Browsing by Author "Slade, Sophia A."
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Item Lateralization of facial emotion recognition in the human cerebellum: a transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) study(2023) Slade, Sophia A.; Striemer, ChristopherThe cerebellum, one of the oldest structures in the nervous system, is well-known for the important role it plays in the coordination and timing of movement. However, there has been a paradigm shift with recent clinical, neuroimaging, and experimental research suggesting that the cerebellum also plays a role in higher-order cognitive functions such as attention and emotion. The substantial increase in research regarding the cerebellum's ability for emotional processing has indicated that it may be particularly adept at recognizing and processing negative facial expressions (e.g., fear, anger, sadness). Previous research using functional brain imaging and patients with cerebellar brain injuries provide some evidence of cerebellar lateralization, with the left cerebellum being more specialized for processing emotions than the right. To examine this, we delivered transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left cerebellum of 67 healthy participants, randomly assigned to a tDCS condition (anodal, cathodal, or sham), and had them complete a facial emotion recognition task pre-tDCS, during-tDCS, and post-tDCS. Anodal and cathodal cerebellar tDCS did not significantly alter participant reaction time and accuracy. Participants did get faster, less variable, and more accurate over time, especially for positive emotions (happy), compared to negative emotions (angry and sad). However, due to relatively limited research examining the role of the cerebellum in emotion processes, and the limitations of the current study, we cannot say for certain why there were no effects of tDCS.Item Neurodevelopmental effects of teratogens on chick embryos: a model organism for human health(2022) Slade, Sophia A.; Davis, MonicaThe chick embryo (Gallus gallus domesticus), and its extraembryonic membranes, have been a commonly used model organism in developmental biology due to it being relatively easy to manipulate, inexpensive, and widely available. Chickens are one of the most valuable model organisms for medical and biological research and have profoundly influenced developmental biology since the 20th century. After 24 hours of development (during gastrulation), the process of neurulation begins, with the cephalic region progressing faster than the caudal region. Signalling centres release morphogen transcripts to determine axis formation of the neural tube. Complete neurulation is essential for the proper development of the brain and spinal cord. Chickens share many morphological, genetic, and biochemical similarities with humans, making them an appropriate model organism to examine teratogenic actions and effects on human development. This paper examines the impact of teratogens of differing origins: viral infection (Zika virus), environmental pollutants (cadmium), and recreational drugs (alcohol) on neural development in early chick embryos. Due to the similarities between human and chick embryonic development, researchers can correlate the findings of neural tube alterations in chickens following teratogen exposure with human congenital malformations, providing insight into their causes and mechanisms.