Johnson Lab undergrads represent MSU on home turf at this year's Michigan Society for Neuroscience conference!
Tim Stokes presented the fruits of his licking microstructure and c-fos study, which involved tracking sucrose consumption by counting individual rat licks and the use of immunohistochemistry to quantify differences in c-fos expression between subjects. Overall the study sought to expand on previously established phenotypes for binge-eating-like behavior in rats, and produced some surprising results.
Toria Fex presented the results of the cocaine reward devaluation study she worked on in collaboration with grad student Bing Mo. The study involved rat jugular catheterization surgeries to facilitate self-administration of the drug during behavioral testing; Toria and Bing managed to attenuate drug-seeking behavior in these animals through an apparent devaluation of the memory of past cocaine rewards.
Kate Sapkowski presented the culmination of her efforts in the long-running interval timing/ovarian cycle hormone studies helmed by grad student Lauren Raycraft. In addition to daily manual swabs to check cycle stages and many rounds of behavior, the study also incorporated DREADDs and Immunohistochemistry.
