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.
Dippel, W. Chris (2012). Cognitive and behavioral impairments evaluated in the neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion rat model of schizophrenia. (Mentor: A.M. Brady)
Abstract
The neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion (NVHL) is a proposed rat model for schizophrenia. The present study assessed the effects of the NVHL in social interaction, pre-pulse inhibition, spontaneous locomotion, response to amphetamine, set-shifting, and reversal learning. Rats with an NVHL showed deficits in pre-pulse inhibition, and set-shifting as well as a stronger response to amphetamine. Few effects were found in social interaction, and there was no effect during reversal learning. Pre-exposed rats made more perseverative errors during the set-shift task suggesting the NVHL causes impairments in PFC functioning. Percent pre-pulse inhibition was negatively correlated with trials to criterion on the shift day of the set-shifting task, response to amphetamine, and spontaneous locomotion suggesting there may be a relationship between behavior deficits elicited by the NVHL.
