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.
Swanson, Thomas (2011). Effect of adolescent olanzapine administration on dendritic branching in the hippocampal circuit. (Mentor: A. Bailey)
Abstract
Anti-psychotic drugs are frequently prescribed to adolescents. The long-term treatment effects of these drugs are poorly understood and may be particularly dangerous in relation to the undeveloped nervous system. We investigated the effect of the atypical anti-psychotic drug olanzapine on the developing adolescent hippocampal formation in orally-treated male Long-Evans rats. Cells from both the hippocampus CA3 and dorsal dentate gyrus of each brain were digitally reconstructed and analyzed for changes in dendritic branching length and node prevalence. There were no differences in node prevalence or dendritic branch for both apical and basal portions of hippocampus CA3 neurons. No difference was observed in node prevalence in dentate gyrus granule cells. Olanzapine-treated animals had significantly greater dendritic branching length in the dentate gyrus than water-vehicle controls. We purpose the observed changes in the dentate gyrus and subsequent hippocampal circuitry provide a neuroanatomical explanation for previously observed deficits in spatial memory and concentration ability in rats treated with olanzapine during adolescence.
