A5063693402- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Child Abuse and Trauma
- Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
- Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Genetic Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
- Intimate Partner and Family Violence
- Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
- Diet and metabolism studies
- Smoking Behavior and Cessation
- Alcoholism and Thiamine Deficiency
- Eicosanoids and Hypertension Pharmacology
Pennsylvania State University
2021-2024
Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
2020
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2015-2019
Indiana University School of Medicine
2015-2016
University of Connecticut
2012-2013
Trinity College Dublin
2013
American Psychiatric Association
2007
Medical University of South Carolina
2007
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
2007
Studies in nonhuman primates suggest that high levels of cortisol associated with stress have neurotoxic effects on the hippocampus, a brain structure involved memory. The authors previously showed patients combat-related posttraumatic disorder (PTSD) had deficits short-term purpose this study was to compare hippocampal volume PTSD subjects without psychiatric disorder.Magnetic resonance imaging used measure hippocampus 26 Vietnam combat veterans and 22 comparison selected be similar age,...
Motivated behaviors are often characterized by a high degree of behavioral activation, and work output organisms frequently make effort-related decisions based upon cost/benefit analyses. Moreover, people with major depression other disorders show motivational symptoms such as anergia, psychomotor retardation, fatigue. It has been suggested that tasks measuring choice behavior could be used animal models the depression, present studies effects vesicular monoamine transport (VMAT) inhibitor...
Alcohol use disorders are a costly public health dilemma. Complicating this issue is the general lack of basic research assessing sex differences in many aspects alcohol seeking and taking behaviors. The current experiments sought to decrease gap our understanding by both male female Long-Evans rats parallel on self-administration, relapse-like behavior following abstinence extinction, motivation respond for standard solution quinine-adulterated solution. Here, we show that while males tend...
The nucleus accumbens core (AcbC) is a key brain region known to regulate the discriminative stimulus/interoceptive effects of alcohol. As such, goal present work was identify AcbC projection regions that may also modulate sensitivity Accordingly, afferent projections were identified in behaviorally naïve rats using retrograde tracer which led focus on medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), insular (IC) and rhomboid thalamic (Rh). Next, examine possible role these modulating alcohol, neuronal...
Background Growing evidence suggests that neuroimmune signaling via Toll‐like receptors ( TLR s) alters brain circuitry related to alcohol use disorders. Both ethanol (EtOH) exposure and the 3 agonist, poly(I:C), increase expression in neurons glia. Furthermore, previous studies have shown cortical is correlated with lifetime EtOH intake humans. Methods The current experiments investigated consequences of poly(I:C) treatment on gene 2 regions contributing reinforcement, insular cortex IC )...
Abstract Combined use of nicotine and alcohol constitute a significant public health risk. An important aspect drug dependence are the various cues, both external (contextual) internal (interoceptive) that influence drug‐seeking drug‐taking behavior. The present experiments employed Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Drugs (DREADDs) complementary Pavlovian discrimination procedures (feature‐positive feature‐negative training conditions) in order to examine whether medial prefrontal...
Nicotine and alcohol co-use is extremely common their use constitutes two of the most causes preventable death, yet underlying biological mechanisms are largely understudied. Activation neuroimmune toll-like receptors (TLRs) promotes induction proinflammatory cascades increases intake in rodents, which further TLRs brain; nicotine may decrease central signaling. The current studies sought to determine effects ± (alone or combination) on circulating blood plasma TLR protein/gene expression...
Controlled studies suggest that clerical child sexual offenders may be better adjusted psychologically than their lay counterparts, although no of Irish have been reported. The aim this study was to compare and non-clerical with a normal control group, within an context, on broad-band personality traits narrow-band psychological characteristics identified as risk factors for abuse. Thirty men 73 laymen who had sexually abused children 30 controls completed the NEO Personality Inventory...
Although alcohol and nicotine are two of the most commonly co-used drugs with upwards 90% adults an use disorder (AUD) in US also smoking, we don't tend to study this way. The current studies sought develop assess a novel + co-access self-administration (SA) model adult male female Long-Evans rats. Further, both implicated neuroimmune function, albeit largely opposing ways. Chronic increases neuroinflammation via toll-like receptors (TLRs) which turn intake. By contrast, produces...
Abstract This study evaluated the factor structures of three instruments from Sexual Offender Assessment Pack. The Children and Sex Cognitive Distortions Scale, Emotional Congruence Child Victim Empathy Scale were administered to 203 sex offenders in Ireland. Confirmatory analyses did not support proposed single structure for each scales. Exploratory suggested more complex structures. was found have two factors: (a) Perceptions as Sexually Mature (b) General Justifications With Children....
Alcohol abuse and dependence are world-wide health problems. Most research on alcohol use focuses the consequences of moderate to high levels alcohol. However, even at low concentrations, is capable producing effects in brain that can ultimately affect behavior. The current studies seek understand low-dose (blood ≤10mM). To do so, these experiments utilize a combination behavioral molecular techniques (1) assess ability interoceptive dose gain control over goal-tracking behavior Pavlovian...
Previous work has shown that multiple medication-treated alcohol detoxifications are associated with poorer treatment outcomes during subsequent detoxifications. Little is known about the impact of nonmedicated attempts to stop drinking outside realm these medically supervised on acute detoxification outcomes. This study included 58 subjects enrolled in an outpatient study. Subjects were asked why and how often they quit for 3 days or longer their lifetime using concepts derived from...
Individuals with substance abuse disorder are at increased risk for the development of severe disease following COVID-19 infection. Furthermore, individuals in rural populations where access to healthcare is limited and rates tend be higher compared other regions. The Penn State Health Network serves 29 counties central Pennsylvania that largely rural. current study assessed electronic medical records this population were reported as having alcohol dependence, nicotine dependence or both...