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Consistent with human research suggesting that stress may influence the carcinogenic process, data from infrahuman experiments have revealed that aversive insults may potentiate or inhibit tumorigenicity, with nature of the change... more
Consistent with human research suggesting that stress may influence the carcinogenic process, data from infrahuman experiments have revealed that aversive insults may potentiate or inhibit tumorigenicity, with nature of the change dependent on psychological, experiential, and organismic variables. Exacerbation of tumor growth is evident following acute exposure to uncontrollable but not controllable stress, and the effects of aversive stimuli vary
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The policies and actions that were enacted to colonize Indigenous Peoples in Canada have been described as constituting cultural genocide. When one considers the long-term consequences from the perspective of the social and environmental... more
The policies and actions that were enacted to colonize Indigenous Peoples in Canada have been described as constituting cultural genocide. When one considers the long-term consequences from the perspective of the social and environmental determinants of health framework, the impacts of such policies on the physical and mental health of Indigenous Peoples go well beyond cultural loss. This paper addresses the impacts of key historical and current Canadian federal policies in relation to the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples. Far from constituting a mere lesson in history, the connections between colonialist policies and actions on present-day outcomes are evaluated in terms of transgenerational and intergenerational transmission processes, including psychosocial, developmental, environmental, and neurobiological mechanisms and trauma responses. In addition, while colonialist policies have created adverse living conditions for Indigenous Peoples, resilience and the persevera...
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Research Interests: Neuroscience, Depression, Cytokines, Neurodegeneration, Medicine, and 15 moreNeurodegenerative Diseases, Humans, Animals, Neuroinflammation, Microglia, Depressive Disorder, Mental Disorders, Sensitization, Cytokine, Neurotoxin, Brain Chemistry, Environment, Parkinson Disease, Neurochemical, and Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences
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Research Interests: Pharmacology, Psychology, Neuropharmacology, Medicine, Mice, and 13 moreFemale, Animals, Male, Amphetamine, Species Specificity, Neurosciences, Dextroamphetamine, Motor activity, Electroshock, Drug synergism, Stress Physiological, Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, and Scopolamine hydrobromide
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Research Interests: Biology, Immunohistochemistry, Neurodegeneration, Medicine, Dopamine, and 15 moreMice, Animals, Drug Resistance, Cell Death, Open Field, Neurotoxicity, Neurons, Clinical Sciences, Neural pathways, Exploratory Behavior, Neurosciences, dopaminergic, Neuron specific enolase, parkinsonian disorders, and MPTP
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Research Interests: Cancer, Overweight, Weight Loss, Disease, Hormone, and 3 moreWeight Gain, Pathological, and Limiting
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Research Interests: Psychology and stressor
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Research Interests: Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Traumatic Stress, Medicine, Anxiety, and 15 moreBiological Sciences, Biological Psychiatry, Brain, Mice, Animals, Acute Stress Disorder, Sensitization, Norepinephrine, ANXIETY, Anxiety Disorder, Clonidine, Acoustic Stimulation, Prazosin, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, and Medical and Health Sciences
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In rat selectively bred for different amygdala kindling rates (Fast vs. Slow), comorbid differences in learning were detected. Here, performance was tested in a delayed alternation task before, during, and after kindling. Although similar... more
In rat selectively bred for different amygdala kindling rates (Fast vs. Slow), comorbid differences in learning were detected. Here, performance was tested in a delayed alternation task before, during, and after kindling. Although similar reference memory was evident, Fast rats showed working memory deficits with increasing delays between information and choice trials. Further, seizures shortly before learning disrupted both reference and working memory in Fast, but not Slow, rats. Weeks after kindling, progressive delays further disrupted Fast rats, but only longer delays disrupted Slow rats. Clearly relevant to individual differences in human epilepsy, a temporal lobe, seizure-prone genetic background in rats provides poorer original learning and easier disruption of new learning by recent and past seizures than a seizure-resistant background.
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Swine flu (H1N1) reached pandemic proportions in 2009, yet ambivalence was met concerning intentions to be vaccinated. The present investigation determined predictors of perceived H1N1 contraction risk and vaccination intentions among... more
Swine flu (H1N1) reached pandemic proportions in 2009, yet ambivalence was met concerning intentions to be vaccinated. The present investigation determined predictors of perceived H1N1 contraction risk and vaccination intentions among Canadian adults (N = 1,027) responding to an online questionnaire. The relatively low rate of vaccination intent (30.12%, and 34.99% being unsure of their intent) was related to a sense of invulnerability regarding illness contraction and symptom severity. Most individuals were skeptical that H1N1 would be widespread, believing that less than 10% of the population would contract H1N1. Yet, they also indicated that their attitudes would change once a single person they knew contracted the illness. Also, worry regarding H1N1 was related to self-contraction risk and odds of individuals seeking vaccination. Moreover, vaccination intent was related to the perception that the threat was not particularly great, mistrust of the media to provide accurate information regarding H1N1, and whether individuals endorsed problem-focused versus avoidant coping strategies. Given the role media plays in public perceptions related to a health crisis, trust in this outlet and credibility regarding the threat are necessary for adherence to recommended measures to minimize health risk.
Research Interests: Health Communication, Public Opinion, Medicine, Intention, Mass media, and 15 moreCanada, Library and Information Studies, Humans, Female, Male, Credibility, Questionnaires, Adult, Communication and media Studies, Public health systems and services research, Pandemics, Risk Assessment, Odds, Pandemic, and Influenza vaccines
Research Interests: Cytokines, Medicine, Comorbidity, Signal Transduction, Erythropoietin, and 13 moreHumans, Diabetes mellitus, Animals, Depressive Disorder, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, Psychological Models, Psychological Stress, Biochemistry and cell biology, Interleukin, Heart Diseases, Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and Inflammation Mediators
Activation of the inflammatory immune response may provoke neuroendocrine and central neurochemical effects that are reminiscent of those elicited by traditional stressors, and when administered concurrently may have synergistic effects.... more
Activation of the inflammatory immune response may provoke neuroendocrine and central neurochemical effects that are reminiscent of those elicited by traditional stressors, and when administered concurrently may have synergistic effects. The present investigation assessed whether a psychosocial stressor, comprising social disruption, would augment the effects of lipopolysaccharide in mice. It was indeed observed that the social disruption engendered by a period of 2-4 weeks of social isolation (but not 1-7 days of this treatment) followed by regrouping, enhanced the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS: 10mug) in the provocation of sickness behavior, as well as plasma corticosterone, IL-6, TNF-alpha and IL-10 levels. Similar effects were not apparent with respect to IL-1beta, IL-4, or IFN-gamma. Synergy between LPS and other stressors (restraint, tail pinch, and loud noise) was not apparent with respect to sickness or plasma corticosterone, provisionally suggesting that social stressors, such as regrouping, may be more powerful or may engage unique neural or neuroendocrine circuits that favour synergistic outcomes. Within the CNS, the LPS and the regrouping stressor synergistically enhanced NE utilization within the prefrontal cortex, and additively influenced hippocampal NE utilization. In contrast to the effects on circulating cytokines, the LPS-induced elevation of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha mRNA expression in the hippocampus, PFC and nucleus tractus solitarius was diminished in animals that had experienced the regrouping stressor. In view of the combined actions of LPS challenge and a social stressor, these data are interpreted as suggesting that models of depression based on immune activation ought to consider the stressor backdrop upon which immune challenges are imposed.
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Page 1. Chapter 1 Cytokines and Stressors: Implications for Cancer Immunotherapy Alexander W. Kusnecov and Hymie Anisman Contents 1.1 Introduction . . . . . 1 1.2 Stressor Effects on Neurochemical Processes . ...
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It has long been considered that life stressors may have a considerable impact on an individual’s physical well being. To a great extent, this supposition has been based on anecdotal reports that traumatic events or affective changes are... more
It has long been considered that life stressors may have a considerable impact on an individual’s physical well being. To a great extent, this supposition has been based on anecdotal reports that traumatic events or affective changes are frequently associated with illness. Despite its intuitive appeal, experimental data consistent with this position have only recently become available. However, at present, limited information is available concerning the mechanisms subserving the relationship between stressful events and pathology. Evidence from both human and infrahuman research suggests that stressful events may have a profound impact on central neurochemical processes, immune functioning, and the progress of tumor development. The present report will provide a brief review of this literature, with particular emphasis devoted to some of the limiting conditions which influence vulnerability to central neurochemical alterations, immunocompetence and tumor development.