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Full-Text Articles in Biology

Cell-Type Specific Control Of Visual Fixation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Meagan Leung May 2026

Cell-Type Specific Control Of Visual Fixation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Meagan Leung

Biological Sciences

Navigation in complex environments requires precise visual processing. To move effectively through their surroundings, animals must orient toward and maintain fixation on objects of interest to preserve a stable heading. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this behavior remain poorly understood. We use Drosophila melanogaster as our model organism because its visual behavior can be precisely measured and the availability of genetic tools which enables us to perturb the underlying neural circuits. Using a closed-loop virtual reality environment combined with locomotion tracking, we developed a stimulus protocol that reliably elicits fixation responses. To determine whether specific visual neurons drive fixation responses, …


Genomic Surveillance Of Guillain–Barré Syndrome-Associated Genes In Campylobacter Jejuni Across Human And Non-Human Reservoirs, Emma Doughty May 2026

Genomic Surveillance Of Guillain–Barré Syndrome-Associated Genes In Campylobacter Jejuni Across Human And Non-Human Reservoirs, Emma Doughty

Biological Sciences

Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of foodborne illness and a major trigger of Guillain–Barré Syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune neuropathy caused by molecular mimicry between bacterial lipooligosaccharides (LOS) and host nerve gangliosides. While prior genomic studies have focused primarily on human clinical isolates, the prevalence and distribution of GBS-associated genes in non-human reservoirs remain poorly characterized. This study used genomic datasets derived from analyses of human and non-human C. jejuni isolates to assess the distribution of GBS-associated genes, with a focus on the neuABC sialylation pathway. Results demonstrate that these genes are present in both host types, across multiple geographic …


Alternative Abl1 Isoform Expression In Oncogenic Translocations: Implications For Cancer Progression, Jessica Teague May 2026

Alternative Abl1 Isoform Expression In Oncogenic Translocations: Implications For Cancer Progression, Jessica Teague

Biological Sciences

Abstract (also on poster): Previous studies in our lab show that an alternate isoform of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase, BTK-C, is required for the survival of several epithelial-derived cancer cells. BTK-C is transcribed from an alternative promoter and includes a 34-amino-acid N- terminal extension with a palmitoylation sequence that alters its subcellular localization. Nine other human kinases have similar alternative N-termini (ANT), often producing palmitoylated or non-palmitoylated isoforms from different transcriptional start sites. Among these, ABL1 is a known oncogenic kinase and key drug target. Translocation mutations at the 5′ end of ABL1 are a major cause of adult leukemias. This …


Regulation Of The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Through Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor 2 Activation And Androgens Acting On Androgen Receptors In Mice Exposed To Repeat Stress Conditions, David Reilly May 2025

Regulation Of The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Through Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor 2 Activation And Androgens Acting On Androgen Receptors In Mice Exposed To Repeat Stress Conditions, David Reilly

Biological Sciences

The hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA)-axis is the body’s main neuroendocrine mechanism for regulating stress. It has been shown in both animal and human models that anxiety and depression like behavior is more prevalent in females compared to males. Studies have shown evidence that suggests there are sex differences in the HPA-axis that likely contribute to the observed sex difference. It has been shown that anxiety related behavior and HPA-axis responsiveness is correlated with androgens acting on androgen receptors (AR). The role of androgens acting on AR has a more unclear role in stress behavior and HPA-axis regulation when subjected to chronic …


The Role Of Cis-Acting Super-Enhancer Long Noncoding Rnas In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Progression, Sakthi Muthukrishnan May 2025

The Role Of Cis-Acting Super-Enhancer Long Noncoding Rnas In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Progression, Sakthi Muthukrishnan

Biological Sciences

Breast cancer encompasses a diverse range of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of cells within the mammary gland. This condition results in an accumulation of a large number of genetic mutations within an individual, altering the complex internal signaling system of a cell. Millions of women are affected by breast cancer, which remains a significant threat despite medical advancements. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) acts as a precursor to invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), however, not all cases progress to invasive cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is identified to be one aggressive subtype of IDC, where the cells lack sufficient …


Non-Invasive Focused Ultrasound To Reduce Gut Inflammation In Parkinson’S Disease, Amal F. Siddiqui May 2025

Non-Invasive Focused Ultrasound To Reduce Gut Inflammation In Parkinson’S Disease, Amal F. Siddiqui

Biological Sciences

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative motor disorder that affects millions of people worldwide, with projections suggesting the number of diagnosed cases could reach 15 million by 2040 (Dorsey et al., 2018). While PD is primarily recognized for its impact on movement, it also frequently causes non-motor symptoms, including gastrointestinal (GI) issues such as constipation, which affects 60-80% of patients. Chronic gut inflammation has been proposed as a key factor exacerbating these symptoms. Despite the prevalence of GI complications in PD, they are often overlooked, and existing treatments for constipation are limited in both efficacy and scope. Vagus Nerve Stimulation …


Stimulus Dependence Of Visually Guided Behavior In Drosophila Melanogaster, Jessica Osarenoma Airhienbuwa May 2025

Stimulus Dependence Of Visually Guided Behavior In Drosophila Melanogaster, Jessica Osarenoma Airhienbuwa

Biological Sciences

Vision is very important for navigating the world around us. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a great model for studying how the brain controls visually guided behavior. This is because they have a small nervous system, good genetic tools, and a complete map of their brain connections. In fruit flies, visual projection neurons (VPNs) send information from the eyes to the central brain, which affects what they see and how they act. This research looks at how certain groups of nerve cells influence fruit flies' behavior based on what visual stimuli. To study the brain circuits behind these behaviors, …


Screening Modified Polycyclic Compounds In Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Cell Lines, Maria Villacreses Valarezo May 2025

Screening Modified Polycyclic Compounds In Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Cell Lines, Maria Villacreses Valarezo

Biological Sciences

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is an autosomal dominant neuromuscular disease with no treatment options and causes progressive muscular atrophy and weakness. DM1 occurs when the DMPK gene contains an abnormal CTG repeat expansion in the 3’ untranslated region. Transcription of the expansion leads to sequestration of RNA binding proteins and downstream splicing dysregulation. This dysregulation ultimately affects many systems in the body leading to the DM1 phenotype. This project consists of two parts, with one of our goals being to test experimental small molecule (MPC-04) in an immortalized patient-derived DM1 cell model. Using RNA sequencing data from patient-derived DM1 …


Genomic Diversity Of Salmonella Enterica Serotype Braenderup In New York State, Nicole Zac Soligno May 2025

Genomic Diversity Of Salmonella Enterica Serotype Braenderup In New York State, Nicole Zac Soligno

Biological Sciences

The Gram-negative Salmonella enterica (family Enterobacteriaceae) is a common foodborne pathogen mainly isolated from foods of animal origin. Salmonella can be transmitted to humans, causing diverse symptoms, from self-limiting gastrointestinal diseases to more fatal typhoid fever. The young, elderly, and Individuals with weakened immune systems are especially at risk from salmonellosis. Salmonella is a concern to public health and the food industry throughout the world, and its severity depends largely on its serotype, a classification based on the unique combination of surface antigens. In this study, I aimed to elucidate the population structure and antimicrobial resistance determinants of S. enterica …


Coaggregation With Actinomyces Naeslundii Reduces Corynebacterium Matruchotii Cell Division Rate And Increases In Cell Length, Sarah M. Kenny May 2025

Coaggregation With Actinomyces Naeslundii Reduces Corynebacterium Matruchotii Cell Division Rate And Increases In Cell Length, Sarah M. Kenny

Biological Sciences

Corynebacterium matruchotii is believed to form a scaffold-like structure within the human oral cavity so that other species of bacteria have a place to bind. Many types of bacteria may be found within oral biofilms, commonly referred to as dental plaque. Actinomyces naeslundii are associated with dental caries and they are frequently found in dental plaques. Previous studies in our lab have demonstrated that A. naeslundii has a greater coaggregation rate with C. matruchotii than other Actinomyces species. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of coaggregation with A. naeslundii on C. matruchotii growth kinetics. In this …


Determining The Effect Of Absorbents And Soybean Systems On Pfas Precursor Transformation, Tamia Wellington May 2023

Determining The Effect Of Absorbents And Soybean Systems On Pfas Precursor Transformation, Tamia Wellington

Biological Sciences

PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) refers to a class of chemicals that consist of long-chains of carbon bonded to fluorine. These are chemicals that have many industrial uses, from cosmetics to industrial fire-fighting foam. Since PFAS is so widely used and available, it has become increasingly present in water and soil, resulting in its uptake and bioaccumulation in plants. This study focused on the impacts of powdered activated carbon (PAC) and montmorillonite on the PFOS precursor N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid (N-EtFOSAA), in soil, and in plants grown in that soil. This study focused on spiking soil with PFAS chemicals, …


Quantification Of Fibrosis And Infiltrates In The Salivary Gland, Nikhita Kumar May 2023

Quantification Of Fibrosis And Infiltrates In The Salivary Gland, Nikhita Kumar

Biological Sciences

Fibrosis is characterized by the excessive buildup of extracellular matrix components (ECM) in tissues and organs in response to injury, chronic inflammation, auto immune disorders, and genetic alterations. Non-obese diabetic mice (NOD) are a model for Sjögren’s Syndrome. We hypothesize that NOD mice, which start to develop Sjögren’s-like disease at approximately 12 weeks of age are suffering from hyposalivation at least in part due to fibrosis of the submandibular salivary glands (SMGs). Fibrosis refers to the over-production of extracellular matrix proteins in the connective tissue compartment. To test this hypothesis 16-week-old mice were treated with either the fibrosis inhibitor Nintedanib …


Improvement Of Depressive-Like Behaviors In Hemi-Parkinsonian Rats With Non-Invasive Peripheral Focused Ultrasound Modulation, Hudy Berger May 2023

Improvement Of Depressive-Like Behaviors In Hemi-Parkinsonian Rats With Non-Invasive Peripheral Focused Ultrasound Modulation, Hudy Berger

Biological Sciences

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease with marked loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). In PD, there are motor and non-motor symptoms. Depression, a non-motor symptom, is seen in 40% of the patients with PD which decreases their quality of life. For treatment-resistant depression, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been shown to improve depression. Here, non-invasive focused ultrasound (FUS) is investigated as a therapeutic to improve depression-like behavior by targeting the celiac plexus since it is innervated by the vagus nerve. FUS was chosen due to its parallel mechanism to VNS. …


Progress Towards Peptide And Protein Synthesis Involving Thiol Moieties, Ryan Lo Chen May 2023

Progress Towards Peptide And Protein Synthesis Involving Thiol Moieties, Ryan Lo Chen

Biological Sciences

Polypeptides and proteins play crucial roles in biological systems, including enzymatic activity regulation, molecule transport, and cell and tissue structural support. Amino acids are the building blocks of peptides and proteins, and peptides can act as hormones, neurotransmitters, and enzymes. Proteins are made up of one or more polypeptide chains and have diverse functions such as catalyzing chemical reactions, transporting molecules, and providing structural support. Protein preparation can be done biologically by expression systems or isolation and purification from natural sources. While these methods have their advantages, they also have their shortcomings. Chemical synthesis is an alternative method that allows …


Determining The Functional Roles Of Short Open Reading Frames In Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Lauren Fox May 2023

Determining The Functional Roles Of Short Open Reading Frames In Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Lauren Fox

Biological Sciences

The study examines the roles of a subset of short open reading frames (sORFs) in M. smegmatis using targeted mutagenesis and the subsequent examination of phenotypes associated with sORF mutation or overexpression. sORFs are defined as stretches of nucleic acid encoding a protein with a maximum of 50 amino acids. Genome annotation pipelines overlook sORFs encoding small proteins (sproteins) and, thus, sproteins in bacteria have gone unnoticed, even those that are expressed at levels similar to larger, well-described proteins. As a result of recent advances in ribosome profiling and mass spectrometry, hundreds of previously unannotated sORFs have been identified, increasing …


Investigating The Effects Of Vitamin K1 And K2 On The Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cell Line Sum159pt, Monica E. Alexander May 2023

Investigating The Effects Of Vitamin K1 And K2 On The Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cell Line Sum159pt, Monica E. Alexander

Biological Sciences

Vitamin K serves as a cofactor in the post-translational carboxylation of glutamate to γ-carboxyglutamate (GLA) by the enzyme gamma-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX). Vitamin K epoxide reductases (VKOR) then oxidize the vitamin K to regenerate the compound’s reduced form. While most of the known γcarboxylated proteins function in coagulation and bone homeostasis, the presence of GGCX and VKOR in a wide variety of tissues suggests that the vitamin and its pathway has more extensive physiological roles. Our previous research has assessed the expression of the vitamin K pathway in triple negative breast cancer cells (TNBCs) and compared the effects of vitamin K1 …


Characterization Of Protein-Protein Interactions In Quorum-Sensing Receptors From Gram Negative Bacteria, Jessica Schuh May 2023

Characterization Of Protein-Protein Interactions In Quorum-Sensing Receptors From Gram Negative Bacteria, Jessica Schuh

Biological Sciences

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterium capable of causing disease in immunocompromised individuals and individuals with underlying lung disorders. It controls the expression of a subset of its genes through quorum sensing, which is a cell-cell communication system involved in mediating the transition from individual to group behaviors. Group behaviors are cellular processes undertaken by the cell that are beneficial to the collective, such as biofilm formation – a key component of pathogenesis in the human lung. They rely on the production, accumulation, detection, and response to signal molecules called autoinducers. There are two acyl-homoserine lactone autoinducer quorum sensing systems in …


A Review Of The Forensic Applications For The Analysis Of Biological Fluids Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Raghavi Patel Apr 2023

A Review Of The Forensic Applications For The Analysis Of Biological Fluids Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Raghavi Patel

Biological Sciences

The use of science to compile information to assist in solving crimes is known as forensic science. Numerous bodily fluids, such as blood, semen, saliva, and vaginal fluid, are frequently discovered at crime scenes. This makes it crucial for forensic scientists to use analytical methods to examine these fluids to learn more about the crime, including the offender, victim, time since deposition, and other details. Although there are many techniques, the focus of this paper is fluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence spectroscopy is a rapid, inexpensive, and non-destructive technique used for forensic examination (Weber & Lednev, 2022). Fluorescence spectroscopy can be used …


Assessing Black Rat Population Abundance And Persistence At The Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, Mars Lu, Julia Kristina Perez Jun 2022

Assessing Black Rat Population Abundance And Persistence At The Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, Mars Lu, Julia Kristina Perez

Biological Sciences

The black rat, Rattus rattus, is considered one of the most destructive and widespread invasive species around the world, with the ability to damage crops, kill native species, and spread disease. The Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) is home to numerous at-risk species such as the Western Snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) and California Least Tern (Sternula antillarum browni). Black rats have been detected at the ODSVRA in studies conducted in 2015 and 2018, and may be a potential threat to nesting seabirds like the plover and the tern. In addition, they may …


Biomass Estimation Of Marine Biofilms On Plastic Surfaces, Kian Banihashemi, Fernando Javier Gil Jun 2022

Biomass Estimation Of Marine Biofilms On Plastic Surfaces, Kian Banihashemi, Fernando Javier Gil

Biological Sciences

Plastics have become a major source of marine pollution, which threatens food safety and quality, human health, and marine ecosystems. Due to the drastic negative effects of plastics in a marine environment, alternative biodegradable plastics are being generated that are more eco-friendly and have less environmental impact. Though some of these plastics are known to biodegrade, the process of degradation for bioplastics has not been heavily studied in a marine environment. This pilot project sought to both quantify the process of biodegradation and compare across different methods for effectiveness of biomass estimation, which serves as an indicator of biodegradation. Plastics …


Emerging Roles Of Intragenic Enhancers In Gene Expression Of Gadd45a, Ekaterina Sazon May 2022

Emerging Roles Of Intragenic Enhancers In Gene Expression Of Gadd45a, Ekaterina Sazon

Biological Sciences

Non-coding regulatory elements in the eukaryotic genomic DNA, like enhancers and promoters, control gene expression. Transcription factors recognize and bind to DNA sequences within these regulatory regions and affect said regulatory elements. The extent and specific circumstances regarding transcription factors are long-standing questions in the field. In this thesis, we wanted to investigate how transcription factors work in a particular case of enhancers, known as intragenic enhancers. We designed reporter gene assays that looked at the well-studied model transcription factor p53’s regulation on its target gene GADD45A in basal and stress conditions. We determined that GADD45A is a p53-dependent gene, …


Toward Long Non-Coding Rna Detection Using Dna Nanoswitches, Ché-Doni Platt May 2022

Toward Long Non-Coding Rna Detection Using Dna Nanoswitches, Ché-Doni Platt

Biological Sciences

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts that are over 200 nucleotides and do not encode proteins. LncRNAs are involved in a wide spectrum of biological processes ranging from cell proliferation, apoptosis, and nutrient sensing to cell differentiation. Further, lncRNAs have been reported to play an important role in a wide range of pathophysiological processes and are linked to diseases such as cancer. Thus, lncRNAs are becoming increasingly important as biomarkers to study biological and disease processes. In our work, we develop a DNA nanoswitch-based assay for detecting long RNAs. The DNA nanoswitch is a reconfigurable device that undergoes a conformational …


Potentially Cis-Acting Super-Enhancer Long Noncoding Rnas As Biomarkers In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Progression, Kavipriya Kovai Palanivel May 2022

Potentially Cis-Acting Super-Enhancer Long Noncoding Rnas As Biomarkers In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Progression, Kavipriya Kovai Palanivel

Biological Sciences

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is defined by the lack of estrogen receptors (ER), the lack of progesterone receptors (PR), and normal human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) protein levels in breast tumors. Therefore, TNBC is an aggressive type of breast cancer due to limited treatment options for patients. Determining genes that regulate the progression of tumors to TNBC may help develop new therapeutic techniques. Many super-enhancer long noncoding RNAs (SElncRNAs) are found to be differentially expressed in cancer cells. Super-enhancer activity heavily influences target gene transcription and is often augmented through cis-acting SE-lncRNA activity. Therefore, we hypothesize cis-acting SE-lncRNAs …


Using The Centrifuge Force Microscope As A Single-Molecule Technique For Studying Base-Stacking Interactions, Kevin Thomas May 2022

Using The Centrifuge Force Microscope As A Single-Molecule Technique For Studying Base-Stacking Interactions, Kevin Thomas

Biological Sciences

A wide range of single-molecule techniques has streamlined the process of applying and studying the effects of force on individual molecules. The centrifuge force microscope (CFM) is one such technique that allows for high-throughput single-molecule pulling experiments. It is relatively inexpensive and user-friendly, making it a suitable tool to study the effects of force on various biomolecular interactions. A benchtop centrifuge can be used to apply centrifugal force to molecular constructs that are tethered between a glass slide and a microsphere. Molecular events like bond dissociation result in the removal of the microsphere from the surface, which is observed by …


Circadian Modulation Of Astrocyte Morphology And Synaptic Transmission, Saad Ahmad May 2022

Circadian Modulation Of Astrocyte Morphology And Synaptic Transmission, Saad Ahmad

Biological Sciences

The circadian rhythm affects behavior and physiology in many animal species. Our previous work in mice showed that within the hippocampus, a subordinate circadian oscillator, astrocytes change their proximity to excitatory synapses. Here we obtain 3D reconstructions of biocytin-filled hippocampal astrocytes processed with protein retention expansion microscopy and imaged using two-photon laser scanning microscopy. Our findings identify the subtle changes in astrocyte morphologies that encode information about time-of-day in hippocampal astrocytes. These findings shed light on fundamental mechanisms that allow the function of hippocampal circuits to adapt to different times of the day. This will help us understand how structural …


The Role Of Angiocrine Factors In The Progression Of Salivary Disease, Owen Zon May 2022

The Role Of Angiocrine Factors In The Progression Of Salivary Disease, Owen Zon

Biological Sciences

In our blood vessels, cells called endothelial cells line the inside of veins and arteries. Due to the discovery that endothelial cells actually organogenesis during embryogenesis, our interest in these cells has increased to a new understanding of their functions in tissue repair and regeneration. These cells are no longer only considered passive modes of transport for bodily fluids and nutrients, but, with new research in the fibrosis of liver cells, are also considered to be key players in the repair of damaged organs and tissue. These cells release signals known as angiocrine factors that act in damaged areas of …


Optophysiology Of D. Melanogaster Neuromuscular Synapses Using Gcamp, Kavindra Dasrat May 2022

Optophysiology Of D. Melanogaster Neuromuscular Synapses Using Gcamp, Kavindra Dasrat

Biological Sciences

An activity-dependent increase in postsynaptic currents produced by a single vesicle of neurotransmitter is an important mechanism for synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system (CNS) and possibly involved in learning and memory. We have found a similar form of postsynaptic potentiation at the D. Melanogaster neuromuscular junction (NMJ) where a brief increase in impulse activity results in an increase in the amplitude of spontaneous miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs), resulting in miniature excitatory postsynaptic potentials (mEPSPs). To visualize sites of postsynaptic potentiation along the synaptic terminal, we have used a Ca2+ indicator, GCaMP to observe postsynaptic Ca2+ signals. Since …


Investigating The Roles Of Rna Modification And Associated Enzymes On Stress Response And Connections To Human Diseases, Carrson Widen May 2022

Investigating The Roles Of Rna Modification And Associated Enzymes On Stress Response And Connections To Human Diseases, Carrson Widen

Biological Sciences

Transfer RNAs decode messenger RNA using anticodon – codon interactions to deliver specific amino acids to a growing peptide chain. Enzyme-catalyzed modifications on specific nucleotides on tRNAs increase their stability and help mediate the speed and fidelity of translation, giving these modifications regulatory potential. RNA modifications are catalyzed by writer enzymes, and I predicted that writers are important in the cellular responses to stress. I have evaluated the following E. coli modification enzyme mutants: miaA, mnmE, dtd, tmcA, lysU, yeaK, and iscS, from the corresponding Keio E. coli gene deletion library. Writer mutants were exposed to hydrogen peroxide to induce …


Sex Differences In The Co-Expression Of Estrogen Receptor Alpha With Corticotropin Releasing Factor, Deborah Ariyibi Dec 2021

Sex Differences In The Co-Expression Of Estrogen Receptor Alpha With Corticotropin Releasing Factor, Deborah Ariyibi

Biological Sciences

Women are far more likely to develop anxiety and depression than men. It is believed that the dysregulation of the HPA axis by the binding of corticotropin -releasing factor (CRF) to the corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRFR1) contributes to the likelihood of these stress- related disorders. Estrogens acting through Estrogen receptor alpha (ERa) have been shown to increase anxiety production upon activating the HPA axis. In this current study, we explored whether CRF-expressing neurons in various regions of the brain express ERa. The levels of ERa were counted in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), the medial preoptic …


Light Level Intensity Alters Anxiety, But Not Memory, During Open-Field And Novel Object Location Tasks In Male Rats, Angelina Tassone Dec 2021

Light Level Intensity Alters Anxiety, But Not Memory, During Open-Field And Novel Object Location Tasks In Male Rats, Angelina Tassone

Biological Sciences

Appropriate design and control of testing conditions during assessment of animal behavior is critical to maximize generalizability, replicability, and translational relevance. Some sensory stimuli are often controlled: for instance, during rodent behavioral testing, efforts are commonly made to reduce or eliminate olfactory and auditory distractions. However, less attention is paid to the ambient light level intensity (lux), which may vary even between rooms in the same facility. We sought to explore whether behavior is influenced by the standard illumination intensity in one of our behavioral testing rooms. To this end, we measured anxiety-like behaviors, exploration, and spatial memory performance in …