Role of Reactive Oxygen Species on Chronic Methamphetamine- Induced Dopamine Transmission in the Nucleus Accumbens

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Devin Bradshaw and Scott Steffensen, Psychology Introduction Methamphetamine is a highly addictive substance with many negative effects on the user. These effects include detriments to physical health such as “…extreme weight loss, severe dental problems (“meth mouth”), and skin sores caused by scratching. Methamphetamine use also raises the risk of contracting infectious diseases like HIV […]

Effect of Methamphetamine on Basal and Phasic Dopamine Release in the Striatum

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Krisana Finlay and Scott Steffensen, Psychology Department Introduction The purpose of this experiment was to determine the action mechanism of the psychostimulant methamphetamine (METH) on basal and phasic dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens. We investigated METH and its method of action. This was done to better understand the detailed mechanism behind METH and […]

Cognitive Control and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

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Katherine Slinn and Faculty Mentor: Michael Larson, Psychology and Neuroscience Introduction This project was an in-depth statistical analysis of previously collected data in order to explore the hypothesis that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with a decrease in the ability to regulate behavior and to apply top-down cognitive control. OCD has been diagnosed in approximately […]

Marital Satisfaction, Error-observation, and the Brain: Harmful or Beneficial Effects of Spouse Observation?

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Chelsea Romney and Michael Larson, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Introduction Romney, Chelsea Marital Satisfaction, Error-observation, and the Brain: Harmful or Beneficial Effects of Spouse Observation? Faculty Mentor: Larson, Michael, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Introduction Rewarding marital relationships are associated with many positive outcomes in one’s physical and mental health (Robles, & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2003). […]

Receiving reward’s effect on Ego-depletion

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Travis Johnson and Michael J. Larson, PhD, Psychology and Neuroscience Introduction Recent research suggests that willpower–the capacity to exert self-control–is a limited resource that is depleted after exertion (Job, Dweck & Walton, 2010). We aimed to explore the influence of ego-depletion on how we process rewards and punishment. Ego depletion specifically refers to the idea […]

Impact of Major Depressive Disorder on Memory Specificity and Resting-State fMRI

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Kayla Alder and Dr. Brock Kirwan, Psychology Introduction Previous research suggests that those with depression have altered brain structures compared to control participants. For example, depressed individuals have smaller hippocampal volumes than those not diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) (Brown, Rush & McEwen, 1999). The hippocampus plays a major role in memory, especially by […]

Electrophysiological Testing of Iterhemispheric Transfer in Individuals with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

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Nathan Alder and Michael J. Larson, PhD, Psychology and Neuroscience Introduction A key issue in mild traumatic brain injury (TBI; also known as concussion) research is the identification and validation of a cost-effective, physiological measure that accurately identifies individuals who have experienced a mild TBI, is robust against motivation difficulties, and aids in the prediction […]

The Effects of Chronic Ethanol in δ Knockout Mice

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Zachary Gardner and Scott Steffensen, Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience Introduction Substance abuse is a prolific problem with serious consequences. Specifically, alcohol abuse is the third leading cause of preventable mortality in the world (Mokdad et al., 2004). Each year the far-reaching effects of alcohol abuse cost the United States several hundred billion […]

Role of Reactive Oxygen Species in Methamphetamine Modulation of Dopamine Release in the Nucleus Accumbens

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Tyler Ekins and Scott Steffensen, Psychology Introduction Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is a problem that continues to cause much harm across the United States. The cost of METH use in 2005 alone was estimated to be 23.4 billion dollars (Nicosia et al., 2009). Other societal costs of METH abuse include suicide attempts, premature death, increased health […]

Effects of Exercise on Food-Related Cognition

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Tyshae Davis and Michael J. Larson, Psychology and Neuroscience Project Purpose Since the Yerkes-Dodson theory was initially put forward (as early as 1906), multiple theorists have suggested an inverted-U relationship between physiological arousal and cognitive performance. Literature on this topic, however, is mixed, with some studies showing evidence supporting the inverted-U relationship and others showing […]