Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry demonstrates that L-DOPA produces dose-dependent, regionally selective bimodal effects on striatal dopamine kinetics in vivo.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a debilitating condition that is caused by a relatively specific degeneration of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta. L-DOPA was introduced as a viable treatment option for PD over 40 years ago and still remains the most common and effective therapy for PD. Though the effects of L-DOPA to augment striatal DA production are well known, little is actually known about how L-DOPA alters the kinetics of DA neurotransmission that contribute to its beneficial and adverse effects.

Visual Priming Enhances the Effects of Nonspatial Cognitive Rehabilitation Training on Spatial Learning After Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury.

Previous work demonstrates that spatial (explicit) and nonspatial (implicit) elements of place learning in the Morris water maze (MWM) task can be dissociated and examined in the context of experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI). Providing nonspatial cognitive training (CT) after injury can improve place learning compared with untrained controls. In the present study, we hypothesized that brief exposure to extra-maze cues, in conjunction with CT, may further improve MWM performance and extra-maze cue utilization compared with CT alone.

Digital storytelling: an innovative technological approach to nursing education.

This study investigated the impact of using digital stories in promoting deeper understanding in nursing students about palliative care concepts. Students (N = 134) created a 5-minute narrated digital story utilizing VoiceThread technology that synthesized and applied knowledge that had been presented in class and course readings. Postsurvey and focus group evaluation data revealed that through the writing and sharing of digital stories, students embraced the personal and complex nature of palliative care.

Collaborative strategies for teaching evidence-based practice in accelerated second-degree programs.

An important challenge for teaching in accelerated second-degree programs is how to manage essential content within a compressed curriculum format. This article describes a project that used a collaborative model for teaching evidence-based practice (EBP) in a redesigned second-degree nursing program. Instructors in two courses shared responsibility for teaching basic concepts and guiding students' implementation of EBP in a clinical setting in partnership with clinical nurses.

Carry-over effects of smoking cue exposure on working memory performance.

The present study investigated the effects of drug cue exposure on working memory performance in cigarette smokers. Adult smokers (N = 23) deprived for 12 hr performed a working memory task during which they were exposed to three types of task-irrelevant stimuli: Pictures containing smoking related-content, pictures devoid of smoking content, and a fixation cross. Consistent with prior research, we found that drug cue exposure affected the processing of subsequent items (i.