You are here: American University College of Arts & Sciences Neuroscience Research & Publications

Back to top

Research & Publications

Beyond the recent highlights below, please browse the page or use these linksfor

Recent Faculty Highlights

Laurie Bayet

  • Bayet L.How infants learn from a world of faces : Implications for racial biases and maskwearing. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences 9, 65-72 (2022). DOI: .
  • 2022-25 BCS-2122961 National Science Foundation. Standard Grant, Cognitive Neuroscience & Developmental Sciences Programs.
  • 2022 International Congress of Infant Studies, Distinguished Early Career Contribution Award

Terry Davidson

  • Davidson, T. L. & Stevenson, R.J. Appetitive interoception, the hippocampus and western‑style diet.Reviews in Endocrinology and Metabolic Disorders, 23, 845–859(2022).
  • Davidson, T.L., Ramirez, E., Kwarteng, E.A., Djan, K.G., Faulkner, L.M., Parker, M.N., Yang, S., Zenno, A., Kelly, N.R., Shank, L.M., Tanofsky-Kraff, M., Snelling, A., Irvine Belson, S., Hyde, A., Chen,K.Y., & Yanovski, J.A. Retrieval-induced forgetting in children and adolescents with and without obesity,International Journal of Obesity, 46, 851–858 (2022).
  • Trone Family Eminent Scholar Chair in Neuroscience and Behavior: Installed on November 30, 2021, as the first Eminent Scholar Chair at AU. This position was made possible was made possible by a $5,000,000 gift from the David and June Trone Family Foundation.
  • American University Faculty Awards for Outstanding Mentorship of Student Research and/or Creative Work, 2022

Katie Holton

  • Holton KF. Micronutrients May Be a Unique Weapon Against the Neurotoxic Triad of Excitotoxicity, Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation: A Perspective. Frontiers in Neuroscience, section Neuroenergetics, Nutrition and Brain Health. 2021 Sep; 15:726457. DOI:.
  • Grant from the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program to conduct a multi-site clinical trial titled, “Confirmation of the Low Glutamate Diet as a Treatment for Gulf War Illness.”
  • American University College Dean’s Award for Exceptional Impact.

Alexander Kisner

  • Kisner, A., Slocomb, J. E., Sarsfield, S., Gupta, J. F., Kumar, A., Aponte, Y. Electrophysiological properties and projections of lateral hypothalamic parvalbumin positive neurons. PloS ONE. 13(6): e0198991. (2018). DOI: .
  • Submitted a Young Investigator Grant application to Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (NARSAD). Role: PI
  • Fellows Award in Research Excellence (FARE Award) National Institutes of Health

Mark Laubach

  • Amarante, L. M., & Laubach, M. Coherent theta activity in the medial and orbital frontal cortices encodes reward value. eLife, 10, e63372(2021).
  • White S.R., Laubach M. The rostral medial frontal cortex is crucial for engagement in consummatory behavior. Behavioral neuroscience, . Advance online publication.
  • NSF grant for “The Open Behavior Project”
  • 2021: Founding co-organizer of Gordon Research Conference on the Frontal Cortex Inaugural meeting August, 2022 in Ventura, CA

Anthony Riley

  • Riley, A., Manke, H., and Huang, S. Impact of the aversive effects of drugs on their use and abuse. Behavioural Neurology, (2022), 8634176, 1-27. doi:
  • PI, Riley, A.L. "Effects of methylone history on the aversive and rewarding properties of MDPV and a-PVP,"National Institute of Drug Abuse.
  • CollegeMentorship Award, 2022: On Problems of Drug Dependence.

Colin Saldanha

  • Saldanha, CJ. Spatial and Temporal Specificity of Neuroestradiol provision in the songbird. J. Neuroendocrinology (2022).
  • 2021 (PI) IOS 2050260 (NSF) Targeted neurosteroidogenesis and complex memory function.

Projects and Grants

Selected Recent Grants

Bayet, L., “Algorithms for Social Communication in the Developing Human Brain.” Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF). Received $70,000

Bayet, L., “Uncovering algorithms for social communication in the developing human brain.” Karen Toffler Charitable Trust.

Bayet, L., “Grounding computational models of vision with infant brain data.” National Science Foundation. Received $577,408

Holton, K., effects of a low glutamate diet on the neurological symptoms of Gulf War Illness. DoD. Received $6.3 million.

Principal, Riley, A. L., "Effects of Methylone History on the Aversive and Rewarding Properties of MDPV and a-PVP," National Institute of Drug Abuse, Federal. Received $45,000. Awarded January 2020.

Principal, Riley, A. L., "Stereoselective effects of a-PVP on Hyperthermia and Activity," National Institute of Drug Abuse, Federal. Received $51,000. Awarded January 2020.

Principal, Riley, A. L., "Transgenerational Effects of Adolescent THC Exposure," National Institute of Drug Abuse, Federal. Received $39,500. Awarded January 2020.

Principal, Stoodley, CJ. “Cerebellum and autism: neural mechanisms and modulation of predictive processing,” NIH / National Institute of Mental Health.

Stoodley, CJ. “Cognitive and neural predictors of comorbidity between reading and attention problems,” NIH / National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Selected Publications

2020

Clasen, M., Sanon, T., Hempel, B., Nelson, K., Kearns, D., Davidson, T., & Riley, A. Ad-libitum high fat diet consumption during adolescence and adulthood impacts the intravenous self-administration of cocaine in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2020, 28, 32-43.

Clasen, M., Riley, A. & Davidson, T. Hippocampal-dependent inhibitory learning and memory processes in the control of eating and drug taking. Current Pharmaceutical Design, in press.

Duncan KA & Saldanha CJ. (2020). Central aromatization: a dramatic and responsive defense against threat and trauma to the vertebrate brain. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology. 56: 100816. Epub Nov 28, 2019.

Riley, A., Nelson, K., To, P., López-Arnau, R., Xu, P., Wang, D., Wang, D., Shen, H-W., Kuhn, D., Angoa-Perez, M., Anneken, J., Muskiewicz, D., & Hall, F. Abuse potential and toxicity of the synthetic cathinones (i.e., “Bath Salts”). Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2020, 110, 150-173.

2019

Davidson, T. L., Jones, S., Roy, M., & Stevenson, R. J. (2019). The Cognitive Control of Eating and Body Weight: It's More Than What You "Think". Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 62.

Amarante LA, Newport J, Mitchell M, Wilson J, Laubach M. An open source syringe pump controller for fluid delivery of multiple volumes. eNeuro, 2019 August 15.

Student Achievements

  • NASA District of Columbia Space Grant Consortium (DCSGC) and Mathias Research Fellowship, Nicole Loy, American University, 2020.
  • American University Summer Scholars and Artists Award, Hayli Spence, American University, 2019.
  • Best Paper Presentation by a Graduate Student in the Life Sciences, Laura Blevins, Robyn Mathias Student Research Conference, American University, 2019.
  • Best Poster Presentation by an Undergraduate Junior or Senior in the Life Sciences, Rachel Weger, Robyn Mathias Student Research Conference, American University, 2019.
  • Excellence in Undergraduate Research by a Junior, Mariam Melkumyan, American University, 2019.
  • NASA District of Columbia Space Grant Consortium (DCSGC) and Mathias Research Fellowship, Rachel Weger, American University, 2018.
  • Outstanding Contribution by a Neuroscience Undergraduate, Brianne Drury and Stephanie Martin, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, American University, 2018.
  • Best Poster Presentation by a Graduate Student in the Life Sciences, Laura Blevins, Robyn Mathias Student Research Conference, American University, 2018.
  • Outstanding Scholarship at the Graduate Level, Anila D’Mello, American University, 2017.
  • Best Oral Presentation by an Undergraduate in the Life Sciences, Caitlin Barrett, Robyn Mathias Student Research Conference, American University, 2017.