James Madison University Office of Sponsored Programs (540) 568-6872

Volume 1, Summer 2000
James Madison University
http://www.jmu.edu/sponsprog
Scholarly research and creative endeavors are an
integral part of higher education. They enhance the
university by challenging faculty members to stretch their
imaginations and continue to learn, which can improve
their overall quality of life as well as provide their
students with a unique learning experience. Historically,
James Madison University (JMU) has supported faculty
undertakings that require internal and external
sponsorship. These scholarly and creative endeavors have
been extended to students who want research experience
during their undergraduate years.
The National Conference on Undergraduate
Research (NCUR) is billed as the premiere event for
interdisciplinary undergraduate research in the United
States, allowing students not only the chance to share their
creative endeavors, but to hear from experts in a variety of
fields, and to view and discuss the work of peers
throughout the country. Such a conference creates a
unique environment for the celebration and promotion of
undergraduate student achievement, provides models
of exemplary research and scholarship, and helps to
improve the state of undergraduate education.
By attending NCUR, students gain national
visibility for the undergraduate research that takes place at
JMU. The University has been active in discipline
specific conferences, but NCUR is unique because it is
interdisciplinary. In 1989, JMU sent their first students to
NCUR. Ever since, there has been an increasing quantity
of faculty-mentored undergraduate research. Such
projects offer interested students the opportunity to
Office of Sponsored Programs
(540) 568-6872
conduct their own research initiatives under the guidance
of an expert faculty member. By involving students in
research, we not only emphasize undergraduate education
but we also help the faculty members in their research.
What is common about these research programs for
younger students is that with one-on-one attention from
serious university scholars, students are increasing the
value of their education.
In addition to nineteen James Madison students,
more than 2300 other students from 400 different colleges
traveled to the University of Montana in Missoula to
participate in NCUR. The conference took place from
April 27 through April 29 and brought together
undergraduates involved in scholarly and creative
endeavors from a wide range of disciplines. For many of
those who were accepted to attend the conference, this
presentation was the culmination of years of research and
teamwork with fellow students and faculty mentors.
Chemistry Professor Dan Downey, Psychology
Assistant Professor Sherry Serdikoff, and Undergraduate
Research Coordinator Pat Buennemeyer accompanied the
JMU students to the University of Montana for the annual
conference. The presentations represented student-mentor
collaborations of various disciplines at James Madison
University, such as biology, chemistry, history,
psychology, and integrated science and technology. We
hope you enjoy reading the following summaries of our
undergraduates' research accomplishments and
participation in the 14th National Conference on
Undergraduate Research.
Characterization of the Withdrawal Reflex in the Tail of the Rat Brian C. Belyea (Corey L. Cleland), Department of
Biology
The withdrawal reflex is a complex reflex movement regulated by both the brain and the
spinal cord that removes the limb from potential injury. A hypothesis suggested by Sherington in
1909 proposed that the primary function of the spinal reflex is to facilitate downward movement of the
tail, regardless of the location of the stimulus. In contrast, Hagbarth proposed in 1952 that the
reflex moves the limb directly away from the source of stimulation. The goal of our experiment
was to distinguish between these two alternative hypotheses. Adult rats received pinpoint heat stimuli
at 8 points circumferentially around the tail, and the direction and magnitude of the responses were
measured with force transducers. The results demonstrated that withdrawal responses were largely away
from the stimulus (concurring with Hagbarth's hypothesis) but also showed a downward bias (thus supporting Sherington's
hypothesis). Therefore, these results suggest a more complex relationship between location of stimulation and the direction
of withdrawal response than previously proposed.
Painful Experience in Young Animals
Causes a Permanent Change in Pain
Sensitivity James C. Brien (Corey L.
Cleland), Department of Biology
Analysis of Protein Kinase C by
Electron Microscopy Mark Y. Carnes
(Barbra L. Gabriel), Department of
Integrated Science and Technology
The developing nervous system of
young animals can be permanently altered by
painful experiences. It is unknown, however,
whether the underlying neural changes occur
in skin (due to tissue damage during injury)
or in the central nervous system (due to the
painful sensory input during injury). Our
goal was to determine if electrical stimulation
of the foot, which stimulates the pain of an
injury without damaging the foot, could
cause permanent changes in the central
nervous system resulting in increased pain
perception. Five days after birth,
rat pups were anesthetized with halothane
while the left foot received electrical
stimulation for only five minutes. After
maturing to adults, thermal testing revealed
an increased pain sensitivity lasting up to 200
days. In contrast, similar electrical
stimulation 15 days following birth was
ineffective, demonstrating a critical time
window of susceptibility. These results
demonstrate that painful experiences in
young animals can lead to a permanent
increase in pain sensitivity, suggesting that
adequate analgesia should be provided when
performing heel sticks and circumcisions on
infants.
The goal of this project is to
produce electron micrographs of protein
kinase C delta (PKC δ) crystals' one and/
or two-dimensional lattice structure.
PKC is grown on lipid monolayers of
dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/
dioleoylphosphatidylserine/diolein,
transferred to grids, negatively stained
with 2.5% uranyl acetate and examined
under the electron microscope at 40,000x
magnification for successful crystal
growth. Once crystal lattices have been
identified, electron micrographs are
recorded. By this method, structural
analysis of PKC crystals can yield the
structure of PKC molecules. Protocols
for the production of two-dimensional
crystals have been established.
Parameters of PKC were analyzed using
optical diffraction and image
reconstruction techniques and determined
to be approximately 62 X 135 angstroms.
We anticipate these results will be
valuable in the development of isozymespecific inhibitors to inhibit the
proliferation of cancer cells.
James Brien
Mark Carnes
Back Row: Dr. Daniel
Wubah, Patrick
Spero, Ryan Elliot,
John Robinson Front
Row: Justin
Meadows, Adora
Christenson, Jon
Jurica, Jacob Venzie,
Peter Morris, Dr. Dan
Downey
The Horizon Ratio: A Difference for Pictures and Postures Craig
E. Fichandler (Sheena J. Rogers), Department of Psychology
Size and distance judgements were studied in an effort to
support the notion that the horizon is useful in making magnitude
estimates. Participants made these judgements for combinations of
poles that varied in both size and distance from a specific station point.
These judgements were estimated in multiple conditions of participant
posture (prone, sitting, standing, elevated 12"), elevation of camera
(four heights), and knowledge of the situation (real scene, pictorial, or
trompe l'oeil). In the trompe l'oeil condition, participants viewed a
picture with all pictorial cues removed, creating the illusion that they
were again viewing the real scene. Both relative and absolute estimates
were obtained, and accuracy scores will be used to test the numerous
hypotheses. The analyses of variance and multiple regressions run with
the data from each individual for the aforementioned factors should
point out that relative estimates are more accurate than the absolute
estimates and that one's posture will systematically affect size
estimates. Most importantly, the analyses should reveal the pictorial
size estimates are directly dependent upon both camera elevation and
participant's posture.
REACTION OF 1,2-BIS(DIPHENYLPHOSPHINOYL)ETHANE
WITH ALUMINUM TRI-SEC-BUTOXIDE, Jon A. Jurica, Benjamin
R. Ayres (Donna S. Amenta, John W. Gilje), Department of Chemistry
The reaction of Ph2(O)PCH2CH2PPh2 with [Al(OBus)3]n results
in:
1/n[Al(OBus)3]n + Ph2(O)PCH2CH2PPh2
(BusO)3Al-OP(Ph)2CH2CH2PPh2 Equilibrium data can be interpreted in terms of n=2.
Variable temperature equilibrium data yield ∆H= ~10.5 kJmol-1 and ∆S
= ~38. JK-1mol-1. This data can be interpreted in terms of a dative P=OAl bond being about 10 kJ mol-1 weaker than the bond of an aluminum
to a bridging alkoxide. Because of the positive entropy change, which
we suggest is due to solvation changes, the equilibrium shifts toward the
adduct at higher temperatures. Analogous studies with
Ph2(O)PCH2CH2P(O)Ph2 yield:
(BusO)3Al-O1/n[Al(OBus)3]n + Ph2P(O)CH2CH2P(O)Ph2
P(Ph)2CH2CH2P(O)Ph2
1/n[Al(OBus)3]n + (BusO)3Al-O-P(Ph2)CH2CH2P(O)Ph2
(BusO)3Al-O-P(Ph2)CH2CH2P(Ph2)-O-Al(OBus)3
Equilibrium constants were calculated and compared to those previously
determined using the
monoxide.
Craig Fichandler
Dispositional and Situational Predictors of
Organizational Citizenship Behavior Hilary F.
Foster (Sharon E. Lovell), School of Psychology
The concept of going above and beyond formal
job requirements has been coined organizational
citizenship behavior, or OCB. OCB consists of
five components: altruism, conscientiousness,
sportsmanship, civic virtue, and courtesy. The
purpose of this field study was to investigate
dispositional and situational variables that may act
as predictors of overall OCB in the workplace.
Hypothesized predictors included prosocial
personality, (social responsibility, empathic
concern, moral reasoning, and self-reported
altruism), employee perceptions of fairness and
job satisfaction. Three questionnaires, (Prosocial
Personality Battery, Distributive Justice Index, a
procedural justice scale), were administered to
supervisory and non-supervisory employees from
various agencies, including insurance and
pharmaceutical agencies. One to two weeks later,
a 23-item OCB measure was administered. Both
employees and their supervisors indicated the
extent to which the employees engaged in OCB.
Regression analyses revealed that employee
perceptions of job fairness predicted supervisor
rating of two dimensions of OCB, altruism and
conscientiousness. Also, employee perceptions of
fairness predicted supervisor ratings of courtesy.
Employee perception of fairness also predicted
supervisor ratings of overall OCB.
Dr. Dan Downey
and Jon Jurica
Hillary Foster
Development of a Fiber-Optic Infrared Temperature Measurement System Eugene S. Kitamura, (Jonathan J. Miles),
Integrated Science and Technology
A fiber-optic infrared temperature measurement system was
designed, constructed, calibrated, and tested at James Madison
University. This system is intended for a specific application
(proprietary) in which temperature measurements must be acquired from
a small, localized target of unknown emissivity and with fast time
response. The input signal results from infrared radiation (IR) emission
from a target, and the instrument processes the raw signal and calculates
a corresponding temperature value. The system applies two-color
radiometry, and comprises an IR collecting lens, a mechanical chopper, a
glass optical fiber, a dual IR sandwich detector with pre-amplifiers, a
DAQ system, and a laptop computer. A computer and data-acquisition
systems were used to collect, monitor, and process incoming radiometric data. Thermocouples were used for
calibration. The system is capable of measuring temperatures between 30 and 1200 C, with a precision of 0.5
C, and data collection rate 5000Hz.
INFANTICIDE IN EARLY MODERN ENGLAND
C. Stinson Lindenzweig (Michael J. Galgano), Department of
History
In 1624 a law was passed in England regarding single pregnant
women, and the threat of Infanticide. ‘An Act to prevent the
Destroying and Murthering of Bastard Children’ (21J Jac. I c. 27,
1624) uniquely singled out unmarried pregnant women that
concealed their pregnancy declaring that concealment of a
pregnancy with subsequent death of the infant was enough evidence
to convict of murder. The woman was considered guilty unless
witnesses could otherwise prove her innocence, and if convicted
her punishment was death. Single women in Early Modern England were faced with more
difficulties than adversaries when it came to unwanted and unplanned pregnancies.
Premarital pregnancies were common and common if the couple planned to marry, any
deviation from this formula meant the woman was surely to be outcast from society by
family and friends. Through personal depositions, court records, population, and social
evidence it is evident that these women were not the horrid monsters society made them out
to be. Instead these women needed a desperate solution to life ruining event. Their
struggles were those of survival and desperation. Pregnancy rendered them social outcasts,
and a newborn child grounds for dismissal from honest employment, stoning and beating
from the local magistrates, and later on institutionalization. Infanticide was a drastic
measure used to ensure their limited social standing. While the practice was common
during the era, the outcome for women was not. The act called for death yet most women
that were taken to court were not convicted because society felt that death was too harsh a
sentence for these women; the stigma of accusation and trial were harsh enough. Social
historians rarely explore the darker sides of women’s history, leaving an entire segment of
the population out of history and sugar coating the realities of the time period.
Eugene
Kitamura,
NASA
astronaut
Colonel Jerry
L. Ross, and
Stephen
Holland
Mercury Analysis Using
Inductively Coupled
Plasma-Mass
Spectrometry and Stable
Isotope Dilution Justin C.
Meadows (Daniel M
Downey), Department of
Chemistry
Mercury content of
water and leaf samples were
analyzed using Inductively
Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) as the analytical finish. Sample processing
Justin Meadows
involves digestion in concentrated acids and oxidizing agents, followed by a reduction to
elemental mercury and a purge with Argon gas into a trap solution for approximately twenty minutes. The trap solutions
contained 5% nitric acid with 100 ppb gold. Using a solution of mercury 199 isotope, samples and standards were spiked
with a known amount of stable isotope. Sample mercury was analyzed by monitoring the line at 202 amu in the mass
spectrum. The added stable isotope was monitored at 199 amu simultaneously. This established a reference concentration of
mercury so that any sample mercury loss during preparation and analysis could be calculated. The average recovery for the
purging system using both water and leaf samples was 68.7 +/- 11.7%. Mercury may be detected at levels of <.0500 ppb or
better using this procedure. The digestion procedure, trapping solution, oxidation, purge times, and other steps in the method
were studied to optimize the analysis in speed and sensitivity.
Tyranny, Oppression and the Paxton Boys’ Rebellion: A Prologue to the American Revolution
Patrick K. Spero (J. Christopher Arndt), Department of History
The Paxton Boys' Rebellion, initially a small frontier action, transformed itself into a colony wide
political movement the resulted in the formation of a new political party, an increased awareness of
legislative abuses, and ultimately the request for Parliament to assume control over the colony. The
rebellion was initially a frontier cause and typified the strong regional divide in the colony, but following
the revolt, many non-Quaker Philadelphians assumed their cause and published a number of pamphlets
reiterating the frontiersmen's grievances. The examination of these pamphlets reveals the underlying
cause of the revolt and ultimately exemplifies the serious divide within the colony. The frontier, because
of their war grievances, and non-Quaker Philadelphians, because of the strict societal hierarchy within
Philadelphia, felt underrepresented, separated and oppressed by a Quaker dominated legislative body. It
was perceived tyranny that underlies the rebellion, fostered their grievances and spurred the 'Pamphlet
War" and in this sense, the Paxton Boys' Rebellion and rhetoric used to justify their actions clearly serve
as a prologue to the American Revolution.
A Difference Fourier Transform Infrared Study of
Nucleotide Binding to RecA John M. Robinson (Gina M.
MacDonald), Department of Chemistry
Rhenium Complexes as Sensors: A New Family
of Materials Peter J. Morris (B.A. DeGraff),
Department of Chemistry
The photophysical properties of a family of
rhenium complexes were studied in order to
determine their usefulness as probed and sensors of
environmental conditions. For example, a complex
that emits light of differing brightness depending
on the concentration of oxygen in the environment
could make a useful oxygen sensor. Understanding
the photophysical properties of an entire group of
complexes would allow selection of the proper
complex for the conditions to be monitored. The
family of complexes studied had the form
ReL2(CO)3CN, where L2 is a bidentate diimine
ligand. The color of light emitted by the complex
and the excited state lifetime were both dependent
on the structure and substitutions of the ligand, L2.
The photophysical properties of these complexes
were found to depend on environmental polarity,
rigidity, oxygen concentration, and temperature.
These facts, in conjunction with the long excited
state lifetimes and high quantum yields of
complexes compared to other metal complexes
make them ideal materials for sensors.
Difference Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR)
spectroscopy has been used to study nucleotide binding to the
Escherichia coli protein, RecA. RecA, whose function is
controlled by nucleotide binding, catalyzes DNA strand
exchange that is fundamental in DNA repair and homologous
genetic recombination. When bound to adenosine
diphosphate (ADP) RecA adopts an inactive conformation
with a decreased affinity for single stranded DNA (ssDNA),
whereas binding to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) causes
protein to adopt an active conformation with an increased
affinity for ssDNA. Photolytic release of ADP from its caged
nucleotide in the presence of RecA produced difference
infrared spectra associated with ADP binding to RecA.
Difference infrared spectra of ADP binding to RecA have
been obtained on samples in water and deuterium oxide. The
resulting RecA-ADP minus RecA difference spectra reveal
small reproducible changes in the 1800-1300 cm-1 region.
These studies and others should help elucidate the key amino
acids involved in allosteric changes in RecA.
Peter Morris
and Dr. Ben
DeGraff
The mission of the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research
(NCUR®) is to promote undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative
activity done in partnership with faculty or other mentors as a vital
The Effectiveness of Psychological Profiles Jennifer S. Trager (Jo Anne Brewster), School of Psychology
Although psychological profiling of unknown offenders is becoming a popular media topic, there
has been little research on the effectiveness of these profiles. In this study, surveys were sent to 95 police
departments in the United States, asking participants to indicate if they use psychological profiles to solve
crimes. The survey also asked whether the profile was helpful, and in what sense was it helpful. The
results show that profiles were used by 63% of departments responding. The results from this sample
indicate that profiles are used mainly in cases of rape and homicide, but they are also used in child
molestation cases, as well as arson cases. The data in this study suggests that overall, psychological
profiles aid investigators in reaching their goals, but they facilitate some goals more than others. Police
officers view profiles as an effective tool to guide interrogation of a suspect and to guide the criminal
investigation, but not necessarily to identify the suspect. Although the participants in the study are not
necessarily representative of all law enforcement agencies in the United States, it is safe to say that many
law enforcement agencies are effectively using psychological profiles.
Jennifer Trager
Speciation of Dissolved chromium and Aluminum
With ICP-MS Analysis Jacob L. Venzie. (Daniel M.
Downey), Department of Chemistry
Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy
(ICP-MS) is an elemental analysis tool capable of subparts per billion detection limits.
Total concentrations of an
element may not be
representative of its toxicity
when one or more oxidation
states or chemical forms are
present. Anion exchanges
chromatography coupled with
ICP-MS has been used to
separate and individually
determine Cr (III) and Cr (IV)
Jacob Venzie
in water samples using a 0.06 M
nitric acid solution buffered to around a pH of 6 with
ammonium hydroxide mobile phase pumped at 80µL/min.
Retention times were 335 and 387 seconds for Cr (III) and
Cr (IV) respectively. Detection limits were 0.814 ppb for
Cr (III) and 0.194 for Cr (IV) using mass 53 amu. The
monomeric aluminum, Al (III), which is a fish toxin, has
been separated by cation exchange prior to introduction in
the ICP-MS. Detection
limits for Al are <0.10
ppb at mass 27 amu.
Dr. Christopher Arndt, Dr. Michael
Galgano, and David Dewey
Undergraduate
research engenders
strong, lasting
relationships between
faculty and students
promoting team effort
in problem solving and
encourages students to
develop various
practical skills.
Design and Use of a Molecular Probe for the Detection
of Gymnodinium galatheanum, a Toxic dinoflagellate
Associated with Fish Kills Andrew P. Ziman (David
Oldach and Robert E. Whitehead), Integrated Science and
Technology
A serious issue in the
Mid-Atlantic Region of the
United States is the
occurrence of large fish kills
in the estuaries associated
with the presence of toxic
dinoflagellates.
Jennifer S.
Gymnodinium galatheanum,
a dinoflagellate associated
with fish death in the U.S.
and throughout the world,
may be linked to recent fish
kills in Maryland, requiring
the introduction of a
monitoring program. The
Andrew Ziman
research goal was to create a
rapid detection method for determining the presence of G.
galatheanum by utilizing a PCR-based hybridization
assay, design specifically to detect a region of the
18S rRNA gene that was though to be specific
to G. galatheanum. To assess the specificity
of the assay, the probe was tested against a
panel of dinoflagellate samples that should
have resulted in negative confirmations.
Unfortunately, a false positive was detected
during the screening process. Eventually, this
assay may be incorporated in assessing correlations
between the presence of G, galatheanum and fish death in
both aquaculture and environmental contexts once a more
highly specific DNA target has been found.
Focal Plane Array Calibration Techniques for a GFCR System Stephen K. Holland, (Jonathan J. Miles), Integrated
Science and Technology
Gas Filter Correlation Radiometry (GFCR), a method used to image and measure gas concentrations in the
atmosphere, requires the use of a focal plane array. A focal plane array (FPA) consists of multiple infrared radiation
detectors. Due to inherent inconsistencies in fabrication and materials, each detector (or pixel) on FPA produces different
response when exposed to a uniformly radiating target. Due to the high accuracy necessary for GFCR measurements, each
pixel must be calibrated to provide identical responses to a uniform target. As array sizes increase, calibration and
processing procedures become more cumbersome and require large processing times. An FPA was exposed to a
stimulated blackbody target of uniform radiation, and the response of each pixel was evaluated. A statistical grouping
method of calibration was applied to the FPA. The differences between this calibration method and the standard method
were evaluated to determine its effectiveness and accuracy.
Back Row: Eugene Kitamura, Stephen Holland, Hillary
Foster, Andrew Ziman, Jennifer Trager Front Row:
Brent Yoder, C. Stinson Lindenzweig
Rapid Prototyping of Masks from Various 35mm
Film Types for Use in Photolithography Adora M.
Christenson (Brian H. Augustine), Department of
Chemistry
Adora Christenson
Photolithography is a process by which a photoactive
polymer material known as photoresist is deposited onto
a substrate and exposed with ultraviolet (UV) light
through a mask in order to create a pattern on a substrate.
Lithography is one of the most important technological
processes in the miniaturization and efficiency of
micorelectronics during the last three decades. This
paper reports an inexpensive approach to producing
masks used in patterning substrates through
photolithography with minimum feature sizes of
approximately 100µm. Patterns were created on the
computer drawing program CorelDRAW®. Images were
printed from the computer screen onto transparencies via
laser printing and several different 35µm film types.
These masks were tested in the laboratory with varying
exposure times and development times in order to
determine the best technique for mask production. We
have shown that slides produced with Kodalith® film
result in reproducible 100 mm features and can be readily
generated in an undergraduate laboratory.
Undergraduate research lets students
experience the joy and challenge of doing
research – lets them work on something
that is contemporary and not completely
understood.
- Dr. John Noftsinger
"When professors have research
published and they have you read
their articles, that's instant validity.
It's not just something they took out
of a textbook. It makes me proud of
the education that I'm receiving."
Jon
Jurica
Mitigation of Acidity in the St. Mary's Wilderness - Stream Water
Chemistry Ryan C. Elliott (Daniel M. Downey), Department of Chemistry
Water samples have been
collected from the streams of St.
Mary’s Wilderness, Augusta
County, VA and analyzed for pH,
acid neutralizing capacity (ANC),
base metal cations (Ca2, Mg2+,
Na+, and K+), strong acid anions
(Cl-, NO3-, and SO4-2) and
aluminum. Twenty-two locations
in the watershed have been
monitored weekly since January
1999. The project provides chemical
Ryan C. Elliot
information on fish, amphibians, and aquatic
insects as part of an acid rain mitigation project. On March 20, 1999, the St.
Mary’s River and five of its tributaries were treated with 140 tons of
limestone (>99% CaCO3) delivered by helicopter. The pH, ANC, calcium
concentrations, and calcium/hydronium ratios have all increased as a result
of the limestone treatment. As a result of increasing pH, the aluminum
concentrations have decreased. The other strong acid anions and base metal
cations have not significantly changed.
The Office of Sponsored
Programs homepage can be
accessed at
www.jmu.edu/sponsprog/
For details on other aspects
of Sponsored Programs,
please call Pat Buennemeyer
at (540) 569-6972 or email
[email protected]
The role of research at institutions of higher education has
become increasingly important and predominant in recent
years proving to be an important factor in enhancing
universities' prominence. With this growing focus on
research, universities are addressing and encouraging their
faculty to engage in research, scholarship, and other
creative activities through the attainment of extramural
funds. Faculty who engage in externally supported
research related activities not only advance theoretical
knowledge in their discipline, but enable students to engage
in hands-on research experiences under faculty-mentorship,
thus enhancing the overall quality of their students'
education. As one student said, "When professors have
research published and they have you read their articles,
that's instant validity. It's not just something they took out
of a textbook. It makes me proud of the education that I'm
receiving."
Testing Spontaneously Hypertensive
Rats (SHR) as a Potential Laboratory
Model of Attention Deficit/
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Wesley R. Cole (Sherry L. Serdikoff),
School of Psychology
Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) affects approximately
3-5% of school-aged children. There is
currently no cure for the disorder and
treatments are limited. The lack of
treatments is a result of the lack of
knowledge about this disorder,
especially regarding the etiology.
Wesley
Cole & Dr.
Sherry
Serdikoff
Researchers have concluded that
development of an animal model of
ADHD is necessary to further
investigate the etiology. A strain of rat,
the Spontaneously Hyperactive Rat
(SHR), has been proposed as a potential
model of ADHD. In studies, the SHR
have shown hyperactivity similar to
children with ADHD. Their
attentiveness had not been tested. It
would be necessary to determine that
they are less attentive than normal
strains of rats in order to call them a
suitable model of ADHD. Preliminary
Jacob Venzie
studies I have conducted using
habituation to extraneous stimuli as a measure of attention did
not distinguish the SHR from other rats, though these findings
are consistent with clinical-child ADHD literature. Methods
of measuring attention in children that have clearly
distinguished ADHD from normal children will be applied to
the SHR to determine if they are significantly less attentive.
The results will lead to greater insight as to the SHR’s
potential of being a laboratory model of ADHD.
Congratulations to all whom
attended the 14th Annual
National Conference on
Undergraduate Research.