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Graduate
Students
Behavioral Neuroscience Program (BBN)
Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology (JGPT) |
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Danielle Colas (BBN) |
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Research Focus:
Neurobiological and behavioral impact of
bacterial superantigens: relevance to animal
models of addiction |
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Joel Cooper (JGPT) |
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Research Focus:
Impact of Immunologic Stimuli on Immediate
Early Gene induction in the brain: Modulation
by methylmercury |
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Joanne Hash (BBN) |
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Research Focus:
Human Startle Reactivity and relationship to
immunological indices of stress, anxiety and
depression
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Daniella Urbach (JGPT) |
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Research Focus:
Functional Interactions between
neuromodulatory cytokines and their
relevance to demyelination and remyelination |
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Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)
The field of PNI
is historically newer than other areas of
psychobiological research, but is gradually gaining an
important place in helping us to understand the
relationship of the immune system to brain and
behavioral function. Conversely, the impact of behavior
and various neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous system
functions on immune function has been well established
in principle, although the relevance of this to disease
is only starting to be understood in relation to
cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, and various
neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and
Parkinsons's Disease.
The focus of my lab is on understanding
the relationship
between brain and immune function through (i) studies that determine the mechanisms by which stress affects immune function, and (ii) studies that examine the cognitive and emotional consequences of immune system activation. These studies involve animal models of immunological activation and/or stressor exposure.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities. Interested students
should contact me to discuss the possibility of working
in the lab. Preference is given to sophomores and
juniors, although seniors wishing to conduct an honors
project are also eligible. Space is limited. If accepted
into the lab, you should be prepared to learn and conduct
animal research that involves stereotaxic surgery, behavioral testing, and collection and processing of brain and lymphoid tissue for histological and biological assessment. This would be appropriate for students wishing to progress towards graduate education in Biopsychology/Behavioral Neuroscience, as well as in areas of Health Psychology that focus on Psychoneuroimmunology.
Additional
research opportunities exist in the human startle lab.
Please contact Ms. Joanne Hash
(jhash@rci.rutgers.edu) to arrange a meeting.
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Specific Areas of Interest:
Impact of immune responses and
cytokines on cognitive and emotional behavior;
Impact of Stress on immune function; Involvement
of immunological processes in neurodegenerative
and neuroregenerative events
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Recent Publications:
Kusnecov AW, Sved A, Rabin BS.
"Immunologic effects of acute versus chronic stress in animals."
Psychoneuroimmunology.
R. Ader, D. Felten, N. Cohen (Eds.).
Academic Press: 2001, 3rd Edition.
Kusnecov AW.
"Behavioral conditioning of the immune system."
Handbook of Health Psychology.
A Baum, T Revenson, JE Singer (Eds.).
Erlbaum: 2000, 2nd Edition.
Kusnecov AW, Liang R, Shurin G.
"T-Lymphocyte activation increases hypothalamic and amygdaloid expression of CRH mRNA and emotional reactivity to novelty."
Journal of Neuroscience.
19, 4533-4543, 1999.
Shanks N, Kusnecov AW.
"Differential immune reactivity to stress on BALB/cByJ and C57BL/6J mice: In vivo dependence on macrophages."
Physiology and Behavior.
65, 95-103, 1998.
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