Life Sciences Commons^™

Nicotine Sensitization In Β-Arrestin 2 Knockout Adolescent Mice., Jennifer A. Correll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ß arrestin-2 is a protein involved in signaling of D2 receptors and plays a mediating role in sensitization to psychostimulants and the opiate morphine. In this study, 3-4 week old BA-2 KO and wild type C57/B6 mice received nicotine tartarate (s.c, 0.5 mg/kg free base) for 7 or 14 consecutive days followed by a drug-free period. An acute nicotine challenge followed the drugfree period. Results indicated that the absence of ß-arrestin-2 reduced sensitization to nicotine in Experiment 1. BA-2 KOs eventually demonstrated sensitization in Experiment 2. However, absence of ß-arrestin-2 blocked expression of sensitization on the challenge. After the challenge, …

Detecting Agency From The Biological Motion Of Veridical Vs Animated Agents, Raymond A. Mar, William M. Kelley, Todd F. Heatherton, C. Neil Macrae

Dartmouth Scholarship

The ability to detect agency is fundamental for understanding the social world. Underlying this capacity are neural circuits that respond to patterns of intentional biological motion in the superior temporal sulcus and temporoparietal junction. Here we show that the brain's blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) response to such motion is modulated by the representation of the actor. Dynamic social interactions were portrayed by either live-action agents or computer-animated agents, enacting the exact same patterns of biological motion. Using an event-related design, we found that the BOLD response associated with the perception and interpretation of agency was greater when identical physical …

Differential Neuromuscular Training Effects On Acl Injury Risk Factors In"High-Risk" Versus "Low-Risk" Athletes, Gregory D. Myer, Kevin R. Ford, Jensen L. Brent, Timothy E. Hewett

Kinesiology and Health Promotion Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Neuromuscular training may reduce risk factors that contribute to ACL injury incidence in female athletes. Multi-component, ACL injury prevention training programs can be time and labor intensive, which may ultimately limit training program utilization or compliance. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of neuromuscular training on those classified as "high-risk" compared to those classified as "low-risk." The hypothesis was that high-risk athletes would decrease knee abduction moments while low-risk and control athletes would not show measurable changes.

METHODS: Eighteen high school female athletes participated in neuromuscular training 3x/week over a 7-week period. Knee kinematics and …

Functional Dissociation In Frontal And Striatal Areas For Processing Of Positive And Negative Reward Information, Xun Liu, David K. Powell, Hongbin Wang, Brian T. Gold, Christine R. Corbly, Jane E. Joseph

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

Reward-seeking behavior depends critically on processing of positive and negative information at various stages such as reward anticipation, outcome monitoring, and choice evaluation. Behavioral and neuropsychological evidence suggests that processing of positive (e.g., gain) and negative (e.g., loss) reward information may be dissociable and individually disrupted. However, it remains uncertain whether different stages of reward processing share certain neural circuitry in frontal and striatal areas, and whether distinct but interactive systems in these areas are recruited for positive and negative reward processing. To explore these issues, we used a monetary decision-making task to investigate the roles of frontal and striatal …