Autism constitutes a diverse set of disorders thought to affect neuronal connectivity and circuit development. Its etiology is heterogeneous, but certain rare genetic mutations have …
The sense of taste provides animals with a means of discriminating nutritive from noxious compounds in potential food sources. Neural circuits are thought to represent …
Polyamines are endogenous molecules involved in cell damage following neurological insults, although it is unclear whether polyamines reduce or exacerbate this damage. We used a …
Neurogenesis in the mammalian hippocampus persists throughout adulthood, but the function of newly-born hippocampal cells remains largely unknown. This dissertation investigates the effects of neurogenesis …
Notch signaling is a key regulator of developmental processes in many metazoans. However, it is also active in the adult nervous system of animals ranging …
Learning to perceptually discriminate chemical signals in our environment (olfactory perceptual learning) is critical for survival. Multiple mechanisms have been implicated in olfactory perceptual learning, …
The modern study of animal camouflage has received renewed interest in the past two decades. Rapid adaptive camouflage is particularly interesting because it allows us …
Transgenic neuromodulation tools (i.e., optogenetics and chemogenetics) enable the manipulation of brain activity using targeted genetic delivery strategies for transducing specific cells to produce transgenic …
Deep neural networks (DNNs), which are based loosely on the ventral stream pathway of the primate visual system, are good models of the visual system …
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social affective engagement. The present study uses a social press, in the form of a mild …
The relationship between alcohol and emotion is extremely complex. Prolonged heavy alcohol consumption and acute alcohol administration both affect emotional processing in the brain. In …
CaV2.2 voltage-gated calcium channels (CaVs) are expressed at presynaptic terminals in most central and peripheral neurons where they control the calcium (Ca2+) entry that triggers …
Increased oscillations and synchronized behavior in the Subthalamic Nucleus (STN) and nearby structures have been linked to the progression of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), and this …
Low-frequency “brain rhythms” and stimulus-evoked response potentials (ERPs) are prominent electroencephalography (EEG) signatures of human cortical processing. Decades of work have shown that they are …
In the developing nervous system growing axons are guided to their correct targets by the interaction between receptors expressed on axon growth cones and environmental …
Animal behavior is driven by perception of biological need and environmental context. Internal representations of the external world help us to interact with and navigate …
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic condition characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that interfere with daily functioning. These intrusive thoughts and …
The etiology of schizophrenia (SCZ) remains elusive, though dopaminergic and genetic influences have been established as contributing factors to the disease’s pathophysiology. Current treatments for …
Ovarian steroids have been shown to modulate cognitive functions in both animals and humans, but results are inconsistent. The variability of the findings suggests that …
The need to arrest ongoing or planned actions is a hallmark of adaptive control that is crucial for goal-directed behaviors and survival. When the brain …
