UNG Annual Research Conference 2012

Methamphetamine (METH) is a psychostimulant drug that causes severe physical and mental effect on its users. Adolescent METH users may be prone to addiction because this is a critical window of development in the brain. METH is a dopamine (DA) agonist which causes behavioral activation and acts as a motivator for exploration and excitability. Changes in DA levels and the inhibition of DA reuptake result in increased locomotor activity, also called sensitization. Sensitization is a phenomenon that occurs when pretreatment with one stimulant leads to greater sensitivity when exposed again in the future. Given that adolescence is a period of neural development, we proposed that adolescent mice exposed to METH will show an increase in sensitization when exposed to a sub-acute challenge dose in adulthood. [POSTER]

Adolescent Exposure to Methamphetamine Leads to Sensitization of Methamphetamine in Adult Mice [Poster]

Interning at Northside Hospital- Forsyth allowed me to gain a better understanding of Cardiac Rehabilitation outside of the classroom. Although my education at North Georgia fully prepared me for the internship, it was the interaction with the staff and patients that made my experience truly unique. From the staff, I learned how to be part of the Cardiac Rehabilitation team as an Exercise Physiologist: performing evaluations, prescribing exercise routines, and monitoring physical activity. By building a relationship with my patients, I am able to give advice and educate them as a professional. I have also learned how to effectively motivate, comfort, and challenge patients with different personalities and limitations. Through this experience I have gained much more than knowledge, but I have also found my passion for a career in helping those involved in any Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. Facutly Adviser: Thomas Temples.

Mending a Broken Heart: Northside Cardiac Rehabilitation

Findings from a fitness unit implemented in a personal fitness class at Lambert High School will be presented from the framework of the Teacher Work Sample. Conclusions about the impact of contextual factors, various assessments, and lesson strategies on learning will be shared along with advice for future Health and Physical Education Teacher Education interns. Faculty Adviser: Anne Forrest Prim.

The Impact of a Fitness Unit on a High School Personal Fitness Class

It is hypothesized that running backs have an increased risk of sport related concussion due to the nature of their position in American football. A review of literature and a hypothetical methods review with expected outcomes will be presented. Faculty Adviser: Jesse Poole.

Player Position in Football Will Increase Rise of Sport Related Concussion

Personal and professional insights gained from the perspective of an assistant coach position with the organization Elite Athletics, a youth baseball program, will be presented within the context of the Health and Physical Education Leadership internship. Faculty Adviser: Melissa Layne.

Leadership Explored with Elite Athletics

Skin breakdown occurrence in patients with limited mobility increases mortality and contributes to lengthy hospital stays. It is estimated that 2.5 million pressure ulcers occur each year in the United States. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project is to identify interventions related to decreasing the incidence of skin breakdown. Literature search included CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Review, EBSCO Host, ProQuest, and Medline. Literature indicates barrier cream, turning at intervals, and using specialty beds can help decrease the incidence of skin breakdown. Eight randomized control trials, three systematic reviews of randomized control trials, two single correlational studies, one quantitative study, two systematic reviews of correlational studies, and one single descriptive study were found. While many factors have been found to decrease incidence, the rate of skin breakdown remains too high, indicating further research is needed. [Poster]

Under Pressure: Preventative Skin Measures for Patients with Limited Mobility [Poster]

Two types of potential confounds, demand characteristics and order effects, are being examined to determine which is more detrimental to the integrity of a study. 120 undergraduate psychology students will be randomly assigned to three groups: a control, one measuring demand characteristics, and one measuring order effects. Caffeine-free Coke, a survey about opinions on basic math ability, and a brief math quiz will be given to all groups. The group measuring order effects will receive the survey after the quiz to determine if their answers to the survey will be significantly different because they had already taken the math quiz. The demand characteristics group will be led to believe that they have received caffeinated Coke and that the researchers believe those with caffeine will perform better on the quiz. The control group’s results will be analyzed and compared to the other groups to determine which source of confound was more detrimental. With the information from this study, researchers can put more controls on the biases that are more detrimental. This study will also expand the research on both of these sources of bias, particularly order effects, because there is a limited amount of research on them to date. [Poster]

Sources of Biases [Poster]

In the current study, the misinformation effect will be explored. Misinformation acceptance occurs when a misleading statement is presented to a participant who subsequently incorporates the information into a memory. In this study, the tendency to accept misinformation will be compared for males/females and civilians/cadets. A convenience sample of undergraduate psychology students will view a video from youtube.com. After the video, participants will receive a questionnaire consisting of demographic questions and open-ended questions about the video. Participants will then watch the video a second time and will be randomly assigned to the control group (only video-based items on the questionnaire) or to the experimental group (both video-based and misleading questions (misinformation) on the questionnaire). It is hypothesized that females and cadets will be more likely to accept misinformation (measured by participants answering the misinformation questions) than will males and civilians. Results will be analyzed via a 2X2X2 ANOVA. [Poster]

The Truth Behind the Misinformation Effect [Poster]

Hisstories are short, historical fiction stories. Within each story, the reader may choose to be directed to primary sources. The primary sources are embedded in the stories’ text. For instance, a character may say something that is actually a direct quote/reference to a primary source. The text will be linked, and the reader only has to click the text to be taken to the source. In the stories, red italicized text is a direct quote from a primary source, and brown italicized text is a reference to a source. All stories correspond to the Georgia Performance Standards, and contain corresponding worksheets. More information and the stories may be found online at: www.hisstories.net. [Poster]

Hisstories. Interactive Historical Fiction for Classroom Use [Poster]

Studies have shown symbiotic relationships between turtles and algae. The association of green alga, Basicladia, with freshwater turtles is well documented. However, the exact nature of this relationship is not fully understood. This experimental design is aimed to conduct an investigation that will elucidate the rate of colonization and spatial distribution of Basicladia on red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) under laboratory conditions. Twelve turtles obtained commercially are equally distributed in two aquaria placed an environmental chambers at ~75°C with 12 hour light and dark cycles. Cultured green alga will be used to inoculate in one of the aquaria with turtles. The other aquarium will only have turtles while another container will only have algae to serve as control. An outline of the carapace and plastron of each turtle will be drawn in acetate. Monitoring of the area colonized by the alga will be done by marking the acetate as examined under a dissecting scope and documented with a camera. To determine if algal growth is influenced by the association, length of algal filaments will be measured for both experimental and control tanks. Data obtained will be analyzed using analysis of variance with repeated measures (ANOVAR) in Systat software. [Poster]

Colonization and Distribution of Basicladia on Trachemys Scripta Elegans: Experimental Design [Poster]

As the source of genetic material, DNA is involved in a variety of biological process like transcription, cell replication, and more. In these processes, DNA is manipulated into different structures and is subject to different levels of physical force on a molecular scale. When tension is applied to one hierarchical structure of DNA called chromatin, it appears to behave like a Hookian spring. The base component of chromatin is a nucleosome, which is constructed when DNA coils around octamers of histone proteins. The histones can become acetylated—a chemical process in which an acetyl functional group attaches to amino acids of the histones, often lysines. Acetylation may loosen chromatin’s coils and therefore lower the amount of tension required to stretch the chromatin. Comparing the levels of tension required to stretch acetylated and unacetylated chromatin could reveal, directly, physical differences in the chromatin fiber that bear on the function of the DNA molecule. Current work regards the physical properties of unacetylated chromatin only. Future work will permit a comparison with the physical properties of acetylated chromatin. [Poster]

Physical Properties of Unacetylated Chromatin as Examined by Magnetic Tweezers [Poster]

In the 1950’s, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA), an invasive insect, was introduced to the Eastern United States. Since then, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid has devastated acres of Eastern and Carolina hemlock forests. In efforts to control this pest, predator beetles, that are host specific to HWA, have been reared and released. The research that is being conducted is a choice test of two of these beetles, Sasajiscymnus tsugae and Laricobius nigrinus, to see if they are attracted to HWA infested branches and, furthermore, to determine if there is a preferential life stage. Preliminary results suggest that HWA eggs are preferred over adults alone. [Poster]

Behavioral Habits of the Predator Beetle [Poster]

Phloem loading is the method by which carbohydrates are accumulated in source phloem tissue of vascular plants. In Verbascum phoeniceum L. a suppression of the phloem loading system by an RNA silencing mechanism results in unusual changes in physical appearance, with intermediary cells appearing to undergo programmed cell death. The presence of programmed cell death can be confirmed using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, which detects DNA fragmentation, a hallmark characteristic of cells undergoing programmed cell death. [Poster]

Does Inhibiting Phloem Loading in Verbascum Phoenicium Induce Programmed Cell Death in Intermediary Cells? [Poster]

The drug court model combines judicial processes with substance abuse programs in order to offer an alternative to jail time for drug offences. However, the model has only been partially successful in dealing with the “revolving door” phenomenon. Facing continuous challenges in their work, some drug court programs (as well as academic scholars studying these issues) have begun to look at “social capital” (Bourdieu 1986, Putnam 1996, Coleman 1986) as a potential candidate to come up with a more holistic recovery and reintegration model (May 2008). Studies have suggested that drug users tend to have either impoverished social networks and/or are members of cohesive deviant groups that tend to resist “positive” change (Gilmore et al. 2005). Inspired by this assumption, this exploratory case study will look at a regional drug court program, using college students, who are abundant in social capital and do not use/ abuse drugs and/or alcohol, as a comparison group to better understand these phenomena. Social capital is defined by the sum of four types of network resources – economic, emotional, normative and cultural– the study aims to map out a slice of social orbits in which drug court participant move. We are especially interested how social capital dynamics affect the likelihood of an individual to “make progress” in the drug court program and to what degree demographic factors may come into play. To that end we are employing a mixed-method approach that aims to shed further light at dynamics, occurring at the network level (to study issues of resource availability) as well as at the individual level (to understand resource access/resource use). [Poster]

The Truth About the Drug Court Program [Poster]

Methamphetamine (METH) is a highly exploited, psycho-stimulant drug that leads to neurotoxicity from oxidative damage in the dopaminergic regions of the brain. Recent data indicates increases in adolescent METH abuse. This key developmental window is characterized by changes in the striatum and pre-frontal cortices where normal alterations are already occurring. We hypothesize that METH exposure during adolescence will cause differences in adult executive functions for both male and female mice. To test executive functioning of adult mice exposed to METH during adolescence, C57Bl6J mice were injected with either 5 mg/kg of METH or saline for ten days starting on post-natal day (PND) 22. Following the injection period, the mice underwent a two month wash-out period. On PND 90, mice began assessment in a 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task Operant Chamber (5CSRTT). This chamber uses both positive punishment and positive reinforcement to shape discriminate responses. We found trending differences between METH-exposed males and saline males for correct responses, omissions, and correct latency. These are associated with changes in attention, hyperactivity, and decision-making abilities. Our results suggest that gender-specific effects may occur. Overall, the trending differences show that following adolescent exposure to METH, long-term cognitive deficits may persist into adulthood. [Poster]

The Effects of Adolescent Methamphetamine Exposure on Executive Functions in Adult Mice [Poster]

Abuse of the psychostimulant and dopamine (DA) agonist, methamphetamine (METH), leads to neurodegeneration of DAergic neurons in the striatum and prefrontal cortex. Previous data in our lab indicates DA neurons in the hypothalamus are not susceptible to METH-induced neurodegeneration. This studies focus is on the antioxidant mechanisms available to deal with the toxic free radicals created by METH induced oxidative stress. One such antioxidant, peroxiredoxin (PRX), represents a family of six antioxidant isoforms that reduces hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrite, and organic hydroperoxides. We hypothesized that PRX expression would be increased and localized to the hypothalamus as a protective mechanism to METH exposure. Male C57B1/J6 mice were exposed to an abuse dosing paradigm of METH (n=5) or saline (n=5). Prefrontal cortex, striatum, and hypothalamus regions were collected and processed for PCR PRX mRNA expression analysis using isoform specific primers. There were no significant PRX mRNA expression changes in the prefrontal cortex or striatum. However, in the hypothalamus, there were significant METH-induced increases in PRX II, III, V, and VI. This study provides incite into the role PRX proteins in response to the dopaminergic damage associated with METH abuse, and has opened the door to further understanding into the protective mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration. [Poster]

The Effects of Methamphetamine on PRX Antioxidant Proteins in a Cultured Microglia Cell Line and a Mouse Model [Poster]

We have developed a novel cross-disciplinary laboratory experience for introductory biology/psychology students using a sequential hypothesis driven design focused on behavioral neuroscience. The sample participants for this study were taken from a small public university in the Southeast enrolled in a Psychology/Biology learning community (n=122). Control (n=66, 2 laboratory sections) and experimental groups (n=56, two laboratory sections) received the same lecture materials and participated in the same laboratory exercises. However, the experimental group also participated in a novel behavioral neuroscience lab exercise. In sequential laboratory periods, the students in the experimental group developed and defended a formal hypothesis, executed their study using a murine behavioral chamber of their design, analyzed the primary data, and presented their results. Behavioral neuroscience was the primary emphasis as students gained an appreciation of correlating observed, measurable behaviors and data with higher brain functions. Both groups were administered a pre/post test to evaluate the effectiveness of this novel experience using the Experimental Design Ability Test (EDAT) and the Student Assessments of Learning Gains (SALG) instruments The students in the experimental group had an increased EDAT and SALG scores at posttest, which is indicative of a greater self-reported and demonstrated knowledge of the scientific process. [Poster]

An Assessment of a Novel Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory Exercise [Poster]

The current study is designed to test the effect of a female’s appearance on chivalry. For purposes of this study chivalry will be defined in terms of a male holding the door open for a female target whose attire will either be comfortable, causal, or semi-formal. For the study the female confederates will approach ninety undergraduate males during class hours. The confederates will approach the males as they near the door of a university building and walk beside them toward the door. Observers will note whether or not the male opens the door for the female. The female confederates will be dressed in three different outfits. It is hypothesized that males will be more likely to open the door for a well dressed female than for a comfortably dressed female. Increased attentiveness to well dressed females will be tested via structured observation with intervention. Previous research has been conducted on behavior toward females based on appearance. These studies involved factors of dress as well as facial attractiveness. [Poster]

Is Chivalry Affected by a Woman’s Attire? [Poster]

Pressure ulcers (PU, also known as bedsores) are breakdowns of the skin resulting from undue pressure, particularly over bony prominences. There are various assessment tools to determine patient risk for developing skin breakdown; the Braden Scale (BS) is one. The population we researched was hospitalized patients, and our intervention was using the BS for pressure ulcer prevention versus not using the BS. The outcomes we predict are that BS implementation in a hospital setting will minimize the prevalence of PU in hospitalized patients, and the time varies, depending on length of stay. We searched through PubMed, CINAHL, NCBI at NCM, OVID, and Medline databases with the keywords Braden Scale, accuracy, pressure ulcer prevention, accuracy, hospital setting, and validation to find studies to use in this evidence-based presentation. These studies showed that without the involvement of clinical judgment, the BS alone might not be an effective means of PU prevention. [Poster]

Is the Braden Scale an Appropriate Tool for Pressure Ulcer Prevention? [Poster]

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder affecting many people. With NGCSU having a large military presence, our group focused on PTSD in the veteran population. The question we sought to answer is does screening for PTSD in veterans lead to effective treatment? Our search for literature included three databases, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Collaboration. Key words to perform the searches included: posttraumatic stress disorder; PTSD; combat; combat veterans; combat related; TBI; physical injury; and suicide. We performed author searches to find other related articles. The search resulted in one meta-analysis, four randomized controlled trials, eight correlational/observational studies, and three descriptive studies. The different treatment methods were compared against results from treatment as usual (TAU) to decide which treatment method led to the most improvement. The result of the comparison is that the virtual reality treatment method is the best option for reducing PTSD symptoms in veterans. [Poster]

PTSD: Bringing the War Home [Poster]

Because planarians avoid concentrated solutions of homogenized conspecifics, it has been proposed that planarians contain alarm substances that are released during predation. Since alarm signals should act at low concentrations, we sought to determine whether concentrated solutions of homogenized worms act as noxious stimuli instead. Two concentrations of crushed (distressed) worm homogenate or a control solution were pipetted into one side of a water-filled petri dish. The position of a live flatworm, Dugesia tigrina, was determined every 10 s for 20 min, 10 min before adding the test solution and 10 min after. Each treatment group consisted of 12 worms. There was a trend was towards avoidance of full-strength worm homogenate but not the diluted solution (mixed 2-way ANOVA, P = 0.079 for the interaction). As true alarm signals are likely to be highly diluted, these findings suggest that planaria do not contain alarm signals. To fully distinguish between the alarm signal and noxious stimulus hypotheses, further experimentation with larger sample sizes and a third dilution should be performed. [Poster]

Conspecific Alarm Signals in Freshwater Planaria [Poster]

In 2002, the Million Women Study suggested that the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increased the risk of developing breast cancer. This study stirred much controversy as to whether the prescribed medication was truly beneficial of detrimental to the patient’s health. This study aims to further investigate the use of hormone replacement therapy and its incidence of breast cancer in menopausal women. A systematic review of 12 peer reviewed articles was examined; these articles included randomized control trials, summaries of multiple trials, as well as correlational studies. Internet databases including EBSCO Host and Medline Plus were used to complete the research. These studies reviewed several different HRTs, however the majority of these studies show strong statistical risk of developing breast cancer. Given that these therapies are still commonly prescribed, this research hopes to fully inform women of the risks of estrogen and progestin found in HRTs. [Poster]

Hot Flashes & Hormones: The Risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy in Menopausal Women [Poster]

The annual cost of nursing home admissions due to urinary tract infections is six billion dollars. This evidence-based practice project addresses the question: does the use of incontinence pads and indwelling catheters increase the risk of urinary tract infections in the geriatric population? We searched the databases Medline, Cinahl, Cochrane Review, and ProQuest bringing together various quantitative studies. Out of eighteen studies analyzed, the majority of these studies suggest that the risk of infections increases with the use of incontinence pads and indwelling urinary catheters. Implications for nursing practice include decreasing the use of pads in elderly patients and working to control urinary incontinence to reduce the numbers of urinary tract infections. [Poster]

Why Does Grandma Have a UTI: Incontinence Pads, Indwelling Catheters and the Geriatric Population [Poster]

Amphetamine (AMPH) causes an increase of dopamine (DA) levels in the central nervous system by inhibiting monoamine transporter reuptake. Although DA is primarily a neurotransmitter, it is also involved in growth and patterning of the developing brain. Therefore, the use of AMPH during adolescence may cause long-term plastic changes to dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons in multiple brain regions. Adolescent exposure to AMPH will lead to cross-sensitization to methamphetamine (METH) in adult mice. Adolescent mice were given injections of 1 mg/kg d-amp, 10 mg/kg AMPH, or an equal volume of sterile saline for 10 days. Following adolescent exposure and a washout (no drug) period, the mice were given a sub-acute dose of METH or equal volume of sterile saline. Cross-sensitization was measured using an open field chamber (OFC). Analysis revealed both doses during adolescent exposure to AMPH, following a washout period, leads to crosssensitization to METH in adulthood (p< .05). Additional testing will be done to further explore a possible interaction effect. Other experiments in our lab have uncovered a female effect using different psychostimulants in this behavioral model. [Poster]

Adolescent Exposure to Dextro-Amphetamine Leads to Cross-Sensitization to Methamphetamine in Adult Mice [Poster]

Methylphenidate (MPD), commonly known as Ritalin, is widely prescribed for the treatment of ADHD and is also an abused drug. Although MPD stimulant therapy is effective for the symptoms of ADHD, little is known about the long-term developmental consequences of adolescent MPD exposure, especially for those who have been misdiagnosed or are abusing this potent dopamine agonist. Since, the mechanism of action of MPD is similar to that of Methamphetamine (METH), this study examined the relationship between adolescent MPD exposure and cross-sensitization to METH in adulthood. Cross-sensitization refers to a heightened drug response upon subsequent exposure to a drug with a similar mechanism of action. Since these drugs are psychostimulants, which cause motor activation, we tested this hypothesis using an open field chamber to assess locomotor activity. Given the sexual dimorphic development of the DAergic systems in mice, we predicted a more pronounced effect of METH to female mice pretreated with MPD. Our data supports a long-lasting effect of MPD on crosssensitization to METH in adulthood, which is more pronounced in female mice. [Poster]