McCORMICK LAB NEWS

MCCORMICK LAB NEWS – MAY 2017

Welcome to…:

• Paula Lima, a visiting PhD student from Brazil, who is here for a year.

Congratulations to…:

• Madeleine Shaver, who obtained an NSERC USRA to work in the lab for the summer.
• Jonathan for obtaining the WG Dewhurst award to attend the CCNP conference in Kingston and the ICRS student travel award to attend the conference in Montreal.

Dissemination of our research over the school year:
          PAPERS

• Shawn and Cheryl’s collaboration with Dr Steil’s lab in Germany has resulted in a publication: Lieberz KA, Mueller-Engelmann M, Bornefeld-Ettmann P, Priebe K, Weidmann A, Fydrich T, Geniole SN, McCormick CM, Rausch S, Thome J, Steil R. (in press) The facial width-to-height ratio determines interpersonal distance preferences in the observer. Aggressive Behavior.
• Cheryl is a co-author on a review paper: Burke AR, McCormick CM, Pellis SM, Lukkes JL (in press) Impact of adolescent social experiences on behavior and neural circuits. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.
• Elliott’s undergrad thesis research with Shawn is published: Geniole SN, MacDonell ET, McCormick CM (in press) The “threat premium” in economic bargaining. Evolution and Human Behavior.
• Madison and Mark’s undergrad research gets a second publication with help from Dr Cameron of Binghamton University: McCormick CM, Cameron NM, Thompson MA, Cumming MJ, Hodges TE, Langett M (2017) The sexual preference of female rats is influenced by males’ adolescent social stress history and social status. Hormones and Behavior. 89: 30-37.
• Jonathan’s side-project is published: Simone JJ, McCormick CM (2017) Intracellular signalling and plasma hormone profiles associated with the expression of unconditioned and conditioned fear and anxiety in female rats. Physiology & Behavior. 169: 234-244.

CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS

• Elliott attends the SPSP conference in San Anotnio in January:
• MacDonell ET, Patterson-Stallwood E, Geniole SN, McCormick CM (2017) Force vs Fury: Physical versus psychological threat potential differentially predict aggressive behaviour. Poster presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Antonio, Jan 2017.
• Cheryl attends the ICPS conference in Vienna, and catches up with lab alums, Shawn and Justin.
• McCormick CM, Cameron NL, Thompson M, Cummings M, Hodges TE, Langett M (2017) The sexual preference of female rats is influenced by males’ adolescent social stress history and social status. Poster presented at the International Convention of Psychological Science, Vienna, March 2017.
• MacDonell ET, Patterson-Stallwood E, Geniole SN, McCormick CM (2017) Both physical and psychological threat are judged accurately from the faces of men, but the facial-width-to-height ratio is a cue of their psychological threat only. presented at the International Convention of Psychological Science, Vienna, March 2017.
• Cheryl hosts the SOUTHERN ONTARIO NEUROSCIENCE ASSOCIATION annual conference May 5 at Brock, and the lab attends and presents (and also catch-up with lab alum, Dr Iva Zovkic):

• Baumbach JL, Fish KM, Flynt KJ, Hodges TE, McCormick CM (2017, May). Reduced Fos expression to social interaction and altered synaptic plasticity in social brain areas after social instability stress in adolescent male rats. Poster presented at the Southern Ontario Neuroscience Association Conference, St. Catharines, ON

• Marina, Jonathan, and Matt attend the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology conference in Kinston June 2017 and present these posters:
• Simone JJ, Cattle GE, Baumbach JL, McCormick, C.M. (2017). Effects of stress in adolescence on socioemotional function dissipate, whereas those of CB1 receptor antagonism emerge in adulthood, in male rats. Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology, June, Kingston, Canada.
• Marcolin ML, Hodges TE, McCormick, C.M. (2017). Social instability stress increases the intake of ethanol, but not sucrose, in rats. Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology, June, Kingston, Canada.

• Jonathan presents at the International Cannabinoid Research Society conference in Montreal in June:
• Simone JJ, Leerentveld AJ, Baumbach JL, McCormick, C. M. (2017). Independent effects of repeated stress and AM251 treatment in adolescence on anxiety, sociality, and neuroendocrine stress responses, and on relevant protein expression in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, in female rats. International Cannabinoid Research Society, June, 2017, Montreal, Canada.

Autumn 2016

Welcome, and welcome back, to…:

• Moustafa Zeidan, a new MSc in Neurobiology and physiology student in the lab.
• Honours thesis students Jennet Baumbach, Alexandra Medland, Jaqui Leerentveld, Gillian Castle, and Kevin Flynt, and Independent Research student Kelsey Fish.
• Undergraduate research volunteers Madeleine Shaver, Kathryn Bundy, Jenn McPherson, and Shiwani Sager.

Congratulations to…:

• Shawn Geniole, defending his PhD in July and good luck as a SSHRC Banting PDF in Chris Eisenegger’s lab in Austria.
• Lab alum Iva Zovkic (PhD, Prof at U of T) and welcome to baby Damien born on his due date, Aug 24, 2016.

Dissemination of our research over the summer:

          PAPERS

• Matt, Jonathan, and Cheryl’s paper with MSc student from Bob Carlone’s lab, Rachel Norttrodt, is submitted, accepted, and published: Green MR, Norttrodt RE, Simone JJ, McCormick CM (2016) Glucocorticoid receptor translocation and expression of relevant genes in the hippocampus of adolescent and adult male rats Psychoneuroendocrinology. 73: 32-41.
• Cheryl, Matt, and Jonathan’s review paper submitted, accepted, and now in press: McCormick CM, Green MR, Simone JJ (in press) Translational relevance of rodent models of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function and stressors in adolescence” Neurobiology of Stress.

CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS

• Travis, Marina, Jonathan, Matt and Cheryl attend the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology conference (and also meet up with lab alum, Justin Carre, Prof at Nipissing Univ) in Montreal in August and present these posters:

• Green MR, Nottrodt R, Simone JJ, McCormick CM (2016) Glucocorticoid receptor translocation and expression of relevant genes in hippocampus in adolescent and adult male rats.
• Hodges TE, Baumbach JL, McCormick CM (2016) Social interaction during a social memory test increases neurogenesis in the subventricular and subgranular zones in rats.
• Simone JJ, Baumbach JL, McCormick CM (2016) Corticolimbic p-Akt and p-Erk1/2 signaling in the expression of unconditioned, generalized, and conditioned fear in adult female rats.
• Marcolin ML, Green MR, McCormick CM (2016) Estradiol modulates the hormonal response to stress without affecting hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor translocation in female rats.

Winter 2016

Congratulations to…:

• Shawn Geniole, for receiving a SSHRC Banting PDF, which he will take to Chris Eisenegger’s lab in Austria (as soon as he defends his PhD thesis, of course!). Shawn also was awarded the Jack Miller Excellence in Research Award.
• Elliott MacDonell, for receiving a SSHRC and an OGS (we can now say lab grad students are fully funded again!!).
• Matt Green, for receiving an OGS to support his last year (it is in writing, now Matt!) in the PhD program, and for having his NSERC PGS upgraded to a CGS.
• Lab alum Iva Zovkic (PhD, Prof at U of T)…now a homeowner and expecting a baby in August!  Never say never!
• Jennet Baumbach, for receiving a Match of Minds award to work in the lab this winter.

Dissemination of our Research:

• Jonathan, Bailey, and Cheryl’s paper was accepted for publication and is now published: Simone JJ, Malivoire BL, McCormick CM (2015) Effects of CB1 receptor agonism and antagonism on behavioural fear and physiological stress responses in adult intact, ovariectomized, and estradiol-replaced female rats. Neuroscience. 306: 123-137.
• Travis and Cheryl’s review paper is accepted for publication and is now in press (check it out for the best pictures ever!!): McCormick CM, Hodges TE (2016) Stress, Glucocorticoids, and Brain Development in Rodent Models. In G. Fink (Ed.) ‘Neuroendocrinology and Endocrinology: Handbook of Stress Series, Volume 2’. Elsevier, NY.
• Matt and Cheryl’s review paper is accepted for publication and is now in press: Green MR, McCormick CM (2016) Sex and stress steroids in adolescence: Gonadal regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the rat. General and Comparative Endocrinology.
• Shawn, Elliott, and Cheryl’s review paper will soon be accepted for publication now that the revised version has been submitted: Geniole SN, MacDonell E, McCormick CM (submitted) The Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm as a laboratory tool for investigating the neuroendocrinology of aggression and competition. Hormones and Behavior.

Fall 2015

New members:

• Welcome back to Elliott MacDonell, who is now an MA student in the lab.
• Welcome to Maddi, Jaqui, Emma, and Natalie, undergraduate research volunteers in the lab!
• Welcome back to Jennet Baumbach, who is now an Independent Research student in the lab.
• Welcome to baby Leo Geniole, born Nov 15 2015, to Vale and Shawn!

Some alum news…

• Lab alum, Dr Iva Zovkic, Assist. Prof. U of T Mississauga, is a colloquium speaker in the Brock Psychology Department colloquium series in December.
• Lab alum, Dr Mark Morrissey, defended his PhD dissertation this Fall at University of Toronto….with lab alum Dr Iva Zovkic on his examination committee.

Dissemination of our Research:

• Simone JJ, Malivoire BL, McCormick CM (2015) Effects of CB1 receptor agonism and antagonism on fear and stress responses in adult intact, ovariectomized, and estradiol-treated female rats. Poster presented at the conference of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington DC Nov 2014.
• Hodges TE, Marcolin ML, Baumbach JL, McCormick CM (2015) Social instability stress in adolescence reduces interactions with novel peers and impairs social memory in male rats. Poster presented at the conference of the Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, Oct 2015.
• Green MR, McLaren M, Hodges TE, McCormick CM (2015) Effects of testosterone on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function before, during, and after puberty in male rats. Poster presented at the conference of the Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, Oct 2015.
• Marcolin ML, Hodges TE, Baumbach JL, McCormick CM (2015) Social instability stress in adolescence alters effects of social context on ethanol consumption. Poster presented at the conference of the Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, Oct 2015.
• McCormick CM (2015) Social instability stress in adolescence alters social behaviour and its developmental trajectory into adulthood in rats. Invited symposium speaker. Joint conference of the European Brain and Behaviour Society and the European Behavioural Pharmacology Society, September 14 2015, Verona, Italy.
• McCormick CM (2015) Peer Pressures: Lasting consequences of social stressors in adolescence on social and emotional behaviour. Invited speaker, CAN-BIND (Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression), Dec 17, Toronto.

Spring/Summer 2015

Time to start keeping track of all the great happenings!

• In March, lab alum Dr Justin Carre came and gave a colloquium. Great to catch-up on all his post-PhD successes. After a post-doc at Duke University and an NSERC PDF Award, Justin left an assistant professorship at Wayne State to return to the great white north as an assistant professor at Nipissing U, where he is now happily spending his first NSERC Discovery Grant.

• On that note, lab alum Dr Iva Zovkic who held a NSERC PDF at Univ of Alabama, has finished an awesome first year as an assistant professor at University of Toronto, Mississauga – not only did she publish a paper in Nature, she was awarded her first NSERC Discovery Grant and was also awarded a Discovery Accelerator Supplement.

• And now for the five PhD students currently in the lab – ALL FIVE NOW FULLY-FUNDED!!

• Jonathan Simone, who fast-tracked from the MSc to the PhD in Biological Sciences, was awarded an NSERC CGS Postgraduate Scholarship. Follow this link for a write up on Jonathan: http://www.brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=34128

• Travis Hodges, who is completing the first year of his PhD, was awarded an NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship.

• Marina de Lima Marcolin, who joined the lab in September to begin her PhD in Biological Sciences, received an Ontario Trillium Scholarship.

• Shawn Geniole, on the count-down to PDF time is entering the last year of his PhD and is supported by a SSHRC CGS Postgraduate Scholarship.

• Matt Green is finishing the second year of his PhD and is supported by an NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship.

• And now for summer awards:

• Bailee Malivoire is with us for a second summer funded by an NSERC USRA award, and will be heading to a Clinical Psych PhD program at Ryerson U.

• Undergraduates Jennet Baumbach and Jonah Mondloch are with us as research assistants funded by the Match of Minds program.

• As part of the Science without Borders exchange between Brazil and Canada, Tiago David and Helena Veiga have joined us for the summer as research interns.

• Undergraduate Nicole Panday is completing an Independent Research Course in Psychology in the lab this summer.

• Jonathan Simone was awarded a Summer Research Fellowship from the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids.

Travis Hodges was awarded a Dean of Graduate Studies Spring Research Fellowship.

• Dissemination of our Research:

• In May, we had several posters at the Southern Ontario Neuroscience Association meeting in Hamilton presented by Travis Hodges, Jonathan Simone, Marina de Lima Marcolin, Matt Green, Bailee Malivoire, Michael McLaren, and Jennet Baumbach: (1) Hodges, T. E., Marcolin, M. L., Baumbach, J. L., & McCormick, C. M. (2015). Social instability stress reduces social interactions and improves social memory in adolescent male rats. Southern Ontario Neuroscience Association, Hamilton, ON. (2) Green MR, McLaren M, Hodges TE, McCormick CM (2015) Effects of testosterone on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function before, during, and after puberty in male rats. (3) Malivoire B, Simone JJ, McCormick CM (2015) Differential effects of CB1 receptor agonism and antagonism on unconditioned and conditioned fear in female rats

• Congratulations to undergraduate students in the lab -- Bailee Malivoire, Ainsley MacMillan, Larissa Mazzarella, Elliot MacDonell -- for their talks at the Undergraduate Psychology Conference at Western Ontario!

• In June, Shawn Geniole gave a colloquium at Nipissing U entitled: Is the facial width-to-height ratio an evolved cue of threat?

• In June, Shawn Geniole and Elliott MacDonell presented posters in Ottawa: (1) MacDonell, E. T., Geniole, S. N., & McCormick, C. M. (2015). Vulnerability versus virility: The facial cues, and sensitivity to the cues, that influence economic bargaining. Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science, Ottawa, Canada. (2) Geniole, S. N., David, J. P. F., Euzébio, R. F. R., Toledo, B. Z. S., Neves, A. I. M., & McCormick, C. M. (2015). Restoring land and mind: The benefits of an outdoor walk on mood are enhanced in a naturalized landfill area relative to its neighbouring urban area. Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science, Ottawa, Canada

• In June, Cheryl gave a talk at the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society conference in Victoria highlighting Travis Hodges and Marina de Lima Marcolin’s research entitled: Social and hormonal factors in stress responses between adolescent and adult rats.

• In June, Shawn Geniole’s meta-analyses beast of a paper was accepted for publication: Geniole, S.N., Denson, T., Dixson, B. Carré, J.M. & McCormick, C.M. (in press). Evidence from meta-analyses of the facial width-to-height ratio as an evolved cue of threat. PLOS ONE.

• In June, Cheryl gave a talk at the North American Society for Comparative Endocrinology conference in Ottawa highlighting Matt Green’s research entitled: Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) responses to stressors in pre- and post-pubertal adolescent rats compared with adult rats.

• In July, Joacy David and Beatriz Toledo gave a poster presentation: David, J. P. F., Toledo, B. Z. S., Euzébio, R. F. R., Neves, A. I. M., Geniole, S. N., & McCormick, C. M. (2015). Enhanced positive effects of exercise in a natural versus an urban setting. International Brain Research Organization, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• Some lab alums….where are they now? Not a complete list, but as we hear good things, we will update!

Updates for summer 2015

• Honours thesis student Mark Morrissey is completin his PhD at University of Toronto and is off to conduct research as a PDF in the USA.

• MSc student Catherine Thomas was recently inducted into the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists and continues to work as a Project Manager at RCGI.

• Honours thesis student Mark Cumming is finishing his first year as a graduate student at McGill University.

•     High School Mentorship student Heather Robinson is off to Laurier University in the Fall to start a BA in Anthropology.