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Behavioral Neurobiology Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Behavioral Neurobiology

The Role Of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis In Depression-Relevant Reward-Related Behaviours, Katrina Zmavc Dec 2019

The Role Of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis In Depression-Relevant Reward-Related Behaviours, Katrina Zmavc

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The variability in the symptomatology of depressive disorders and antidepressant treatment response has led to an increased interest in the molecular, cellular, and circuit mechanisms of many aspects of affect. Evidence suggests a reduction in adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) is associated with an increase in depression-like behaviour, though much of this evidence has been from studies using aversive tests (e.g., forced swim test). Here, I used touchscreen operant chambers, which allow for non-aversive and translational testing, to test the hypothesis that AHN plays a contributing role in emotion regulation. A panel of three touchscreen tests were chosen to assess different …


Assessing The Role Of Drosophila Melanogaster Neuroligin 3 On Social Spacing And Climbing Behaviour, J. Wesley Robinson Aug 2019

Assessing The Role Of Drosophila Melanogaster Neuroligin 3 On Social Spacing And Climbing Behaviour, J. Wesley Robinson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Autism spectrum disorders can be clinically defined in part by impairments of social interactions. Social interactions can be modeled in Drosophila melanogaster with behaviours such as social spacing. Here, I examined the effects of autism-related gene neuroligin 3 on fly social spacing. I hypothesized if neuroligin 3 is mutated or gene expression is targeted for knockdown, then flies will have altered social space in males and females at different ages. Using the social space assay, I found that different mutations to neuroligin 3 change the fly’s behavior, in a mutation and sex-specific manner. Using an antibody against Nlg3, I localized …