Chronic noise stress affects neocortical and hippocampal-amygdala functional connectivity in mice

This thesis examines the effects of chronic noise stress on neocortical and hippocampal-amygdala networks and their behavioural correlates. Psychological symptoms of stress, including anxiety and depression, are thought to be caused by alterations in functional connectivity within the brain. A functional pathway has been established between the basolateral amygdala, which mediates emotional responses to stressors, the ventral hippocampus which provides context to emotional memories and experiences, and medial prefrontal cortex, which alters attention and perception of stressors. This network is adaptive in the presence of an acute stressor, allowing an organism to optimally prepare and deal with the source of stress, but may become dysfunctional when exposed to chronic stress. The hypotheses that chronic noise stress correlates to neocortical hyperconnectivity and decreased synchrony between the amygdala and hippocampus, correlates to altered behaviour, and correlates to altered brain morphology were tested in head-fixed mice using optical imaging and behavioural recordings.

Authors

• Sholomiski, Megan
• University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and science

• Dissertations, Academic
• Stress (Psychology) -- Animal models
• Amygdaloid body
• Anxiety
• Depression, Mental -- Animal models
• Hippocampus (Brain)
• Noise -- Health aspects

Identifier

hdl:10133/5820

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:opus.uleth.ca:10133/5820