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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology
The Effects Of Prenatal Cannabis Exposure On The Basolateral Amygdala, Karen Kw Wong
The Effects Of Prenatal Cannabis Exposure On The Basolateral Amygdala, Karen Kw Wong
Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference
Clinical and preclinical studies indicate prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) pathologically affects fetal brain development and may increase vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and mood/anxiety disorders. In review research from our lab suggests that fetal exposure to Δ9-THC sex-selectively impairs mesocorticolimbic (MCL) circuit function. However, there is a distinct lack of focus on PCE models on the BLA. The BLA plays a central role within the MCL where it directly interacts with the VTA, PFC and HIPP. Importantly, our model exhibits significant VTA hyperdopaminergic activity, and sex-specific alterations to PFC/HIPP glutamate firing, alongside region- and sex-specific changes in dopamine (DA), …
Sex Differences In Differential Fear Conditioning During The Acquisition And Consolidation Of Learned Safety, David Sylvan Reis
Sex Differences In Differential Fear Conditioning During The Acquisition And Consolidation Of Learned Safety, David Sylvan Reis
Theses and Dissertations
The ability to distinguish between threatening and non-threatening situations requires careful regulation of behavioral and physiological responses to stress and fear. Deficits in fear regulation are maladaptive and can lead to the development of anxiety disorders such as PTSD. Women are nearly twice as likely to develop PTSD as are men and laboratory animal studies have shown facilitated fear acquisition, resistance to fear extinction, deficits in extinction retention and impaired discrimination between danger and safety cues in females. Taken together this suggests a propensity for reduced inhibitory control over fear responding in females. Here we investigate the mechanisms underlying fear …