Faculty Research Interests
[ see Student Research Interests ]
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Associate Professor of Biological Sciences,
Director of Neuroscience Program, Moravian College,
President of the Lehigh Valley Society for Neuroscience
My primary area of research focuses on the neuroprotective effects of antioxidants in the rat model of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in which resting tremor, muscular rigidity, bradykinesia (slowness of movement) and impaired postural reflexes predominate. It is observed in approximately 1% of the American population over the age of 55. The primary pathology of this disease is a degeneration of the "nigrostriatal pathway". This pathway originates in the substantia nigra of the midbrain and projects anteriorly to the striatum. As degeneration of this pathway progresses, there is a loss of dopamine neurons as well as depletion of dopamine metabolite levels in the striatum. Current available therapy relieves many of the symptoms in the early to middle stages of the disease but does not arrest or attenuate the advancement of the disease. Therefore, it is beneficial to identify possible alternative therapies in alleviating or inhibiting the progression of this debilitating neurodegeneration.
[ More on Dr. Fox's Research ] |
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Associate Professor of Biology,
Director of Neuroscience Program, Cedar Crest College,
Vice President of the Lehigh Valley Society for Neuroscience
"Cold-blooded" animals, including fish, grow throughout their lives, unlike mammals which reach an adult size and maintain it. This continuous growth poses some challenges to the nervous system: how can an animal continue to accurately process sensory information while growing? In particular, I am interested in how the visual system, primarily the retina, has adapted to continuous growth.
[ More on Dr. Ettinger's Research ] |
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Assistant Professor of Psychology, Moravian College,
Treasurer of the Lehigh Valley Society for Neuroscience
Dr. Johnson's current research focuses on the role of executive processes, which are mediated by the frontal lobes of the brain, in memory. In particular, Dr. Johnson studies inhibitory processes that can impair our ability to retrieve memories. Her research explores how practicing some information can actually make us temporarily "forget" other related information and investigates the inhibitory components of tests used to diagnose frontal-lobe function.
[ More on Dr. Johnson's Research ] |
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Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Muhlenberg College,
Secretary of the Lehigh Valley Society for Neuroscience
My research employs novel behavioral techniques, neuroscience, and pharmacology to examine the behavioral and neural substrates of learning and memory. The task I have developed, called the Sand Maze, allows for an ethologically relevant interpretation of learning and memory in the rodent because it taps into the natural foraging behavior of rats. At the same time, it serves as an appetitive alternative to the industry-standard spatial task, called the Morris Water Maze. The Sand Maze taps spatial learning and memory, as the Water Maze does, but greatly reduces the aversive side effects of the Water Maze.
[ More on Dr. Gotthard's Research ] |
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Associate Professor of Biology and Neuroscience,
Director of Neuroscience Program, Muhlenberg College,
Member of the Lehigh Valley Society for Neuroscience
Pregnane neurosteroids are dynamically regulated in the central nervous system during stress, menstruation, and pregnancy. Recent studies indicate that metabolites of progesterone such as allopregnanolone (ALLO) exert their anxiolytic effects on the gamma-aminobutyric acid Type A (GABAA) receptor, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter receptor. In my laboratory, we are interested in mapping the ALLO binding site on this receptor.
[ More on Dr. Teissere's Research ] |
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Professor of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University,
Member of the Lehigh Valley Society for Neuroscience
Research in the Swann lab is focused on determining how the brain regulates behavior. To this end we use hormones and sex differences as tools to address the problem. Males and females in a number of species display very different, sex specific behaviors, this implies that their brains are also different. Similarly hormones, particularly steroids have dramatic effects on the expression of a number of behaviors. In general, these effects take days to emerge and last for days allowing us to study the brain during the development and expression of the behavior.
[ More on Dr. Swann's Research ] |
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Associate Professor of Biology, Lafayette College,
Member of the Lehigh Valley Society for Neuroscience
Reversible paralysis has been successfully used in Drosophila to genetically dissect the proteins necessary for proper development and function of the nervous system. In particular, we study a class of genes in Drosophila known as bang-sensitive paralytics. When a detrimental change or mutation is made in any one of genes, the flies carrying these mutations seize and paralyze in response to mechanical shock. These flies also display seizures, failures and abnormal facilitation in physiological recordings. We are interested in studying these genes at a systems level and a molecular level to find out what neural processes are defective in these mutants.
[ More on Dr. Reynolds' Research ] |
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Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Lafayette College,
Member of the Lehigh Valley Society for Neuroscience
My research focuses on how synapses are modified (strengthened and/or weakened) in response to sensory experience. Students in my lab examine the mechanisms which underlie neurodevelopmental disorders and epilepsy.
[ More on Dr. Gabel's Research ] |
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Associate Professor of Biology and Neuroscience,
Chair of Neuroscience Program, Lafayette College,
Member of the Lehigh Valley Society for Neuroscience
I direct student-based research that examines the anatomy of vertebrates focusing on the functional anatomy of vision. Students in my laboratory investigate the functional anatomical mapping of the turtle retina to address how the vertebrate retina processes color and motion. In addition to the functional morphology of the turtle retina, other brain areas are examined to investigate reflexive eye movements: the pupillary response to light and the response to rapidly approaching targets. Student projects also examine the control of eye movements for tracking targets moving in depth.
[ More on Dr. Dearworth's Research ] |
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Are you a member of LVSfN, but you don't see your research listed here? Send an email to lehighvalleysfn@gmail.com with your name, titles, website, and a short description of your
research interests, and it will be posted as soon as possible!
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