Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Structure And Diversity Of Play Behavior In Juvenile Belding's Ground Squirrels, Paul O'Driscoll Ii

Master's Theses

Play behavior is ubiquitous among juvenile mammals and can promote motor, social, and cognitive development, providing multiple adaptive benefits to young animals in some cases. The structure of play can be linked to the benefits it confers on individuals. I evaluated the structure of play in juvenile Belding’s ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi), a species for which multiple adaptive benefits of play have been identified. I compared juvenile play in U. beldingi to adult sexual and aggressive behavior to determine and classify similarities between juvenile play and adult behavior. I evaluated diversity in the behaviors expressed during play interactions and diversity …

Rhythms Of Hippocampal Function And Memory After Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, Lilliana May Sanchez

Psychology ETDs

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders involve morphologic and neurobiological abnormalities in offspring subjected to prenatal alcohol exposure. Although not as well studied as high exposure, moderate prenatal alcohol exposure represents the most common and undetected form in humans. While learning and memory deficits have been well characterized at the behavioral level in humans with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and in animal models of moderate prenatal alcohol exposure, few studies have determined the circuit or systems level mechanisms of the behavioral deficits. A complete understanding of the neural bases of memory deficits after moderate prenatal alcohol exposure is needed to ultimately identify …

Perinatal Inflammation And Oxidative Stress Alter Adult Rat (Rattus Norvegicus) Motor Behavior, Alexander Young

Honors College Theses

Recent evidence in comparative animal models suggests that early life exposure to elevated inflammation (via LPS exposure) and oxidative stress (via acetaminophen exposure) may synergistically interact to alter typical neurodevelopmental trajectories, resulting in lasting effects on both behavior and gut-brain neurochemistry. The current study observed emotional and motor behaviors and collected fecal-boli to measure Tyrosine (TE) levels in male and female Long-Evans (Rattus norvegicus) rats. Subjects were either treated with [1] saline [2] lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to introduce an inflammatory state, [3] acetaminophen (APAP) to introduce oxidative stress, or [4] a dual-hit of both LPS + APAP on postnatal day (PD) …

Biomarkers That Could Explain Parasite-Induced Behavioral Alterations In The Golden Shiner (Notemigonus Crysoleucas) – Posthodiplostomum System, Laura D. Nicolas

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Trophically transmitted parasites require an intermediate host to be consumed and often manipulate host phenotype (i.e., morphology, physiology, and/or behavior) to increase predation risk by definitive hosts. Posthodiplostomum is a trematode with a complex life cycle involving snails as first hosts, fish as second intermediate hosts, and piscivorous birds as definitive hosts. In fish hosts, Posthodiplostomum infection has been linked to increased predation, suggesting suppression of antipredator behaviors. However, the specific physiological pathways remained unexplored and changes in the host’s neural, endocrine, and immune systems could be involved. Thus, I examined whether Posthodiplostomum infection intensity was associated with brain serotonin …

Behavioral And Neural Microstructures Of Dynamic Cue-Motivated Responses, Erica Townsend

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Sign-tracking, a conditioned response in which animals are physically attracted to reward-predictive cues due to motivational value attribution, is known to be persistent but can be flexible under some circumstances. For example, during an omission paradigm, in which vigorous responses must be withheld to avoid reward cancellation, animals can quickly restructure their responses. However, sign-tracking does not cease entirely, and cue attraction persists. This dissertation explores the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying the simultaneous persistence and flexibility of sign-tracking during omission procedures. First, a novel method for behavioral analysis is introduced to accurately depict sign-tracking animals in dynamic tasks such …

Effects Of The Non-Stimulant Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor, Atomoxetine, On Cognitive Flexibility In Healthy Adult Long-Evans Rats, Noah A. Ivak, Samantha Walkow, Christopher Knapp, Eleni Papadopoulos, Barry D Waterhouse, Rachel L Navarra

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Executive function is the control of multiple higher order cognitive processes that include attention, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Cognitive flexibility is the ability to shift behavioral strategies

in response to changing environmental demands and task complexity. This cognitive modality is often impaired in many neuropsychiatric disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Deficits in cognitive flexibility are associated with dysregulation of the catecholamines, norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) within the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Atomoxetine (ATX), a non-stimulant NE reuptake inhibitor, elevates levels of NE and DA in the PFC by inhibiting the norepinephrine transporter (NET). ATX is used to …

Influences Of Sex, Alcohol, And Stress On Conditioned Fear Responses, Heyam K. Mayberry

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Learned fear responses are acquired through the identification and association of threatening stimuli with aversive outcomes. Fear responding and the proper maintenance of defensive behaviors is integral to survival. However, without the homeostasis of such systems, fear responses can become maladaptive and lead to dysregulated behavioral responding. Psychological conditions such as alcohol use disorder (AUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often lead to impairments in fear learning, deficits in fear memory, and heightened fear responses. While there are clear sex differences in the prevalence of both AUD and PTSD, development of either disorder increases the risk for comorbid AUD/PTSD, leading …

Effects Of Retinal Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone On Reproductive Behavior And Retinal Activity In The Cichlid Fish, Astatotilapia Burtoni, Chase Anselmo

LSU Master's Theses

Many animals use visual signals to evade predators, forage for food, and communicate with conspecifics. Some animals that shift into and out of breeding stages, such as fish, can modulate their visual sensitivity to better adapt to changing internal and external conditions. Previous work in our lab demonstrated that females of the cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni have improved visual sensitivity when they enter reproductive readiness. However, little is known about how fish and vertebrates more broadly modulate visual sensitivity across their reproductive cycle. We hypothesized that the hormone and neuromodulator gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) could modulate visual sensitivity because GnRH is …

High Fat Diet & Social Isolation: Interactive Effects On Pain, Cognition, & Neuroinflammation, Ian M. Campuzano

Research Psychology Theses

Prior research has established a role for both social isolation and exposure to high fat Western diets in altering a range of behaviors from reduced memory performance to increased depression-like behaviors. The present study scrutinizes the interplay among these variables during the peri-adolescent developmental phase, utilizing Long-Evans rats as the experimental model. Our overarching hypothesis is that rats exposed to either social isolation, a high-fat diet, or both will result in heightened pain sensitivity, diminished cognitive flexibility, and increased neuroinflammatory responses within brain regions implicated in sociability, cognition, memory, and pain processing. Behavioral flexibility will be assessed using a maze-based …

Age-Related Brain Atrophy And The Positive Effects Of Behavioral Enrichment In Middle-Aged Beagles., Jessica A Noche, Hamsanandini Radhakrishnan, Margo F. Ubele, Kathy Boaz, Jennifer L Mefford, Erin D Jones, Hollie Y Van Rooyen, Jessica A Perpich, Katie Mccarty, Beverly Meacham, Jeffrey R. Smiley, Stasia A Bembenek Bailey, László G Puskás, David K. Powell, Lorena Sordo, Michael J Phelan, Christopher M. Norris, Elizabeth Head, Craig E L Stark

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

Aging dogs serve as a valuable preclinical model for Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to their natural age-related development of β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques, human-like metabolism, and large brains that are ideal for studying structural brain aging trajectories from serial neuroimaging. Here we examined the effects of chronic treatment with the calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) tacrolimus or the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT)-inhibiting compound Q134R on age-related canine brain atrophy from a longitudinal study in middle-aged beagles (36 females, 7 males) undergoing behavioral enrichment. Annual MRI was analyzed using modern, automated techniques for region-of-interest-based and voxel-based volumetric assessments. We found that …

Early Developmental Exposure To Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Causes Latent Behavioral, Growth, And Bioenergetic Effects In Danio Rerio, Astra Hahm

Honors Theses

Early developmental exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol causes latent behavioral, growth, and bioenergetic effects in Danio rerio

(Under the direction of Dr. Kristine Willett)

Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) is used during pregnancy to mitigate symptoms such as nausea, pain, and insomnia. It is established that Δ9-THC exposure early in life causes adverse effects in children’s development including behavioral disorders. Our goal was to determine the latent and generational impacts on growth, behavior, and mitochondrial bioenergetics following exposure to Δ9-THC. Wildtype (5D) zebrafish were exposed to 0 (0.05% DMSO), 0.08, 0.4, or 1 µM Δ9-THC from 6-96 hours post-fertilization (hpf), then subsequently raised in clean …

Competition And Criticality In Cortical Neural Circuits Underlie Behavior And Optimize Working Memory, Jacob Harrison Barfield

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the primary goals of neuroscience is to explain how brain function emerges from dynamic interactions among large populations of neurons. A long-standing hypothesis at the interface of physics and neuroscience posits that neural circuits may operate close to the critical point of a phase transition. In this dissertation, we will investigate a new form of criticality and the implications that it has in working memory and the generation of voluntary body movements. We will utilize this new form of criticality to investigate the functional benefits that can be harnessed by operating near the critical point when performing working …

Using A Toxic Aging Coin To Assess Hexavalent Chromium-Induced Neurotoxicity., Samuel Thomas Vielee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We are facing an aging crisis, with 20% of the U.S. population projected to be geriatric (65+) by 2030 and live another 40+ years. Age-related diseases accompany a growing geriatric population, emphasizing the need to understand their etiology. Environmental pollutants compound this crisis by: 1) geriatrics are more susceptible, exacerbating age-related diseases and comorbidities, and 2) they accelerate biological aging, inducing age-related diseases at younger ages. We address this crisis using a ‘toxic aging coin’ approach; heads examines how age impacts toxicity, tails examines how chemicals accelerate aging. This thesis applies the heads side for Cr(VI)-induced neurotoxicity across ages. We …

Sex Differences In Stress Reactivity, Brain Morphology, And Oxytocin In The Hypothalamus Of The Gray Short-Tailed Opossum (Monodelphis Domestica), Esperanza I. Zacarias, Daniela Rodriguez, Alexandra Chalons, Sasawan Heingraj, Nicole Altamirano, Joseph Rafac, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Colloquium

Understanding the effects of stress on behavior and cognition is important due to its impact on mental health and wellbeing (Schneiderman et al. 2005). Translational animal research can contribute to the development of new treatments that can improve therapeutic outcomes and our understanding of the neurobiology of stress. In the present study, we complement behavioral stress reactivity with immunohistochemical localization of oxytocin in the hypothalamus, a neuropeptide that regulates stress (Neumann & Slattery, 2016). Oxytocin has potential therapeutic use for mental health disorders (Neumann & Slattery, 2016), and the effects of oxytocin seem to be sexually dimorphic (Love, 2018). Using …

Neural Mechanisms Of Resiliency And Susceptibility After Repeated Social Defeat, Christy R. Wayne

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Social defeat is a powerful experience leading to drastic changes in physiology and behavior, many of which are negative. For example, repeated social defeat in vertebrates results in reduced reproductive success, sickness, and behavioral abnormalities that threaten individual survival and species persistence. However, little is known about what neural mechanisms are involved in determining whether an individual is resilient or susceptible to repeated social defeat stress. I used a resident-intruder experiment in the African cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni, to create and investigate the behavior and neural correlates of these two opposing groups. Resilient fish used both searching and freezing behaviors …

Preparing Non-Human Primates To Study Hand-Eye Coordination In Frontal Eye Fields (Fef) During Delayed Movement Task, Juliusz Cydzik

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS Preparing Non-Human Primates to Study Hand-Eye Coordination in Frontal Eye Fields (FEF) During Delayed Movement Task by Juliusz Cydzik Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering Washington University in St. Louis, 2023 Professor Lawrence Snyder, Chair Hand-eye coordination enables humans and non-human primates to use their hands and eyes to perform various tasks. We are interested in coordination at the systems level, where saccades and reaches are encoded. The parietal reach region (PRR), situated at the posterior end of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and overlapping portions of the medial intraparietal area (MIP) and V6a, is commonly attributed …

The Reinforcement Enhancing Effects Of Delta-9-Tetrahyrdrocannabinol (Thc) In Male And Female Rats, Kynah Walston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cannabis is widely consumed by humans for pharmacological effects that are mediated by THC, though there is little evidence that THC is a primary reinforcer in non-human animal models. We hypothesized that THC may have potent reinforcement enhancing effects, comparable to other drugs (e.g., nicotine and caffeine) which are also widely consumed by humans, but difficult to establish as primary reinforcers in non-humans. In three experiments with male and female rats saccharin (SACC) or a visual stimulus (VS) served as reinforcers for operant behavior. We explored several pharmacological parameters of THC on responding for SACC or VS, including THC dose, …

The Impacts Of Immune Challenges On Fish Behavior And Physiology, Teisha King

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

For species living in dominance hierarchies, social rank dictates access to resources and often contributes to reproductive success. To ensure survival, individuals constantly evaluate trade- offs between crucial biological systems, like the reproductive and immune systems, depending on their social rank and physiological state. Little is known about how social species balance interactions between immune system function, fluctuations in social status and reproductive fitness, and the performance of behaviors necessary for maintaining social status when sick, particularly in fishes, the largest and most diverse group of vertebrates. My dissertation research uses a whole animal approach to examine how physiological profiles …

Neural And Behavioral Evolution In An Eavesdropper With A Rapidly Evolving Host, Aaron W. Wikle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The diversification of animal communication systems is driven by many interacting factors. Unintended receivers play an important part in this process, yet little is known about their role in signal evolution. Flies of the genus Ormia are parasitoids of crickets and rely on acoustic cues to locate hosts. In Hawaii, selection imposed by Ormia ochracea has led to recent and rapid diversification in the songs of their host. Here, we compare neural and behavioral responses of Hawaiian flies to those of an ancestral population to understand the role of parasitoid sensory and behavioral variation in the evolution of host songs. …

Neural Stem Cells: Age-Dependent Outcomes During Viral Infections In The Central Nervous System, Manisha N. Chandwani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Viral infections in the central nervous system (CNS) are associated with neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral deficits. The outcomes of viral infections can be driven by damage and death of neurons. Neural stem cells (NSCs) play key roles in neurodevelopment, repair, and physiological brain function. During a viral infection, NSC activity can disturbed by direct infection of NSCs by the virus or by anti-viral immune response. Here, we aimed to assess whether the anti-viral immune response can impact NSC activity during an immunocompetent response in the adult brain. We utilized a transgenic mouse model of Measles virus infection where only the CNS …

Glia Excitation In The Cns Modulates Intact Behaviors And Sensory-Cns-Motor Circuitry, Shelby Mccubbin, Douglas A. Harrison, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

Glial cells play a role in many important processes, though the mechanisms through which they affect neighboring cells are not fully known. Insights may be gained by selectively activating glial cell populations in intact organisms utilizing the activatable channel proteins channel rhodopsin (ChR2XXL) and TRPA1. Here, the impacts of the glial-specific expression of these channels were examined in both larval and adult Drosophila. The Glia > ChR2XXL adults and larvae became immobile when exposed to blue light and TRPA1-expressed Drosophila upon heat exposure. The chloride pump expression in glia > eNpHR animals showed no observable differences in adults or larvae. In …

The Effect Of Optogenetically Activating Glia On Neuronal Function, Cecilia Pankau, Shelby Mccubbin, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

Glia, or glial cells, are considered a vital component of the nervous system, serving as an electrical insulator and a protective barrier from the interstitial (extracellular) media. Certain glial cells (i.e., astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes) within the CNS have been shown to directly affect neural functions, but these properties are challenging to study due to the difficulty involved with selectively-activating specific glia. To overcome this hurdle, we selectively expressed light-sensitive ion channels (i.e., channel rhodopsin, ChR2-XXL) in glia of larvae and adult Drosophila melanogaster. Upon activation of ChR2, both adults and larvae showed a rapid contracture of body wall …

Neuron-Specific Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress Results In Epilepsy, Glucose Dysregulation And A Striking Astrocyte Response, Ruth E Fulton, Jennifer N Pearson-Smith, Christopher Q Huynh, Timothy Fabisiak, Li-Ping Liang, Stefanos Aivazidis, Brigit A High, Georgia Buscaglia, Timothy Corrigan, Robert Valdez, Takahiko Shimizu, Manisha N Patel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Mitochondrial superoxide (O2.−) production is implicated in aging, neurodegenerative disease, and most recently epilepsy. Yet the specific contribution of neuronal O2.− to these phenomena is unclear. Here, we selectively deleted superoxide dismutase-2 (SOD2) in neuronal basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor (NEX)-expressing cells restricting deletion to a subset of excitatory principle neurons primarily in the forebrain (cortex and hippocampus). This resulted in nSOD2 KO mice that lived into adulthood (2-3 months) with epilepsy, selective loss of neurons, metabolic rewiring and a marked mitohormetic gene response. Surprisingly, expression of an astrocytic gene, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was significantly increased relative …

Targeting Ampa Receptor Modulation During Early Life Adversity: A Mediator For Threat Associated Memories, Roseanna M. Zanca

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Early life adversity (ELA) is the exposure to a single or to multiple traumatic events before the age of 18 that go beyond the child’s coping. These adverse events are often exacerbated during adolescence particularly when cognitive performance is compromised. Adolescents who experienced ELA may show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while not vividly recalling the early life trauma. These individuals show atypical connectivity between prefrontal-amygdala and hippocampus, all of which is associated with an increased risk of experiencing a traumatic event again later in life. While clinical research has increasingly stressed the importance in addressing the long-lasting consequences …

In Utero And Postnatal Oxycodone Exposure: Implications For Intergenerational Effects, Katherine E. Odegaard

Theses & Dissertations

Prescription opioid abuse during and after pregnancy is a rising public health concern. Adding a layer of complexity is the role of heredity in the overall development of these exposed offspring. The present work uses a preclinical rat model mimicking oxycodone (oxy) exposure in utero (IUO) and postnatally (PNO) to investigate comparative and intergenerational effects in the two different exposure groups.

To understand the direct effects of IUO and PNO exposure on the F1 generation, we employed a systems biology approach encompassing proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS), electrophysiology RNA-sequencing, and pain assessment to elucidate molecular and behavioral changes …

Diagnostic Criteria For Apathy In Neurocognitive Disorders, David S. Miller, Philippe Robert, Larry Ereshefsky, Lawrence Adler, Daniel Bateman, Jeff Cummings, Steven T. Dekosky, Corinne E. Fischer, Masud Husain, Zahinoor Ismail, Judith Jaeger, Alan J. Lerner, Abby Li, Constantine G. Lyketsos, Valeria Manera, Jacobo Mintzer, Hans J. Moebius, Moyra Mortby, Didier Meulien, Stephane Pollentier, Anton Porsteinsson, Jill Rasmussen, Paul B. Rosenberg, Myuri T. Ruthirakuhan, Mary Sano, Carla Zucchero Sarracini, Krista L. Lanctôt

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Introduction: Apathy is common in neurocognitive disorders (NCD) but NCD-specific diagnostic criteria are needed. Methods: The International Society for CNS Clinical Trials Methodology Apathy Work Group convened an expert group and sought input from academia, health-care, industry, and regulatory bodies. A modified Delphi methodology was followed, and included an extensive literature review, two surveys, and two meetings at international conferences, culminating in a consensus meeting in 2019. Results: The final criteria reached consensus with more than 80% agreement on all parts and included: limited to people with NCD; symptoms persistent or frequently recurrent over at least 4 weeks, a change …

Whether Invertebrates Are Sentient Matters To Bioethics And Science Policy, Michael L. Woodruff

Animal Sentience

Mikhalevich & Powell provide convincing empirical evidence that at least some invertebrates are sentient and hence should be granted moral status. I agree and argue that functional markers should be the primary indicators of sentience. Neuroanatomical homologies provide only secondary evidence. Consensus regarding the validity of these functional markers will be difficult to achieve. To be effective in practice, functional markers of sentience will have to be tested and accepted species by species to overcome the implicit biases against extending moral status to invertebrates.

Epigenetic Alterations At Synaptic Plasticity Genes In A Genetically Heterogeneous Rat Model Of Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Doan M. On

Theses and Dissertations

Sensorimotor gating impairments are observed across a range of neuropsychiatric conditions. The prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response (PPI) is a validated measure of sensorimotor gating. Genetic and pharmacological manipulations in rodents have shown PPI is regulated by specific brain monoaminergic systems. Using genetically heterogeneous NIH-HS rats, we stratified individuals by %PPI. In low PPI animals, we observed elevated mRNA levels of certain neurotransmitter receptors, including metabotropic glutamate receptor Grm2, dopamine receptors Drd1 and Drd2, serotonin receptors Htr1a and Htr2a, and scaffolding protein Homer1, in the frontal cortex (FC) and striatum (STR). We found Drd2 …

Role Of Clic4 And The Synaptic Transcriptome In The Behavioral And Molecular Neurobiology Of Ethanol, Rory M. Weston

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a prevalent neuropsychiatric disease with profound health, social, and economic consequences. With an estimated 50% heritability, identifying genes that engender risk and contribute to the underlying neurobiological mechanisms represents an important first step in developing effective treatments. Gene expression studies are an important source of candidate genes for studying AUD, providing windows into the molecular machinery engaged by the brain in response to ethanol. Published studies have identified chloride intracellular channel 4 (Clic4) as an ethanol-regulated gene in brain capable of modulating sensitivity to sedation in multiple species. The functions of Clic4 are …

Melanopsin-Containing Iprgcs Are Resistant To Excitotoxic Injury And Maintain Functional Non-Image Forming Behaviors After Insult In A Diurnal Rodent Model, Garrett M. Fogo, Dorela D. Shuboni-Mulligan, Andrew J. Gall

Faculty Publications

Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are critical for the light signaling properties of non-image forming vision. Melanopsin-expressing ipRGCs project to retinorecipient brain regions involved in modulating circadian rhythms. Melanopsin has been shown to play an important role in how animals respond to light, including photoentrainment, masking (i.e., acute behavioral responses to light), and the pupillary light reflex (PLR). Importantly, ipRGCs are resistant to various forms of damage, including ocular hypertension, optic nerve crush, and excitotoxicity via N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) administration. Although these cells are resistant to various forms of injury, the question still remains whether or …