Seminars & Events
Monday, February 11, 2013: Dr. Daphne Soares (University of Maryland College Park) will speak on "The Sensory World of Cavefishes" at 4:45 pm in Goodpaster Hall 195.
Monday, March 4, 2013: Dr. Joe Cheer (University of Maryland Baltimore) will speak on "Endogenous Cannabinoids and the Pursuit of Reward" at 4:45 pm in Goodpaster Hall 195.
Friday, April 12, 2013: Dr. Jill McGaughy (University of New Hampshire) will speak on "The Role of Cortical Norepinephrine in the Ontogeny of Executive Function" at 3:00 pm in Schaefer Hall 106.
Alumni Highlight
Dr. Erin Johnson '02 recently received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and was inducted as an alumni member of Nu Rho Psi.
SMP Spotlight
Ron Saul, "Chronic activation of the substantia nigra nociceptin/orphanin receptor induces motor deficits similar to Parkinson's disease," 2008. Saul, the 2008 winner of the Neuroscience Award, infused a drug into the substantia nigra of rats and measured the resulting motor behaviors, mood disturbances, and cognitive abilities.
Edwards, Margaret (2008). The Effect of Ongoing Adenosine Antagonism at the A1 and A2a Receptor on Long-Term Memory.
Mentor: Dr. Anne Marie Brady
Abstract
The effects of chronic A1 and A2A antagonists on spatial memory were investigated. Low doses of drug were administered daily (0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) for 6 weeks. Spatial memory was assessed by performance during Morris Water Maze (MWM) training and probe tests. The results indicated that subjects that received the A1 antagonist alone tended to acquired memory slightly faster than animals that received only A2A antagonist. Animals that received A1 antagonist or a combination of the two adenosine antagonists retained spatial memory preferences longer than animals that received only the A2A antagonist. This suggest that if adenosine antagonism of the A1 receptor is minor memory is enhanced rather than impaired even when antagonism occurs over a long period of time. These findings suggest that these low levels of antagonism are enough to effect receptor activation but not enough to produce long-term changes in receptor binding.
