Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Mouse Performance On A Novel Touchscreen Continuous Performance Task Is Dependent On Signaling In The Prelimbic Cortex, Tyler D. Dexter, Daniel Palmer, Amy C. Reichelt, Anita Taksokhan, Lisa M. Saksida, Tim J. Bussey

Western Research Forum

Attention is the cognitive processing that facilitates the ability to target and attend to relevant environmental stimuli, while filtering out irrelevant or distracting stimuli. Control over selective attention is theorized to be dependent on organized neural communication that stems from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). To evaluate selective and sustained attention, mice were trained on the novel touchscreen rodent continuous performance task (rCPT), a task designed to emulate the human CPT. In the rodent version, images are continuously presented on a touchscreen, where mice have been trained to selectively respond to one image type while suppressing responses to all others. …

Pparg Signaling In The Nucleus Accumbens Regulates Mesolimbic Dopamine Activity, Tony Jung, Roger Hudson, Hanna Szkudlarek, Walter Rushlow, Steve Laviolette

Western Research Forum

Background: The mesolimbic dopamine system consists of dopamine neuron projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (NAc). The NAc regulates VTA dopamine release through inhibitory GABA projections to the VTA. Hyperactive mesolimbic dopamine signaling is implicated in anxiety. Cannabidiol, a compound found in cannabis, demonstrates promising therapeutic potential for anxiety through the regulation of the mesolimbic dopamine system. Previous studies have revealed that cannabidiol infusions into the NAc decreases mesolimbic dopamine activity - potentially through the inhibitory GABA signaling to the VTA. However, the receptor mechanism in the NAc through which CBD produces its effects is …

The Effects Of Rape Trauma And Ptsd On The Childbirth Process, Helena Kevorkian

Grace Peterson Nursing Research Colloquium

Abstract

Background: Sexual trauma, including rape and childhood sexual abuse, takes a toll on the survivor emotionally and physically. With the invasive procedures, physical exposure and feelings of loss of control related to childbirth, the survivor may become triggered and become retraumatized. Through an integrative literature review, the effects of rape trauma and PTSD on the childbirth process were identified.

Objective: The purpose of this integrative literature review was to determine the effects of rape trauma and PTSD on the childbirth process. Through determining the effects, a greater understanding will be gained on how to best approach a situation with …

Modeling Visual Enumeration Using Cumulative Link Regression., Anthony D. Cate Ph.D.

MODVIS Workshop

Based on three core assumptions about mental representations of number, this model of visual enumeration specifies analysis methods that can identify when observers rely on different processes to estimate the numerosity of a visual display. Specifically, the model provides a clear criterion for identifying domains of numerosity that correspond to different perceptual or cognitive processes that have been described in numeracy literature, e.g. subitizing. The model predicts how the requirement to give integer responses in enumeration tasks can produce spurious discontinuities in accuracy measures that can be misidentified as evidence for a subitizing process. It is proposed that cumulative link …

Using The Implicit Association Test To Investigate The Strength Of Synesthetic Associations, Margaret Martinez, Nicole Steiner, Simon Lacey, Lynne C. Nygaard, K. Sathian

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Synesthesia is a phenomenon in which experiences in one sensory or cognitive domain are associated with automatic, involuntary experiences in a second domain. The present study investigated the relationship between the consistency and strength of these associations in grapheme-color synesthesia, in which a specific color is experienced when seeing a particular letter or number. Firstly, synesthetic participants completed the online Synesthesia Battery (SB) which measures the consistency with which individuals choose the same color for the same grapheme and returns a standardized score which distinguishes genuine synesthetes from non-synesthetes. Secondly, synesthetes and age/gender-matched non-synesthetic control participants completed an Implicit Association …

An Investigation Of Stimulants: Reviewing Their Effects On The Brain, Including Memory And Microglia, Michael Douchey

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Stimulants are a class of drugs that have a variety of effects on the brain, including changes in receptor activity in the brain areas responsible for- memory, attention, emotion, motor control, and the reward pathway. Stimulants may be generally classified by their availability. For example, prescription stimulants, which include drugs such as methylphenidate (Concerta™, Ritalin™) and mixed amphetamine salts (Adderall™), must be prescribed by medical professionals. Another regulated stimulant, albeit one available without a prescription, is nicotine; a highly addictive chemical that is age-restricted by the U.S. federal government. Nicotine is found in tobacco products, and in tobacco-free alternatives including …