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.
Ruiz, Casimira (2007). Cognitive Deficits and Individual Differences Resulting from Behavioral Sensitization to an Escalating Dose of Methamphetamine. Winner of a Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research.
Mentor: Dr. Anne Marie Brady
Abstract
Sixteen rats were administered saline or an escalating dose of methamphetamine (meth) (3 days a week for 5 weeks, increasing 1 mg/kg to 5 mg/kg at 1 mg/kg a week). Locomotor activity of meth-treated animals resulted in sensitized (activity increased by 50% or more) and non-sensitized (activity did not increase by 50%) rats. Following a 4 week withdrawal period, rats were tested for conditioned place preference to determine the rewarding properties of the drug when compared to food. Additionally, rats were tested in a set-shifting task to assess cognitive impairment due to repeated meth use. Meth had no effect on either test for any of the three drug groups (sensitized, non-sensitized and saline).
