An estimated 70% of the population experiences a traumatic event at some point in their life, and up to 20% of these individuals go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a debilitating condition that significantly reduces the quality of life and alters an individual’s ability to regulate fear and safety cues. Rodent […]
A20: Examining Ohio House Bill 436: Screening and Intervention for Children with Dyslexia
This presentation critically examines the implications of Ohio House Bill 436, commonly referred to as, “The Dyslexia Law,” and its impact on pre-service teachers, districts, and students. Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulties with other language skills such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words (Moats & Dakin, 2020). The purpose of this presentation was to […]
A21: Amygdala Intercalated Neuron Contributions to Alcohol Drinking Behavior
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) have a high rate of comorbidity. While this comorbidity is well documented, its neural correlates are still poorly understood. Recent studies have shown that anxiety disorders and AUD are similarly characterized by altered amygdalar structure and activity but less is known about the specific circuits within […]
A22: Impact of Nicotine and Alcohol Individually and Concurrently in ChAT-MOR Knockout Mice
Alcohol and nicotine are common substances that impact individuals individually and concurrently. This project aims to investigate the impact of nicotine and alcohol in ChAT-MOR mice individually and concurrently. Nicotine and ethanol both affect dopamine release through different mechanisms. We are specifically studying the impact of cholinergic interneurons on dopamine release within the striatum. CHAT-MOR […]
A23: The Effects of Lead Exposure During Early Development on Fentanyl Addictive Behavior in Mice
This study investigates a potential causal relationship between developmental lead (Pb) exposure and fentanyl addictive behavior with male and female mice in a Drinking in the Dark (DID) paradigm. Developmental Pb exposure and fentanyl use disorder (FUD) are critical issues in public health. With similar underlying neurological and demographical characteristics between Pb exposure and FUD, […]
C35: The Effects of Sex and Early Life Stress on Conditioned Inhibition of Fear in Rodents
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that occurs in a subset of individuals who experience one or more traumatic events. It is marked by recurrent memories of the traumatic event, heightened anxiety states, altered mood, and avoidance behaviors. Importantly, adverse early childhood experiences yield increased vulnerability to the development of PTSD later in […]
C15: The Role of Striatal Cholinergic Interneurons in Fentanyl Consumption
The opioid epidemic is a significant public health crisis in the United States with a growing number of overdoses related to illicit opioids such as fentanyl. Ohio, in particular, has been greatly affected. One of the neural circuits implicated in opioid-related behaviors is the mesolimbic dopamine system –a reward pathway involving the ventral tegmental area […]
C12: The Effects of Sucrose on Chat-MOR Knockout Mice in an Operant Conditioning Chamber
The mesolimbic dopamine pathway is important for reward and motivation. However, neurobiological mechanisms behind these behaviors are complicated. This animal study gives us insight about how such mechanisms work. Here, we test how mu opioid receptors (MORs) expressed on cholinergic interneurons mediate the reward seeking behaviors for a natural reward (sucrose) to investigate the possible […]
C11: Testing a Novel Ligand for Non-dreadd Mediated Effects
The aim of this study is to lay the foundation for the development of a novel paradigm to study the effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) released from the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) on fear and anxiety responses in rodents. The BNST is a stress-responsive, sexually dimorphic brain region and repeated, low-level activation […]
C10: Age-Related Differences in Rat Behavioral Responses to Psilocybin
The prevalence of adolescent depression is at an all-time high. Pharmacological treatments are similar to adults but elicit different—and oftentimes adverse—consequences in adolescents, including anxiety and suicidal ideations. Thus, significant demand exists for improved therapeutic interventions for this age group. Psilocybin, a serotonergic agonist, has demonstrated potential for therapeutic efficacy in adulthood; however, its effects […]