Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Sex Differences In Mood And Anxiety-Related Outcomes In Response To Adolescent Nicotine Exposure, Tsun Hay Jason Ng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Nicotine dependence is causally linked to increased risk of mood/anxiety disorders in later life. Females are reported to experience a higher prevalence of anxiety/depressive disorders and challenges in smoking cessation therapies, suggesting a potential sex-specific response to nicotine exposure and mood/anxiety disorder risk. However, pre-clinical evidence of sex-specific responses to adolescent nicotine exposure is unclear. Thus, to determine any sex differences in anxiety/depressive-related outcomes, adolescent male and female Sprague Dawley rats received nicotine (0.4 mg/kg; 3x daily) or saline injections for 10 consecutive days, followed by behavioural testing, in-vivo electrophysiology and Western Blot analyses. Our results revealed that adolescent nicotine …

Dopamine And Glutamate Dysfunction In A Rodent Model Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Implications For Future Neuropharmacology, Erin M. Miller

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common disorders of childhood. It is theorized to be caused by catecholamine dysfunction in the striatum (Str) and frontal cortex (FC). The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) has been used as a model for ADHD because of its attention deficits, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity. Prior studies of dopamine (DA) in the Str and FC have revealed conflicting results in the SHR compared to control, indicative of a need for a better understanding of DA dynamics in this model. In addition to the DA hypothesis, studies have begun implicating glutamate in the etiology of ADHD. …

Using Negative Feedback To Guide Behavior: Impairments On The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test Relates To Psychosis, Sally Barney

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There is increasing controversy regarding the distinction between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder as separate diagnostic categories because these disorders share many features in common. These and other findings suggest that bipolar disorder and schizophrenia may be better conceptualized along a continuum or within more homogeneous subsets of affective, psychotic, and mixed symptomatology.

Dopamine dysregulation has been found in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, particularly those that experience psychosis during the acute phases of their bipolar illness. Dopamine has been found to play a role in reward and reward learning. Recently, research has found that individuals with schizophrenia experience deficits in reward …

An Analysis Of Nicotine Exacerbation Of Reductions In Ppi In A Rodent Model Of Schizophrenia., Amanda Marie Maple

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is an operational measure of sensorimotor gating and is known to be reduced when the dopamine D² receptor is activated. We used a rodent model of psychosis in which increases in dopamine D_{2 receptor sensitivity are produced through neonatal quinpirole (a dopamine D2 / D3 agonist) treatment to rats. Rats were administered quinpirole (1mg/kg) or saline from postnatal day (P) 1-21. Rats were raised to adulthood and tested on PPI. Results showed that neonatal quinpirole treatment produced a significant reduction in PPI, and nicotine exacerbated this reduction. This reduction was partially blocked by …}

Nicotine Sensitization In A Rodent Model Of Schizophrenia: A Comparison Of Adolescents, Adults, And Neurotrophic Factors., Marla Kay Perna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The behavioral effects of nicotine on locomotor activity in a rodent model of psychosis were analyzed. This model is based on neonatal quinpriole treatment (a dopamine D2/D3 agonist) which causes increased D2 receptor sensitivity, a phenomenon known as D2 priming that is common in schizophrenia. D2-primed adolescent rats did not demonstrate nicotine-induced hypoactivity early in training, and males demonstrated more rapid sensitization to nicotine as compared to controls administered nicotine. D2-primed females administered nicotine demonstrated increased stereotypic behavior. D2-primed adult rats given nicotine demonstrated significantly more robust sensitization to nicotine than controls given nicotine. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was analyzed …