Publications by authors named "Stephanie L Wert"
Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted data collection for longitudinal studies in developmental sciences, necessitating new methods for participant engagement.
- Remote behavioral assessments are proposed as a new standard practice, especially for populations that are difficult to access due to traditional in-person requirements.
- Innovative adaptations to assessments and data analysis techniques can address challenges posed by the pandemic, leading to more robust insights into developmental populations and long-term improvements in research practices.
Episodic memory is supported by hippocampal interactions with a distributed network. Aging is associated with memory decline and network de-differentiation. However, the role of de-differentiation in memory decline has not been directly tested.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPostpartum depression is a complex illness that often occurs in genetically predisposed individuals. Closely related inbred rat strains are a great resource to identify novel causative genes and mechanisms underlying complex traits such as postpartum behavior. We report differences in these behaviors between the inbred depression model, Wistar Kyoto (WKY) More Immobile (WMI), and the isogenic control Wistar Kyoto Less Immobile (WLI) dams.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe role of stress in altering fear memory is not well understood. Since individual variations in stress reactivity exist, and stress alters fear memory, exposing individuals with differing stress-reactivity to repeated stress would affect their fear memory to various degrees. We explored this question using the average stress-reactive Fisher 344 (F344) rat strain and the Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) strain with its heightened stress-reactivity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study investigates individual differences in acute stress responsiveness, primarily using Fischer 344 (F344) and Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat strains known for their contrasting stress behaviors.
- A specific region on chromosome 6, identified as Stresp10, was analyzed for genetic variations that may contribute to these behavioral differences through gene expression studies in key brain areas.
- The creation of a congenic strain combining genetic material from WKY and F344 at the Stresp10 region linked certain genes, like Gpatch11 and Cdkl4, to behavioral traits associated with stress responsiveness, suggesting they may be important in understanding this variation.
Aging and major depressive disorder are risk factors for dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease (AD), but the mechanism(s) linking depression and dementia are not known. Both AD and depression show greater prevalence in women. We began to investigate this connection using females of the genetic model of depression, the inbred Wistar Kyoto More Immobile (WMI) rat.
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