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Full-Text Articles in Laboratory and Basic Science Research

Rapid Golgi Stain For Dendritic Spine Visualization In Hippocampus And Prefrontal Cortex, Maya Frankfurt, Rachel E. Bowman Jan 2021

Rapid Golgi Stain For Dendritic Spine Visualization In Hippocampus And Prefrontal Cortex, Maya Frankfurt, Rachel E. Bowman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Golgi impregnation, using the Golgi staining kit with minor adaptations, is used to impregnate dendritic spines in the rat hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. This technique is a marked improvement over previous methods of Golgi impregnation because the premixed chemicals are safer to use, neurons are consistently well impregnated, there is far less background debris, and for a given region, there are extremely small deviations in spine density between experiments. Moreover, brains can be accumulated after a certain point and kept frozen until further processing. Using this method any brain region of interest can be studied. Once stained and cover …


Adolescent Bisphenol-A Exposure Decreases Dendritic Spine Density: Role Of Sex And Age, Rachel E. Bowman, Victoria N. Luine, Hameda Khandaker, Joseph J. Villafane, Maya Frankfurt Nov 2014

Adolescent Bisphenol-A Exposure Decreases Dendritic Spine Density: Role Of Sex And Age, Rachel E. Bowman, Victoria N. Luine, Hameda Khandaker, Joseph J. Villafane, Maya Frankfurt

Psychology Faculty Publications

Bisphenol-A (BPA), a common environmental endocrine disruptor, modulates estrogenic, androgenic, and anti-androgenic effects throughout the lifespan. We recently showed that low dose BPA exposure during adolescence increases anxiety and impairs spatial memory independent of sex. In the current study, six week old Sprague Dawley rats (n=24 males, n=24 females) received daily subcutaneous injections (40 µg/kg bodyweight) of BPA or vehicle for one week. Serum corticosterone levels in response to a 1 h restraint stress and spine density were examined at age 7 (cohort 1) and 11 (cohort 2) weeks. Adolescent BPA exposure did not alter stress dependent corticosterone responses but …


Play And Adversity: How The Playful Mammalian Brain Withstands Threats And Anxieties, Stephen M. Siviy Jan 2010

Play And Adversity: How The Playful Mammalian Brain Withstands Threats And Anxieties, Stephen M. Siviy

Psychology Faculty Publications

Most mammals play, but they do so in a dangerous world. The dynamic relationship between the stresses created by their world and the activity of play helps to explain the evolution of play in mammals, as the author demonstrates in evidence garnered from experiments that introduce elements of fear to rats at play. The author describes the resulting fearful behavior and quantifies the fluctuation in play that results, and then he investigates how these are modified by increased maternal care or the use of benzodiazepines. In conclusion, he discusses how such research can help shed light on the neurobiology underlying …


Sexually Dimorphic Effects Of Prenatal Stress On Cognition, Hormonal Responses, And Central Neurotransmitters, Rachel E. Bowman, Neil J. Maclusky, Yessenia Sarmiento, Maya Frankfurt, Marisa Gordon, Victoria N. Luine Aug 2004

Sexually Dimorphic Effects Of Prenatal Stress On Cognition, Hormonal Responses, And Central Neurotransmitters, Rachel E. Bowman, Neil J. Maclusky, Yessenia Sarmiento, Maya Frankfurt, Marisa Gordon, Victoria N. Luine

Psychology Faculty Publications

Exposure to stress during gestation results in physiological and behavioral alterations that persist into adulthood. This study examined the effects of prenatal stress on the postnatal expression of sexually differentiated cognitive, hormonal, and neurochemical profiles in male and female rats. Pregnant dams were subjected to restraint stress three times daily for 45 min during d 14-21 of pregnancy. The offspring of control and prenatally stressed dams were tested for anxiety-related and cognitive behaviors, stress and gonadal steroid hormone levels, as well as monoamines and metabolite levels in selected brain regions. Postnatal testosterone levels (measured at 1 and 5 d) did …