Distinguished Professor

The effects of chronic stress, alone and in combination with alcohol or drugs, on cognitive function, mood and anxiety are investigated in rats.  We have described robust sex differences in both the behavioral effects and the neural changes including neurotransmitter function following stress.  We are also interested in developing a sex-based, rat model for depression because  most episodes of major depression are preceded by stressful life events, associated with elevated levels of cortisol and depression is two-fold higher in females than males.  We have recently also measured changes in salivary cortisol and oxytocin  following acute stress in normal and clinical populations (depersonalization disorder) in order to understand the possible role of these hormones in contributing to mood and anxiety.

Representative Publications

Bowman, R.E., Micik, R., Gautreaux, C, Fernandez, L. and Luine, V.N. Sex dependent changes in anxiety, memory, and monoamines following one week of stress. Physiology & Behavior 97: 21-29 (2009).

Beck, K and Luine VN, Evidence for sex specific shifting of neural processes underlying learning and memory following stress.  Physiology & Behavior 99: 204-211 (2010).

Gomez, J.L., Lewis, M. and Luine, V.  Alcohol Access Alleviates Stress Induced Spatial Memory Impairments in Male Rats. Alcohol 46: 499-504 (2012).

Gomez, J.L., Lewis, M.J., Sebastian_, V., Serrano, P. and Luine, V. Alcohol Administration Blocks Stress-Induced Impairments in Memory and Anxiety and Alters Hippocampal Neurotransmitter Receptor Expression in Male Rats.  Hormones & Behavior 63: 659-661 (2013). 

Gomez, J.L. and Luine, V. Female rats exposed to stress and alcohol show impaired memory and increased depressive-like behavior.  Physiology & Behavior (In Press). 

Luine, VN, Chronic Stress and Sex Differences on Cognition: Animal Studies.  Handbook of Stress: Neuropsychological Effects on the Brain, Cheryl Conrad (Ed), Oxford University Press (2011).