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Full-Text Articles in Biological Psychology

Exploring The Intersectionality Between Homelessness And Addiction: A Review, Antonia Miranda May 2023

Exploring The Intersectionality Between Homelessness And Addiction: A Review, Antonia Miranda

Honors Projects

The homelessness crisis and drug epidemic have been, and continue to, ravage the nation in a manner that is both detrimental to society and humanity. The correlation between substance abuse and homelessness is enormous, though not necessarily causal. The conditions of being homeless coupled with the prevalence of mental illness drastically increases the susceptibility to substance abuse and addiction. On the other hand, addiction and substance abuse can contribute to someone entering homelessness. The intersectionality between the two is frequently ignored, yet critical to address. Informed by research regarding both conditions, the implications for public policy and reform are huge. …


The Role Of Athletic Identity In General Mental Health And Alcohol-Related Help-Seeking Intentions Of College Students, Michael Grant Young Jul 2021

The Role Of Athletic Identity In General Mental Health And Alcohol-Related Help-Seeking Intentions Of College Students, Michael Grant Young

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Young adults are vulnerable to a range of mental health concerns and tend to drink in high quantities and tend to not seek help for these concerns. Specifically, college students involved in athletics tend to have low help-seeking rates—though help-seeking research for this population is relatively limited. Athletic identity (i.e., identification with the athlete role) is a relevant construct for examining this population, however little is known about its association with help-seeking beliefs and ideas. This study examines: (1) the association between athletic identity and help-seeking intentions for both mental health and alcohol use concerns, (2) the association between …


Cannabinoid-Induced Behavioral Sensitization In Adolescent Sprague-Dawley Rats, Michelle Stone Oct 2018

Cannabinoid-Induced Behavioral Sensitization In Adolescent Sprague-Dawley Rats, Michelle Stone

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Adolescent cannabis use has grown because of increased availability and higher societal acceptance. This increase in cannabis use is problematic as adolescents who experiment with cannabis are more likely to abuse cannabis and experiment with other illicit drugs such as cocaine. The reason for the greater susceptibility to drugs use is unclear and may be the result of altered drug sensitivity after cannabis exposure. Thus, the present investigation used the behavioral sensitization paradigm to examine the behavioral response of early adolescent rats to the cannabinoid agonist CP 55,940 (CP) or cocaine after repeated cannabinoid administration. It was hypothesized that: (1) …


The Effect Of Early Life Photoperiod Manipulation On Cocaine-Induced Behavioral Sensitization In Male And Female Japanese Quail, Shannon Elizabeth Eaton Jan 2018

The Effect Of Early Life Photoperiod Manipulation On Cocaine-Induced Behavioral Sensitization In Male And Female Japanese Quail, Shannon Elizabeth Eaton

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Estrogens seem to play a role in the locomotor activating effects of cocaine. Japanese quail provide a good model for hormonal manipulation as alterations of their photoperiod controls hormone levels. The current study aims to examine the role of early life photoperiod manipulation in cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization in quail. It was expected that if quail were raised on a short photoperiod, they would have a reduction in gonadal hormones and this reduction in hormones would affect the acquisition of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization. Quail were raised on an 8L:16D or a 16L:8D light cycle. Following 2 days of habituation, quail were …


Characterizing The Role Of Glucocorticoids In The Sign Tracking Behavior Of Male Japanese Quail (Coturnix Japonica), Beth A. Rice Jan 2018

Characterizing The Role Of Glucocorticoids In The Sign Tracking Behavior Of Male Japanese Quail (Coturnix Japonica), Beth A. Rice

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

A devastating feature of drug-dependence is the susceptibility of relapse (40-60%) after stretches of abstinence. One theory that may account for relapse suggests that drug cues (e.g., paraphernalia) may increase stress hormones, and this may prompt relapse. Repeatedly pairing a neutral cue with a reward is commonly utilized to measure what subjects learn about a cue that is predictive of reward. Research has shown that animals that attend to a cue more than to the reward (sign trackers) may be more vulnerable to drug addiction. Additionally, research has shown that sign tracking is associated with an increase in corticosterone (CORT), …


The Impact Of Stress On Steroid Hormones And Cue Reactivity In Smokers And Gamblers, Stephanie Elaine Wemm Jan 2017

The Impact Of Stress On Steroid Hormones And Cue Reactivity In Smokers And Gamblers, Stephanie Elaine Wemm

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Addictions, both substance and behavioral, have been conceptualized as having similar biopsychosocial processes with different opportunistic expressions (Shaffer et al., 2004). Biological processes such as the hormonal response to stress as measured by cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and the ratio of the DHEA/cortisol may be among the variables underlying the disposition to develop an addictive disorder, regardless of whether it is a substance-based or a so-called behavioral addiction. The current study aimed to examine whether physiological and psychological reactions to stress are similar in high-frequency smokers and gamblers. The subjective (urges, cravings) and physiological responses (skin conductance and heart rate) of …


The Importance Of Serotonergic And Adrenergic Receptors For The Induction And Expression Of One-Trial Cocaine-Induced Behavioral Sensitization, Krista N. Rudberg Dec 2016

The Importance Of Serotonergic And Adrenergic Receptors For The Induction And Expression Of One-Trial Cocaine-Induced Behavioral Sensitization, Krista N. Rudberg

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Addiction is a complex process in which behavioral sensitization may be an important component. While the behavioral effects of sensitization are well established, the intricate neurobiology of the phenomenon is still largely unknown. Dopamine systems mediate the induction of behavioral sensitization in adult rats, but there is a large amount of evidence showing that other neurotransmitter systems also modulate the induction process. For example, the α1b-adrenergic and 5-HT2A receptor systems are known to modulate the sensitized responding of adult rats, but the roles that these receptor systems play in the induction and expression of behavioral sensitization during the preweanling …


The Effects Of Chronic Partial Sleep Deprivation And Chronic Voluntary Alcohol Consumption On Δfos B Accumulation, Kristian Ponder May 2016

The Effects Of Chronic Partial Sleep Deprivation And Chronic Voluntary Alcohol Consumption On Δfos B Accumulation, Kristian Ponder

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The present study explores the relation between sleep restriction and alcohol use and the neural substrates that result from chronic behaviors. Accumulation of the transcription factors ΔFosB is suggested as a possible outcome of chronic behaviors, such as addiction. Sleep is discussed as possible mediating factor in the relationship between ΔFosB and chronic alcohol consumption. There were four experimental groups in this study: Control (C), Sleep Deprivation only (SD), Alcohol Exposure only (AO), and both sleep deprivation and alcohol exposure (B). Levels of ΔFosB accumulation in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) revealed a significant main effect of sleep deprivation, but no …


Zebrafish And Conditioned Place Preference: A Translational Model Of Drug Reward, Adam Douglas Collier Aug 2015

Zebrafish And Conditioned Place Preference: A Translational Model Of Drug Reward, Adam Douglas Collier

Master's Theses

Addiction and substance abuse commonly lead to negative outcomes such damaged health, domestic violence, child abuse, failure in school, and loss of employment. In the United States, hundreds of billions of dollars accrue annually in costs associated with healthcare, crime and lost productivity due to addiction. Efficacious treatments remain few in number, the development of which will be facilitated by comprehension of environmental, genetic, pharmacological and neurobiological mechanisms implicated in the pathogenesis of addiction. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has recently gained popularity as a model organism of complex brain disorders (e.g., substance use disorder). Behavioral quantification within the conditioned place …


The Effects Of Extended Access To Methamphetamine Self-Administration On Dopaminergic Markers In The Striatum, Joe Luevano Jan 2012

The Effects Of Extended Access To Methamphetamine Self-Administration On Dopaminergic Markers In The Striatum, Joe Luevano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is a persistent problem in the U.S. and abroad. Escalation of METH use among independent users occurs for a variety of physiological and psychological reasons. Methamphetamine dependence may be attributed to the rewarding effect of this drug via the dopaminergic systems of the central nervous system (CNS). The presence of METH in the CNS increases synaptic release of dopamine. This increase in dopaminergic neurotransmission is thought to be directly attributed to the rewarding effects of METH. Following METH use, compensatory changes have been found to occur in the dopaminergic system during various periods of abstinence. It is …