Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Psychopathy In Society: Understanding The Neural Mechanisms That Give Rise To Psychopathic Traits, Phoebe Zalenski

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Psychopathy is characterized as an individual exhibiting callousness, grandiosity, lack of empathy, and manipulative behavior towards others over a long period of time. Given these symptoms, psychopathy is associated with a markedly increased risk of arrest and imprisonment. Together, these findings highlight the importance of understanding the cause(s) of psychopathy, as doing so may help to develop treatments or preventative interventions. Prior work has suggested that structural abnormalities in the amygdala may play a role in clinical psychopathy; however, it is less clear whether amygdala abnormalities exist on a continuum of psychopathic traits. In this study, I aimed to determine …

Connectional Analysis Of Brain Regions Associated With Feeding, Kenichiro Negishi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Rodent models are invaluable for understanding the foundations of motivatedbehaviors. One major obstacle faced by these efforts is the lack of a 'wiring diagram' or a 'parts list' of structures that support motivated behaviors. Here, I present work that advances our knowledge of the structural organization of connections and chemoarchitecture of the diencephalon. Chapter 1 aims to clarify a wiring diagram of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) following a recent demonstration of cortically-evoked feeding through this region. Chapter 2 clarifies the distributions of a subpopulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) neurons in the hypothalamus. These disparate datasets were analyzed and interpreted …

Characterization Of Potential Genes Encoding For A Glycine Transporter From Drosophila Melanogaster, Denise Avalos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The study of glycine transporters has been neglected compared to other members of the Solute Carrier 6 (SLC6) family of proteins, such as the dopamine and serotonin transporters, even though they are just as crucial to survival. However, glycinergic neurotransmission has been extensively studied in mammals, resulting in vast, valuable information. The same cannot be said for invertebrates, however. In this study, we aim to establish an initial first step in elucidating components of glycinergic neurotransmission in the invertebrate, Drosophila melanogaster. We believe this organism possesses a glycine transporter because a glycine receptor has been identified and characterized. Specifically, we …

Improving Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes: Early Identification And Management Of Paroxysmal Sympathetic Hyperactivity, Randi Rockwell

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Abstract

Background: Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) can occur in patients with acutely acquired brain injury and is associated with mortality, poor clinical outcomes, prolonged hospitalizations, physical disability, and increased healthcare costs. The most common cause of PSH syndrome is traumatic brain injury (TBI). Symptoms consist of hyperthermia, diaphoresis, arterial hypertension, tachycardia, tachypnea, and extremity motor dystonic posturing, often in response to evoked stimuli and occurs in 8% to 33% of TBI patients. Critical care nurses are at the forefront of providing direct patient care to TBI patients and are often the first to identify PSH.

Purpose: The objective of this …

Letters From The Professors

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Ptsd: The Way In & The Way Out, Carolyn Herbosa

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Psychopaths: Who Are They, Really?, Stephanie Kaufman

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Your Brain On Plastics, Bennett Andrassy

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Music Makes You Lose Control, Jac Cousineau

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

More Synapses, More Problems: The Underdiagnosis Of Depression In Patients With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Daisy Delgado

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Life Stressors And Immune Aging: Protective Effects Of Cognitive Reappraisal, Rebecca G. Reed, Steven R. Presnell, Ahmad Al-Attar, Charles T. Lutz, Suzanne C. Segerstrom

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Stressful life events may accelerate aspects of immune aging, but habitual use of an adaptive emotion regulation strategy, cognitive reappraisal, may attenuate these effects. This study examined whether cognitive reappraisal moderates the associations between life stressor frequency and stressor desirability on aspects of immune aging, including late-differentiated CD8+ T and natural killer (NK) cells and inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP), both between and within people in a longitudinal sample of 149 older adults (mean age = 77.8, range: 64–92 years). Participants reported stressful life events, use of cognitive reappraisal, and provided blood semiannually for up to 5 years to …

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 Mind Behind The Buy: Exploring The World Of Neuromarketing, Gabriela Cruz Echeverria

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

(Maybe Not) All Of The Lights, Babiker Higazi

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Scientific Kenyon: Neuroscience Edition (Full Issue)

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Did: Is It Trauma Or Just Fantasy?, Sebastian Geeze

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Man's Best Friend Finally Talks Back: Bunny The "Talking" Dog, Maeve Griffin

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

A Brief History Of Psychedelia: From Ancient Rituals To Modern Medicine, Vikas Gudhe

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Memory Comes In Waves: How Sharp-Wave Ripple Dynamics Are Disrupted By Sleep Deprivation, Maximos Mccune

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Neurodegeneration: You Have More Influence Than You Might Think, Ben Shropshire

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Building A Better Athlete: How Great Coaches Game The Nervous System For Optimal Performance, Mark Lang

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Binaural Beats: Good Or Goop?, Sari Wagner

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Dispelling Depression Dogma: Why Depression Is More Than A Chemical Imbalance, Jorge Roman

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

"Your Love Is My Drug" - Kesha, Olivia Smith

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Perineuronal Nets Are Not Required To Close The Critical Period For Ocular Dominance Plasticity., Emily Crouse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the developing visual system, a transient critical period demarcates when neural circuits are most sensitive to visual experience. In the mouse, the critical period occurs between approximately postnatal day(P) 19 to 32. Closing one eye (monocular deprivation, MD) within the critical period shifts ocular dominance (OD) to be more responsive to the open eye. Nogo-66 Receptor 1 (NGR1) limits OD plasticity to the critical period yet it remains unknown how OD plasticity propagates through primary visual cortex or by which mechanisms NGR1 utilizes to confine said plasticity. In primary studies, NGR1 was selectively deleted in different cortical layers to …

Chemosensory Processing By The Mediodorsal Thalamus., Kelly Fredericksen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The mediodorsal thalamus (MD) is thought to be key component of the network that processes chemosensory information to guide our consummatory choices. Previous studies show that the mediodorsal thalamus receives projections from both the piriform cortex (PC) and gustatory cortex (GC), suggesting that it may process chemosensory information from both areas. Although the mediodorsal thalamus has been shown to respond to odors detected by sniffing, it remains unknown how its neurons represent experienced odors, tastes, and odor-taste mixtures originating from the mouth. Importantly, humans and animals with mediodorsal thalamic lesions do not suffer from anosmia, but experience deficits in odor …

Supraspinal Reorganization After Pediatric-Onset Spinal Cord Injury., Luis Alvarado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts the efferent and afferent flow of the developing brain, leading to devastating functional impairments below the injury site, yet our understanding of its impact on the brain remains limited. This study examines supraspinal reorganization in children with SCI using electrophysiology and neuroimaging techniques to understand the relationship between residual spinal transmission and supraspinal reorganization. Chapter 2 discusses the development of a child-centric approach using ‘learn, play, and practice’ to foster a trusting relationship with each child and increase compliance with experimental protocols. Chapter 3 evaluates the residual neural transmission of three spinal pathways in …

Analysis Of Genes Responsible For Neuronal Morphological Changes In Down Syndrome Hipsc-Derived Neurons, Juhi Patel

Senior Theses

Down syndrome (DS) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the trisomy of chromosome 21. DS is the largest genetic cause of intellectual disability, which occurs in varying severity among affected individuals. It is associated with a variety of developmental and cognitive defects, including reduced brain size, impaired synaptic function, and altered neuronal morphology. A number of genes have been identified to play critical roles in the development and maintenance of neuronal morphology, and alterations in the expression of some of these genes are implicated in the morphological changes observed in DS. Knocking out or altering their expression leads to …

P120-Catenin Subfamily Members Have Distinct As Well As Shared Effects On Dendrite Morphology During Neuron Development In Vitro, Maxsam Donta

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Proper dendrite morphology is essential for neuronal connectivity and function, and abnormal dendrite morphology is seen in many neurological pathologies. This study characterizes and compares the effects of a group of four proteins – the p120-catenin subfamily – that regulate cytoskeletal remodeling and dendrite morphology. To do this, I tracked the endogenous localization of each p120-subfamily catenin during neuron development, and I determined how altering the expression of each p120-subfamily catenin affects dendrite morphology. I find that all catenins are expressed in dendritic processes and the soma, ARVCF-catenin is expressed at relatively high proportions in the nucleus, and p120-catenin and …

Effects Of Acute And Repeated Alcohol Exposure On Expression Of Synaptic-Associated Genes In The Male And Female Mouse Mpfc, Dhruba Podder

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a serious chronic brain disease; in 2021 there were ~29.5 million people in the U.S. diagnosed with AUD. Individuals with AUD often show cognitive impairment such as risky decision-making, difficulties with impulse control, and working memory deficits. This impairment is associated with structural and functional changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), an extensively interconnected region of the frontal lobe involved in executive control of goal-directed behaviors. Chronic alcohol exposure in rodents has been seen to cause deficits in performance in behavioral tasks which assess mPFC function such as working memory and behavioral flexibility. It is …