During the summer of 2007, Med Associates will once again offer our Short Courses in Neuroscience series. Med Associates' Short Courses are intensive 1-,2-, or 3-day programs consisting of lecture, theory, and practical labs. Students learn from leading academic researchers and gain experience with new techniques. Perfect for advanced graduate students, technicians, post-doctoral fellows, or even PI's that want to learn about a new area.
Venue
Located in beautiful St. Albans, Vermont, just 20 minutes north of Burlington.
Vermont is consistently rated one of the most beautiful states in the country, and is home to the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. Summer water sports and outdoor recreation are all readily available in Vermont. Plan to spend a few extra days to experience summer in Vermont.
Summer 2007 Courses
Measuring the Acoustic Startle Reflex Response in Rats and Mice:
PPI and FPS
Course Dates – June 20-22, 2007
Cost – $450
This three-day intensive workshop is geared to introduce or reinforce the technical and practical aspects of classical conditioning approaches that are used to study learning and memory. This is a popular field of research, and our course will cover the academic basis of sensorimotor gating and conditioned fear. Two of the most well-established techniques for experimentally examining these phenomena will be covered: Prepulse Inhibition of the Acoustic Startle Reflex (PPI), and Fear Potentiation of the Startle Reflex (FPS). Both rat and mouse models of FPS and PPI will be examined. Hands-on laboratory exercises will give course attendees direct exposure to these techniques. In addition to the technical details of designing and conducting research protocols, a significant amount of time will be devoted to the practical aspects, such as properly calibrating audio stimuli, aversive stimulus generators, and load cell platforms for both rat and mouse studies. This course will be team taught by experts in the field who have well-respected reputations for teaching and research. Faculty members will be Dr. Bill Falls, from The University of Vermont, Dr. Edward Meloni, from Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital, and Dr. Ramona Rodriguez, from Duke University. Make sure to register early, as space is very limited in order to provide personal attention to each attendee.
>> Click here for the registration form (PDF) |
Learning and Memory and Classical Fear Conditioning – The Freeze Response
Course Dates – July 12-13, 2007
Cost – $350
This two-day intensive workshop will cover theoretical and technical aspects related to the study of conditioned fear using the freeze response as a dependent measure. Laboratory exercises will be performed using an automated video motion analysis system, and this type of system will be compared/contrasted to freeze scores obtained by human observation. Special attention will be paid to activity and shock reactivity, training, testing, extinction, and context discrimination. The course will be taught by Dr. Stephan Anagnostaras from UCSD, a recognized authority in murine fear conditioning. Register early, as class size is limited.
>> Click here for the registration form (PDF) |
Introduction to the Novel K-Limbic Software System for Behavioral Experimentation Control
Course Date – July 24, 2007
Cost – FREE!
This course is a free workshop developed to expose interested scientists to a new software product, K-Limbic, available to control behavioral research experiments using the classic Med Associates interface system. K-Limbic software is an alternative to MED-PC ®, and it requires no programming on the part of the user. This workshop will be conducted by the developer of this innovative software product, Dave Fuller. Register early, as space is limited.
>> Click here for the registration form (PDF) |
Running Basic MED-PC Programs: An Introduction to MEDLAB® 8
Course Date – July 25, 2007
Cost – FREE!
This course is a free workshop geared to introduce the novice MED PC user, or potential user, to running basic behavioral test protocols using our powerful and flexible MED PC Research Control and Data Acquisition software. Software and equipment installation will be covered. This course will be taught by Dr. Steve Dworkin from The University of North Carolina—Wilmington. Course enrollment is limited, so sign up early to ensure your spot.
>> Click here for the registration form (PDF) |
An Introduction to Behavioral Research Protocol Programming:
Getting Started with MED PC
Course Date
– July 26, 2007
Cost – $250
Learn the basics of writing MED State Notation programs to control your behavioral experiments. Instruction will be provided by following the exercises in the MED PC Programmer’s Guide. If you already have worked on your own MED State Notation programs, be prepared to bring examples of them, or bring the details of your behavioral experiments. This will allow you to practice using your own protocols and procedures. This course will be taught by Dr. Steve Dworkin from The University of North Carolina—Wilmington. Course enrollment is limited, so sign up early to ensure your spot.
>> Click here for the registration form (PDF) |
An Introduction to Self-Administration
Course Date
– July 27, 2007
Cost – $250
Gain a basic understanding of the field of drug self-administration as a research tool to study drugs of abuse and mechanisms of learning. This course will present theoretical concepts and will also provide a technical overview of the laboratory equipment necessary to perform self-administration studies. The course will be taught by Dr. Steve Dworkin from The University of North Carolina—Wilmington, an expert in rodent self-administration.
>> Click here for the registration form (PDF) |
Registration
Be sure to register early. Space is limited. Contact our sales department for registration information at (802) 527-9724. Or you can email: sales@med-associates.com.
Upon contacting Med Associates and registering for the course, you will be provided with details about lodging and travel. Med Associates has made arrangements for hotel rooms to be blocked off at a hotel in Burlington, Vermont. This allows easy travel arrangements into Burlington International Airport. Med Associates will provide daily shuttle transportation to attendees between the hotel and our facility in St. Albans, Vermont. We have planned an evening reception for the first evening of the course. Also, you will have time available to explore the pleasant city of Burlington on the second night.
Scholarships
Scholarships are available to attendees from academic institutions. To apply, click here to download the Scholarship Application Form (PDF).
Please contact our sales department at (802) 527-9724 with any questions.
Faculty
Courses will be taught by leading experts from academic research labs.
Stephan G. Anagnostaras, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of
Psychology, University of
California, San Diego
Integration of Molecular
Genetics and Cognitive
CURRICULUM VITAE |
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| Learning and Memory and Classical Fear Conditioning – The Freeze Response |
Dr. Anagnostaras obtained his Ph.D. in Psychology in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Fanselow at the University of California, Los Angeles studying the neural basis of Pavlovian fear conditioning. After completing his graduate studies, Dr. Anagnostaras went on to train as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Professor Alcino Silva at UCLA. He is a well-respected young scientist and already has several high-impact publications in the field. He has taught undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in the Neurosciences, as well as serving as Course Organizer for the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Summer Course on Mouse Behavioral Analysis. The general aim of Dr. Anagnostaras' research is to combine the molecular-genetic, systems, and cognitive-behavioral levels to understand how the brain produces behavior and cognition. A major emphasis in this endeavor is bridging systems and molecular approaches using hippocampus-dependent learning, in particular, learning about context. The hippocampal-neocortical memory system offers an excellent opportunity in which the molecular and cognitive levels may be first plainly joined. Long-term objectives of Dr. Anagnostaras' research are to advance our understandings of the mechanisms of memory, cognition, and drug addiction. |
| Running Basic MED-PC Programs: An Introduction to MEDLAB® 8, An Introduction to Behavioral Research Protocol Programming: Getting Started with MED PC, An Introduction to Self-Administration |
Dr. Dworkin received his undergraduate training in psychology at the University of Maryland and earned his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Florida. Dr. Dworkin completed post-doctoral training in neuroscience at the LSU Medical Center and has held tenured positions at LSU Medical Center in Shreveport in psychiatry and pharmacology and the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Pharmacology and Physiology. He is currently a distinguished professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Dr. Dworkin has established international recognition for his research on the neuropsychopharmacology of abused substances. He has received both private and NIH funding and has published extensively in several areas including behavior analysis, behavior pharmacology and the neuroscience of addiction. Dr. Dworkin is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and a member of ASPET, CPDD, the Society for Neuroscience and ABA International. He has reviewed manuscripts for the major journals in the field and served on NIH and NIDA study sections. |
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Steven I. Dworkin, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of
Psychology, University of North
Carolina at Wilmington, Adjunct
Professor of Psychiatry,
Department of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Sciences, Duke
University Medical Center
Behavioral Neuroscience
CURRICULUM VITAE |
William A. Falls, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair of Psychology; Director of Undergraduate Studies, University of Vermont
Neurobiology of Learning, Memory and Emotion
CURRICULUM VITAE |
|
| Measuring the Acoustic Startle Reflex Response in Rats and Mice: PPI and FPS |
Dr. Falls obtained his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1993. Research in the Falls Lab is focused on examining the neurobiology of learning, memory and emotion. We utilize Pavlovian fear conditioning procedures in rats and mice to examine the neural systems involved in the acquisition, expression and inhibition of conditioned fear. Fear is measured in our laboratory using the fear-potentiated startle paradigm. In the fear-potentiated startle paradigm conditioned fear is assessed by measuring the amplitude of acoustic startle in the presence and absence of a fear-eliciting stimulus. Conditioned fear is operationally defined as elevated startle amplitude in the presence versus the absence of the fear-eliciting stimulus. Pavlovian conditioned fear procedures are thought to model many aspects of fear and anxiety in humans. Indeed, phobias and posttraumatic stress disorder are thought to reflect pathological fear responses acquired through Pavlovian conditioning. Individuals with these disorders exhibit exaggerated fear in certain situations (i.e., in the presence of the phobic stimulus) that may reflect aberrant activity in the neural circuits responsible for the acquisition, expression or inhibition of fear. Thus, by examining these neural systems we will better understand the etiology of these disorders and may begin to develop new and more effective treatments. |
| Introduction to the Novel K-Limbic Software System for Behavioral Experimentation Control |
David Fuller is the developer of the K-Limbic operant conditioning control system. David graduated with a BSc in Electronic Engineering from the University Of Southampton, (UK) and an MSc in Bioengineering from the University Of Strathclyde, (UK).
David spent 14 years at GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals where he designed and developed a range of experimental equipment for in vivo and in vitro pharmaceutical studies. Currently, David runs a small business providing technical consultancy, design and development services for experimental laboratories.
K-Limbic was developed in association with scientists from a number of multi-national pharmaceutical companies and is in daily use for a wide variety of operant conditioning experiments. David’s main aim is to extend the use of K-Limbic throughout academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry. |
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David Fuller
Conclusive Software
Software Development for Behavioral Research
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Edward G. Meloni, PhD
Assistant Professor in Psychiatry
Behavioral Genetics Laboratory
and Medicinal Discovery and Development
Harvard Medical School
McLean Hospital
Animal Models and Therapeutics of Bipolar Disorder
CURRICULUM VITAE |
|
| Measuring the Acoustic Startle Reflex Response in Rats and Mice: PPI and FPS |
Dr. Meloni received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University in 2000. His post-doctoral experience included research in the Psychiatry Department at Emory University and Neurology Department at Harvard University. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Medicine Discovery and Development Laboratory at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital.
Dr. Meloni's research focuses on bipolar disorder with the aim of 1) a better understanding of the neurobiology of this psychiatric illness, 2) developing better animal models of this disease, and 3) discovering and developing better medications for the treatment of bipolar disorder. The scope of the research includes analyses at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral level to address these specific aims. |
| Measuring the Acoustic Startle Reflex Response in Rats and Mice: PPI and FPS |
Dr. Rodriguez received extensive training in classical ethology, having dual-undergraduate degrees in Physical Anthropology and Classical Archeology. During her undergraduate education, Dr. Rodriguez concentrated on forensic pathology, ancient languages, and evolution of sensory behavior. She went on to work at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest, where she conducted research using mice as models of endocrine and bone diseases. She subsequently began her graduate training in developmental psychology with Gilbert Gottlieb, Louis Gariepy, and Robert Cairns at The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, where she obtained her Ph.D. in 2001. During graduate school, she incorporated classical behavioral ethological analyses with behavioral pharmacology and endocrinology, which is manifest in her multifaceted and integrated approach to behavioral research today. Currently, Dr. Rodriguez is a Research Associate with Dr. William Wetsel at Duke University. She is instrumental in the operations of the elaborate Mouse Phenotyping Core Facility at Duke. Dr. Rodriguez is very active in teaching and mentoring programs, and has received numerous awards from various scientific societies. |
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Ramona M. Rodriguiz, Ph.D.
Research Associate, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Mouse Behavior and Neuroendocrine Core Facility, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
Murine Models of Psychiatric Disease
CURRICULUM VITAE |
Resources include:
• 2,600 ft2 Animal Care Facility
· Animal Quarters
· Automatic Cage Washer
· Testing/Procedure Rooms
· Surgery Suite/Necropsy Room
• Behavioral Lab Suite
· Operant and Pavlovian Conditioning Systems
· RotoRod
· Mazes
· Video Tracking
· Open-Field Activity
· Self-Administration
· Conditioned Place Preference
. . . and much more
• Office Space, Clerical Support, Lunch Room
• 7,500 ft2 Analytical, Biochemical, Physiology, Pharmacology Lab Space
· GC, HPLC, UV-Vis, IR, Fluorescence, Various In Vitro Test Systems
• 265 ft2 Conference Room for Meetings, Seminars, and Teaching Purposes
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Current Med Citations
Operant Behavior