Biological Psychology Commons^™

Effects Of Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Brain Injury On Spatial Working Memory, Amanda L. Smith

Master's Theses

Children born prematurely or at very low birth weight (VLBW) have an increased risk for hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HI). HI refers to a lack of adequate blood and oxygen flow in the brain. HI can also occur in the term infant due to birth complications such as prolonged labor, placental dysfunction, or cord prolapse. In both populations (though exact patterns of neuropathology vary) brain damage is likely to occur in the form of decreased hippocampal and cortical volume, and enlargement of the ventricles (Kesler et al., 2004, Nagy et al., 2009). Resulting neuropathology can in turn lead to cognitive …

Autonomic And Behavioral Reactivity To An Acute Laboratory Stressor, Jeremy C. Peres

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Stress has been widely shown to directly influence people’s emotional and behavioral processing as well as their underlying biological systems. This project examined physiological and behavioral responses as indicators of stress and coping in the context of a psychosocial stressor in a controlled laboratory setting. We examined the association between indicators of behavioral coping and underlying physiological reactivity within participants while experiencing stress. Participants included 68 emerging adults. Physiological measures include autonomic biomarkers (e.g., heart-rate, skin conductance) at rest and during the stressor while behavioral indicators that were coded include acute verbal and non-verbal actions exhibited by participants during the …

Asymmetry In Resting Alpha Activity: Effects Of Handedness, Ruth E. Propper, Jenna Pierce, Mark W. Geisler, Stephen D. Christman, Nathan Bellorado

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Frontal electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha band power during rest shows increased right, and/or decreased left, hemisphere activity under conditions of state or trait withdrawal-associated effect. Non-right-handers (NRH) are more likely to have mental illnesses and dispositions that involve such withdrawal-related effect. The aim of the study was to examine whether NRH might be characterized by increased right, relative to left, hemisphere activity during rest. Methods: The present research investigated that hypothesis by examining resting EEG alpha power in consistently-right-handed (CRH) and NRH individuals. Results: In support of the hypothesis, NRH demonstrated decreased right hemisphere alpha power, and therefore increased right hemisphere …

Distinct Retinohypothalamic Innervation Patterns Predict The Developmental Emergence Of Species-Typical Circadian Phase Preference In Nocturnal Norway Rats And Diurnal Nile Grass Rats, William D. Todd, Andrew J. Gall, Joshua A. Weiner, Mark S. Blumberg

Faculty Publications

How does the brain develop differently to support nocturnality in some mammals, but diurnality in others? To answer this question, one might look to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is entrained by light via the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT). However, because the SCN is more active during the day in all mammals studied thus far, it alone cannot determine circadian phase preference. In adult Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), which are nocturnal, the RHT also projects to the ventral subparaventricular zone (vSPVZ), an adjacent region that expresses an in-phase pattern of SCN-vSPVZ neuronal activity. In contrast, in adult Nile grass rats (Arvicanthis …

Development Of Scn Connectivity And The Circadian Control Of Arousal: A Diminishing Role For Humoral Factors?, Andrew J. Gall, William D. Todd, Mark S. Blumberg

Faculty Publications

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is part of a wake-promoting circuit comprising the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) and locus coeruleus (LC). Although widely considered a "master clock," the SCN of adult rats is also sensitive to feedback regarding an animal's behavioral state. Interestingly, in rats at postnatal day (P)2, repeated arousing stimulation does not increase neural activation in the SCN, despite doing so in the LC and DMH. Here we show that, by P8, the SCN is activated by arousing stimulation and that selective destruction of LC terminals with DSP-4 blocks this activational effect. We next show that bidirectional projections among the …

The Relationship Between Suicide Ideation And Parasuicide: An Electrophysiological Investigation Using The Loudness Dependence Of Auditory Evoked Potential, Angelika Marsic

Dissertations

The loudness dependence of the auditory evoked potential (LDAEP) has been proposed as a promising valid and a non-invasive indicator of behaviorally relevant central 5-HT functioning. There is limited research on the utility of the LDAEP in discriminating individuals who engage in various degrees of suicidal behavior. The primary purpose of the present study was to examine if the LDAEP, as a measure of central serotonergic functioning, can be useful in distinguishing groups of individuals who: (a) solely experience suicidal ideation (SI group); (b) experience suicidal ideation and have engaged in deliberate self-harm acts (SH group); and (c) individuals with …

The Effects Of An Online Sleep Hygiene Intervention On Students' Sleep Quality, Giuliana Farias

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Students in college or in their first year of medical school undergo increased educational and social pressure. To cope, students may sacrifice sleep to meet demands. Poor sleep affects learning, performance, and health. Studies have been successful at improving sleep quality through the use of in-person recruitment or cognitive-behavioral therapy delivered over the internet (Trockel, Manber, Chang, Thurston, & Tailor, 2011). The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether an online sleep hygiene intervention could improve sleep quality. One hundred thirty-eight students from one undergraduate institution in Southeast Virginia completed this study. Students were divided into groups; one …

Physiological Politics: Stress And Dominance Responses To Political News, Erin Strauts

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Nicotine On Body Composition, Laura O'Dell

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Nicotine On Body Composition, Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Rhes, A Striatal Specific Protein, On The Expression Of Behavioral And Neuropathological Symptoms In A Transgenic Mouse Model Of Huntington's Disease, Brandon A. Baiamonte

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by choreiform movement of the limbs, cognitive disability, psychosis and dementia. It is untreatable, incurable, and ultimately fatal. HD is invariably associated with an abnormally long CAG expansion within the IT15 gene on human chromosome 4. Although the mutant huntingtin protein (mHtt) is ubiquitously expressed in HD patients, cellular degeneration occurs only in neurons within the striatum and cerebral cortex. The Ras homolog Rhes is expressed very selectively in the precise brain areas affected by HD. Recent work using cultured cells suggests that Rhes may be a co-factor with mHtt in cell …

A Multigroup Analysis Of The Psychological Factors That Contribute To Persisting Working Attention Problems In Mild Traumatic Brain Injury And Chronic Pain, Kelly L. Curtis

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A significant subset of mild traumatic brain injury (mild TBI) and chronic pain (CP) patients report, and sometimes show objective evidence of, persisting cognitive problems. Despite differences in injury mechanisms, there is considerable overlap in the types of persisting cognitive symptoms that are reported by the two populations. Psychogenic, rather than physiogenic, factors are thought to play an important role in the maintenance of these persisting symptoms. The current investigation examined the contributions somatization, depression, and anxiety had on an objective measure of “working attention.” In order to best elucidate the influences these psychological factors had on attentional performance, only …

Sleep Deprivation And Delusion Proneness: Influence On Dream Bizarreness, Anna Leigh Lezon

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

While evidence for many types of psychotic experience exists in the general population, dreams have been a particularly prominent model for hallucinations and delusions in otherwise healthy individuals. This definition of "bizarreness" in dreams mirrors the description of psychosis in schizophrenia patients when their psychosis remits (Colace, 2003). Babkoff et al, (1989) found a linear association - less sleep caused more waking-state hallucinations. While the relationship between psychotic symptoms and sleep deprivation is well established, most existing data regard waking-state psychotic symptomology. The relationship between sleep deprivation and dream-state psychotic symptomology has not been investigated. Further, no sleep deprivation study …

Ketamine Can Disrupt Episodic Memory (Hours To Days) Consolidation: Effects Of Varying Dose And Retention Intervals, Ryan Darius Tabtabai

Honors Scholar Theses

Memory consolidation is the process wherein short-term, episodic memories are converted into stable, long-term representations. Forebrain N-methy-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs), particularly frontal cortical and hippocampal receptors, are thought to play a key role in neuronal plasticity and memory consolidation. Ketamine is an NMDA antagonist that disrupts memory, particularly encoding and retrieval processes. Previously we have observed no effect of post-acquisition ketamine treatment (50-100 mg/kg) on memory consolidation in rats performing a delayed-match-to place radial water maze task. The current study reexamined the effects of ketamine (25-100 mg/kg) on memory consolidation in this task over varying retention intervals (4, 24, and 48 …

Adenosine-Dopamine Interactions In The Open Field Arena: Studies Related To Locomotion And Anxiety, Rothem Kovner

Honors Scholar Theses

Nucleus accumbens dopamine (DA) is an important regulator of locomotion. The neuromodulator adenosine also has a role in regulating locomotion. The adenosine A_2A receptor subtype is colocalized with DA D2 receptors on medium spiny neurons in the striatum and nucleus accumbens. Interactions between adenosine A_2A and DA D2 receptor antagonists are significant for regulating various aspects of motor and motivational function. The adenosine A_2A antagonist MSX-3 has been shown to reverse the suppression of locomotion induced by the DA D2 antagonist eticlopride. The structure of MSX-3 was modified to produce the prodrug MSX-4 which has high oral …

Drd2 Polymorphisms Imparting Risk For Schizophrenia, Lauren Paish

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Schizophrenia is a disorder that affects 1% of the population and causes enormous deficits in functioning. The development of this disorder is through unclear mechanisms, yet studies suggest that genetics and dopamine processes play a major role in the manifestation of schizophrenia. This study considers the gene that encodes dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) and how single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) affect alternative splicing of the gene and the balance between the two different protein isoforms, Long (D2L) and Short (D2S). Four mutations (rs12363125 and rs2511521 from intron 5 and rs6275 and rs6277 from exon 7) were studied. Constructs were derived …

The Role Of Self‐Injury In The Organisation Of Behaviour, Curt A. Sandman, Aaron S. Kemp, Christopher Mabini, David Pincus, Magnus Magnusson

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background—Self-injuring acts are among the most dramatic behaviours exhibited by human beings. There is no known single cause and there is no universally agreed upon treatment. Sophisticated sequential and temporal analysis of behaviour has provided alternative descriptions of self-injury that provide new insights into its initiation and maintenance.

Method—Forty hours of observations for each of 32 participants were collected in a contiguous two-week period. Twenty categories of behavioural and environmental events were recorded electronically that captured the precise time each observation occurred. Temporal behavioural/ environmental patterns associated with self-injurious events were revealed with a method (tpatterns; THEME) for …

The Impact Of Sleepiness And Sleep Constructs On Driving Performance, Jennifer Freeman May

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Sleepiness causes performance decrements that lead to thousands of crashes and fatalities annually. Research supports the conclusions that sleep duration and circadian rhythms impact sleepiness and affect driving performance. Conflicting in the literature is whether severity of sleep disorders, sleep quality and subjective sleepiness affect driving performance. The correlation between a driver's perception of their sleepiness and their driving performance is also unclear. The primary goal of this study was to create an in-depth model demonstrating which measures of sleepiness influence driving performance. It was hypothesized that sleep quality, sleep apnea severity and subjective sleepiness add to a model of …

The Association Of Cognitive Function With Autonomic-Cardiovascular Reactivity To And Recovery From Stress, Sanjay Mehta

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The contribution of stress in the development of chronic and terminal disease has garnered significant interest in contemporary research. The current study aims to look at how performance in domains of cognitive function may affect autonomic-cardiovascular reactivity and recovery to psychologically stressful tasks as such reactions, over time, may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease.

The current study analyzed data from 209 healthy middle-age adults. This included four neuropsychological tests utilized here to represent abilities in four different cognitive domains: response inhibition, mental flexibility, verbal memory, and nonverbal memory. The participants were also introduced to three psychologically stressful tasks …

The Impact Of Continuous And Discontinuous Cycle Exercise On Affect: An Examination Of The Dual-Mode Model, Sam Greeley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Low-volume, high-intensity interval training has been garnering attention in the exercise physiology literature recently due to its proposed time-efficiency. Also, recent work comparing continuous exercise to high-intensity interval training demonstrated superior ratings of perceived enjoyment following interval training. However, the dual-mode model suggests that exercise above ventilatory threshold (VT) done continuously will result in an almost homogenous decline in affect, which may reduce adherence.

Numerous studies confirm the dual-mode model's prediction of reduced affect when exercising above VT, but no research to date has applied the model's predictions to interval training. The purpose of this study was to examine the …

Role Of The Ventral Tegmental Area And Nucleus Accumbens For The One-Trial Behavioral Sensitization Of The Preweanling Rat, Alexandria Grace Pothier

Theses Digitization Project

Behavioral sensitization is defined as an increase in behavioral responding that occurs after repeated administration of a psychostimulant. Behavioral sensitization is an important component of the addiction process that is mediated by different brain regions. In this thesis, lidocaine was used to determine those brain areas mediating one-trial behavioral sensitization in preweanling rats.

Paradoxical Behavior Effects Of Dopamine Receptor Inactivation In Preweanling Rats: Role Of The Dorsal Striatum, Taleen Siran Der-Ghazarian

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this thesis was to: a) investigate the effects of intrastriatally administered N-ethoxycarbonyl-2ethoxy-1, 2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ) on nonselective dopamine agonists (NPA) -induced locomotor activity in preweanling and adult rats; b) determine which dopamine receptor subtype (D1- or D2-like) is responsible for modulating EEDQ's paradoxical behavioral effects in preweanling rats; and c) examine the magnitude of EEDQ-induced D1- and D2-like receptor inactivation in both adult and preweanling rats. Subjects were 252 male and female rat pups of Sprague-Dawley descent (Charles River Laboratories, Hollister, CA, USA), born and raised at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB).

Effects Of Sex, Free Testosterone, And Androgen Receptor Cag Repeat Number On Spatial Cognition And Virtual Navigation Performance, Nicole Therese Nowak

Wayne State University Dissertations

The male advantage typically found on some measures of spatial cognition (e.g., mental rotations) has been approached for three decades from the perspective that androgens contribute to this sex difference. To date, evidence to support the notion that androgens affect spatial cognition in healthy young individuals is balanced by evidence to the contrary. The present study sought to clarify the association between androgens and spatial performance by extending our measurements of androgenicity to include both a measure of circulating testosterone as well as a receptor-specific marker.

The aims of this dissertation were to assess the effects of sex, testosterone, and …

Conditioned Response Evoked By Nicotine Conditioned Stimulus Preferentially Induces C-Fos Expression In Medial Regions Of Caudate-Putamen, Sergios Charntikov, Matthew E. Tracy, Changjiu Zhao, Ming Li, Rick A. Bevins

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Nicotine has both unconditioned and conditioned stimulus properties. Conditioned stimulus properties of nicotine may contribute to the tenacity of nicotine addiction. The purpose of this experiment was to use neurohistochemical analysis of rapidly developing c-Fos protein to elucidate neurobiological loci involved in the processing of nicotine as an interoceptive conditioned stimulus (CS). Rats were injected (SC) in an intermixed fashion with saline or nicotine (16 sessions of each) and placed in conditioning chambers where they were given one of the three conditions depending on group assignment: (a) nicotine paired 100% of the time with intermittent access to sucrose (nicotine-CS condition), …

Anthropometric Correlates Of Reproductive Success, Facial Configuration, Risk Taking And Sexual Behaviors Among Indigenous And Western Populations : The Role Of Hand-Grip Strength And Wrist Width, Jeremy Andrew Atkinson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Correlating a sexually dimorphic trait with reproductive success (RS) remains the `gold standard' in evolutionary psychology research. Within each sex, if more dimorphic individuals have increased RS then this is strong evidence that the trait is an important phenotypic fitness marker and potentially used as a same-sex and/or mate-assessment criterion. Many studies have investigated some of these traits, like shoulder to hip ratio (SHR) in males and waist to hip ratio (WHR) in females and have found that a more sex-typical body configuration does indeed indicate higher phenotypic quality and is used in mate assessment. However these traits are aggregate …

Amygdalar Stimulation Produces Alterations On Firing Properties Of Hippocampal Place Cells, Eun Joo Kim, Earnest S. Kim, Mijeong Park, Jeiwon Cho, Jeansok J. Kim

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

Stress is a biologically ubiquitous factor that, when perceived uncontrollable by humans and animals, can have lingering adverse effects on brain and cognitive functions. We have previously reported that rats that experienced inescapable-unpredictable stress subsequently exhibited decreased stability of firing rates of place cells in the CA1 hippocampus, accompanied by impairments in CA1 long-term synaptic potentiation and spatial memory consolidation. Because the elevated level of glucocorticoid hormones and the heightened amygdalar activity have been implicated in the emergence of stress effects on the hippocampus, we investigated whether administration of corticosterone and electrical stimulation of the amygdala can produce stress-like alterations …

Sex Differences In The Dopaminergic Regulation Of Courtship, But Not Pairing Behaviors In Zebra Finches, Erin Marie Lowrey

Wayne State University Theses

Dopamine is one of the key ingredients in the glue that cements social bonds in vertebrates. The D2 dopamine receptor has been implicated in the regulation of monogamous pair bonding in the prairie vole. While dopamine affects courtship behaviors in the male zebra finch, the behavioral role of dopamine acting at D2 receptors in both males and females deserves further attention. We hypothesized that the D2 receptor would regulate courtship and pairing behaviors in the male and female zebra finch. Sixteen males and females were tested using a repeated measures design. On day 1, the zebra finches were injected with …

Suicide Gatekeeper Training For Mental Health Professionals And Paraprofessionals As A Community Based Prevention Strategy, Andrew Guilfoyle

ECU Research Week

No abstract provided.

Functional Outcomes In A Postacute Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program, Esther Brahmstadt

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate functional outcomes among individuals with acquired brain injury who received treatment at a postacute brain injury rehabilitation program over a 3-year period (2008 to 2010). Participation in community and/or social roles, supervision required, and adaptive functioning outcomes were evaluated in a sample of 109 adults (71% male, 29% female; 88.1% White, 11.9% non-White; 67.9% injured at 18 years of age or older, 32.1% injured at under 18 years of age). Contrary to the hypotheses, there was a statistically significant increase in adaptive functioning and supervision required scores, suggesting increasing impairment over time. …

Investigation Into The Specificity Of Angiotensin Ii-Induced Behavioral Desensitization, Peter J. Vento, Kevin P. Myers, Derek Daniels

Faculty Journal Articles

Angiotensin II (AngII) plays a key role in maintaining body fluid homeostasis. The physiological and behavioral effects of central AngII include increased blood pressure and fluid intake. In vitro experiments demonstrate that repeated exposure to AngII reduces the efficacy of subsequent AngII, and behavioral studies indicate that prior icv AngII administration reduces the dipsogenic response to AngII administered later. Specifically, rats given a treatment regimen of three icv injections of a large dose of AngII, each separated by 20 min, drink less water in response to a test injection of AngII than do vehicle-treated controls given the same test injection. …