Behavioral Neurobiology Commons^™

Characterization Of The Circadian Properties Of Runt-Related Transcription Factor 2 (Runx2) And Its Role In The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus, Meghan E. Reale

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Circadian rhythms orchestrate physiological, behavioral and cognitive processes in order to anticipate and adapt organisms to key environmental cues. These endogenously driven oscillations are generated by a network of interlocked auto-regulatory transcriptional-translational feedback loops driven forward by the Bmal1/Clock heterodimer transcription factor. Given the ubiquitous and dynamic quality of circadian rhythms, the identification of factors involved in the coordination and regulation of the endogenous oscillations is central in broadening our understanding of biological timing systems. In an examination of gene expression in the mammalian central circadian pacemaker, the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), revealed a previously unreported rhythmic expression of runt-related …

Effects Of Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Brain Injury On Spatial Working Memory, Amanda L. Smith

Master's Theses

Children born prematurely or at very low birth weight (VLBW) have an increased risk for hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HI). HI refers to a lack of adequate blood and oxygen flow in the brain. HI can also occur in the term infant due to birth complications such as prolonged labor, placental dysfunction, or cord prolapse. In both populations (though exact patterns of neuropathology vary) brain damage is likely to occur in the form of decreased hippocampal and cortical volume, and enlargement of the ventricles (Kesler et al., 2004, Nagy et al., 2009). Resulting neuropathology can in turn lead to cognitive …

Autonomic And Behavioral Reactivity To An Acute Laboratory Stressor, Jeremy C. Peres

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Stress has been widely shown to directly influence people’s emotional and behavioral processing as well as their underlying biological systems. This project examined physiological and behavioral responses as indicators of stress and coping in the context of a psychosocial stressor in a controlled laboratory setting. We examined the association between indicators of behavioral coping and underlying physiological reactivity within participants while experiencing stress. Participants included 68 emerging adults. Physiological measures include autonomic biomarkers (e.g., heart-rate, skin conductance) at rest and during the stressor while behavioral indicators that were coded include acute verbal and non-verbal actions exhibited by participants during the …

Septohippocampal Gabaergic Neurons Mediate The Altered Behaviors Induced By N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Antagonists., Jingyi Ma, Siew Kian Tai, L Stan Leung

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

We hypothesize that selective lesion of the septohippocampal GABAergic neurons suppresses the altered behaviors induced by an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, ketamine or MK-801. In addition, we hypothesize that septohippocampal GABAergic neurons generate an atropine-resistant theta rhythm that coexists with an atropine-sensitive theta rhythm in the hippocampus. Infusion of orexin-saporin (ore-SAP) into the medial septal area decreased parvalbumin-immunoreactive (GABAergic) neurons by ~80%, without significantly affecting choline-acetyltransferase-immunoreactive (cholinergic) neurons. The theta rhythm during walking, or the immobility-associated theta induced by pilocarpine, was not different between ore-SAP and sham-lesion rats. Walking theta was, however, more disrupted by atropine sulfate in ore-SAP than …

House Finches, Carpodacus Mexicanus: Hormones, Stress, And Song Control Regions, Katherine Olivia Ganster

Master's Theses

Song production in songbirds is controlled by parts of the brain known as the song control regions (SCRs). During spring, gonads increase in size, males sing to attract mates, and SCRs become larger. This neuroplasticity is controlled by the change in day length and increased plasma testosterone (T) levels. Plasma T can be reduced by stress through the production of corticosterone (CORT), through the production of beta-endorphin, or through direct effects on the testes via the nervous system. We determined the T, estradiol, and CORT hormonal profiles of wild House Finches by capturing and sampling blood from the finches every …

Sexual Reward And Depression, Andrea R. Di Sebastiano

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Sexual behavior in male rats is a complex rewarding behavior and many neurotransmitters and neuropeptides play an important role in mediation of sexual performance, motivation and reward. The hypothalamic neuropeptide orexin has been shown play a key role in reward associated with food and drugs of abuse, but the role of this neuropeptide in control of sexual performance, motivation and reward is currently unclear. First, it was shown that orexin neurons in the hypothalamus are activated during sexual performance and reward. Next, using cell specific lesions of orexin neurons it was demonstrated that orexin is involved in arousal and anxiety, …

Distinct Retinohypothalamic Innervation Patterns Predict The Developmental Emergence Of Species-Typical Circadian Phase Preference In Nocturnal Norway Rats And Diurnal Nile Grass Rats, William D. Todd, Andrew J. Gall, Joshua A. Weiner, Mark S. Blumberg

Faculty Publications

How does the brain develop differently to support nocturnality in some mammals, but diurnality in others? To answer this question, one might look to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is entrained by light via the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT). However, because the SCN is more active during the day in all mammals studied thus far, it alone cannot determine circadian phase preference. In adult Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), which are nocturnal, the RHT also projects to the ventral subparaventricular zone (vSPVZ), an adjacent region that expresses an in-phase pattern of SCN-vSPVZ neuronal activity. In contrast, in adult Nile grass rats (Arvicanthis …

Neurosteroid-Mediated Regulation Of Brain Innate Immunity In Hiv/Aids: Dhea-S Suppresses Neurovirulence, Amber Paul, Ferdinand G. Maingat, Maria J. Polyak, Pornpun Vivithanaporn, Farshid Noorbakhsh, Samir Ahboucha, Glen B. Baker, Keir Pearson, Christopher Power

Publications

Neurosteroids are cholesterol-derived molecules synthesized within the brain, which exert trophic and protective actions. Infection by human and feline immunodeficiency viruses (HIV and FIV, respectively) causes neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, leading to neurological deficits. Secretion of neuroinflammatory host and viral factors by glia and infiltrating leukocytes mediates the principal neuropathogenic mechanisms during, although the effect of neurosteroids on these processes is unknown. We investigated the interactions between neurosteroid mediated effects and lentivirus infection outcomes. Analyses of HIV-infected uninfected human brains disclosed a reduction in neurosteroid synthesis enzyme expression. Human neurons exposed to supernatants from HIV macrophages exhibited suppressed enzyme expression without …

Development Of Scn Connectivity And The Circadian Control Of Arousal: A Diminishing Role For Humoral Factors?, Andrew J. Gall, William D. Todd, Mark S. Blumberg

Faculty Publications

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is part of a wake-promoting circuit comprising the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) and locus coeruleus (LC). Although widely considered a "master clock," the SCN of adult rats is also sensitive to feedback regarding an animal's behavioral state. Interestingly, in rats at postnatal day (P)2, repeated arousing stimulation does not increase neural activation in the SCN, despite doing so in the LC and DMH. Here we show that, by P8, the SCN is activated by arousing stimulation and that selective destruction of LC terminals with DSP-4 blocks this activational effect. We next show that bidirectional projections among the …

Adrenal Steroids Uniquely Influence Sexual Motivation Behavior In Male Rats, George Taylor, Joshua Dearborn, Susan Maloney

Psychology Faculty Works

The androgenic adrenal steroids dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and 4α-androstenedione (4-A) have significant biological activity, but it is unclear if the behavioral effects are unique or only reflections of the effects of testosterone (TS). Gonadally intact male Long-Evans rats were assigned to groups to receive supplements of DHEA, 4-A, TS, corticosteroid (CORT), all at 400 µg steroid/kg of body weight, or vehicle only for 5 weeks. All males were tested in a paradigm for sexual motivation that measures time and urinary marks near an inaccessible receptive female. It was found that DHEA and 4-A supplements failed to influence time near the estrous …

Fmri Reveals The Neural Correlates Of Real And Pantomimed Tool Use In Humans, Joseph Umberto Paciocco

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Although functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be used to study the neural mechanisms underlying greatly expanded cognitive functions in humans like tool use, surprisingly little fMRI research has been done on actual tool use. In fact, due to technical constraints, most fMRI studies have used pantomimed actions as a proxy for real use. However, human neuropsychology patients who are impaired at pantomiming often improve when handling a tool suggesting potential neural differences. We used fMRI to record brain activation while 13 right-handed participants performed one of two tasks, real or pantomime tool use with one of two tools, a …

Identification Of A Molecular Opiate-Addiction Memory Switch In The Basolateral Amygdala, Danika C.A. Lyons

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The molecular mechanisms involved in acquiring opiate-related associative memories are largely unknown. One neural region implicated in the formation of opiate-related memories is the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA). Transmission through dopamine (DA) receptors within the BLA controls the formation of opiate-related reward memories (Lintas et al., 2011; Lintas et al., 2012). Specifically, transmission through DA D1 receptors controls opiate reward memory formation in animals that are previously naïve to opiate exposure. However, once opiate dependence and withdrawal are present, intra-BLA DA-mediated control of opiate reward memory processing switches to a DA D2 receptor substrate. These findings demonstrate a …

Effect Of Nicotine On Body Composition, Laura O'Dell

Laura Elena O'Dell

No abstract provided.

Synaptic And Systems Memory Consolidation In The Black-Capped Chickadee (Poecile Atricapillus), Matthew Barrett

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

ABSTRACT

Memory consolidation - the time-dependent stabilization of information- involves two processes: 1) synaptic consolidation and 2) systems consolidation. Synaptic consolidation uses a series of protein synthesis cascades that make lasting changes in the underlying neural architecture of a memory. Systems consolidation involves the reorganization of memory such that, with the passage of time, memory that is initially hippocampus-dependent can be retrieved and activated independent of the hippocampus. Black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) store and relocate food using hippocampus-dependent spatial memory. In Chapter 2 inhibition of protein synthesis by anisomycin, either 0 and 2 h or 4 and 6 …

Increased Modulation By Cognitive Control Region During Fmri Working Memory Task Suggest Inefficiencies In Network Connectivity In Children With Adhd, Ashley Burgess

Honors College Theses

Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder common among children and adolescent populations whose symptoms are believed to be caused by deficits in executive functioning processes such as working memory. Using fMRI analyses, differences in the modulatory influence exhibited by the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) on cortico-striatal regions implicated in working memory (2-back) (Owen et al 2005) was assessed between children with ADHD (twenty-three participants; mean age 6 yrs: 6.4-14.9 yrs) and healthy controls (twenty-six participants; mean age 10.1yrs: 6.3-14.1 yrs). Modulatory influence is defined as the degree to which one region exerts control on another region …

Effects Of Cannabidiol On Mk-801-Induced Locomotor Sensitization In Mice, Sara K. Cronin

Scripps Senior Theses

Previous research has shown that cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound in the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, may be useful in treating drug craving, one of the hallmarks of drug addiction. However, the neural mechanism by which CBD attenuates craving is poorly understood. Studies from other laboratories have shown that neuroplastic changes associated with brain NMDA glutamate systems may at least partially serve as a neural mechanism for craving. In the current study, the noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 maleate was used to induce locomotor sensitization, a form of NMDA glutamate-mediated neuroplasticity, in mice to test the sensitization-attenuating potential of …

The Effects Of Prenatal Exposure To Altered Melatonin Levels On Hippocampal Gene Expression In The Male Rat, Anna Uehara

Honors Theses

The stability of the circadian rhythm for mammals depends on the levels of serotonin and melatonin, neurohormones that signal for lightness and darkness, respectively. Disruption in the stability of neurohormones has been shown to be a critical factor in psychopathological disorders in humans. For example, altering levels of melatonin in utero through administration of melatonin or the melatonin receptor antagonist, luzindole, has been shown to cause changes in developmental growth and adult behavior in the male rat. Analysis of relative adult hippocampal gene expression with RT-PCR revealed differences in ARNTL expression that suggested abnormality in clock gene expression of the …

Serotonin 1a Receptor-Mediated Signaling Through Erk And Pkcα Is Essential For Normal Synaptogenesis In Neonatal Mouse Hippocampus, A. Mogha, Sara R. Guariglia, Priya Ranjan Debata, Guang Y. Wen, Probal Banerjee

Publications and Research

Aberrant expression of the presynaptic serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT_1A-R) because of a polymorphism in the 5-HT_1A-R gene is associated with severe depression in human, whereas its absence up to postnatal day 21 (P21) in the forebrain of mice results in heightened anxiety in adulthood. These observations collectively indicate that the 5-HT1A-R has a crucial role in brain development. To understand the mechanistic underpinnings of this phenomenon, we used organotypic slice cultures of hippocampi from C57BL6 mice (C57) at P15, which coincides with the peak of neonatal synaptogenesis. Stimulation of the hippocampal 5-HT1A-R caused a dramatic increase …

Taste Neophobia And C-Fos Expression In The Rat Brain, Jian-You Lin, Christopher T. Roman, Joe Arthurs, Steve Reilly

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

Taste neophobia refers to a reduction in consumption of a novel taste relative to when it is familiar. To gain more understanding of the neural basis of this phenomenon, the current study examined whether a novel taste (0.5% saccharin) supports a different pattern of c-Fos expression than the same taste when it is familiar. Results revealed that the taste of the novel saccharin solution evoked more Fos immunoreactivity than the familiar taste of saccharin in the basolateral region of the amygdala, central nucleus of the amygdala, gustatory portion of the thalamus, and the gustatory insular cortex. No such differential expression …

The Effects Of Extended Access To Methamphetamine Self-Administration On Dopaminergic Markers In The Striatum, Joe Luevano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is a persistent problem in the U.S. and abroad. Escalation of METH use among independent users occurs for a variety of physiological and psychological reasons. Methamphetamine dependence may be attributed to the rewarding effect of this drug via the dopaminergic systems of the central nervous system (CNS). The presence of METH in the CNS increases synaptic release of dopamine. This increase in dopaminergic neurotransmission is thought to be directly attributed to the rewarding effects of METH. Following METH use, compensatory changes have been found to occur in the dopaminergic system during various periods of abstinence. It is …

Investigation Into The Specificity Of Angiotensin Ii-Induced Behavioral Desensitization, Peter J. Vento, Kevin P. Myers, Derek Daniels

Faculty Journal Articles

Angiotensin II (AngII) plays a key role in maintaining body fluid homeostasis. The physiological and behavioral effects of central AngII include increased blood pressure and fluid intake. In vitro experiments demonstrate that repeated exposure to AngII reduces the efficacy of subsequent AngII, and behavioral studies indicate that prior icv AngII administration reduces the dipsogenic response to AngII administered later. Specifically, rats given a treatment regimen of three icv injections of a large dose of AngII, each separated by 20 min, drink less water in response to a test injection of AngII than do vehicle-treated controls given the same test injection. …