Jet Lag as a Global Stressor: Effect of Shifting Light on Depressive-Like Behavior and Stress Susceptibility
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a disease rising exponentially across the globe, but there is gaping lack in effective pharmaceuticals or therapeutics.
One of the principal factors contributing to the prevalence of depression throughout the population is extended exposure to light. Humans had evolved in the natural solar-light cycle, but we are now inundated with artificial light well into the evening.
My Capstone project would use shifting light-cycles in a controlled setting to induce different simulations of jet lag in a mouse model. The purpose of my research would be to experimentally test a realistic example of the current human condition in which light affects natural rhythms which subsequently correlates with mood disorders.
Tracing neural circuits in baseline and experimental mice provides a neurobiological basis for the observed differences and contributes to the discovery of treatments for mood disorders by identifying environmental triggers.
Behavioral Responses of Coral Reef Fish from the Thermally Extreme Persian/Arabian Gulf to Temperature and Time of Day
Tropical coral reef fish are under extreme thermal stress in the Persian/Arabian Gulf (PAG), with annual thermal fluctuations from winter lows of 12°C to summer highs of 36°C.
Coral reef fish are exclusively ectotherms, so their physiological performance is directly tied to environmental temperatures and behavioral modulation is critical for ectotherms to regulate internal body temperatures.
This study examined the effects of temperature and time of day on fish behavior in model fish from PAG, Lutjanus ehrenbergii and Scolopsis ghanam, at 18°C, 27°C, and 35.5°C between morning (07:15), noon (12:55), and evening (18:35) times of day on five ecologically important behaviors: relative swimming speed, activity, exploration, sheltering, and sociability.
Results showed significant interactions with temperature and time of day, where notably relative swimming speed, activity, and exploration all increased as temperature increased with peak values in the evening.