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Ethanol Decreases Expression Of Developing Neurons, But Not Neuronal Viability, In A Cultured Rat Hippocampus, Cassidy Count Jan 2023

Ethanol Decreases Expression Of Developing Neurons, But Not Neuronal Viability, In A Cultured Rat Hippocampus, Cassidy Count

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

As of 2019, alcohol use disorders (AUDs) affect roughly 14.1 million individuals over the age of 18 and cost up to $249 billion in economic burden in the United States. In addition to central nervous system (CNS), those affected by AUDs can present with cognitive and behavioral abnormalities. Specifically, those affected by AUDs experience deficits in memory consolidation and retrieval as well as executive functioning, which may be due to cellular changes within the hippocampus. There are at least two prominent and contended theories which explain the mechanism of functional impairment caused by alcohol: 1) alcohol induces excitotoxic neuronal death …


Prenatal Ethanol Exposure Impairs Performance On Spatial And Tactile Sequential Discrimination Task In Juvenile Rats, Caleb S. Bailey Jan 2023

Prenatal Ethanol Exposure Impairs Performance On Spatial And Tactile Sequential Discrimination Task In Juvenile Rats, Caleb S. Bailey

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are a set of cognitive and behavioral abnormalities that arise in ~5% of children who have been prenatally-exposed to alcohol. Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can cause impairments in learning acquisition, working memory, response inhibition, and attentional-set shifting that result in exaggerated deficits in executive function and impairments in goal-seeking behavior. There are standard procedures used in rodent research to address some components of these deficits, but few procedures are sensitive enough to comprehensively assess such deficits. To address this issue in FASDs research techniques, we developed a procedure that requires prolonged executive function in a …


Effects Of Social Isolation And Adolescent Ethanol Exposure On Adult Drinking And Nicotine Co-Use, Jakob Shaykin Jan 2023

Effects Of Social Isolation And Adolescent Ethanol Exposure On Adult Drinking And Nicotine Co-Use, Jakob Shaykin

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Alcohol use often begins in adolescence and can lead to increased susceptibility to AUD in adulthood. Stress in the form of social isolation during adolescence can also prompt substance use disorders later in adulthood. This thesis determined if exposure to ethanol (EtOH) during adolescence and social isolation alters the trajectory of alcohol and nicotine intake during adulthood. In Experiment 1, adolescent male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were administered intermittent injections of EtOH (2g/kg 20% EtOH, IP) or saline (PND 28-41). EtOH consumption was measured in adulthood (PND 49-55) using a 2-bottle choice procedure where one bottle contained a 0.2% saccharin/15% …


Understanding Cancer Patients' Desire To Quit Tobacco Without Assistance: A Mixed-Methods, Longitudinal Study, Tia Borger Jan 2023

Understanding Cancer Patients' Desire To Quit Tobacco Without Assistance: A Mixed-Methods, Longitudinal Study, Tia Borger

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Introduction: Unassisted attempts to quit tobacco are a well-established reason for quit failure. Nonetheless, many cancer patients prefer to make a quit attempt without using evidence-based tobacco treatment. This study aimed to understand the rationale that underlies cancer patients’ desire to quit tobacco without assistance and to track longitudinally the smoking cessation outcomes of patients with this preference. Method: In a mixed-methods, longitudinal study, 35 cancer patients who were current tobacco users and declined tobacco treatment because of the desire to quit on their own provided data via three questionnaires and 1-2 semi-structured interviews across 60 days. Participants were recruited …


The Effects Of Extended Fructose Access On Relative Value And Demand For Fructose, Saccharin, And Ventral Tegmental Stimulation, Megan Halloran Jan 2023

The Effects Of Extended Fructose Access On Relative Value And Demand For Fructose, Saccharin, And Ventral Tegmental Stimulation, Megan Halloran

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Globally, food addiction (FA) is a growing area of research and is largely attributed to the availability of foods that are both energy dense and high in fats and sugars. Further, it has been suggested, that sugar and fat, when consumed frequently, have properties similar to drugs of abuse. While the validity of FA is questioned, researchers have drawn parallels between substance use disorder (SUD) and FA. For example, sugar binge models emphasize craving, withdrawal and binging as primary components of FA, which are also hallmarks of SUD. Additionally, both natural rewards, like sugars, and drug rewards act on the …


Calcium Imaging Of Central Amygdala Activity After Fentanyl Escalation, Samantha Malone Jan 2023

Calcium Imaging Of Central Amygdala Activity After Fentanyl Escalation, Samantha Malone

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Evidence suggests that rats given long access (LgA) sessions to self-administer (SA) opioids escalate their intake, while also showing greater withdrawal severity and drug-induced reinstatement compared to rats maintained on short access (ShA) daily SA sessions. Little is known about the neural changes that occur during opioid escalation that may impact withdrawal and relapse. Past work examining opioid SA using ShA sessions in rodents has identified the central amygdala (CeA) as an area of interest that becomes hyperactive in acute withdrawal and may be involved in the incubation of craving that occurs after protracted withdrawal. However, these studies have not …