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.
Lubben, Jade (2006). Exercise As A Protective Mechanism Against Chronic Stress Induced Memory Impairments And Hippocampal Damage In Rats.
Mentor: Dr. Anne Marie Brady
Abstract
Chronic stress and release of the stress hormones glucocorticoids (GC’s) can cause learning and memory impairments. Chronic binding of GC’s is toxic to neurons of the hippocampus, the area of the brain involved in learning and memory. The expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is also suppressed in times of chronic stress. The decrease in BDNF, a protein that supports the functional integrity of neurons, may be the key factor underlying stress-induced memory impairments. Voluntary exercise by humans and rodents appears to enhance memory and increase the expression of hippocampal BDNF. The current study investigated whether 2 weeks of voluntary exercise by rats would protect against memory impairments caused by co-occurring restraint stress (1 hour per day). After 2 weeks of the stress condition, exercise condition, stress and exercise condition, or control condition, the animals’ non-spatial hippocampus-dependent memory was tested using the novel object recognition task. Results showed only a positive main effect of exercise on memory, consistent with previous research. Contrary to the hypothesis, stress had no effect. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Read the paper (pdf format, 245KB)
