A5025811064- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Ion channel regulation and function
- Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
- Cancer, Stress, Anesthesia, and Immune Response
- Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
- Infant Health and Development
- Phosphodiesterase function and regulation
- Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Nerve injury and regeneration
- Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
2015-2024
Franklin University
2024
Emory University
2009-2013
Emory National Primate Research Center
2011-2013
Corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) plays a key role in initiating many of the endocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses to stress. CRF-containing neurons paraventricular nucleus hypothalamus (PVN) are classically involved regulating endocrine function through activation stress axis. However, CRF is also thought play critical mediating anxiety-like environmental stressors, dysfunction system extra-hypothalamic brain regions, like bed stria terminalis (BNST), has been linked etiology...
Research has identified distinct neuronal circuits within the basolateral amygdala (BLA) that differentially mediate fear expression versus inhibition; however, molecular markers of these populations remain unknown. Here we examine whether optogenetic activation a cellular subpopulation, which may correlate with physiologically extinction neurons in BLA, would support conditioning inhibition/extinction. We first molecularly characterized Thy1-channelrhodopsin-2 (Thy1-ChR2-EYFP)-expressing as...
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is known to play a critical role in mediating behavioural and autonomic responses stressors. oval BNST (BNSTov) contains cell bodies that synthesise stress hormone corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). Although afferent fibres originating from BNSTov have been shown innervate several key structures neuroendocrine central system, question remains as whether some these are CRF-positive. To directly address this question, we injected 'floxed'...
Fear memory formation is thought to require dopamine, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and zinc release in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), as well induction of long term potentiation (LTP) BLA principal neurons. However, no study date has shown any relationship between these processes BLA. Here, we have used vitro whole-cell patch clamp recording from neurons investigate how BDNF, may interact modulate LTP was induced by either theta burst stimulation (TBS) protocol or spaced 5 times...
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) plays an important role in the regulation of social and anxiety-like behavior. Our previous studies have shown that OT neurons send projections from hypothalamus to dorsolateral bed nucleus stria terminalis (BNSTdl), a forebrain region critically involved modulation Importantly, these terminals BNSTdl express presynaptic corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) receptor type 2 (CRFR2). This suggests CRFR2 might be release. To test this hypothesis, we measured...
Abstract The inability to discriminate between threat and safety is a hallmark of stress-induced psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Dorsolateral bed nucleus the stria terminalis (BNST dl ) critically involved in modulation fear anxiety, has been proposed regulate discrimination signaled (cued, predictable) unsignaled (unpredictable) threats. We recently showed that oxytocin receptors (OTRs) BNST facilitate acquisition cued measured fear-potentiated startle...
Interoceptive signals dynamically interact with the environment to shape appropriate defensive behaviors. Hypothalamic hormones arginine-vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) regulate physiological states, including water electrolyte balance, circadian rhythmicity, Both AVP OT neurons project dorsolateral bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNSTDL), which expresses receptors (OTR) vasopressin mediates fear responses. However, understanding integrated role neurohypophysial is complicated by...
Fear-potentiated startle (FPS) has been widely used to study fear processing in humans and rodents. Human studies have shown higher amplitudes exaggerated reactivity unpredictable vs. predictable threats individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although human FPS often use both sexes, a surprisingly limited number of rodent females. Here we investigate the effects signal-threat contingency, order threat predictability on sexes. We classic fear-conditioning protocol...