Behavioral Neurobiology Commons^™

Patterns Of Ovarian And Gonadotropin Hormones In Emerging Adult Oral Contraceptive Users, Summer Mcormond

UROP Posters

Oral contraceptives (OCs) are often initiated during adolescence and emerging adulthood, a period of continued maturation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis. Because hormonal exposure during this window may shape emotional, biological, and reproductive outcomes, it is important to understand the specific formulations young women take and the hormonal profiles these formulations produce. This study characterizes OC formulation features and measured hormone levels in young adult OC users (n = 30).

Ethinyl estradiol (EE) doses ranged from 0.01–0.035 mg (mean = 0.022 mg), with 70% using ≤0.02 mg. Pill regimens included 21/7 packs (83%), 24/4 packs (10%), and 84/7 regimens (3%). …

Impact Of Acute Stress On Circadian Rhythm Regulation Of Locomotor Activity In Syrian Hamsters, Raquel A. Villarreal, Laura E. Garcia, Mario Gil

Research Symposium

Background: Disruptions of circadian rhythms, caused by factors such as environmental changes or stress, are linked to health conditions, including metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and mood disorders. Circadian rhythm disturbances are particularly relevant for understanding the etiology of conditions like insomnia, depression, and anxiety. The circadian rhythm, primarily regulated by the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) in the hypothalamus, coordinates biological processes to align with daily environmental cycles. Acute stress, especially when experienced immediately upon waking, has been shown to disrupt these rhythms, impair sleep regulation, and exacerbate mood dysregulation. Given the significant clinical implications, understanding how stress impacts circadian rhythms is …

Regaining Effort-Based Food Motivation: The Drug Methylphenidate Reverses The Depressive Effects Of Tetrabenazine In Female Rats, Deanna Pietrorazio

Honors Scholar Theses

Tetrabenazine (TBZ), a vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 (VMAT-2) inhibitor, depletes dopamine and induces motivational deficits and other depressive symptoms in humans. Methylphenidate (MPH) is a dopamine transport blocker that is used to enhance motivational function. Previous studies have shown that in male rats, TBZ induces a shift in effort-related choice such that a low-effort bias is induced. In male rats this occurs at a dose range of 0.75-1.0 mg/kg TBZ, and this effect is reversible with co-administration of MPH. Recent studies have shown that females need a higher dose of TBZ (2.0 mg/kg) to show the low-effort bias. The …

Probation Officer’S Experiences Regarding Juvenile Delinquency And Alternatives To Detention Centers, Bailey Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With a shift in focus from punitive measures to rehabilitation within the juvenile justice system, it is imperative that the efficacy of alternative resources is more closely examined. Given the existing research that highlights adolescent development and the negative or neutral impacts detention centers impose on juveniles, the conversation has now shifted to the use of alternative resources or alternatives to detention. The question now, however, is whether or not these alternatives are sufficient enough to ensure the safety of the community, victims, and the well-beings of the juveniles, when a violent crime has been committed. This study, which was …

Sensory Perception, Adrian Rodriguez-Contreras

Open Educational Resources

Different types of sensory systems with their functional modalities will be presented. The biological bases for how these functions are generated and modified will then be described. As vision is the principal means of perception, we will focus in this course most on visual processing. Scientific data will be integrated into the lectures, such that students develop critical skills in analyzing data and proposing hypotheses.

Canine Emotions As Seen Through Human Social Cognition, Miiamaaria V. Kujala

Animal Sentience

It is not possible to demonstrate that dogs (Canis familiaris) feel emotions, but the same is true for all other species, including our own. The issue must therefore be approached indirectly, using premises similar to those used with humans. Recent methodological advances in canine research reveal what dogs experience and what they derive from the emotions perceptible in others. Dogs attend to social cues, they respond appropriately to the valence of human and dog facial expressions and vocalizations of emotion, and their limbic reward regions respond to the odor of their caretakers. They behave differently according to the …

An Investigation Of Short-Term Plasticity In Human Motor Cortex, Matthew Alan Gannon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) produces a transient magnetic field that activates underlying cortical tissue by eliciting an electrical discharge of the neurons in the targeted area. Repetitive TMS (rTMS) uses patterns of repetitive TMS pulses and has been reliably shown to produce changes in the state of cortical excitability outlasting the time of stimulation. One such protocol that has demonstrated states of increased excitability is intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS). This method applies high-frequency bursts (50Hz) of pulses every 200 ms in trains of ten bursts. The effects of and differences between rTMS protocols have been investigated since gaining popularity …

Design, Programming, And User-Experience, Kaila G. Manca

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis is a culmination of my individualized major in Human-Computer Interaction. As such, it showcases my knowledge of design, computer engineering, user-experience research, and puts into practice my background in psychology, com- munications, and neuroscience.

I provided full-service design and development for a web application to be used by the Digital Media and Design Department and their students.This process involved several iterations of user-experience research, testing, concepting, branding and strategy, ideation, and design. It lead to two products.

The first product is full-scale development and optimization of the web appli- cation.The web application adheres to best practices. It was …

Norepinephrine Involvement In The Intermittent Swim Stress-Induced Deficit In Spatial Learning And Memory, Emily Elgert

Honors Theses and Capstones

Learning and memory impairments are often caused by stress disorders including depression. The present study investigated the involvement of norepinephrine in the swim stress-induced deficits of spatial learning and memory. Exposure to intermittent swim stress (ISS) followed by learning and memory tests in the Morris water maze (MWM) were used to investigate this relationship. The ISS paradigm consists of intermittent exposure to cold water, producing stress responses in rats. Reboxetine, a norepinephrine selective reuptake inhibitor (NSRI), was employed to investigate whether this compound reverses the ISS-induced deficit. In other words, rats exposed to the ISS, were hypothesized to experience impaired …

Law And Biology: Toward An Integrated Model Of Human Behavior, Owen D. Jones

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

As first year law students unhappily discover, the meaning of "law" is frustratingly protean, shifting by usage and user. Depending on whom you ask, law is a system of rules, a body of precedents, a legislative enactment, a collection of norms, a process by which social goals are pursued, or some dynamic mixture of these. Law's principal purpose is to define and protect individual rights, to ensure public order, to resolve disputes, to redistribute wealth, to dispense justice, to prevent or compensate for injury, to optimize economic efficiency, or perhaps to do something else. And yet one thing is irreducibly …