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The Contribution Of Genes And Hormones To The Sexual Differention Of The Zebra Finch Song System, Jessica Bayley Thompson 2010 Wayne State University

The Contribution Of Genes And Hormones To The Sexual Differention Of The Zebra Finch Song System, Jessica Bayley Thompson

Wayne State University Theses

Recent studies in the zebra finch suggest the sexual differentiation of the song system and singing behavior may not be solely driven by steroid hormones organizing the brain, and may be genetically driven. In fact, genes and hormones might act together to produce sexual differentiation of the brain. To test this hypothesis, animals were implanted with a 1mm pellet containing 50ug of 17b-estradiol or a blank pellet on the third day post-hatching. At post-hatch day 25, the brains were collected and a double label fluorescence in situ hybridization protocol using biotin and digoxigenin-tagged mRNA probes was used to simultaneously label …


Effects Of Chronic Paroxetine And Fluoxetine Treatment On Markers Of Suicidal Behavior In Adolescent Rats, Leslie Renee Horn 2010 California State University, San Bernardino

Effects Of Chronic Paroxetine And Fluoxetine Treatment On Markers Of Suicidal Behavior In Adolescent Rats, Leslie Renee Horn

Theses Digitization Project

Major depression is a common problem in adolescents. Unfortunately, one of the most effective antidepressants in adults, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) paroxetine, is not clinically effective in pediatric populations. There are many variables that increase the risk of suicide including genetic, social, psychological, and biological factors, making the evaluation of the effect of SSRIs on suicidal behavior difficult to assess in human adolescents. The goal of the present investigation was to compare the effects of paroxetine and fluoxetine in adolescent rats on markers associated with depression and suicidal behavior in humans.


Environmental Enrichment Attenuates Nucleus Basalis Lesion Induced Impairments To Attention, Brandee Leianne Kinney-Hurd 2010 California State University, San Bernardino

Environmental Enrichment Attenuates Nucleus Basalis Lesion Induced Impairments To Attention, Brandee Leianne Kinney-Hurd

Theses Digitization Project

This experiment examined the effects of environmental enrichment on performance in an attention-dependent learning task in rats with selective lesions of the cholinergic nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM). The findings demonstrate that environmental enrichment can enhance attention-dependent learning performance in normal animals as well as attenuating NBM lesion-induced impairments otherwise seen following rearing in standard conditions.


Epigenetics: Blurring The Line Between Nature And Nurture, Elizabeth H. Rose 2010 Claremont McKenna College

Epigenetics: Blurring The Line Between Nature And Nurture, Elizabeth H. Rose

CMC Senior Theses

This long-standing nature versus nurture debate is cited in behavioral and physical expressions of disease dysfunctions, resiliencies, and recovery. Their purposes are noted both in scientific pursuits as well as literature. This discourse has been particularly intense in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and biology where there is a long history of scientists’ attempts to disprove or discredit others’ intellectual and professional measures. Interestingly, recent advances in the neurosciences and genetic technologies have brought these fields closer together with a new focus – the interactional relationship between nature and nurture – epigenetics.


Administration Of A Cannabinoid Receptor Antagonist Following Chronic ∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Induces Physical Withdrawal In The Absence Of A Dysphoric State, Brittany Ford 2010 Wilfrid Laurier University

Administration Of A Cannabinoid Receptor Antagonist Following Chronic ∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Induces Physical Withdrawal In The Absence Of A Dysphoric State, Brittany Ford

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The selective cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716 has been shown to precipitate physical signs of withdrawal in ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-dependent rats; however, the affective state associated with this withdrawal state has not yet been well characterized. Thus, the aim of present study was to examine the physical and affective consequences of SR141716-precipitated THC withdrawal in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were injected with THC (5 mg/kg, i.p.) or its vehicle twice daily for 13 consecutive days, and challenged with SRI 41716 (1 mg/kg, i.p.) or its vehicle 1 h later on days 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13. Consistent …


Possible Regulatory Effects Of Coalition Computations On The Mu Rhythm, Kyle Timothy Gagnon 2010 College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences

Possible Regulatory Effects Of Coalition Computations On The Mu Rhythm, Kyle Timothy Gagnon

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


"The Chills" As A Psychological Response: Affective Composition, Trait Antecedents, And Factor Structure, Laura Anne Maruskin 2010 College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences

"The Chills" As A Psychological Response: Affective Composition, Trait Antecedents, And Factor Structure, Laura Anne Maruskin

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


A Phenomenological Inquiry Of Chronic Homeless Individuals' Challenges To Independence, Dewana Hall 2010 Walden University

A Phenomenological Inquiry Of Chronic Homeless Individuals' Challenges To Independence, Dewana Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homelessness is a comprehensive social problem affecting approximately 744,000 people in the U.S. Despite consistent efforts from politicians, state and local leaders, and service providers, the number of homeless people continues to rise. Although there are some explanations in the literature to account for the increase of homelessness, the literature tends to not include the voices of the homeless themselves. The purpose of this phenomenological study, which used Maslow's hierarchy of needs as its conceptual framework, was to understand the life experiences of members of the homeless population, as perceived by four male residents of a mission in an eastern …


Illness Uncertainty, Ways Of Coping, And Psychological Adjustment Among 18--25-Year-Olds With Anaphylactic Food Allergy, Susan J. Cohen 2010 Walden University

Illness Uncertainty, Ways Of Coping, And Psychological Adjustment Among 18--25-Year-Olds With Anaphylactic Food Allergy, Susan J. Cohen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of food allergy is increasing, with adolescents and young adults being the group most likely to die from food-induced anaphylaxis. Behavioral and psychological factors contribute to this risk. This study investigated the relationship between illness uncertainty (as measured by the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale Community Form) and emotion- and problem-focused coping (as measured by the Ways of Coping Scale), to see if they contributed to psychological adjustment (as measured by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21) in this population. A cognitive diathesis-stress model was used to explain individual differences in adjustment. Multiple regression was used to test illness …


Functionality, Parsimony, Discovery, Avoiding Hamartia: How Evolutionary Perspectives Are Changing Psychology, Brooke N. Jenkins, Aaron T. Goetz 2010 Chapman University

Functionality, Parsimony, Discovery, Avoiding Hamartia: How Evolutionary Perspectives Are Changing Psychology, Brooke N. Jenkins, Aaron T. Goetz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Evolutionary psychology offers an important perspective to scientific psychology. Evolutionary psychology, in its short existence, has added an abundance of knowledge to the social sciences, let alone psychology. The study of human cognition and behavior remains incomplete without an evolutionary perspective. Here, we argue that evolutionary psychology uniquely provides a complete understanding of scientific psychology because it explains the functions of our psychological traits, provides us with the most parsimonious explanation of many psychological phenomena, predicts undocumented phenomena, and possibly allows us to avoid the downfalls of some of our contemptible evolved psychological mechanisms.


Using A Structured Decision Making Protocol To Stratify Caseloads In The Child Support Program, Steven J. Golightly 2010 Walden University

Using A Structured Decision Making Protocol To Stratify Caseloads In The Child Support Program, Steven J. Golightly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although structured decision making and risk assessment protocols have successfully been used in human service programs, little research has been done on their applicability in the child support program. In this study, problems identified with child support case management were examined, along with positive and negative attributes of various risk assessment tools utilized in other arenas. The overall research problem asserted that there are no structured decision making protocols in the child support program to support case assignment by enforcement difficulty. The primary research question asked whether or not a process stratified by risk and level of enforcement difficulty could …


Consequences Of Early Methylphenidate Exposure On Opioid System Functioning In Adult Rats, Matthew Scott Herbert 2010 California State University, San Bernardino

Consequences Of Early Methylphenidate Exposure On Opioid System Functioning In Adult Rats, Matthew Scott Herbert

Theses Digitization Project

Methylphenidate is the preferred treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in preschool-aged children, even though few human studies have assessed the long-term consequences of early methyphenidate use. In rats, exposure to methylphenidate during a developmental period that approximates early childhood increases morphine-induced antinociception in adulthood. However, because morphine activates three distinct opioid receptors it is unknown which receptor is resonsible for this methylphenidate effect. The purpose of the present study was to assess the long-term effects of early methylphenidate exposure on DAMGO- and U50, 488-induced antinociception, a mu-opioid and kappa-opioid selective agonist.


Influence Of Perinatal Exposure To A Polychlorinated Biphenyl Mixture On Learning And Memory, Hippocampal Size, And Estrogen Receptor-Beta Expression, Howard Cromwell 2009 Bowling Green State University

Influence Of Perinatal Exposure To A Polychlorinated Biphenyl Mixture On Learning And Memory, Hippocampal Size, And Estrogen Receptor-Beta Expression, Howard Cromwell

Howard Casey Cromwell

Abstract. Perinatal exposure to PCB has been reported to cause a variety of health effects including endocrine disruption, and immunologic, reproductive, neurologic, and behavioral deficits. In the present study, a mixture of two PCB congeners, one non-coplanar (PCB 47) and one coplanar (PCB 77), were administered to young female Sprague-Dawley rats by route of maternal dietary consumption (either 12.5 ppm or 25.0 ppm, w/w). Impact on learning and memory were examined by radial arm maze on postnatal day 24-27. After behavioral tests were completed, the rats were transcardially perfused, and brains were excised. Immunohistochemistry for ER- β was carried out …


Developing Constructs For Psychopathology Research: Research Domain Criteria, Charles A. Sanislow, Daniel S. Pine, Kevin J. Quinn, Michael J. Kozak, Marjorie A. Garvey, Robert K. Heinssen, Philip S. Wang, Bruce N. Cuthbert 2009 Wesleyan University

Developing Constructs For Psychopathology Research: Research Domain Criteria, Charles A. Sanislow, Daniel S. Pine, Kevin J. Quinn, Michael J. Kozak, Marjorie A. Garvey, Robert K. Heinssen, Philip S. Wang, Bruce N. Cuthbert

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

There exists a divide between findings from integrative neuroscience and clinical research focused on mechanisms of psychopathology. Specifically, a clear correspondence does not emerge between clusters of complex clinical symptoms and dysregulated neurobiological systems, with many apparent redundancies. For instance, many mental disorders involve multiple disruptions in putative mechanistic factors (e.g., excessive fear, deficient impulse control), and different disrupted mechanisms appear to play major roles in many disorders. The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework is a heuristic to facilitate the incorporation of behavioral neuroscience in the study of psychopathology. Such integration might be achieved by shifting the central research focus …


Research Domain Criteria (Rdoc): Toward A New Classification Framework For Research On Mental Disorders, Thomas R. Insel, Bruce N. Cuthbert, Marjorie A. Garvey, Robert K. Heinssen, Daniel S. Pine, Kevin J. Quinn, Charles A. Sanislow, Philip S. Wang 2009 Wesleyan University

Research Domain Criteria (Rdoc): Toward A New Classification Framework For Research On Mental Disorders, Thomas R. Insel, Bruce N. Cuthbert, Marjorie A. Garvey, Robert K. Heinssen, Daniel S. Pine, Kevin J. Quinn, Charles A. Sanislow, Philip S. Wang

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Current versions of the DSM and ICD have facilitated reliable clinical diagnosis and research. However, problems have increasingly been documented over the past several years, both in clinical and research arenas (e.g., 1, 2). Diagnostic categories based on clinical consensus fail to align with findings emerging from clinical neuroscience and genetics. The boundaries of these categories have not been predictive of treatment response. And, perhaps most important, these categories, based upon presenting signs and symptoms, may not capture fundamental underlying mechanisms of dysfunction. One consequence has been to slow the development of new treatments targeted to underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.


Asthma And Behavior In Homeless 4 To 7 Year Olds, J. J. Cutuli, Janette E. Herbers, Maria M. Rinaldi, Ann S. Masten, Charles N. Oberg 2009 Rutgers University - Camden

Asthma And Behavior In Homeless 4 To 7 Year Olds, J. J. Cutuli, Janette E. Herbers, Maria M. Rinaldi, Ann S. Masten, Charles N. Oberg

J. J. Cutuli

OBJECTIVE: Low-income, urban, ethnic minority children have higher rates of asthma, more severe symptoms, and more management issues, as well as high risk for academic and behavior problems. This study focused on asthma reported in young children who resided in a family emergency homeless shelter. Asthma rates were considered along with their relation to hospitalization and emergency department use and behavior that is important for school success, including cognitive function, conduct, and academic functioning. METHODS: A total of 104 children (age 4.0 –7.5 years) and parents were recruited while residing in an urban emergency homeless shelter for families. Children had …


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