19 research outputs found
Supporting Reader and Writer Self-Concept in Early Childhood Education
No full textResearch suggests that academic self-concept influences academic gains. This has important implications for literacy acquisition. Facilitating the development of reader and writer self-concept has been found to support literacy gains. For this reason, it is essential that educators actively work to bolster student self-concept. Best practice recommendations for helping students develop positive reader and writer self-concept include helping students establish reader and writer identity, using the classroom environment to empower readers and writers, and developing supportive teacher-child relationships. The author acknowledges that the relationship between academic achievement and self-concept is reciprocal. As such, quality literacy instruction is needed in addition to attending to the affective factor of self-concept in order for students to be successful readers and writers
Reflections from the Cariboo: Canadian studies creations
No full textThe essays collected between these covers were written by students in Ginny Ratsoy's Fall Term 1997 Canadian Studies 200 class. As you will see when you read through the selections, the books reviewed cover a wide variety of disciplines and the student writers analyze these texts from a multiplicity of viewpoints.Not peer reviewedBook review
Reflections from the Cariboo: Canadian studies creations
No full textThe essays collected between these covers were written by students in Ginny Ratsoy's Fall Term 1997 Canadian Studies 200 class. As you will see when you read through the selections, the books reviewed cover a wide variety of disciplines and the student writers analyze these texts from a multiplicity of viewpoints.Not peer reviewedBook review
Rapid induction of dopamine sensitization in the nucleus accumbens shell induced by a single injection of cocaine
No full textRepeated intermittent exposure to cocaine results in the neurochemical sensitization of dopamine (DA) transmission within the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Indeed, the excitability of DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is enhanced within hours of initial psychostimulant exposure. However, it is not known if this is accompanied by a comparably rapid change in the ability of cocaine to increase extracellular DA concentrations in the ventral striatum. To address this question we used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) in awake-behaving rats to measure DA responses in the NAc shell following an initial intravenous cocaine injection, and then again 2-h later. Both injections quickly elevated DA levels in the NAc shell, but the second cocaine infusion produced a greater effect than the first, indicating sensitization. This suggests that a single injection of cocaine induces sensitization-related plasticity very rapidly within the mesolimbic DA system
Rapid induction of dopamine sensitization in the nucleus accumbens shell induced by a single injection of cocaine
No full textRepeated intermittent exposure to cocaine results in the neurochemical sensitization of dopamine (DA) transmission within the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Indeed, the excitability of DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is enhanced within hours of initial psychostimulant exposure. However, it is not known if this is accompanied by a comparably rapid change in the ability of cocaine to increase extracellular DA concentrations in the ventral striatum. To address this question we used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) in awake-behaving rats to measure DA responses in the NAc shell following an initial intravenous cocaine injection, and then again 2-hours later. Both injections quickly elevated DA levels in the NAc shell, but the second cocaine infusion produced a greater effect than the first, indicating sensitization. This suggests that a single injection of cocaine induces sensitization-related plasticity very rapidly within the mesolimbic DA system
Modification of Existing Head Circumference Charts for New Mexico Native American Children
No full textBackground
Current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts are based on normative data that do not adequately represent the distinct pattern of head growth observed by providers for New Mexican Native American children.1 Therefore, Native American children with normal but larger head circumferences (HC), can be inaccurately diagnosed with macrocephaly and undergo unnecessary diagnostic workups.2 The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether HCs for Native American children in New Mexico distribute differently than established growth charts.
Methods
This is an IRB-approved retrospective chart review of all Native American well-child visits from ages 0 to 2 seen at the UNM Hospitals and Clinics. 1,513 patients were screened, and 1,214 patients were included. Data for gestational age, sex, zip code, date of birth, date of visit, HC, CDC and WHO percentile were recorded. HC curves were calculated using quantile regression.
Results
A total of 8,569 HCs and their corresponding CDC and WHO percentiles were recorded. The 99th, 95th, 90th, 75th, 50th and 25th CDC and WHO HC percentile curves were compared with the estimated corresponding Native American HC percentile curves for males and females. For all percentiles, the Native American HC curve naturally crosses percentiles within the first four months.
Conclusion
In this preliminary analysis, New Mexico Native American children HCs are not adequately represented by current growth curves. Of particular concern is the trend that Native American HCs appear to naturally cross percentiles within the first four months, which causes unnecessary workups for increasing HC
The sensory features of a food cue influence its ability to act as an incentive stimulus and evoke dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens core
No full textThe sensory properties of a reward-paired cue (a Conditioned Stimulus; CS) may impact the motivational value attributed to the cue, and in turn influence the form of the conditioned response (CR) that develops. A cue with multiple sensory qualities, such as a moving lever-CS, may activate numerous neural pathways that process auditory and visual information, resulting in CRs that vary both within and between individuals. For example, CRs include approach to the lever-CS itself (rats that “sign-track;” ST), approach to the location of reward delivery (rats that “goal-track;” GT), or an “intermediate” combination of these behaviors. We found that the multimodal sensory features of the lever-CS were important to the development and expression of sign-tracking. When the lever-CS was covered, and thus could only be heard moving, STs continued to approach the lever location, but also started to approach the food cup during the CS period. While still predictive of reward, the auditory component of the lever-CS was a much weaker conditioned reinforcer than the visible lever-CS. This plasticity in behavioral responding observed in STs closely resembled behaviors normally seen in rats classified as “intermediates.” Furthermore, the ability of both the lever-CS and reward-delivery to evoke dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens was also altered by covering the lever – dopamine signaling in STs resembled neurotransmission observed in rats that normally only GT. These data suggest that while the visible lever-CS was attractive, wanted, and had incentive value for STs, when presented in isolation the auditory component of the cue was simply predictive of reward, lacking incentive salience. Therefore, the specific sensory features of cues may differentially contribute to responding and ensure behavioral flexibility
Modification of Existing Head Circumference Charts for New Mexico Native American Children
No full textBackground
Current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts are based on normative data that do not adequately represent the distinct pattern of head growth observed by providers for New Mexican Native American children.1 Therefore, Native American children with normal but larger head circumferences (HC), can be inaccurately diagnosed with macrocephaly and undergo unnecessary diagnostic workups.2 The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether HCs for Native American children in New Mexico distribute differently than established growth charts.
Methods
This is an IRB-approved retrospective chart review of all Native American well-child visits from ages 0 to 2 seen at the UNM Hospitals and Clinics. 1,513 patients were screened, and 1,214 patients were included. Data for gestational age, sex, zip code, date of birth, date of visit, HC, CDC and WHO percentile were recorded. HC curves were calculated using quantile regression.
Results
A total of 8,569 HCs and their corresponding CDC and WHO percentiles were recorded. The 99th, 95th, 90th, 75th, 50th and 25th CDC and WHO HC percentile curves were compared with the estimated corresponding Native American HC percentile curves for males and females. For all percentiles, the Native American HC curve naturally crosses percentiles within the first four months.
Conclusion
In this preliminary analysis, New Mexico Native American children HCs are not adequately represented by current growth curves. Of particular concern is the trend that Native American HCs appear to naturally cross percentiles within the first four months, which causes unnecessary workups for increasing HC. Further analysis will focus on increasing data collection to create a refined New Mexico Native American HC model
The sensory features of a food cue influence its ability to act as an incentive stimulus and evoke dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens core
No full textThe sensory properties of a reward-paired cue (a conditioned stimulus; CS) may impact the motivational value attributed to the cue, and in turn influence the form of the conditioned response (CR) that develops. A cue with multiple sensory qualities, such as a moving lever-CS, may activate numerous neural pathways that process auditory and visual information, resulting in CRs that vary both within and between individuals. For example, CRs include approach to the lever-CS itself (rats that “sign-track”; ST), approach to the location of reward delivery (rats that “goal-track”; GT), or an “intermediate” combination of these behaviors. We found that the multimodal sensory features of the lever-CS were important to the development and expression of sign-tracking. When the lever-CS was covered, and thus could only be heard moving, STs not only continued to approach the lever location but also started to approach the food cup during the CS period. While still predictive of reward, the auditory component of the lever-CS was a much weaker conditioned reinforcer than the visible lever-CS. This plasticity in behavioral responding observed in STs closely resembled behaviors normally seen in rats classified as “intermediates.” Furthermore, the ability of both the lever-CS and the reward-delivery to evoke dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens was also altered by covering the lever—dopamine signaling in STs resembled neurotransmission observed in rats that normally only GT. These data suggest that while the visible lever-CS was attractive, wanted, and had incentive value for STs, when presented in isolation, the auditory component of the cue was simply predictive of reward, lacking incentive salience. Therefore, the specific sensory features of cues may differentially contribute to responding and ensure behavioral flexibility
