Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons^™

Visualizing Dopamine Activity In Deletion Of D2 Receptors In Medium Spiny Neurons, Kunhee Lee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Dopamine has been implicated in motivated behaviors and reinforcement learning. In this study, we are looking at the role of dopamine in allocating efforts when obtaining reward. Using Cre recombinase genetic tool, D2 receptors in striatal indirect pathway neurons were selectively deleted, and dopamine signal was recorded in ventral striatum using fiber photometry. Behaviorally, D2 receptor deletion resulted in less effort in a Progressive Ratio (PR) paradigm shown by decreased breakpoint, number of presses, and reward pellets earned. Due to the previous evidence that dopamine positively modulates effort, we hypothesized that there would be less dopamine release in D2 deleted …

Attenuated Typicality Effect In Category-Based Inferences: Implications For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Janani Rajagopalan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often encounter challenges in assimilating atypical exemplars into their categorical prototypes, a cognitive hurdle that can impact their interpretative and integrative capacities. Addressing this problem, the present research sought to develop a robust methodological approach to reduce the effect of this disparity. We examined the elements embedded within the category's internal structure, with the intention of experimentally attenuating the pronounced typicality effect, which is often exaggerated in ASD.

Across four experiments, the thesis investigated the cognitive and neural underpinnings that shape the access to the typicality gradient intrinsic to a category's structure. The …

Exploring The Effects Of Christian Worldviews On Heart Rate, Stress, And Adjustment After Loss In Bereaved Individuals, Emma Radini Ratnavel

Honors Scholar Theses

The objective of this study is to investigate the correlation between Christian values, perceptions of God, and physiological stress, assessed through heart rate, among individuals who are experiencing grief due to the loss of a loved one. Previous studies have analyzed various physiological effects on the body. There are very few studies that examine the correlation between Christian values and heart rate in bereaved participants. To explore these topics further, this study analyzes 59 undergraduate students who have recently lost a loved one, identify as a Christian, and are at least 18 years old. The participants' perceptions of God and …

Assessing Blood Oxygen Level–Dependent Signal Variability As A Biomarker Of Brain Injury In Sport-Related Concussion, Evan D. Anderson, Tanveer Talukdar, Grace Goodwin, Valentina Di Pietro, Kamal M. Yakoub, Christopher E. Zwilling, David Davies, Antonio Belli, Aron K. Barbey

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Mild traumatic brain injury is a complex neurological disorder of significant concern among athletes who play contact sports. Athletes who sustain sport-related concussion typically undergo physical examination and neurocognitive evaluation to determine injury severity and return-to-play status. However, traumatic disruption to neurometabolic processes can occur with minimal detectable anatomic pathology or neurocognitive alteration, increasing the risk that athletes may be cleared for return-to-play during a vulnerable period and receive a repetitive injury. This underscores the need for sensitive functional neuroimaging methods to detect altered cerebral physiology in concussed athletes. The present study compared the efficacy of Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and …

Oleoylethanolamide Facilitates Pparα And Tfeb Signaling And Attenuates Aβ Pathology In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Michele M Comerota, Manasee Gedam, Wen Xiong, Feng Jin, Lisheng Deng, Meng C Wang, Jin Wang, Hui Zheng

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Age is the strongest risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Besides the pathological hallmarks of β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, emerging evidence demonstrates a critical role of microglia and neuroinflammation in AD pathogenesis. Oleoylethanolamide (OEA) is an endogenous lipid amide that has been shown to promote lifespan and healthspan in C. elegans through regulation of lysosome-to-nucleus signaling and cellular metabolism. The goal of our study was to determine the role of OEA in the mediation of microglial activity and AD pathology using its stable analog, KDS-5104.

METHODS: We used primary microglial cultures and genetic and …

Identification Of Structural Brain Alterations In Adolescents With Depressive Symptomatology, J. Bashford‑Largo, R. James R. Blair, Karina S. Blair, Matthew Dobbertin, Ahria Dominguez, Melissa Hatch, Sahil Bajaj

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Depressive symptoms can emerge as early as childhood and may lead to adverse situations in adulthood. Studies have examined structural brain alternations in individuals with depressive symptoms, but findings remain inconclusive. Furthermore, previous studies have focused on adults or used a categorical approach to assess depression. The current study looks to identify grey matter volumes (GMV) that predict depressive symptomatology across a clinically concerning sample of adolescents.

Methods: Structural MRI data were collected from 338 clinically concerning adolescents (mean age = 15.30 SD=2.07; mean IQ = 101.01 SD=12.43; 132 F). Depression symptoms were indexed via the Mood …

Academic Motivation Decreases Across Adolescence For Youth With And Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Effects Of Motivation On Academic Success, Zoe Smith, Marcus Flax, Stephen P. Becker, Joshua Langberg

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This longitudinal study examined growth trajectories of academic motivation in youth with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) across the important developmental transition from middle school to high school, and associations with academic success. Consistent with self-determination theory (SDT) of motivation, trajectories of amotivation, extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation were modeled.

Decision Making Under Uncertainty – Percieved House Edge Or Game Outcome, Haocheng Zhou

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Past studies have suggested that decision-making strategies are crucial for players in casino gambling, yet few studies have explored players' preferences for slot machines. This study focused on the impact of jackpot payouts, the perceived house edge, and psychological factors on the decision-making of slot machine players. With regard to Prospect theory, Outcome Prominence Effect, and Construal Level Theory, this study utilized convenience sampling and scenario-based surveys to collect data. A total of 416 experienced slot players participated in the survey. The survey results were examined using Chi-square analysis, Bonferroni correction, and the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. The results showed that …

Predicting Suicide Attempt History: Self-Report And Objective Measures Of Pain, Boriana Lassiter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

The aim of this study was to replicate a factor analysis of the Painful and Provocative Events Scale (PPES), to test whether commonly used self-report measures associated with the Interpersonal Theory of (IPTS) would predict suicide attempt status and suicidal history, and to test whether physical pain sensitivity would differentiate suicide attempers, ideators, and those with no suicidal history (controls). Factor analysis of the PPES yielded a 5-factor solution consisting of Rare and Illegal Activities, Abuse Experience, Dangerous Sports, Medical Trauma, and Body Modification. Only Abuse Experience predicted suicide attempt status and overall suicidal history. Abuse Experience, the Psychache Scale, …

Using Behavior Sequence Analysis To Study Teams During Long- Duration Isolation And Confinement, Andres Käosaar, Dr. Nathan Smith, Dr. David A. Keatley, Pranav Ambhorkar, Dr. Moritz Von Looz, Konstantinos Konstantinidis

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

With a renewed impetus and appetite for human space exploration, both government-funded agencies and private companies are focusing on longer and farther crewed missions into the solar system. Such space missions rely on highly interdependent teams living and working together in isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments. Understanding the behavioral patterns of teams in ICE environments is, thus, paramount for the future success of such missions. Due to the complexity of studying ICE teams, several researchers have called for methodological innovations to advance knowledge in this area. In the current research, a proof-of-concept methodological approach is introduced that provides a …

Previous Health Care Experiences’ Influence On Health Care Perceptions Among Residents In Six Homeless Shelters In Seattle, Washington, July–October 2021, Ashley A. Meehan, Sarah N. Cox, Nicholas B. Thuo, Julia H. Rogers, Amy C. Link, Miguel A. Martinez, Natalie K. Lo, Brian J. Manns, Melissa A. Rolfes, Eric J. Chow, Helen Y. Chu, Emily Mosites, Morhaf Al Achkar

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: The study purpose was to learn and describe 1) where homeless shelter residents receive health care, 2) what contributes to positive or negative health care experiences among shelter residents, and 3) shelter resident perceptions toward health care.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews (SSIs) utilizing purposive sampling and focus group discussions (FGDs) utilizing convenience sampling were conducted at 6 homeless shelters in Seattle-King County, Washington, during July–October 2021. All residents (age ≥ 18) were eligible to participate. SSIs were conducted with 25 residents, and 8 FGDs were held. Thematic analysis was conducted using Dedoose.

Results: Participants received health care …

Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms In Depression: A Review, Danyon J. Anderson, Alise Aucoin, Colton R. Toups, Devin Cormier, Matthew Mcdonald, Jamal Hasoon, Omar Viswanath, Alan D. Kaye, Ivan Urits

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) are frequently present in the general population as patients age with approximately a third of individuals experiencing LUTS during their lifetime. LUTS can be further defined as having any of the following symptoms: urinary hesitancy, straining, nocturia, increased urination frequency, and dysuria. LUTS has the potential for patients to contribute their symptoms to what can normally occur as we age. This can lead to a decrease in patients seeking care and could negatively impact patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQL). In conjunction with LUTS, we obtained from our analysis that LUTS and depression are closely …

Incorporating Poi As A Therapeutic Modality For Preschool Aged Children In The Care Clinic, Danielle Zirkle

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Acute Agitation Intervention Tool For Reduction Of Polypharmacy, Brooks J. Propst

Dissertations

Introduction: Patients with behavioral health diagnoses are among the highest risk for
aggression. For pediatric patients with behavioral health needs, urgent treatment is
needed for aggressive behavior, due to the potential unwanted outcomes. The purpose of this Quality Improvement (QI) pilot project was to implement an Acute Agitation Intervention Tool that uses the Broset Violence Checklist (BVC) to guide
pharmacological intervention for mild and moderate to severe agitation in pediatric
patients with behavioral health needs ages 8 to 18 to decrease the number of medications that patients are getting per agitation event over a 12-week period.

Methods: This QI included …

Self-Care Practices In Doctoral Nursing Students And Effects On Educational Experience, Megan Lutman

Dissertations

Problem: Doctoral nursing students are often faced with stressors on top of their schooling, one of which is continuing to work while pursuing their education. This in combination with normal life stressors can be challenging. The purpose of this project was to survey doctoral nursing students on what their current self-care practices.

Methods: An exploratory needs assessment project was created to gather data from Doctor of Nursing practice (DNP) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) nursing students in an urban, mid-sized, Midwestern, public university to identify current self-care practices, barriers to self-care, preference of self-care practices, and the impact these …

Specialized Late Cingulo-Opercular Network Activation Elucidates The Mechanisms Underlying Decisions About Ambiguity, Jordan E. Pierce, Nathan M. Petro, Elizabeth Clancy, Caterina Gratton, Steven E. Petersen, Maital Neta

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Cortical task control networks, including the cingulo-opercular (CO) network play a key role in decision-making across a variety of functional domains. In particular, the CO network functions in a performance reporting capacity that supports successful task performance, especially in response to errors and ambiguity. In two studies testing the contribution of the CO network to ambiguity processing, we presented a valence bias task in which masked clearly and ambiguously valenced emotional expressions were slowly revealed over several seconds. This slow reveal task design provides a window into the decision-making mechanisms as they unfold over the course of a trial. In …

Effects Of Sex And Estrous Cycle On Intravenous Oxycodone Self-Administration And The Reinstatement Of Oxycodone-Seeking Behavior In Rats, Nicole M. Hinds, Ireneusz D. Wojtas, Corinne A. Gallagher, Claire M. Corbett, Daniel F. Manvich

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

The increasing misuse of both prescription and illicit opioids has culminated in a national healthcare crisis in the United States. Oxycodone is among the most widely prescribed and misused opioid pain relievers and has been associated with a high risk for transition to compulsive opioid use. Here, we sought to examine potential sex differences and estrous cycle-dependent effects on the reinforcing efficacy of oxycodone, as well as on stress-induced or cue-induced oxycodone-seeking behavior, using intravenous (IV) oxycodone self-administration and reinstatement procedures. In experiment 1, adult male and female Long-Evans rats were trained to self-administer 0.03 mg/kg/inf oxycodone according to a …

Unmet Needs And Coping Strategies Of Older Underserved Veterans During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Trenton M. Haltom, Joyce Tiong, Tracy L. Evans, Nipa Kamdar, Gala True, Mark E. Kunik

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound impacts on people with diabetes, a group with high morbidity and mortality. Factors like race, age, income, Veteran-status, and limited or interrupted resources early in the COVID-19 pandemic compounded risks for negative health outcomes. Our objective was to characterize the experiences and needs of under-resourced Veterans with type 2 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews (March through September 2021) with U.S. military Veterans with diabetes. Transcripts were analyzed using a team-based, iterative process of summarizing and coding to identify key themes. Participants included Veterans (n = 25) who …

A Public Health Educational Campaign For Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (Suid) Intervention, Elia G. Peralta Landeros

Master's Projects and Capstones

Purpose: The rate of infant mortality serves as a crucial indicator of the overall health of society (CDC, 2022). The five leading causes of infant mortality are birth defects, preterm birth, sudden infant death syndrome, injuries, and maternal pregnancy complications. The prevalence of infant mortality varies across states, with eastern states and minority-ethnicity infants having higher prevalence. This thesis proposes utilizing the Safe to Sleep framework to introduce Giving Breath, a public health education campaign that introduced breastfeeding as an intervention to Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID).

Methods:

1. Analyze current and new policies' impact on women's rights to breastfeed …

Arnold-Chiari Malformation-I Borderline Personality Disorder, Aric Huber, Matthew Driben, Eduardo Espiridion

Transformative Medicine

Introduction:
Arnold-Chiari Malformation I (AM-I) is a congenital anomaly that manifests with cerebellar dysfunction. There is a displacement of cerebellar tonsils into the foramen magnum. Several mood disorders, personality disorders, and intellectual disabilities are associated with AM-I. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by symptoms of mood lability, impulsivity, extreme efforts of abandonment, splitting and dysfunctional relationships.

Case Description:
The patient is an early aged adult with a past medical history of AM-I, hypothyroidism, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and diabetes mellitus type II. The patient was admitted to the hospital after ingesting foreign bodies. He/she presented with mood lability, sad mood, anhedonia, …