Three Northern Kentucky University students and one alumnus were recognized for research excellence in the field of neuroscience at two scientific meetings during the spring semester.

Adam Fritz, a senior psychological science major, placed in the top 10 percent of the undergraduate research category at the 2014 annual meeting of the Bluegrass Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience held at the University of Kentucky.

Fritz’s presentation described a collaborative project conducted by research teams at NKU and UK. Their studies examined the effects of early-life anti-psychotic drug administration on the later-life expression of brain proteins involved in dopamine neurotransmission.

At the 2014 Annual Neuroscience Day Symposium hosted by the University of Louisville, two NKU students and an NKU graduate swept the top three awards in the undergraduate research category. Bobbie Lee Stubbeman, a senior psychological science major, was awarded first place for her work to determine if behavioral sensitivity to psycho-stimulants was increased in adult rats that received anti-psychotics early in development.

Cliff Brown, a 2013 NKU graduate, was awarded second place. His study found that early-life antipsychotic treatment more profoundly affects adult behavior if administration occurs earlier in development. He now conducts neuroscience studies as a research associate in the NKU Department of Psychological Science.

Josephine Brown, a senior biological sciences major, was awarded third place. Her research assessed working memory in adult mice exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) during gestation and lactation. She also received a Dorothy Westerman Herrmann Research Award from NKU for her work on the project.

Fritz, Stubbeman, and Cliff Brown conducted their studies in the laboratory of Dr. Mark Bardgett. Josephine Brown performed her research in the laboratory of Dr. Christine Curran. Research in both labs was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Kentucky Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network.

From NKU