UVM Neuroscience Graduate Program

Congratulations to Megan Perkins, Dr. Vizzard's Lab, on successfully defending her dissertation, “Effects of Imatinib Mesylate on Urinary Bladder Function and Inflammatory Mediators in Mice with Cyclophosphamide-Induced Cystitis”! Well done, Dr. Perkins! 🎓👏👏👏 UVM Graduate College The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont

The microbiota-gut-brain axis is one of the most exciting areas of research these days, with the question of how microbes interact with the host being one of the critical puzzles. This review article by NGP graduate student, Theresa Legan, and colleagues provides an overview of the mechanisms by which microbes can influence serotonin signaling in the gut.

UVM Graduate College The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont

Direct and indirect mechanisms by which the gut microbiota influence host serotonin systems - PubMed Mounting evidence highlights the pivotal role of enteric microbes as a dynamic interface with the host. Indeed, the gut microbiota, located in the lumen of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, influence many essential physiological processes that are evident in both healthy and pathological states. A ke...

New study from NGP alumn Zhaojin Li, PhD showing how hypertension impairs collaterals flow in response to shear stress helps explain poor collateral engagement during stroke 👏👏👏
Robert Larner College of Medicine UVM Graduate College

Mechanisms of Flow-Mediated Dilation of Pial Collaterals and the Effect of Hypertension - PubMed Leptomeningeal anastomoses are small distal anastomotic vessels also known as pial collaterals in the brain. These vessels redirect blood flow during an occlusion and are important for stroke treatment and outcome. Pial collaterals have unique hemodynamic forces and experience significantly increase...

NGP faculty publication alert! New collaborative study between Seward and Deming labs underscores importance of functional genomics and precision medicine in lung cancer: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34849607/
UVM Graduate College

The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont

Functional assessment of somatic STK11 variants identified in primary human non-small cell lung cancers - PubMed Serine/Threonine Kinase 11 (STK11) encodes an important tumor suppressor that is frequently mutated in lung adenocarcinoma. Clinical studies have shown that mutations in STK11 resulting in loss of function correlate with resistance to anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody therapy in KRAS-driven non-small ce...

New publication from NGP student Melissa Boucher and faculty member Dr. Hammack! "We activated a neural circuit expressing PACAP, a peptide involved in stress disorders, and this increased indices of anxiety. These results extend our prior work demonstrating a role of PACAP in stress responding and anxiety."

Activation of Lateral Parabrachial Nucleus (LPBn) PACAP-Expressing Projection Neurons to the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis (BNST) Enhances Anxiety-like Behavior - PubMed Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders, and understanding the underlying neurocircuitry of anxiety- and stress-related behaviors may be important for treatment. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) has been studied for its role in many stress-related pathologies,...

In a new study from the University of Vermont, NGP faculty members Osama Harraz and Mark Nelson identified a possible therapeutic target in vascular dementia. The study further indicates that concurrent mineralocorticoid receptor blockers may aid in protecting against late-life cognitive decline in hypertensive patients treated with certain antihypertensive agents.

JCI - Differential restoration of functional hyperemia by antihypertensive drug classes in hypertension-related cerebral small vessel disease 7Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre, The Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.

NGP Student Spotlight: McKenna Perry. This monthly series spotlights Neuroscience Graduate Program students to showcase different aspects of neuroscience research at UVM and the individuals performing it.

NGP Student Spotlight: McKenna Perry This monthly series spotlights Neuroscience Graduate Program students to showcase different aspects of neuroscience research at UVM and the individuals performing it.  This month’s spotlight s…

New blog post on the NGP-CMB R Seminar, a Student-Run Workshop for 21st Century Scientists!

The NGP-CMB R Seminar, a Student-Run Workshop for 21st Century Scientists Neuroscience research today is conducted with methods that would have seemed like science fiction twenty years ago. Recent advances have made it possible to record the activity of hundreds of neuro…

This review summarizes the last several years of research in the Bouton lab that has focused on goal-direction and “habit” in voluntary behavior, with many implications for addiction.

Context, attention, and the switch between habit and goal-direction in behavior - Learning & Behavior This article reviews recent findings from the author’s laboratory that may provide new insights into how habits are made and broken. Habits are extensively practiced behaviors that are automatically evoked by antecedent cues and performed without their goal (or reinforcer) “in mind.” Goal-dire...

New study from NGP faculty members Alexandra Potter and Hugh Garavan describing effect size in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) examines correlations among 161 task and questionnaire variables, representing most instruments in the ABCD study.

Recalibrating expectations about effect size: A multi-method survey of effect sizes in the ABCD study - PubMed Effect sizes are commonly interpreted using heuristics established by Cohen (e.g., small: r = .1, medium r = .3, large r = .5), despite mounting evidence that these guidelines are mis-calibrated to the effects typically found in psychological research. This study's aims were to 1) describe the distr...

New study out from NGP faculty member Dr. Emmett Whitaker, finding that spinal anesthesia for infant surgery produces an electroencephalographic signature similar to physiologic sleep, in contrast to general anesthesia, which does not.

Electroencephalographic assessment of infant spinal anesthesia: A pilot prospective observational study - PubMed The EEG signature of infant spinal anesthesia is distinct from that seen with general anesthesia and is consistent with normal sleep. Further investigation is required to better understand the etiology of these findings. Our preliminary findings contribute to the understanding of the brain effects o...

NGP Student Spotlight: Theresa Legan. This monthly series spotlights Neuroscience Graduate Program students to showcase different aspects of neuroscience research at UVM and the individuals performing it.

NGP Student Spotlight: Theresa Legan This monthly series spotlights Neuroscience Graduate Program students to showcase different aspects of neuroscience research at UVM and the individuals performing it. This month’s spotlight student…