Exercise On Food-Related Cognition, Tyshae Davis, Michael J. Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Since the Yerkes-Dodson theory was initially put forward (as early as 1906), multiple theorists have suggested an inverted-U relationship between physiological arousal and cognitive performance. Literature on this topic, however, is mixed, with some studies showing evidence supporting the inverted-U relationship and others showing a more linear relationship. Exercise and food-related cognition is one area where the inverted-U hypothesis could be applied. Some studies have shown that high-intensity exercise induces an acute, but temporary suppression to hunger and energy intake compared to low-intensity exercise (King, Tremblay, & Blundell, 1997) and that high-intensity exercise favors negative energy balance to a greater …


The Effects Of Chronic Ethanol In Δ Knockout Mice, Zachary Gardner, Scott Steffensen Feb 2016

The Effects Of Chronic Ethanol In Δ Knockout Mice, Zachary Gardner, Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Substance abuse is a prolific problem with serious consequences. Specifically, alcohol abuse is the third leading cause of preventable mortality in the world (Mokdad et al., 2004). Each year the far-reaching effects of alcohol abuse cost the United States several hundred billion dollars annually (Office of National Policy, 2004). Treatment for individuals who suffer from this crippling disease is limited. In order to develop effective treatments we need to know more about the mechanisms of addiction and the changes that occur in the brain as a person becomes addicted.


Polymorphisms Of The Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene And The Association With Stress, Randall Beck, Michael J. Larson Feb 2016

Polymorphisms Of The Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene And The Association With Stress, Randall Beck, Michael J. Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Polymorphisms in the GR gene are an interesting and important area of research as these polymorphisms may be associated with an attenuated ability to cope with stress. This project bridged an unexplored gap between cellular and environmental stress and the expression of the GR gene—specifically the Bcl1 polymorphism of the GR gene. Cellular stress is any damage caused to the cell that alters its ability to function properly (Milisav, 2011). The Bcl1 polymorphism has what are known as C and G alleles that are genotyped as either homozygous GG, homozygous CC, or heterozygous CG (Srivastava et al., 2011). The homozygous …


The Effects Of Chronic Ethanol In Δ Knockout Mice, Zachary Gardner, Scott Steffensen Feb 2016

The Effects Of Chronic Ethanol In Δ Knockout Mice, Zachary Gardner, Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Substance abuse is a prolific problem with serious consequences. Specifically, alcohol abuse is the third leading cause of preventable mortality in the world (Mokdad et al., 2004). Each year the far-reaching effects of alcohol abuse cost the United States several hundred billion dollars annually (Office of National Policy, 2004). Treatment for individuals who suffer from this crippling disease is limited. In order to develop effective treatments we need to know more about the mechanisms of addiction and the changes that occur in the brain as a person becomes addicted.


Polymorphisms Of The Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene And The Association With Stress, Randall Beck, Michael J. Larson Feb 2016

Polymorphisms Of The Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene And The Association With Stress, Randall Beck, Michael J. Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Polymorphisms in the GR gene are an interesting and important area of research as these polymorphisms may be associated with an attenuated ability to cope with stress. This project bridged an unexplored gap between cellular and environmental stress and the expression of the GR gene—specifically the Bcl1 polymorphism of the GR gene. Cellular stress is any damage caused to the cell that alters its ability to function properly (Milisav, 2011). The Bcl1 polymorphism has what are known as C and G alleles that are genotyped as either homozygous GG, homozygous CC, or heterozygous CG (Srivastava et al., 2011). The homozygous …


Depression, Suicide, And Performance Monitoring: Identifying Neuroelectric Markers Of Suicidal Behavior, Kaylie Carbine, Michael Larson Jan 2016

Depression, Suicide, And Performance Monitoring: Identifying Neuroelectric Markers Of Suicidal Behavior, Kaylie Carbine, Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

From 2000-2009, suicide mortality rates increased by 15% (Rockett, et al., 2012) and 98% of individuals who complete suicide have diagnosable psychopathology (Bertolote, Fleischmann, De Leo, & Wasserman, 2003). Individuals at risk for suicide exhibit cognitive impairments in decision-making and problem-solving abilities (Pollock & Williams, 2004; Jollant, et al., 2005). These cognitive deficits may be related to deficits in performance monitoring. Performance monitoring is the ability to continually assess behavior in order to make adjustments and improve performance. Performance monitoring is mediated by the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is related to cognitive control abilities. Furthermore, suicidal thoughts and behaviors …