Browsing Centre for Neuroscience Studies Graduate Theses by Title
Now showing items 1-20 of 232
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3D considerations for motion perception and visuomotor transformations
(2016-09-22)Moving through a stable, three-dimensional world is a hallmark of our motor and perceptual experience. This stability is constantly being challenged by movements of the eyes and head, inducing retinal blur and retino-spatial ... -
Activation of EPAC Inhibits the Aquisition of Nucleus Accumbens Amphetamine Place Preference in a Dose-Dependent Manner in Rats
(2008-04-28)Reward-related learning occurs when previously neutral stimuli acquires an enhanced ability to elicit approach and other responses. Studies in the past have shown that dopamine receptor-mediated 3’,5’-cyclic adenosine ... -
The Activation of Persistent Inward Currents in Feline Spinal Motoneurons is Noise and Location-Dependent
(2009-12-07)The ability to control the output for a given input is an important feature of neurons as it allows them to respond to a multitude of inputs via the production of a scalable output. Using compartmental models of morphologically ... -
Activity in regions sensitive to auditory speech is modified during speech production: fMRI evidence for an efference copy
(2007-10-01)Models of speech production postulate that, in order to facilitate rapid and precise control of articulation, the predicted auditory feedback is sent to the auditory system to be compared with incoming sensory data. If ... -
Acute Physiological Effects of Brain-Generated 17β-Estradiol in the Rodent Primary Auditory Cortex
The neuroactive steroid hormone 17β-estradiol (E2) modulates synaptic activity and plasticity in both endocrine and non-endocrine forebrain regions of males and females of a variety of species. Research conducted in songbirds ... -
Adiponectin Modulates Excitability of Subfornical Organ Neurons at Different Energy States
(2009-04-01)Adiponectin (ADP) is an adipokine, which acts as an insulin sensitizing hormone. Recent studies have shown that adiponectin receptors (AdipoR1, AdipoR2) are present in the CNS; however, there is some debate as to whether ... -
Adropin Acts in the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus to Influence Neuronal Excitability
Adropin is a peptide hormone with cardiovascular and metabolic roles in the periphery, including effects on glucose and lipid homeostasis. Central administration of adropin has been shown to inhibit water intake in rats; ... -
Affectionate Contact and Theory of Mind Abilities of Parent-Child Dyads
(2013-08-15)This study was conducted to investigate the extent to which affectionate physical contact (i.e., cuddling) affects preschoolers’ and parents’ abilities to engage in theory-of-mind reasoning. We explored the hypothesis that ... -
Alterations in Brain Structure and Function in Children With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
(2015-04-23)Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) can occur when a mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy. The full spectrum of adverse effects on the brain induced by prenatal alcohol exposure ranges from mild to severe brain ... -
Anoxia-Induced Changes in Action Potential Propagation in a Non-Myelinated Axon
(2009-08-13)Processing information in the nervous system is energetically expensive, constraining the ability of the system to survive disturbances caused by stress. While some organisms compensate for extreme changes in the abiotic ... -
Application of Actigraphy to the Measurement of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Agitation in Dementia
(2014-09-23)This thesis evaluates the application of actigraphy to the measurement of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) of agitation in older adults with dementia. There are increasing numbers of older adults with dementia and management ... -
Assessing for Sensorimotor and Cognitive Impairments in ALS Patients
ALS is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease characterized by the degeneration of both upper and lower motor neurons (Gordon 2013). Recently, it has been found that up to 50% of individuals with ALS have evidence of ... -
Assessing Impairments in the Use of Sensory Feedback for Motor Action Post-stroke
(2016-01-27)Stroke is a leading cause of disability that can result in a variety of motor, sensory, and/or cognitive deficits. Importantly, use of sensory feedback to guide motor actions, a crucial component of voluntary motor control, ... -
Assessment of Memory in the DP(16)1YEY/+ Mouse Model of Down Syndrome
Down syndrome (DS) is a common genetic condition caused by the presence of three copies of chromosome 21 (trisomy 21). DS greatly increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and a large percentage of people with DS ... -
Balancing Energy Demands with the Potential for Threat in the Environment
(2008-09-19)In their natural environment animals must balance their safety requirements (i.e., avoiding predation) with their need to satisfy their energy demands (i.e., securing food). How the brain integrates these competing demands ... -
Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Conditioned Pain Modulation in the Human Brainstem and Cervical Spinal Cord Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(2015-09-09)When one noxious stimulus is coupled with a second noxious stimulus applied to a remote region of the body relative to the first stimulus, the perception of pain is reduced. This phenomenon is termed conditioned pain ... -
Behavioural and Neuroimaging Studies of the Influence of Semantic Context on the Perception of Speech in Noise
(2008-09-19)Meaningful semantic context has been shown to improve comprehension of spoken sentences by young and old adults, especially in difficult listening conditions. Whether older adults benefit differently than younger adults ... -
Can Infants Use Transitive Inference in Attribution of Goals to Others?
(2012-08-14)Transitive inference refers to the ability to use knowledge of pre-existing relationships to infer relationships between entities that have not been directly compared. This form of logical inference is an important skill ... -
A candidate gene analysis of response to citalopram and escitalopram treatment in patients with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder
(2010-08-31)Objective: To determine whether genotype at the catechol-O-methyltransferase rs4680, dopamine D2 receptor rs1800497, serotonin receptor 1A rs6295 or serotonin transporter 5-HTTLPR single nucleotide polymorphisms is ... -
Cardiovascular correlates of arousal and their relationship to saccadic behavior
(2014-11-11)Understanding the effect of subject arousal on saccadic behavior can shed light on the mechanisms by which arousal influences executive and oculomotor systems. Increased vagal activity is a key component of the parasympathetic ...