Behavioral neuroscience

En grön AI hjärna

Description

The research is focused on the behavioral and neurobiological basis for individual differences. Of special interest is refinement of experimental methods, and the combination of behavioral and neurobiological characterization to investigate the association between behavioral characteristics, such as emotionality and risk-taking behavior, and neurobiology in individual risk and resilience to develop addiction. Here the focus is on alcohol use disorders and gambling disorder.

Behavioral characterization is conducted using the multivariate concentric square field™ (MCSF) test; a technique with an ethoexperimental approach that in one test situation permit measurements of behaviors associated with general activity, exploration, risk assessment, risk taking and shelter seeking. The MCSF test enables a behavioral profiling and thus refines and expands behavioral characterization relative to conventional tests. Studies on zebrafish are performed in collaboration with Professor Svante Winberg (Dept. of Neuroscience). Dr. Anne-Lie Svensson brings in vitro competence into the projects.

PhD student Stina Lundberg uses the MCSF test to characterize individual differences in behavior, stress responsivity and underlying neurobiology of relevance for excessive voluntary alcohol intake in adolescents; a relatively unexplored area. This project includes selectively bred alcohol-preferring and non-preferring rats in collaboration with Dr. Richard L. Bell (IUPUI, Indianapolis, USA).

PhD student Nikita Tjernström studies individual differences in emotional and risk-related behaviors, impulsivity and gambling strategies, and underlying brain network connectivity (fMRI) and neurobiological correlates. This project aims at investigating shared and unique mechanisms in gambling disorder relative to alcohol and substance use disorders; conducted in collaboration with Professor Kent W. Nilsson (Center for Clinical Research, Västerås) and Dr. Sarah Holst.

Palm S, Hävermark Å, Meyerson BJ, Nylander I*, Roman E*. When is a Wistar a Wistar? Behavioral profiling of outbred Wistar rats from five different suppliers using the MCSF test. Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2011), 135, 128-137. *shared senior authorship.

Roman E, Stewart RB, Bertholomey ML, Jensen, ML, Colombo G, Hyytiä P, Badia-Elder N, Grahame NJ, Li TK, Lumeng L. Behavioral profiling of multiple pairs of rats selectively bred for high and low alcohol intake using the MCSF test. Addiction Biology (2012), 1, 33-46.

Palm S*, Momeni S*, Lundberg S, Nylander I, Roman E. Risk-assessment and risk-taking behavior predict potassium- and amphetamine-induced dopamine response in the dorsal striatum of rats. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience (2014), 8, 236. *shared first authorship.

Momeni S, Sharif M, Ågren G, Roman E. Individual differences in risk-related behaviors and voluntary alcohol intake in outbred Wistar rats. Behavioural Pharmacology (2014), 25, 206-215.

Momeni S, Segerström L, Roman E. Supplier-dependent differences in intermittent voluntary alcohol intake and response to naltrexone in Wistar rats. Frontiers in Neuroscience (2015), 9, 424.

Magara S, Holst S, Lundberg S, Roman E, Lindskog M. Altered explorative strategies and reactive coping style in the FSL rat model of depression. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, (2015), 9, 89.

Karlsson O, Colombo G, Roman E. Low copulatory activity in selectively bred Sardinian alcohol-nonpreferring (sNP) relative to alcohol-preferring (sP) rats. Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences (2015), 120, 181-189.

Karlsson O, Roman E. Dose-dependent effects of alcohol administration on behavioural profiles in the MCSF test. Alcohol (2016), 50, 51-56.

Roman E, Tjernström N, Winberg S. Description of a multivariate behavioral test arena for zebrafish – the zebrafish multivariate concentric square field test, in: Proceedings of Measuring Behavior 2016. (eds.) A. Spink, G. Riedel, L. Zhou, L. Teekens, R. Albatal & C. Gurrin, (2016), 4-6.

Lundberg S, Martinsson M, Nylander I, Roman E. Altered corticosterone levels and social play behavior after prolonged maternal separation in adolescent male but not female Wistar rats. Hormones and Behavior (2017), 87, 137-144.

Last modified:

FOLLOW UPPSALA UNIVERSITY ON

facebook
instagram
twitter
youtube
linkedin