Lyman Briggs Student Showcase

	Author: Navya Kalia, 3rd year Undergrad
	Faculty Mentor: Jessica Lee Department of Psychology Faculty member Faculty Mentor: Alexa H. Veenema Department of Psychology Faculty member

Abstract:

Social play behavior is displayed by juveniles of various mammalian species and is critical for social competence throughout life. Autistic children engage in much less social play behavior, which may contribute to their life-long deficits in social competence. Thus, it is important to understand the neural mechanisms regulating social play behavior. The posterodorsal region of the medial amygdala (MePD) and the ventral pallidum (VP) are two brain regions that are part of a brain network involved in regulating social behavior. Furthermore, the MePD and the VP have each been shown to regulate social play behavior in juvenile rats. However, it is unknown whether and how the MePD to VP pathway regulates social play behavior in juvenile rats. Therefore, we aim to examine the involvement of the MePD to VP pathway in regulating social play behavior in juvenile male and female rats. First, by combining in situ hybridization with retrograde tract-tracing, we will determine whether MePD projections to the VP are inhibitory in nature by using gad1 as a marker for the GABAergic cells. Next, we will determine whether exposure to social play alters activation of VP-projecting cells in the MePD, using similar methods as the previous experiment, by using fos as an indirect measure of neural activity. Ultimately, outcomes of these experiments will provide insights into a neural pathway-specific modulation of social play behavior in juvenile male and female rats.

	Eliot Haddad, Undergraduate 4th year, Human Biology Major
	Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sarah Comstock, Food Science and Human Nutrition Department Faculty Mentor: Dr. Perry Ng, Food Science and Human Nutrition Department

Abstract:

Diet is one of the principal determining factors of the human gut microbiome. However, there has been little agreement on the specific effects of whole grain wheat, a high fiber food, on the human gut microbiota. Herein, we aim to identify whether consumption of different varieties of whole wheat is associated with gut microbial diversity and markers of intestinal inflammation. To elucidate this, a sample of 28 adults consumed 100g of two different varieties of Michigan grown whole grain crackers: white whole grain and red whole grain. The study took place over a four-week period, each week representing a different time point (A, B, C, and D). In weeks B and D, participants consumed white and red wheat, respectively. In weeks A and C, participants consumed a generic wheat for a washout period. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to characterize the gut microbiome and lipocalin/calprotectin proteins were extracted from fecal samples collected at each timepoint. Gut microbial diversity was not significantly different across timepoints. However, Bifidobacterium levels were significantly lower in the intervention and washout weeks compared to the initial run-in period. There were no significant differences between levels of lipocalin and calprotectin across the four weeks. Overall, the results of this study show that consumption of whole grain wheat at the provided dose has little impact on gut microbial diversity and markers of gut inflammation. This implies that the health benefits of whole wheat consumption may be independent of gut microbial diversity.