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Articles 1 - 25 of 25
Full-Text Articles in Biological Psychology
Is The Area Postrema Resistant To The Anesthetic Effects Of Ms-222?, Austin T. Csiszar
Is The Area Postrema Resistant To The Anesthetic Effects Of Ms-222?, Austin T. Csiszar
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
MS-222 is a common fish anesthetic that dampens neural activity by inhibiting neuronal voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) required for action potentials. Previous experiments conducted by our lab’s primary investigator using fluorescence calcium imaging in zebrafish neurons resulted in the observation that neurons in the area postrema (AP), a circumventricular organ located in the dorsal hindbrain, displayed prominent fluorescence intensity during MS-222 induced sedation. I used the genetically encoded calcium indicator GCaMP6s to conduct fluorescence calcium imaging with the goal of recording neural activity in the larval zebrafish area postrema and optic tectum to compare the anesthetic effects of …
Effects Of Atomoxetine On Circadian Rhythms And Locomotor Activity, Rhiannon Ryder Crimmins
Effects Of Atomoxetine On Circadian Rhythms And Locomotor Activity, Rhiannon Ryder Crimmins
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurological disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. Many people with ADHD who are taking pharmacological treatments also report having sleep problems, and both children and adults tend to fall asleep later than neurotypical people. Since diagnosis and treatment of ADHD are on the rise, understanding how the disorder and common medications influence circadian rhythms is becoming more important. Zebrafish are a common animal model that have been shown to reliably represent features of many human disorders, including ADHD. Hypothesis: The specific hypotheses tested were: (H1) that a …
Individual Differences In The Coordinated Behavioral And Physiological Immune Response To Pathogenic Threat, Edwin Joel Rosales-Vijil
Individual Differences In The Coordinated Behavioral And Physiological Immune Response To Pathogenic Threat, Edwin Joel Rosales-Vijil
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Previous research has shown that simply viewing a pathogenic threat (e.g., a photo of someone sneezing) can trigger our immune systems to activate. Activation of the immune system can be measured through a variety of physiological markers, including inflammatory cells (i.e., cytokines) in the blood or saliva. The current study aims to replicate that finding that viewing pathogen-relevant images will trigger an immune response, and extend this work by investigating whether individual differences in perceived vulnerability to disease impacts the size of this immune response.
Preimplantation Genetic Testing For Neurobehavioral Traits, Peter K. Zeller
Preimplantation Genetic Testing For Neurobehavioral Traits, Peter K. Zeller
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Differences in behavioral and mental health traits result from unique interactions of genetic and environmental factors. Genetic information has improved along with technological advancements allowing for more data points to be established and increased data resolution. Because of this, there is a greater ability to identify embryos that carry genetic risk. The approach of Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) is routine for certain genetic diseases but has not been widely used for psychiatric or behavioral traits. This paper critically examines the potential application of PGT-P by focusing on one main example, Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is the most prevalent form of …
Hormonal Medications And Partner Odor Preferences, Jeffrey Lee Frederick
Hormonal Medications And Partner Odor Preferences, Jeffrey Lee Frederick
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
The ability to recognize kin through the olfactory sense has important survival and evolutionary implications when choosing mates. Failing to recognize kin when making a choice of whom to mate with can lead to an increase in detrimental genetic outcomes in offspring. Previous studies have indicated that normally ovulating heterosexual women and men prefer the body odor of those with dissimilar immune systems than those with similar immune systems. The use of hormonal contraceptives has shown a preference for similar immune system odors. The current study examines whether the use of hormonal medications predicts preference for body odor. Importantly, this …
Does Having Siblings Affect Caretaking Responses To Infants?, Kaitlin Rose Duskin
Does Having Siblings Affect Caretaking Responses To Infants?, Kaitlin Rose Duskin
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Infant facial cues affect a variety of caretaking-related responses in adults. These effects have primarily been explored as they relate to parental care, however infants receive care from others who are not their parents and it would be important for any caregiver, regardless of parental status, to respond to infant cues effectively. Because siblings often fulfill a caregiver role in the home, this study investigated whether having siblings, younger siblings in particular, influences the way in which adults respond to infant cues. Contrary to my predictions, the findings in this study indicate that having siblings does not influence how rewarding …
Does The Thatcher Effect Extend To Infant Faces?, Sarang Jew
Does The Thatcher Effect Extend To Infant Faces?, Sarang Jew
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Decades of research on the mechanisms of face processing have demonstrated that humans rely heavily on configural processing strategies when viewing faces. However, this work has been done using almost exclusively adult facial stimuli. More recently, researchers have proposed that infant faces may elicit different neural activity and behavioral responses than adult faces. These observed differences may start at the very early stages of face processing (i.e., the structural encoding occurring within 200ms of seeing a face). However, no studies to date have explored potential differences in processing strategies used for infant faces compared to adult faces. The current study …
Identifying Neuron Clusters Controlling Movement Vigor, Jay A. Strabinick
Identifying Neuron Clusters Controlling Movement Vigor, Jay A. Strabinick
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that progressively decreases dopaminergic function. Lower amounts of dopamine may cause an innate motivational shift that decreases movement vigor when performing difficult tasks. In PD patients, bradykinesia, the slowing of movement, is characteristic of this decrease in vigor. The movement vigor hypothesis proposes that dopamine neurons modulate performance aspects of movement, like speed and persistence. This paper proposes a series experiments utilizing neuron recording techniques in zebrafish that would test the movement vigor hypothesis by determining whether in fact there is a distinct group of dopamine neurons that modulate movement vigor. Core elements …
Social Comparison Tendencies And The Reward Value Of Same-Sex Beauty Among Heterosexual Women, Melissa M. Martin Ms.
Social Comparison Tendencies And The Reward Value Of Same-Sex Beauty Among Heterosexual Women, Melissa M. Martin Ms.
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Previous studies have suggested that heterosexual women, but not heterosexual men, find same sex beauty rewarding. This finding has been attributed to a “greater bisexual interest among heterosexual women”, but no other explanations have been offered or tested. The current study aimed to explore social comparison tendencies as a potential alternate explanation to this previously observed finding. Twenty-three heterosexual women completed a series of questionnaires designed to assess their social comparison tendencies (the social comparison orientation scale, the physical appearance comparison scale, and the intrasexual competition scale). They also completed a “pay-per-view” keypress task to measure the reward value of …
Caution Fatigue: Group Identification And Disgust Provide Protection In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Logan F. Ashworth
Caution Fatigue: Group Identification And Disgust Provide Protection In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Logan F. Ashworth
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
The current Coronavirus pandemic has yielded an abundance of concerns regarding the psychological effects of isolating a highly social species through widespread lockdowns and enhanced social distancing. Research show that many are suffering from mental health crises, while also refusing to isolate (Brooks et al., 2020; Czeiler, et al., 2020). These behaviors combine to increase risk of viral infection. An emerging term to explain this paradox is “Caution Fatigue”. Yet, there is no research that outlines its specific underlying mechanisms. The goal of this paper is to propose a series of models that delineate caution fatigue through the effects a) …
Intrasexual Competition: Effects Of Hormonal Contraceptives, Hannah Fergusson
Intrasexual Competition: Effects Of Hormonal Contraceptives, Hannah Fergusson
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Women’s intrasexual competition has been shown to fluctuate with fertility status, and in particular, with testosterone. It’s increasingly common that women take some form of hormonal contraceptives, especially the combined oral contraceptive (COC) pill which has been shown to decrease testosterone levels. Progesterone-only methods such as the implant or shot have been shown to have higher levels of free testosterone compared to the pill. The current study investigates the differences in intrasexual competition between pill users and progesterone-only users. 773 women took several surveys that obtained their information regarding menstrual cycle, contraceptive use, relationship status, and also took the Scale …
Cuteness As A Prime To Enhance Emotional Recognition, Andrew Diaz
Cuteness As A Prime To Enhance Emotional Recognition, Andrew Diaz
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
The ability to recognize emotional expressions has important implications for survival and cooperation. Failing to recognize emotions indicative of some form of threat (anger, fear, disgust) may be particularly costly given these emotional expressions communicate a potential source of danger in the environment. Previous studies have shown that people tend to recognize threatening emotions faster and more accurately than non-threatening emotions. Infantile characteristics (kindchenschema) readily capture the attention of adults and have been shown to influence a variety of behaviors associated with caretaking; viewing cute stimuli increases behavioral carefulness on various visual and motor tasks. The current study …
Does Pregnancy Enhance Sensitivity To Emotional Displays Of Threat?, Lauren E. Larsen
Does Pregnancy Enhance Sensitivity To Emotional Displays Of Threat?, Lauren E. Larsen
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
The human face provides us with an abundant amount of social and biological information. It is important for us to be able to recognize emotions quickly and accurately, some emotions may be more important and therefore draw more of our attention than others, specifically “threat-relevant” emotions (fear, disgust, anger). To date few studies have investigated how pregnancy impacts emotion recognition abilities. These studies have shown that women have higher accuracy in encoding emotional expressions signaling threat or harm. To determine if pregnancy increases attentional bias to threat, 43 pregnant women and 45 non-pregnant women (controls) performed an emotion recognition task. …
Does Testosterone Affect Sexist Attitudes In Men? A Simulated Analysis, Steven R. Bowman
Does Testosterone Affect Sexist Attitudes In Men? A Simulated Analysis, Steven R. Bowman
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Sexism continues to negatively affect the lives of women across many cultures and modern societies. Although sexism has a damaging effect on people overall, women are disproportionately affected. Previous research on the topic generally explores attitudes, culture, socioeconomic status, sexual and violent crime census data, and developmental factors, but there is a lack of research investigating potential links among biological factors, such as hormone levels, and sexist attitudes. The present study used simulated data to simulate a study investigating the relationship between endogenous testosterone, cognitive aggression, and sexist attitudes. Using the faux, pwr2ppl, and ProcessR packages in R Studio open-source …
The Effects Of C-Tactile Afferent Stimulation On Male Orgasm And Ejaculation, Yacoub Ayed Innabi
The Effects Of C-Tactile Afferent Stimulation On Male Orgasm And Ejaculation, Yacoub Ayed Innabi
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Orgasms and ejaculation are important for relationships and contribute significantly to life satisfaction. There is, however, a lack of research in the current literature regarding orgasm perception. This study tested the effects of endogenous oxytocin on subjective orgasm intensity, ejaculation latency, and ejaculate volume in men. At two separate test sessions, the participants were either stroked on the forearm (to release endogenous oxytocin) or tapped on the hand (to act as a control) with a cosmetic brush. The forearm contains C-tactile afferents that are believed to release oxytocin centrally and peripherally in response to slow, soft stroking stimulation. Then a …
The Effects Of Oral Contraceptives On Mood And Affect: A Meta-Analysis, Erica M. Motter
The Effects Of Oral Contraceptives On Mood And Affect: A Meta-Analysis, Erica M. Motter
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Combined oral contraceptive (COC) pills are widely used by women of reproductive age, but there is still little conclusive evidence that exists about the mood-related side effects associated with their use. This meta-analysis examined the relationship between oral contraceptive use and mood effects such as depression and anxiety to determine what role, if any, that COCs may have in the worsening or improvement of women’s mood when taking them. Effect sizes compared the differences in women’s mood scores before taking COCs and after one or more cycles of use. Seventeen studies made up of 25 individual samples contributed 71 effect …
"I See Gay People" Gaydar Abilities In A Real-World Distribution, Benjamin Patrick Skillman
"I See Gay People" Gaydar Abilities In A Real-World Distribution, Benjamin Patrick Skillman
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
“Gaydar” is the colloquial term for identifying someone’s sexual orientation from physical cues. Past literature has shown that people can identify someone’s sexual orientation at above chance levels. Past literature has used a 50/50 split of gay and straight faces and used non-standardized images, which can induce confounds in the results. The present study examined gaydar accuracy in a realistic distribution of straight and gay faces using standardized images and examined facial morphology for differences between gay and straight men. Participants were not found to have above chance accuracy for identifying gay faces. PCA did not identify reliable shape differences …
Eye Movements For Learned Faces, Mariah Lehnertz
Eye Movements For Learned Faces, Mariah Lehnertz
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Humans demonstrate a perceptual specialization for faces that is astonishing. This project attempts determine if and where within the perceptual process face perception and face recognition diverge at the level of eye movement behaviors. Participants were exposed to a series of 36 faces, of which six were randomly selected to be learned over five subsequent exposures; thus the same face identities served as both the novel faces (block 1) and the learned faces (block 5), allowing for the measurement of eye gaze patterns during initial face perception (novel) and face recognition (learned). These six faces were randomly assigned to different …
Investigating Differing Degrees Of Foxo3a Expression In Adult Neural Stem Cells Between Age Groups In Zebrafish, Francis G. Bacik
Investigating Differing Degrees Of Foxo3a Expression In Adult Neural Stem Cells Between Age Groups In Zebrafish, Francis G. Bacik
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
One factor influencing organismal longevity is the activity of transcription factors of the “fork head domain” family, otherwise known as “Forkhead box” (Fox) proteins. Studies of the four isoforms of the “O” subclass of Fox proteins found in human genes have revealed a direct relationship between FoxO3a-dependent gene expression and the conservation of neural stem cell (NSC) in the adult brain, specifically in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus and the subventricular zone of the cortex. This transcription factor has also been shown to regulate apoptosis in nervous tissue during embryonic development in zebrafish. The current …
Test Of Bpa's Estrogenic Effects On Brain Aromatase Expression, Neural Activity, And Locomotive Behavior In Zebrafish Larvae, Ryan J. Mcauley
Test Of Bpa's Estrogenic Effects On Brain Aromatase Expression, Neural Activity, And Locomotive Behavior In Zebrafish Larvae, Ryan J. Mcauley
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine disrupting chemical that mimics the effects of estrogens. Aromatase B (Cyp19a1b) is a brain-specific enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen and is highly upregulated in response to estrogen receptor activation localized to radial glial cells. During embryonic zebrafish development, there is a small window of time denoted by an increase in neurogenesis and estrogen receptor activity. Previous studies have demonstrated that a low dose BPA exposure (0.1µM) during this window causes hyperlocomotion in larval zebrafish, yet no further explanation for this behavior change has been described. The purpose of this study was to …
Assessment Of Peripheral Bdnf Levels Over 30 Days, Sally Hang
Assessment Of Peripheral Bdnf Levels Over 30 Days, Sally Hang
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Brain health, and the benefits of exercise have been linked to the biological signaling molecule called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Animal and human studies have provided some support for physical exercise as a mechanism for increasing BDNF levels. However, results have been inconsistent, which may be attributed in part to incomplete information about normal variation in circulating peripheral BDNF levels. This investigation examined capillary-drawn whole blood samples from nine healthy adult participants over 30 days with the goal of documenting variability in resting BDNF levels and changes that may be attributed to physical exercise. It was hypothesized that BDNF concentrations …
Using Functional Infrared Thermal Imaging To Measure Stress Responses, Julia Tenaya Kandus
Using Functional Infrared Thermal Imaging To Measure Stress Responses, Julia Tenaya Kandus
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
The stress response reflects a coordinated pattern of physiological changes that serves the adaptive function of increasing an organism’s ability to cope with situations that require action or defense. The changes in blood flow associated with the stress response may be detectable using the relatively new research technique of functional infrared thermal imaging (fITI). The present study was designed to determine the time-course and topography of temperature changes in human faces during the experience of a stressor. Infrared images were taken from 29 female participants while they completed the mental arithmetic component of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Continuously …
Are Caffeine’S Effects On Neuronal Calcium Levels Due To The Caffeine Metabolite, Paraxanthine?, Kendra Jean Hartsuyker
Are Caffeine’S Effects On Neuronal Calcium Levels Due To The Caffeine Metabolite, Paraxanthine?, Kendra Jean Hartsuyker
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Caffeine has diverse effects on neurons including, potentially, protection against Parkinson’s-related neurodegeneration. Caffeine may protect neurons from damage by limiting mitochondrial membrane permeability through a calcium-dependent mechanism. This study was a first step investigating calcium’s role in caffeine neuroprotection in vivo using zebrafish larvae. Elavl3:GCaMP6s zebrafish, which express a genetically encoded fluorescent calcium indicator protein in most CNS neurons, received caffeine (0, 50, 125, 250 µM, bath applied) in an ascending dose series during fluorescence calcium imaging of a central catecholaminergic nucleus (a proposed zebrafish homolog of the locus coeruleus, a structure affected in Parkinson’s disease). Parallel experiments tested effects …
Restoration Of Attentional Deficits After Concussion, Katharine B. Earle
Restoration Of Attentional Deficits After Concussion, Katharine B. Earle
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Difficulties with concentration and attention are among the most prevalent symptoms experienced after concussion. Rest has been the most common form of recovery from concussion; however, new research is suggesting mild mental exertion to be an effective aid in recovery. Drawing from Attention Restoration Theory, this study evaluated the idea that cognitive engagement with natural environments can mitigate post-concussion directed-attention deficits. A between subjects repeated measures design was used to test directed-attention after video exposure to restorative/nature and nonrestorative/city environments. Measures of mood, connectedness to environment, and symptomology scores were also collected. No meaningful difference between exposure type was found …
Cannabis Use Frequency And Mood On Creativity, Caitlin Clark
Cannabis Use Frequency And Mood On Creativity, Caitlin Clark
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
This study examines the relationship between cannabis use (infrequent, moderate, and heavy use) and one’s mood (neutral, positive, and negative) on creativity. Folk ideas of creativity and the relationships between cannabis use and mood may not reflect the real relationship between these factors (e.g. regarding cannabis use, it is perceived to be linked with higher rates of creativity; regarding mood, negative states [i.e. tortured artist] are thought to fuel creativity). Although both cannabis use and mood have been found to influence creativity independently, the current study is unique in its aims to identify whether cannabis use and mood interact to …