Item Details

title

EXAMINING SEX DIFFERENCES AND THE ROLE OF AN AMYGDALAR CIRCUIT IN RODENT MODELS FOR COMORBID ALCOHOL USE DISORDER AND ANXIETY DISORDERS

author

Baldassaro, Alexandra D

abstract

Alcohol use disorder is a debilitating neurological disorder which affects millions of Americans each year. Even more prevalent are negative affective disorders, which are comprised of both depressive disorders and anxiety disorders. Alcohol use disorder and negative affective disorders are highly comorbid, meaning an individual with one disorder is at an increased risk to develop the other as well. Much remains unknown as to the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying this comorbidity. The studies at hand aim to contribute to this understanding. The initial study seeks to determine whether or not sex differences exist in common assays of anxiety-like behavior in rodent models. The second study aims to determine the role of two non-overlapping amygdalar circuits in anxiety-like and drinking behaviors. Together, the objective of these experiments is to contribute to the existing pool of literature in the hopes that it is able to inform and develop treatments and therapeutics for comorbid alcohol use disorder and anxiety disorders.

subject

alcohol use disorder

amygdala

anxiety

behavioral models

rodent models

sex differences

contributor

Weiner, Jeffrey L (committee chair)

Ferris, Mark J (committee member)

Raab-Graham, Kimberly F (committee member)

date

2020-01-08T09:35:24Z (accessioned)

2020-01-08T09:35:24Z (available)

2019 (issued)

degree

Neuroscience (discipline)

identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/95951 (uri)

language

en (iso)

publisher

Wake Forest University

type

Thesis