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Current Students’ Research Topics |
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Graduate Students Giselles Acevedo Mentor: Dr. Miller Jonakait
Evidence that a Central Nervous System Autoimmune Suppressing Substance is Secreted by Microglia.
A newly-discovered cytokine, interleukin 35 (IL-35), has been shown to suppress the differentiation of autoimmune-initiating T cells while enhancing the expression of opposing regulatory T cells (Tregs). My data are the first to reveal that IL-35 is produced by microglia, the primary immune responders within the CNS. This raises the possibility that microglial-derived IL-35 plays a key role in suppressing CNS autoimmunity. Thus, I plan to determine the conditions under which microglia secrete IL-35, thereby promoting the differentiation of Tregs. This will be done by performing the following: culturing of brain microglia, T cell isolation and culture, RNA extraction, reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, and Western blotting.
Peter Amua-Quarshie Mentor: Dr. Mark Gluck The Neural Interactions Between The Basal Forebrain And Cortex: The Role Of Proposed Prefrontal-Basalo-Cortical Modular Loops. I am investigating the neuroanatomy of the basal forebrain, a region of the brain that undergoes early degeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease, to ascertain the role of proposed prefrontal cortex-basal forebrain-cortical modular loops.
Tiffany Butts Mentor: Dr. Kenneth Kressel
Exploring mediator style and its correlates
I have found that the behavior of individuals whose profession is to mediate conflict is heavily influenced by how the mediator perceives her/his role. We refer to this interpretation of one’s role and strategies/tactics used in a mediation session as mediator style. I am now attempting to create the first psychometrically-sound instrument that will measure various mediator styles, and I will determine the relationship between mediator style and the type of mediation practiced.
Kraig Knibb Mentor: Dr. Harold Siegel
Sexual Risk Behavior Among Adolescent College Students
Diana Martinez The Role of Serotonin in an Animal Model of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a pathological condition that occurs in early infancy, in which the child stops breathing. Using a mouse model, we are currently testing the effects of maternal nicotine on neonates. I am using serotonin receptor blockers to examine the respiratory control center of the brain. I will compare the respiratory responses of nicotine-exposed and non-nicotine-exposed mice when they are 0-10 days of age.
Marianita Santiana Mentor: Dr. Ann Cali
Effects of Albendazole on the microsporidium, Anncalia algerae
I am studying the effects of Albendazole, a medication prescribed against parasitic worms, on the micro-sporidian parasite, Anncaliia algerae. I have found that the parasite’s developmental stages are sensitive to the drug, whereas and the infective spore stage is resistant to it. Now, I am in the process of providing genetic evidence for these results by comparing the A. algerae’s genetic sequence to the sequence from organisms resistant to the drug.
Undergraduate Students Alex Clavijo Mentor: Dr. Mei-Fang Cheng
The Role of the Hypothalamus in Pair Bonding I am interested in ascertaining which brain regions are associated with a male ring dove's courtship displays and preference towards a female. Currently, the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus is the area of the brain that we believe controls these behavior patterns.
Eleni Frangos Does Hysterectomy Affect Sexual Response? I am preparing a review of the consequences of hysterectomy on sexual response, in which I address discrepancies in the literature as to whether sexual response is deleteriously affected by the surgery. My research is designed to test the sensory thresholds of women before and after hysterectomy to ascertain whether clitoral, vaginal or cervical sensation is affected by the surgery, and if so, whether the changes are correlated with changes in the women’s sexual response.
Stephen Ivory Achromatic Visual Perception Under Low Illumination We have been studying how the visual system differentiates between different shades of gray, and black and white. Within images, both simple and complex, our visual system considers the lightest shade of gray and to be white. This shade is now known as the anchor, which is the point of reference that all other shades and their perception will be related to. We are currently studying this concept under extremely low illumination. That is to say we want to know at what level of illumination will the system's perceptual rules fail. We will explore whether the visual system truly knows absolute shades of gray or relative shades based on the anchor under different levels of illumination.
Christina Joseph Does Observing Thin Bodies Increase the Onset of Eating Disorders?
Kayla Kelly Does Acute Stress Accelerate Decision-Making?
Day-to-day decision-making is susceptible to various demands exerted by the environment. These demands include the common presence of stress. In a decision-making process that involves financial alternatives, people display two different styles, risk-seeking (choice is of a low probability) and risk-averse (choice is of a high probability). We have found that if given the choice between a low probability chance of winning a substantial amount of money (risk-seeking) and a high probability chance of winning a smaller amount of money (risk-averse), people tend to be risk-averse in the win domain. Alternatively, if given the choice between a low probability chance of losing a substantial amount of money (risk-seeking) and a high probability chance of losing a smaller amount of money (risk-averse), people tend to be risk-seeking in the loss domain. However, under physical stress (in the presence of an icepack applied to the participant’s arm), these two strategies are exacerbated. An implication of this finding is that reaction time will be shorter under stress. We are currently testing this hypothesis.
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