Most of what we know about neuroscience comes from scientific research – so getting involved first-hand with neuroscience research is a great way to truly experience the field. Research projects can also develop your analysis and critical thinking skills, and lead to conference presentations and professional publications.

Directed Research

Students in the neurosciences are highly encouraged to participate in directed research as an important addition to their classroom experiences. Conducting original empirical research offers a valuable opportunity to learn new techniques, to practice “doing” the science that is learned about in the classroom, and to hone analytical and critical thinking skills.

Faculty at St. Mary’s are actively conducting research with students in diverse areas of neuroscience, including:

• Disrupted neural communication in animal models of depression (Dr. Aileen Bailey)
• Neurobiology of drug addiction as well as sex differences and the relationship between drug reward and aversion (Dr. Torry Dennis)
• Neurophysiological effects of brain stimulation on cognition and attention (Dr. Victória Müller Ewald)
• Environmental toxicology and neurogenesis dysfunction (Dr. Sarah Latchney)
• How people may intentionally or unintentionally imitate just-heard speech (Dr. James Mantell)
• The functions of enzymes in the brain involved with memory and ion channel regulation (Dr. Pamela Mertz)

St. Mary’s Projects (SMP)

An SMP is a wonderful way to gain research experience. Many neuroscience students choose to complete an SMP that involves a hands-on, empirical research experience in one of our neuroscience laboratories. An SMP in neuroscience is not required for the minor, but is highly encouraged, particularly for students planning to continue their education at the graduate level.

Conference Presentations

Students and faculty regularly present at regional, national, and international professional conferences. Recent conferences attended include the Society for Neuroscience, Eastern Psychological Association, Vision Science Society, American Psychological Society, and Organization for the Study of Sex Differences. Some of these students have been supported by competitive travel awards sponsored by the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience, the Council on Undergraduate Research, or the College.

Representative recent conference presentations (* = St. Mary’s students):

• Thompson, R. M., & Mantell, J. T. (2024). The influences of familiarity and key on pitch accuracy in singing. Musicae Scientiae, 28(2), 375-387.
• Raheja, A.C., *Ruiz Lopez, B.R., Womble, P.D., Blandin, K.J., Narvaiz, D., Lugo, J.N., & Latchney, S.E. (2024, November). Male NS-Pten adult knockout mice display increased density of iba1-positive microglia of an immature morphology throughout the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Poster presented at the 2024 Society for Neuroscience Conference, Chicago, IL.
• Estremsky, A.C., Barnes, T.M., Haines, A.R., Huynh, M.T., Long, K.M., Duncan, K.A., & Tobiansky, D.J. (2023, November). Examining neuropathological responses in woodpeckers to gain insights into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Poster presented at the 2023 Society for Neuroscience Conference, Washington, D.C.
• Verhoeven, M., *Washington, J., & Dennis, T.S. (2023, November). The effect of antibiotic and short chain fatty acid replacement on the reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior in female and male rats. Poster presented at the 2023 Society for Neuroscience Conference, Washington, D.C.
• Faubion-Trejo, R. N., & Mantell, J. T. (2022). The roles of absolute pitch and timbre in plink perception. Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 39(3), 289-308.​
• Mantell, J.M., & *Steelman, R. (2020, November). Vocal production as a measure of linguistic associations between space and pitch. Poster presented at the virtual 61st Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society.
• Bailey, A.M., *Steinhoff, B., & *Robey, K. (2019, October). Antidepressant efficacy of L655, 708 following infusions into the medial prefrontal cortex. Poster presented at the 2019 Society for Neuroscience Meeting, Chicago, IL.
• Folts, L.M., *Best, L.M., & Fernandez G. M. (2019, October). Long-term behavioral effects of nicotine and ethanol exposure in aged rodents. Poster presented at the 2019 Society for Neuroscience Meeting, Chicago, IL.
• Thompson, R., & Mantell, J. T. (2019, August). Singing to learn: How melodic content affects encoding and retrieval. Poster presented at the Society for Music Perception and Cognition conference, New York, NY.
• Thompson, S.M., Nelson, M., Zanos, P., Krimmel, S., Pribut, H.J., *Kostelnik, C., *Starnes, H., Bailey, A.M. & Gould, T.D. (2016, November). Alpha5 subunit-selective negative allosteric modulators of GABA-A receptors exert a rapid antidepressant action without evidence of being addictive. Poster presented at the 2016 Society for Neuroscience Meeting: San Diego, CA.
• Mantell, J. T., *Forrester-Fronstin, Z., McCarthy, M. K., & *Hancock, K. P. (2016, November). Vocal pitch production accuracy of steady tones and bends. Poster presented at the Psychonomic Society Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.
• Kostelnik, C., *Starnes, H., Bertoni, M., & Bailey, A.M. (2016, March). Conditioned place preference shows no intrinsic rewarding value for the drug L-655, 708. Poster presented at the 2016 Eastern Psychological Association Meeting: New York, NY.

Publications

Student research with faculty, especially on St. Mary’s Projects, occasionally leads to publication in peer-reviewed journals, a highly prestigious accomplishment for college students.

Representative recent journal publications (* = St. Mary’s students):

• Bailey, A.M., *Barrett, A., *Havens, L., *Leyder, E., *Merchant, T., *Starnes, H., & Thompson, S. M. (2023). Changes in social, sexual, and hedonic behaviors in rats in response to stress and restoration by a negative allosteric modulator of α5-subunit containing GABA receptor. Behav Brain Res, 452, 114554. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114554.
• *Roberts, B.M., *Jarrin, S.E., Mathur, B.N., & Bailey, A.M. (2016). Illuminating the undergraduate behavioral neuroscience laboratory: A guide for the in vivo application of optogenetics in mammalian model organisms. The Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 14 (2), A110-A15. http://europepmc.org/article/MED/27385919
• Kvarta, M., *Bradbrook, K., *Dantrassy, H., Bailey, A.M. & Thompson, S.M. (2015). Corticosterone mediates the synaptic and behavioral effects of chronic stress at hippocampal temporoammonic synapses. Journal of Neurophysiology,114, 1713-1724.
• *Piantadosi, P.T., *Holmes, A., *Roberts, B.M., & Bailey, A.M. (2015). Orexin receptor activity in the basal forebrain alters performance on an olfactory discrimination task. Brain Research, 1594, 215-222.
• Kallarackal, A.J., Kvarta, M.D., *Camaratta, E., Jaberi, L., Cai, X., Bailey, A.M., & Thompson, S.M. (2013). Chronic stress induces a selective decrease in AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic excitation at hippocampal temporoammonic-CA1 synapses. Journal of Neuroscience, 33 (40), 15669-15674.
• Latchney, S. E., *Ruiz Lopez, B. R., Womble, P. D., Blandin, K. J., & Lugo, J. N. (2023). Neuronal deletion of phosphatase and tensin homolog in mice results in spatial dysregulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 16, 1308066
• *Ellis, M. N., *Wright, M. D., & Dennis, T. S. (2023). Estradiol administration increases anxiety-like behavior following chronic escalating morphine administration in hormone-replaced ovariectomized female rats. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 227, 173582.
• Beatty AE, *Barnes‐Tompkins TM, Long KM, Tobiansky DJ. (2024) Comparative analysis of meningeal transcriptomes in birds: Potential pathways of resilience to repeated impacts. The Anatomical Record.