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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Effects Of Catharanthine On Dopamine Release In The Nucleus Accumbens And Ethanol Consumption, Emily Baldwin
Effects Of Catharanthine On Dopamine Release In The Nucleus Accumbens And Ethanol Consumption, Emily Baldwin
Undergraduate Honors Theses
This thesis discusses the history of catharanthine and related compounds, and their potential anti-addictive properties. Current research is exploring possible mechanisms of these properties. Past studies have found catharanthine has effects on neurons that project to the mesocorticolimbic system, an area implicated in addiction. We have seen that catharanthine decreases evoked dopamine (DA) release but increases basal DA release. This is the first study to investigate catharanthine’s effect on DA transmission in vivo. Using microdialysis, we determined the effect of catharanthine on DA in the nucleus accumbens of the striatum. This study determines the effect of different doses of …
Facing Fears When Fearing Faces: Binocular Rivalry Perceptual Alternation And Approach-Avoidance In College-Aged Women With Autistic Traits And A History Of Adverse Experiences, Sarah Kamhout
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Women with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASCs) may be more likely to experience symptoms of trauma exposure due to greater likelihood of facing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In order to gain a better understanding of the neural mechanisms involved with ASC and PTSD in women who experience difficulty with social interactions, I examined the ability of two vision tasks-- Binocular Rivalry Perceptual Alternation (BR) and Visual Approach/Avoidance by the Self Task (VAAST)-- to predict symptoms of both conditions as well as differentiate between them. I also examined differences in response to neutral or emotional (angry or fearful) faces under both paradigms. …
Preventing Alzheimer's: Effects Of Second Language Acquisition In Older Populations, Joshua Rhead
Preventing Alzheimer's: Effects Of Second Language Acquisition In Older Populations, Joshua Rhead
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Alzheimer’s disease continues to be a problem that medicine has few answers for. As a result, much research has been focused on finding a cure as well as interventions to help prevent the onset of the disease. One such intervention that has been proposed is to improve the brain’s efficiency and connectivity. A controversial method of achieving these results is through second language acquisition. Many provide evidence for or against the benefits of this intervention, but much remains unclear. Most of these studies focus on cognitive function and functional connectivity in language areas, but the default mode network, which is …
Attentional Dysfunction In Schizophrenia: The Effects Of Dual Orexin Receptor Blockade On An Nmda Receptor Hypofunction Model, Paige Little
Attentional Dysfunction In Schizophrenia: The Effects Of Dual Orexin Receptor Blockade On An Nmda Receptor Hypofunction Model, Paige Little
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Hypofunctionality at the N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) is a commonly used model of the neurodevelopmental disorder schizophrenia due to the complex circuitry changes that follow NMDAR blockade. While these animal models are very popular for modeling the cognitive deficits seen in schizophrenia, actual treatments for this disorder remain sparse. Orexins (hypocretins) are neuropeptides that are capable of modulating activity along pathways relevant to attention, but are rarely tested for their efficacy in attenuating attentional dysfunction. This study was conducted to determine if systemic administration of the dual orexin receptor antagonist filorexant (MK-6096) was able to attenuate sustained attentional dysfunction induced …
Effects Of Xanomeline On Attention In Rats, Grace Smith
Effects Of Xanomeline On Attention In Rats, Grace Smith
Undergraduate Honors Theses
The cholinergic system plays a large role in regulating attentional processing. Diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease are known to degrade cholinergic neurons and deactivate cholinergic M1 receptors. Dysfunction in the cholinergic system results in a wide range of cognitive deficits, including a decrease in attention. The cholinergic system has been a focus of drug research to help modulate acetylcholine levels in order to relieve AD symptoms. Xanomeline is a drug previously used in this endeavor that works via agonism of acetylcholine M1 and M4 receptors. Cognitive improvements of Xanomeline administration in AD are thought to be due to agonism of …
Cacna1g Transcript Knockdown Analysis Via In Situ Hybridization, Jennifer (Shih-En) Chen
Cacna1g Transcript Knockdown Analysis Via In Situ Hybridization, Jennifer (Shih-En) Chen
Undergraduate Honors Theses
The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) comprises the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) of the midbrain. It contains glutamatergic, cholinergic, and GABAergic interneurons, but only glutamatergic neurons influence locomotion, which is our focus here. The PPN receives upstream and downstream input from the basal ganglia. It projects to the reticular formation of the brainstem, which connects to the spinal cord. The PPN is involved in a wide range of physiological and behavioral processes, but our focus is locomotion. We hypothesize that the PPN influences the reticular activating system (RAS) of the medulla and thus the central pattern generators (CPG) in the spinal cord …