Neuroscience Databases & mice-sized touchscreen tablets could change how we conduct science. What is big data? And how can it help us?

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating, progressive disorder that causes degeneration of neurons in the brain responsible for memory. Alzheimer's disease represents the most common cause of dementia and includes continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that disrupts a person's ability to function independently. In this episode, Dr. Daniel Palmer - Neuroscience Post Doctoral Fellow from Western University - joins us to discuss how MouseBytes - a repository for neuroscience behavioural data - and various touchscreen operant tasks used with rodent models can be used to enhance drug development and ultimately increase the odds of getting worthy therapeutics to market. This work has vast implications for not only alzheimer's disease, but also Parkinson's Disease and several other psychiatric disorders.

Manuscript: MouseBytes, an open-access high-throughput pipeline and database for rodent touchscreen-based cognitive assessment. Published in eLife. Open Access Article: https://elifesciences.org/articles/49630

Produced by Roger Hudson, PhDc

Directed by Dr. Mina Nashed, PhD

Visual Effects by Dr. Stephen Daniels, PhD

Audio Mixing by Dr. Paul Sheppard, PhD

Digital Marketing by Bryan Jenkins, PhDc

Theme music: MegaDisko by Navigator Black & the Indighost

Addictive drugs are said to often worsen memory, and anecdotal reports of drug-users with poor memory are abundant. But what if these reports are wrong? What if drugs of abuse can improve memory under particular circumstances? In this episode, Michael Wolter - Neuroscience PhD Candidate from the University of Guelph - joins us to discuss how Heroin and other drugs of abuse (including cocaine & nicotine) can enhance memory for events immediately preceding drug intake. This work has vast implications for the development of addiction, and for preventing relapse to addictive drugs. In fact, drug-linked experiences stored in the brain's long-term memory centres are believed to be largely responsible for relapse to drug seeking behaviour and drug abuse, even after long periods of successful abstinence.

Manuscript: Modulation of object memory consolidation by Heroin and Heroin-conditioned stimuli: Role of opioid and noradrenergic systems. Published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32067860

Produced by Roger Hudson, PhDc

Directed by Dr. Mina Nashed, PhD

Visual Effects by Dr. Stephen Daniels, PhD

Audio Mixing by Dr. Paul Sheppard, PhD

Digital Marketing by Bryan Jenkins, PhDc

Theme music: MegaDisko by Navigator Black & the Indighost

We discuss the mechanisms that regulate microglia phagocytosis (such as TRPV2 and other vanilloid receptors) - AKA eating apoptosis ready cells - and how the brain maintains healthy function in aging and after injury, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI).Because neurons get all the attention, you don't hear too much about glia. Although glia cells DO NOT carry nerve impulses (action potentials) they do have many important functions. In fact, without glia, the neurons would not work properly! Neuroscience PhD Candidates Matthew Maksoud and Viki Tellios join us to speak on their article - Nitric Oxide Upregulates microglia phagocytosis and increases transient receptor potential vanilloid type 2 channel expression on the plasma membrane - published in the journal Glia: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/glia.23685 

Produced by Roger Hudson, PhDc

Directed by Dr. Mina Nashed, PhD

Visual Effects by Dr. Stephen Daniels, PhD

Audio Mixing by Dr. Paul Sheppard, PhD

Digital Marketing by Bryan Jenkins, PhDc

Theme music: MegaDisko by Navigator Black & the Indighost

Endocannabinoids - cannabinoids made in the body, by the body - are a Hot Topic in Neuroscience & Beyond - with Western & integrative medicine coming to embrace the role of these important compounds, the EndoCannabinoid system is emerging as a therapeutic target for treatment of several psychiatric disorders. However, endocannabinoid system research is limited by scientists' ability to translate these groundbreaking research discoveries into clinical treatments, mostly due to a lack of understanding of how this system is involved with basic physiological processes, including stress & anxiety. In this episode, Dr. David Marcus - A recent graduate of the Neuroscience PhD Program at Vanderbilt University & 1st author of this episode's manuscript - joins us to speak about the recently published manuscript, "Endocannabinoid Signaling Collapse Mediates Stress-Induced Amygdalo-Cortical Strengthening", published in Neuron: https://www-sciencedirect-com.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/science/article/pii/S0896627319310906 

We discuss the mechanisms that regulate microglia phagocytosis (such as TRPV2 and other vanilloid receptors) - AKA eating apoptosis ready cells - and how the brain maintains healthy function in aging and after injury, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI).Because neurons get all the attention, you don't hear too much about glia. Although glia cells DO NOT carry nerve impulses (action potentials) they do have many important functions. In fact, without glia, the neurons would not work properly! Neuroscience PhD Candidates Matthew Maksoud and Viki Tellios join us to speak on their article - Nitric Oxide Upregulates microglia phagocytosis and increases transient receptor potential vanilloid type 2 channel expression on the plasma membrane - published in the journal Glia: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/glia.23685 

Produced by Roger Hudson, PhDc

Directed by Dr. Mina Nashed, PhD

Visual Effects by Dr. Stephen Daniels, PhD

Audio Mixing by Dr. Paul Sheppard, PhD

Digital Marketing by Bryan Jenkins, PhDc

Theme music: MegaDisko by Navigator Black & the Indighost

Why do cannabinoids in cannabis cause nausea and vomiting in some people but not others? Is this limited to heavy users, Recreational users, medicinal cannabis patients? In this episode, FPS ventures into the unknown on the very under-researched area of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome. In this episode neuroscience PhD candidate Marieka Devuono joins us to speak about her recently published manuscript that addresses these controversial concepts, entitled "Conditioned gaping produced by high dose Δ9-tetrahydracannabinol: Dysregulation of the hypothalamic endocannabinoid system", published in Neurophamacology.

Theme music: MegaDisko by Navigator Black & the Indighost

The discovery of biomarkers related to depression and other psychiatric disorders have been accelerated in recent years due to emphasis on genomics and proteomics research, Precision medicine (or personalized medicine), and collaborative approaches across research labs. Using knowledge of these biomarkers, scientists are better able to identify of those with genetic predispositions, as well as improve diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis for those with depression (MDD). In this episode neuroscience PhD candidate, Stephen Daniels, joins us to speak about his recently published manuscript that addresses these controversial concepts, entitled "Reverse Translation of Major Depressive Disorder Symptoms: A Framework for the Behavioural Phenotyping of Putative Biomarkers", published in The Journal of Affective Disorders.

The amygdala is a prominent brain region known for its involvement in learning and memory in emotional situations including during fear, anxiety, and pleasure - including its activation in the fight or flight response. However, this psychology related research has taken place almost exclusively in laboratory environments with limited ability to generalize to natural settings that rodents would be instinctually prepared to learn in.

How the amygdala processes this information in more natural environments has not been explored. In Episode #3 of First-Person Science, PhD Candidate Peter Zambetti from the University of Washington speaks on his recently published manuscript in iScience. Using instinctual fear stimuli (a 3D owl) rather than the classic foot-shock, Dr. Zambetti aims to better understand innate defensive behaviors. "S*ex Differences in Foraging Rats to Naturalistic Aerial Predator Stimuli", published in iScience from CellPress

Evidence suggests that THC and CBD each act on specific receptors in the brain to cause different effects on Biomarkers, other neurotransmitter systems and molecular pathways. In fact, CBD can even prevent many of the side effects associated with potent cannabis (high THC cannabis) such as psychosis, paranoia, and in some cases can act as a treatment for those diagnosed with schizophrenia. In this episode of First-Person Science, PhD Candidate & Vanier Scholar Roger Hudson speaks about his recently published manuscript in the Journal Of Neuroscience, discussing how THC causes adverse psychiatric side-effects in some users, and the science of how cannabidiol (CBD) can counteract these side effects. "Cannabidiol (CBD) Counteracts the Psychotropic Side-Effects of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the Ventral Hippocampus through Bidirectional Control of ERK1–2 Phosphorylation", published in The Journal of Neuroscience [2019 Oct;39(44):8762–8777] / DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0708-19.2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31570536

In this inaugural release of First-Person Science, Roger Hudson speaks with Thomas Lapointe about his recently published manuscript that explores the behavioural and brain mRNA effects of combined escitalopram (an SSRI; antidepressant) and adjunct aripiprazole (5-HT1a agonist) in rats, with a specific focus on the 5-HT1a receptor. This podcast also discusses how scientists are enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of antidepressants and some of the mechanisms involved. "Effects of combined escitalopram and aripiprazole in rats: role of the 5-HT1a receptor", published in Psychopharmacology: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-019-05225-z