Apple Teacher
Education:Ph.D., M.S., University of Rochester
B.S., Elizabethtown College
Publications
- Proliferating Cells in the Adolescent Rat Amygdala: Characterization and Response to Stress. Neuroscience, 2015, pp. 105-117. Co-authored with D.L. Helmreich, S. Rehman, J.L Fudge.
- Differences in amygdala cell proliferation between adolescent and young adult rats. Developmental Psychobiology, 2014. 56: p. 517-528. Co-authored with D.L. Helmreich, L.M. Callahan, J.L. Fudge.
- Long-term behavioral consequences of stress exposure in adolescent versus young adult rats. Behavioural Brain Research, 2012. 229: p. 224-234. Co-authored with D. Tylee, KT Becoats, BG Guerrero, P Sweeney, DL Helmreich, JL Fudge.
Teaching
- BIOL 151-General Biology I
- BIOL 131/132/L - Anatomy and Physiology I and II (Lecture and lab)
- BIOL 322- Neurobiology
Research
My research focuses on how a short bout of stress during adolescence alters development both in the brain and in behavior. Adolescence is a developmental period during which the juvenile organism matures into an adult. Adolescents exhibit changes in behaviors, such as increased social interaction and novelty-seeking behaviors, as well as physical changes, such as growth spurts and changes in brain structures including the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus.
Because of all the developmental changes during this time, it is particularly vulnerable to the effects of stress. Stress has been shown to alter exploratory behavior, with stressed animals being less likely to explore a novel environment. Additionally, stress alters cell division and survival in the brain, including an area of the brain involved with fear and behavior (the amygdala).
Currently, my lab is focused on how isolation stress changes adolescent and adult behavior. This is very relevant, as we as humans are still recovering from the isolation stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once we have a good understanding of the effects of this stress, we aim to find ways to alleviate the stress and reverse the effects.