Hormonal Modulation Of Sexual Approach And Avoidance Among Women With A History Of Sexual Trauma, Anneliis Susan Sartin-Tarm

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

A history of sexual trauma places women at a high risk for sexual dysfunction and other health sequelae, yet the influence of ovarian hormones in this population is poorly understood. This dissertation tested the theory that the effects of ovarian hormones are mediated by cognitive approach-avoidance systems to shape sexual well-being, and that this process is moderated by sexual trauma history. This was investigated across three studies examining the menstrual cycle, hormonal contraceptive use, and menopause. Across each chapter, I present complementary evidence demonstrating that hormones interact with the interpretation of ambiguous internal and external cues with respect to sexual …

Beyond The Genome: The Racialized Exposome, Flourishing, And Stress Biology In African Americans, A Non-Exhaustive Review, Enye Washington

University Honors Theses

Racial health disparities remain an enduring challenge in the United States, disproportionately impacting African American communities through higher rates of chronic disease and premature mortality. This non-exhaustive literature explores how the racialized exposome - a term denoting the totality of social, environmental, and structural stressors rooted in systemic racism - biologically embeds itself via stress-responsive pathways. Specifically, it examines the interaction between racial stress, flourishing, and key biological markers, including allostatic load and telomere length, considering the gut-brain axis. The review highlights robust evidence that chronic exposure to racial discrimination and structural adversity contributes to multisystem dysregulation and accelerated cellular …

The Neurobehavioral Consequences Of Prenatal Opioid Exposure On The Play Behavior Of Juvenile Rats, Rebecca S. Smart

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Prenatal opioid exposure has increased as a consequence of both increased Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and prescription use for treatment of pain and OUD. However, human studies on prenatal opioid exposure are complicated by several confounding variables and thus, use of an animal model can lessen these confounds. Illicit use of opioids produces fluctuating blood levels whereas prescribed use of opioids results in stabilized blood levels of opioids. Our first study sought to determine if different methods of opioid administration, resulting in differing blood levels of opioids, would impact social play, a developmentally important behavior that is modulated by the …

Neuroanatomical And Morphometric Differences In Children Who Stutter, Mohammad A. Khan

Honors Scholar Theses

Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder commonly known as stuttering is a neurodevelopmental speech disorder characterized by disruptions in speech fluency. While genetic and neurobiological factors are implicated, the structural brain differences underlying stuttering remain unclear. This study investigated neuroanatomical alterations in children who stutter (CWS) compared to typically fluent children (TFC), focusing on gray matter volume, cortical thickness, and surface area in speech-related regions; the Inferior Frontal Gyrus, Middle Temporal Gyrus, and Pre-motor Operculum. High-resolution MRI data from 100 children (48 CWS, 52 TFC) aged 3–12 years were analyzed using FreeSurfer. Group comparisons revealed no statistically significant differences in cortical thickness, surface …

Claiming More To Cope: Does Ostracism Increase Overclaiming?, Katy Q. Chen

Honors Theses

In a pre-registered online study, we investigated the relationship between ostracism and overclaiming. Ostracism is the act of deliberately or unintentionally excluding and ignoring others. Overclaiming refers to the behavior of exaggerating one’s knowledge or familiarity with specific topics, often as a way of attempting to present oneself as more knowledgeable or competent than one actually is. Drawing from the temporal need-threat model, we hypothesized that ostracized individuals, as a compensatory response, would likely overclaim more compared to included individuals. This online study simulated a work experience where participants were asked to answer questions about their work-related experiences and opinions. …

Fear Of Pain In Migraine: Psychological Factors In Perceptions Of Headache Triggers, Sarah Basha, Todd Smitherman

Honors Theses

Migraine is a debilitating neurological disorder affecting millions worldwide, with substantial societal and personal burdens. Psychological factors, particularly fear of pain, may influence migraine experience by impacting perceptions of headache triggers. This study investigates the relationship between fear of pain and perceived triggers in individuals with migraine. A sample of 2,959 young adults meeting diagnostic criteria for migraine completed a structured diagnostic interview and self-report measures of fear of pain, headache-related disability, and beliefs about headache triggers (which stimuli triggered headache, most important triggers, and likelihood of developing a headache upon exposure to the most important trigger [trigger potency]). Linear …

Poor Sleep Quality Is Associated With Decreased Structural Coherence Of Mesolimbic Dopamine Projections In Children, William A. Walker

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Insomnia is the second most common mental disorder that affects approximately 10% of the population. An additional one-third of the population experiences occasional symptoms of insomnia like difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Sleep quality is also a key indicator of overall mental and physical health; however, researchers have only begun to study the effects of the structure of the mesolimbic pathway on sleep cycle regulation and quality. Emerging research suggests that mesolimbic dopamine projections from the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) to the Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc) play a role in sleep-wake regulation. In this study, I analyzed data from the …

Atypical Morphometry And Connectivity Of The Cortico-Striatal-Thalamo-Cortical Circuit In Children And Adolescents With Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: A Population At Ultra-High Risk For Developing Obsessive-Compulsive And Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Amanda I. Rowan

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder associated with serious medical, cognitive, and psychiatric conditions, including significantly elevated risk for obsessive-compulsive (OCD) and/or schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SCZ). The cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) neural circuit is critical for cognitive and emotional processing. Dysfunction of the CSTC circuit is implicated in the etiopathology of both OCD and SCZ but has not been specifically examined in individuals with 22q11.2DS. This study used structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), along with standardized psychological and cognitive measures, to investigate atypical morphometry and white matter connectivity within CSTC-related brain regions in …

Behavioral Factors Contributing To Initiation And Maintenance Of Adolescent Alcohol Consumption In Rats, Alexandra N. Tejada

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Adolescent alcohol consumption is a prevalent and significant public health issue. This exposure to alcohol leads to an increased vulnerability to alcohol use disorder (AUD) or other cognitive deficits later in adulthood. The current study aimed to explore the behavioral and circadian factors contributing to the initiation and maintenance of alcohol consumption during adolescence in rats. We investigated whether the baseline social aggression, anxiety-like behaviors, working memory, and sleep/wake activity patterns could be predictors of adolescent ethanol intake. Male and female Long Evans rats (N=36) were tested in the following behavioral assays: social play, open field, and spontaneous alternation tasks, …

Investigating Prefrontal Cortex Neuronal Signatures Of Opioid-Induced Risk-Taking Behavior, Cana Quave

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Opioid use disorder occurs alongside impaired risk-related decision-making, but the underlying neural correlates are unclear. We developed an approach-avoidance conflict task using a modified conditioned place preference procedure to study neural signals of risky opioid seeking in the prefrontal cortex, a region implicated in executive decision-making. Following morphine conditioned place preference, rats underwent a conflict test in which fear-inducing cat odor was introduced in the previously drug-paired side of the apparatus. While the saline-exposed control group avoided cat odor, the morphine group included two subsets of rats that either maintained a preference for the paired side despite the presence of …

Prenatal Development, Huda Abu-Suwa, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Prenatal refers to the period of time between conception and birth. As such, prenatal development is the process in which a fetus develops in its mother’s womb. This period typically lasts nine months. Prenatal development can be divided into three stages: the germinal stage, the embryonic stage, and the fetal stage (Lally & Valentine-French, 2019).

Heredity, Chris Burley, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Heredity is the sum of biological processes that result in the transmission of genetic traits from parents to their offspring, making each individual unique. Through the transmission of genetic traits, heredity is responsible for each individual’s genotype, as well as his or her phenotype. The genes that are passed down from generation to generation have a considerable influence on psychological characteristics including intelligence, personality, mental health, and patterns of behavior. However, when considering psychological characteristics passed down through heredity, it is vital that environmental aspects are also considered.

Bio-Physiological Development During Adulthood, Maria Boix Braga, Charles J. Golden, Lisa K. Lashley

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Defining adulthood, and what the criteria truly is to be able to consider oneself an adult, varies from culture to culture. Biologically, adulthood can also be defined as the period in which full physical and intellectual maturity has been attained. It is a period that is defined slightly differently depending on the source, but it is agreed that it tends to be considered the life period between ages 18 and 60. However, the definition of adulthood can have varying legal and sociocultural factors as well. For example, the legal definition of an adult is a person who has reached the …

Psychomotor Speed In Old Age, Cheryl Chakranarayan, Nathan C. Weed

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Psychomotor ability is defined in terms of the relationship between cognitive functions and motor activities. It plays an important role in acquiring and carrying out a broad range of physical skills and coordinated behaviors, such as playing a sport, or in everyday activities like pouring a glass of milk or applying makeup. Psychomotor speed therefore is the rate at which a certain psychomotor behavior can be carried out. Because of the relevance of psychomotor speed to many areas of personal functioning, it has been extensively studied in a wide variety of applied contexts including sports performance, personnel selection within the …

How Childhood Maltreatment Shapes Brain Regions: Considerations For Speech-Language Pathology, Alexa G. Sees

Honors Thesis

Childhood maltreatment is a pervasive issue that affects millions of children worldwide, leading to alterations in key structures such as the limbic system, basal ganglia, corpus callosum, visual cortex, and language areas. These changes result in significant cognitive, emotional, and neurological consequences, such as learning deficits, emotional regulation issues, memory problems, reduced vocabulary size, speech errors, etc. This thesis explores the neurological effects of childhood maltreatment and their implications for speech-language pathology, highlighting how maltreatment-induced brain changes affect areas within the scope of speech-language pathology, such as social communication, language development, and behavior management. These results underscore the importance of …

Psilocybin Impairs The Extinction Of Contextual Fear In Adult Female, But Not Male, Rats, Lillianna P. Puppel, Aleece K. Al-Olimat, Kylie M. King, Marisa J. Savini, Claire E. Miller, Colin R. Del Valle, Heather R. Sparkman, Brooke E. Bramlage, Phillip R. Zoladz

ONU Student Research Colloquium

Fear-related disorders are often treated with exposure therapy, a technique based on the concept of extinction. However, this type of therapy is ineffective for many individuals, so finding a pharmacological adjunct that augments the extinction of fear could lead to better treatment outcomes. In recent preclinical work, investigators have shown that psychedelics can accelerate the extinction of fear, potentially through their impact on neurotrophic signaling. We previously found that psilocybin exerted sex-dependent effects on the extinction of conditioned fear to an isolated cue (i.e., a tone). Specifically, psilocybin enhanced the extinction of cue fear in male rats but impaired it …

The Impact Of Perceived Discrimination On Mental And Physical Health Among The Hispanic Immigrant Population, Cheyla Tabares Cuesta

Undergraduate Theses

Discrimination has profoundly shaped the lives of individuals within disadvantaged communities, but its impact on mental and physical health has often been overlooked. In this project, I review literature on perceived discrimination based on immigrant status and its effects on psychological and physical health and examine a potential mediator and moderator of these relationships. Specifically, the relationships between immigration-based discrimination and both mental health and physical health may be mediated by perceived stress, meaning that discrimination may lead to higher stress levels, which results in poorer health outcomes. Furthermore, these relationships may be moderated by psychological resilience; individuals with higher …

From Theory To Practice: A True-Crime Podcast, Lauren V. Peckham

Senior Honors Projects

The Criminal Element is an innovative, victim-centered podcast that bridges the gap between criminological theory and real-world criminal cases. The podcast is designed as an educational resource for undergraduate Criminology and Criminal Justice students, alongside general audience members interested in learning more about criminological theory. Through the lens of true crime, this podcast is an engaging exploration of foundational and advanced theories while avoiding sensationalism and exploitation, a prevalent problem among true crime media. Each episode connects criminological theoretical concepts – such as strain, social learning, and social disorganization – to contemporary and historical cases, providing listeners with accessible and …

Stress As A Means Of Success: Investigating The Effect Of Stress Appraisals On Willpower, Ego Depletion, And Physiological Responses In College Students, Anna Minor

Honors College Theses

Stress impacts our emotions, cognition, behavior, and health. Although stress is abundant and unavoidable, recent research suggests our perception of stress can strongly influence its outcomes. The Biopsychosocial Model of Challenge and Threat (BPS) states that we appraise a stressful scenario in one of two ways: challenge or threat. A challenge appraisal involves a positive perception of stress and is associated with lower physiological output while a threat appraisal involves a negative perception of stress and increased physiological arousal. The current research seeks to apply the BPS to a cognitive task and consider its relation to willpower, ego depletion, and …

Investigating The Relationship Among Environmental Factors, Reproductive Status, And Stress In A Preclinical Model Of Endocrine Function In Women’S Translational Health, Bianca A. Camacho, Laura Emma Garcia, Raquel Villarreal, Mario Gil

Research Symposium

Background: The average menstrual cycle of a healthy adult woman is a duration of approximately 28 days, during which in the follicular phase (first 14 days) the progesterone hormone is at a stable level while estrogen increases to its peak level on day 14. Day 14 is known as ovulation, during which progesterone increases during its Luteinizing Hormone (LH) surge while estrogen decreases. Menses, known colloquially as a woman’s “period,” begins approximately at day 14 after ovulation and lasts an average of 7 days. The luteal phase, otherwise known as the secretory phase, lasts for the remaining 14 days until …

Contraceptive Hormone Influences On The Role Of Primary Reinforcement And Reinforcer-Enhancement In Nicotine Self-Administration, Kathleen Robin Mcnealy

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Hormonal contraceptives contain a synthetic estrogen (e.g., ethinyl estradiol/EE) and/or a synthetic progestin (e.g., levonorgestrel/LEVO) and can exacerbate nicotine intake. However, whether altered intake reflects changes in nicotine reinforcement or enhancement by nicotine of co-occurring reinforcers is unknown. This reinforcer-enhancement effect is evidenced in rats when nicotine self-administration is increased by the presence of a visual stimulus (VS) reinforcer. This dissertation examined the effects of EE and LEVO on nicotine reinforcement and reinforcer-enhancement in ovary-intact female Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were implanted with a jugular catheter and assigned to receive daily injections of EE (Vehicle, 0.125 [Low], or 0.18 [High] μg/day; …

Excitation And Polarization Of Isolated Neurons By High-Frequency Sine Waves For Temporal Interference Stimulation, Iurii Semenov, Vitalii Kim, Giedre Silkuniene, Andrei G. Pakhomov

Bioelectrics Publications

The capacity of temporal interference (TI) stimulation to target deep brain regions without affecting nearby surface electrodes remains uncertain. Using artifact-free optical recording, we compare excitation patterns and thresholds in hippocampal neurons stimulated by “pure” and amplitude-modulated sine waves, representing TI waveforms near electrodes and at the target, respectively. We show that pure 2- and 20-kHz sine waves induce repetitive firing at rates that increase up to 60–90 Hz with stronger electric fields. Beyond this limit, action potentials merge into sustained depolarization, resulting in an excitation block. Modulating the sine waves at 20 Hz aligns firing with amplitude “beats” and …

Igf-1 As A Biomarker For Symptom Severity In Adult Traumatic Brain Injury: Evidence From An Observational Study, Justin Weppner, Kimberly Rosenthal, Jennifer Bath, Tonja Locklear, Melissa Martinez

Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Faculty Publications

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related growth hormone deficiency is often undertreated, despite documented physical, metabolic, and neuropsychiatric effects. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), with neuroreceptors located in brain regions responsible for learning, memory, and mood, regulates cerebral blood flow, neurogenesis, and neuroplasticity. The aim of this study was to determine associations between IGF-1 levels and post-TBI symptom severity, anxiety, and depression. This retrospective observational study at an Academic Brain Injury Center included participants evaluated 3-12 months post-TBI with available IGF-1 values and complete Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ-13), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) responses. Patients under 18 or …

Resilience And Reality: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of People Living With Hiv In Texas During The Covid-19 Pandemic – A Qualitative Study., Ahmed F. Alanazi

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This study investigated the lived experiences of individuals living with HIV (PLWH) in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area of Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic, using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework. The research examined the intersection of health, social dynamics, and psychological resilience among PLWH, who faced compounded vulnerabilities due to systemic inequities and the dual public health crises of HIV and COVID-19. Through semi-structured interviews with ten participants from diverse backgrounds, the study captured the profound impacts of disrupted healthcare systems, heightened stigma, and social isolation on this marginalized population. The findings reveal that the pandemic exacerbated existing inequities …

Can Dyslexia Diagnosis Induce A Stereotype Threat Effect? A Literature Review And Research Proposal, David H. Harris

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Dyslexia is a recognized psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM-5, categorized as a specific language disorder. Dyslexia is a hidden disability that affects how individuals process auditory and visual information. Many people have heard of dyslexia but it is largely misunderstood, even by educational professionals, and its general association with learning disability can be the basis for negative stereotyping and discrimination of people with dyslexia. The ‘Stereotype threat effect’ is a term from social psychology research referring to situations where one’s performance on a task is influenced by their identification with a social group that has a well-known stereotype about their …

Testosterone Reactivity And Parental Care Motivation In Men As A Function Of Parental Status, Nathan Boone

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Paternal investment and caregiving quality have lasting impacts on children's well-being. Children with sensitive, involved fathers typically develop more secure attachments and have fewer behavioral and psychological problems than children with less sensitive and involved fathers. While the importance of fathers’ engagement with their children is well established, the biological mechanisms that underpin paternal behavior are not fully understood. Previous research has found that baseline testosterone levels and testosterone reactivity to infant stimuli are both relevant predictors of paternal sensitivity. Short-term decreases in testosterone in nurturant contexts, and short-term increases in testosterone in challenging contexts have both been linked to …

A Comparative Analysis Of Perineuronal Nets In Trout And Zebrafish Models, Adnan Alyan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are specialized extracellular matrix structures that surround certain types of neurons in the central nervous system. Research from the past few decades has cemented PNNs as an integral player in the closure and onset of critical periods, memory modulation, and neural plasticity. These effects are thought to occur when PNNs form around a neuron and structurally stabilize its synaptic connections. PNNs have been directly linked to behavioral changes, making them of interest to psychologists as well as neuroscientists. Several PNN components, such as Hapln1 and aggrecan such as have been found in zebrafish, a teleost fish (Kang …

Racial Health Disparities Among Pregnant Women Of Color In New York City: Biological And Systemic Impacts, Kaylin Peña

Pitzer Senior Theses

Racial Health Disparities Among Pregnant Women of Color in New York City: Biological and Systemic Impacts

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore how racial health disparities, underrepresentation in gynecology, and socioeconomic barriers contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes among women of color in New York City. Through an interdisciplinary approach that combines resources from medical anthropology and human biology, this research will examine the biological implications of chronic stress, specifically HPA axis dysregulation, and its role in maternal health outcomes. With the idea of intersectionality, as conceptualized by Kimberlé Crenshaw, the study analyzes the various effects of systemic inequities and social …

The Menstrual Cycle, Dual-Hormone Hypothesis, And Competition: Implications For Athletic Performance, Camille Burns

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Female athletes perceive that the fluctuating hormones of the menstrual cycle affect their performance. However, research on objective performance is inconclusive, partly due to a lack of studies conducted in real-world competitive contexts. Testosterone is often seen to be elevated near ovulation and is related to social competitiveness. Under the dual-hormone hypothesis, testosterone only predicts competitive behavior when cortisol is low. The current study had two goals: (1) to test whether the dual-hormone hypothesis applied to competitive drive and objective athletic performance, and (2) to examine whether competitiveness and the intensity of one’s response to competition varied across the menstrual …

Exploring The Placebo Effect On The Cortisol Stress Response, Povheng Yam

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The placebo effect is well-studied on pain perception and is often observed to have a pain-reducing effect in patients. A few studies suggest that the placebo effect can influence physiological changes in people. To date, not many studies have examined the placebo effect on stress; thus, the current study explored the placebo effect on participants’ cortisol stress response and self-reported stress while undergoing a modified acute stress task, the Sing-a-Song Stress Test (SSST). The current study includes 44 participants (22 in the control group and 22 in the treatment group). A deceptive stress-reducing tincture (filled with water) was used as …