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Articles 1 - 16 of 16
Full-Text Articles in Behavioral Neurobiology
An Investigation Of The Role Of Amygdalar Circuits In The Production Of Social Behavior, Joseph Fd Dwyer
An Investigation Of The Role Of Amygdalar Circuits In The Production Of Social Behavior, Joseph Fd Dwyer
Doctoral Dissertations
Adaptive social behaviors allow animals to survive, thrive, and successfully reproduce. These behaviors, including mating, parenting, affiliation, and aggression, can be stereotyped in response to specific stimuli but often display sex-specific, and interoceptive-dependent variations in their execution. A conserved set of brain regions collectively known as the social behavior network (SBN) interprets sensory information about social cues and generates an appropriate behavioral response. In this dissertation I present 5 chapters. Chapter 1 introduces historical research focusing on the neural circuits that drive social behavior and the potential impact of environmental factors on the activity of these circuits. Chapter 2 describes …
The Consolidation Of Memory Associations, Kyle A. Kainec
The Consolidation Of Memory Associations, Kyle A. Kainec
Doctoral Dissertations
Creating memories is a fundamental challenge for the human brain. To create memories, defining features of experiences must be stored distinguishably without forgetting other memories. Memory associations represent co-occurring features and defining features across experiences. Memory associations are represented as networks of information that are stored in the brain. New memory associations are encoded during experiences and can be used to update existing memory associations during offline intervals. However, the mechanisms that underlie how encoded memory associations are stored within existing networks during offline intervals remains unclear. The experiments in this dissertation address a significant theoretical gap in understanding the …
Noradrenergic Regulation Of Decision-Making In Female And Male Rats, Emma S. Dauster
Noradrenergic Regulation Of Decision-Making In Female And Male Rats, Emma S. Dauster
Doctoral Dissertations
Decision-making is regulated by many associated brain regions, including the locus coeruleus (LC) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Disruptions in decision-making are a key feature of many disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder which is disproportionately diagnosed in one sex over another for reasons unknown. LC or its primary neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE) have been implicated in the etiology or treatment of disrupted decision-making. Understanding the relationship among LC, PFC, and decision-making across sexes may provide insight into the basic neurobiology of cognition and disorders that lead to disrupted decision making. There are sex differences in LC anatomy, however studies investigating sex differences …
Phenotyping Regression In A Female Mouse Model For Rett Syndrome Using Computational Neuroethology Tools, Michael J. Mykins
Phenotyping Regression In A Female Mouse Model For Rett Syndrome Using Computational Neuroethology Tools, Michael J. Mykins
Doctoral Dissertations
Regression is defined as loss of acquired skills over time and is a key feature of many neurodevelopmental disorders such as Rett syndrome (RTT). RTT is caused by mutations in the X-linked gene Methyl CpG-Binding Protein 2 (MECP2) and is characterized by a period of typical development with subsequent regression of previously acquired motor and speech skills in girls. In human and animal models, it is clear syndromic phenotypes are dynamic over time but phenotyping regression over time in animal models has remained elusive. Lack of established timelines to study the molecular, cellular, and behavioral features of regression in female …
Sex Differences In Myelin Deficits And Neuroinflammatory Responses To Adolescent Drinking In Rats, Andrea Silva-Gotay
Sex Differences In Myelin Deficits And Neuroinflammatory Responses To Adolescent Drinking In Rats, Andrea Silva-Gotay
Doctoral Dissertations
Alcohol binge drinking during adolescence is associated with higher risk of developing alcohol use disorders later in life. Alcohol can lead to decreased white matter volume, myelin damage, and neuroinflammation in animal models of adolescent binge alcohol exposure. These deficits in turn are associated with cognitive disfunctions that are long-lasting and could contribute to alcohol abuse and alcoholism later in life. Importantly, human males are more likely to develop alcohol use disorders than females, thus the mechanisms underlying this might be different between the sexes. Understanding how alcohol impacts the developing adolescent brain can help us identify molecular and cellular …
The Neurobiological Underpinnings Of Depression-Related Maternal Behavior Deficits, Sarah B. Winokur
The Neurobiological Underpinnings Of Depression-Related Maternal Behavior Deficits, Sarah B. Winokur
Doctoral Dissertations
Maternal caregiving is a dynamic process that requires extensive cognitive, motivational, and affective processing. World-wide, approximately 17% of mothers are diagnosed with postpartum depression yearly (Wang et al., 2021). Untreated, mothers with postpartum depression experience deficits in cognition, motivation, affect, and parenting (Arteche et al., 2011; Dix and Meunier, 2009; Lovejoy et al., 2000). Although postpartum depression is related to compromised parenting, to date, few studies have examined the neurobiological mechanisms by which maternal behavior is compromised in postpartum depression (Field, 2010; Murray et al., 1996). This dissertation aims to examine how depression neurobiologically disrupts parenting abilities. These studies …
Role Of The Prefrontal Cortex In Reward Seeking Behaviors, Jessica Caballero-Feliciano
Role Of The Prefrontal Cortex In Reward Seeking Behaviors, Jessica Caballero-Feliciano
Doctoral Dissertations
Disorders associated with compulsive seeking of rewards, like binge-eating, are associated with abnormalities of the prefrontal cortex in humans, which is analogous to the prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in rodents. Although studies have examined the role of the mPFC in drug seeking behaviors, studies examining natural reward seeking behaviors (i.e. food and sucrose) are often unclear and contradictory. This dissertation aims to characterize the role of the PL and IL mPFC in operant sucrose seeking behaviors. We used pharmacological and chemogenetic tools to selectively inactivate the PL, IL and PL-nucleus accumbens (NAc) …
How Do Adult Songbirds Learn New Sounds? Using Neuromodulators To Probe The Function Of The Auditory Association Cortex, Matheus Macedo-Lima
How Do Adult Songbirds Learn New Sounds? Using Neuromodulators To Probe The Function Of The Auditory Association Cortex, Matheus Macedo-Lima
Doctoral Dissertations
The ability to associate sounds and outcomes is vital in the life history of many species. Animals constantly assess the soundscape for cues associated with threats, competitors, allies, mates or prey, and experience is crucial for those associations. For vocal learning species such as humans and songbirds, learning sounds (i.e. perception and association learning) is also the first step in the process of vocal learning. Auditory learning is thought to depend on high-order cortical brain structures, where sounds and meaning are bound. In songbirds, the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) is part of the auditory association cortex and is known to be …
Acute Estrogen Synthesis And Action In The Auditory Cortex Of Developing Male Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia Guttata), Daniel Vahaba
Acute Estrogen Synthesis And Action In The Auditory Cortex Of Developing Male Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia Guttata), Daniel Vahaba
Doctoral Dissertations
Birdsong, as with human speech, is learned during an age- and experience-dependent sensitive period early in life. Songbirds must first memorize their parents’ song during a sensory phase, then refine their own burgeoning vocalizations to match the auditory memory of their parents’ song during a sensorimotor phase. While the error-correction aspect of the sensorimotor phase of song learning is comparatively well understood, it is largely unknown how auditory memories are formed and how auditory processing may change across development to facilitate song memorization. The songbird caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) is a brain region that encodes complex communication signals like song and …
Effects Of Adolescent Alcohol Binge Drinking On Prefrontal Myelin, Wanette M. Vargas-Rodriguez
Effects Of Adolescent Alcohol Binge Drinking On Prefrontal Myelin, Wanette M. Vargas-Rodriguez
Doctoral Dissertations
Alcohol binge drinking is highly prevalent in teenagers and is associated with various harmful health effects and social problems. During adolescence, brain regions such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are still undergoing active development, characterized by increases in white matter volume. While the morphological details and the cellular and molecular sequences governing adolescent white matter development are not fully known, it is known that this development process is sensitive and can be disrupted. Although consumption of alcohol in a binge drinking pattern has been linked to lower white matter integrity in humans, it is important to determine if alcohol is …
The Cellular Context Of Estradiol Regulation In The Zebra Finch Auditory Forebrain, Maaya Ikeda
The Cellular Context Of Estradiol Regulation In The Zebra Finch Auditory Forebrain, Maaya Ikeda
Doctoral Dissertations
Estradiol, traditionally known as a hormone that communicates with distant cells in the body, is also synthesized locally in the brain to act as a neuromodulator. Neuromodulators differ from neurotransmitters in that they simultaneously affect a population of neurons and their actions are not limited to the synapse. One of the many effects of estradiol signaling is rapid modulation of auditory processing in response to external stimuli. The enzyme required for estradiol synthesis, aromatase, is highly expressed in the regions that are involved in higher-order processing of sounds in humans and songbirds. Since zebra finches, a type of songbird, are …
Characterization Of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Cells In The Medial Prefrontal Cortex Of Rats, Yi-Ling Lu
Characterization Of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Cells In The Medial Prefrontal Cortex Of Rats, Yi-Ling Lu
Doctoral Dissertations
Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is the major peptide involved in regulating the body’s autonomic, hormonal, and behavioral responses to stress. Cells that produce and release this peptide are widely distributed throughout the brain. This dissertation focuses on a specific population of CRF cells residing in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) that could potentially influence a number of higher order functions through modulation of local circuits. The prefrontal cortex is known to function sub-optimally in patients suffering from various stress-related psychiatric conditions including alcohol use disorder (AUD), and dysregulated CRF signaling may be an underlying mechanism. Surprisingly little is known about this …
Behavioral, Neurobiological, And Genetic Analysis Of The Circadian Mutant Duper, Emily Nicole Corbett Manoogian
Behavioral, Neurobiological, And Genetic Analysis Of The Circadian Mutant Duper, Emily Nicole Corbett Manoogian
Doctoral Dissertations
The recently discovered circadian mutant hamster duper has a short period of ~23 hours and exhibits exaggerated phase shifts in response to a 15-min light pulse. To increase the understanding of the duper mutation, I performed behavioral, neurobiological, and genetic experiments. Behavioral studies using photic and non-photic stimuli found that large phase shifts exhibited by duper hamsters are specific to photic cues, but not to phase. Additionally, 2/3 of duper hamsters, but no WTs, displayed transient ultradian wheel-running patterns when transferred from light to dark at CT 18. This suggests that the mutation may weaken coupling among components of the …
Behavioral And Neural Mechanisms Of Impulsive Choice, Jesse Mcclure
Behavioral And Neural Mechanisms Of Impulsive Choice, Jesse Mcclure
Doctoral Dissertations
Impulsive choice is defined as the preference for a small immediate reward over a larger delayed reward. Individual variablity in impulsive choice correlates with many socially relevant behaviors. Although forms of impulsive choice have been studied in both behavioral ecology and psychology, the exchange of knowledge between these fields is just beginning. Drawing from both of these fields will improve our research methods allowing for a more detailed understanding of this complex behavior. Existing tasks to measure impulsive choice conflate the delay and quantity of the reward. To address this, I have drawn from foraging research to establish a method …
Interactions Between The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (Hpa) Axis, Oxytocin System, And Behavior In Differently Reared Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca Mulatta), Amanda F. Hamel
Interactions Between The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (Hpa) Axis, Oxytocin System, And Behavior In Differently Reared Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca Mulatta), Amanda F. Hamel
Doctoral Dissertations
Adverse experiences that occur during early critical periods of development modify activity of neuroendocrine systems, such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and oxytocin system. This dissertation examines the effects of nursery rearing, an established model of adverse early experiences, on activity of the HPA axis and oxytocin system in infant and adult rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). In addition, influence of oxytocin system activity on the HPA axis and behavioral reactivity was examined. In infant monkeys, nursery-rearing was associated with lower HPA axis, yet higher oxytocin system activity, following the acute stress of developmental assessment. Nursery rearing may result …
Functional Analysis Of Corazonin And Its Receptor In Drosophila Melanogaster, Kai Sha
Functional Analysis Of Corazonin And Its Receptor In Drosophila Melanogaster, Kai Sha
Doctoral Dissertations
Corazonin (Crz) is an amidated undecapeptide originally isolated from the American cockroach. It has been shown to affect diverse physiological functions in a species-specific manner. However, the functionality of Crz in Drosophila melanogaster has not yet been determined. To gain insight into the role of Crz signaling in vivo, Crz and CrzR null alleles were obtained by transposable element mobilization. Flies carrying a deficiency uncovering Crz and pr-set7 loci were generated via P-element excision, and the latter was rescued by wild-type pr-set7 transgene. A mutation of Crz receptor (CrzR) was generated by Minos-element mobilization from …