Seminars & Events
Monday, September 19, 2011: Dr. R. Christopher Pierce (University of Pennsylvania) will speak on "Epigenetic Inheritance of a Cocaine Resistance Phenotype" at 4:45 pm in Goodpaster 195.
Friday, November 4, 2011: Dr. Paul Shepard (University of Maryland Baltimore) will speak at 3:00 pm in Schaefer Hall 106.
Friday, November 11, 2011: Dr. Mark Bouton (University of Vermont) will speak at 3:00 pm in Goodpaster Hall 195.
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.
Hernandez, Alex (2010). The Impact Of A Four-Week Escalating Dose Regimen Of Methamphetamine On Cognition And Serotonin Levels Within The Hippocampus In Adult And Adolescent Rats. Mentor: Dr. Anne Marie Brady
Abstract
Although recent rates of methamphetamine (METH) use have decreased somewhat, use remains higher among adolescents aged 12-17 than among adults 26 years or older. Exposure to METH during adolescence could result in neurological damage and psychiatric dysfunction. The current experiment focused on determining the impact of a four-week escalating dose regimen of METH, beginning in either adolescence or adulthood, on working memory, behavioral flexibility, and levels of serotonin within the hippocampus in 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats. The use of a four-week escalating dose regimen spans the entire adolescent period in rats and models the typical human pattern of METH use. Results did not support the hypothesis that all rats exposed to the escalating dose regimen of METH would show significant deficits in working memory and set-shifting, nor reductions in levels of serotonin within the hippocampus, as compared to saline controls. Results also did not support the hypothesis that adolescent-treated rats would be more susceptible to METH induced cognitive deficits and reductions in hippocampal serotonin levels as compared to adult-treated rats. Future research should utilize the escalating dose regimen and investigate the role of the HPA axis, pharmacodynamic tolerance, and chronic injection stress in METH induced cognitive deficits.
