Christine H. Walton, Neuroscience Previous neurological studies have found the degree of environmental complexity influences the acquisition and development of motor skills in human infants as well as animal models. During a critical period in human development, which is believed to span the first 6-10 years for human visual-motor development, neurons grow and solidify appropriate […]
The Effects of Anesthesia on Midbrain GABA neurons
Stuart Layton and Dr. Scott Steffensen, Center for Neuroscience, Department of Psychology Consciousness has perplexed neuroscientists for decades. What is consciousness and how is it obstructed by anesthesia? Every year doctors expose thousands of people to general anesthesia. Anesthesia does several things, it prevents the perception of pain, renders a patient unconscious, inhibits the formation […]
Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Model For Clinical Addiction Treatment
Jordan Davies and Dr. Scott Steffensen, Neuroscience Introduction The goal in my proposal was to study the effects of light stimulation in human brains on the action of the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) within the nucleus accumbens (NAc), in order to determine its efficacy as a non-invasive method for inducing long-term potentiation of dopamine neurons, restoring […]
Modification of Experimental Objective and Protocol to an Assessment of the Effects of Electroacupuncture on VTA GABA Neurons in the Context of Acute Alcohol
Christine H. Walton and Dr. Scott C. Steffensen, Psychology/Neuroscience Brief Explanation Although my proposal for the ORCA grant involved the effects of nicotine on neurons in the VTA, preliminary data showed little to no promise and my mentor and I decided to go in a different direction. Background Recent studies have suggested that neurons in […]
Low-dose Alcohol Self-administration in Freely-moving Rats and its Effect on the Firing Rate of Ventral Tegmental Area GABA Neurons
Stuart Thomas and Dr. Scott Steffensen, Neuroscience Center Each year, more and more people become the slaves of addiction to narcotics, alcohol, and nicotine. These addictions destroy families and ruin lives. The brain’s chemistry is influenced by these drugs. This study aimed to evaluate how alcohol and other drugs affect the brain’s chemistry and identify […]
Addicts Seeing Blue: Color Processing Differences in the Opiate Dependent State
Cary Crall and Dr. Scott Steffensen, Department of Neuroscience Opiate use in Utah has grown faster than that of any other substance in the past year (Duda, 2008). In 2007, total opiate abuse (e.g., heroin, Oxycodones, etc.) accounted for 15.3% of overall substance abuse in male clients and 18.1% in female clients (see Payne, 2007). […]