Personal Information:
Birthday
– 3 March
Educational Background
– Bachelor of Science in
Chemistry,
Minor in Psychology
from New Mexico
Institute of Mining and
Technology
Current Graduate School Program – Chemistry Department at Penn State University
Activities to kill time – Cheering for the Nittany Lions and JoePa in Beaver Stadium as loud as I can for as long as I can, writing, watching copious amounts of CSI and Veronica Mars (along with other TV shows that have been recommended to me), reading literature, tennis, teaching my fish tricks, telling and listening to stories, drinking dark roast coffee.
Words of Wisdom – Difficult takes a day. Impossible takes a week. – Jay-Z
Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before. – Kurt Vonnegut
Research - Currently, I am pursuing two distinct aims in my research in the Andrews group. First, I am utilizing high-speed chronoamperometry to investigate how the long and short form of the 5-HTTLPR alter serotonin reuptake in human lymphoblast cultures. Second, I am using several tests that assess anxiety-related behavior (including elevated plus maze, light/dark transition test, and novelty-induced hypophagia) to phenotype mice with disruptions in the serotonergic or brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) systems. I also use a low-stress learning task (Lashley III maze) to determine how changes in these systems affect cognition. On top of all of that, I manage our animal colony. I could not do these very involved studies without the invaluable help of my current undergraduates, Alex and Shoba, or without my former undergraduate, Tara.
Publications:
Perez X, Bressler AJ, Andrews AM (2007) Determining serotonin and dopamine uptake rates using high-speed chronoamperometry. In: Electrochemical Methods for Neuroscience (Michael A, Borlands LA, ed). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC.
Posters Presented:
Bressler AJ, Lewis AR, Belegundu SA, Beikmann BS, Tessarrollo L, Blizard DA, Andrews AM. Effects of aging on route learning in the Lashley maze in mice with constitutive reductions in BDNF expression. 38th Society for Neuroscience Conference, Washington, D.C.
Beikmann BS, Bressler AJ, Andrews AM. Serotonin transporter function and regulation in lymphoblasts from mice with constituve reductions in SERT expression. 38th Society for Neuroscience Conference, Washington, D.C.
Belegundu SA, Bressler AJ, Ragan CM, Lewis AR, Jones BC, Vasudevan N, Cavigelli SA, Andrews AM. Strain 11 B×D recombinant inbred mice display a complex phenotype characterized by increased anxiety-related behavior and hypolocomotion compared to strain 31. 38th Society for Neuroscience Conference, Washington, D.C.
Lewis AR, Bressler AJ, Andrews AM. Mild periadolescent stress potentiates in anxiety-like behavior in associated with reduced SERT expression in mice. 38th Society for Neuroscience Conference, Washington, D.C.
Bressler AJ, Chrzanowski TN, Lewis AR, Belegundu SA, Beikmann BS, Tessarrollo L, Luellen BA, Blizard DA, Andrews AM. Improved route learning in aging mice with constitutive reductions in brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Serotonin Club Meeting, Oxford, England.
Andrews AM, Altieri SA, Bressler AJ, Ihunnah CA, Lewis AR, Osborne BB, Pajtek S, Zhao MK, Unger EL. From genes to drugs: SERT-mediated regulation of BDNF, neurogenesis and anxiety. Serotonin Club Meeting, Oxford, England.
Bressler AJ, Chrzanowski TN, Ren-Patterson R, Murphy DL, Andrews AM. Using high-speed chronoamperometry to determine native serotonin transporter function in human lymphoblasts. 59th Pittsburgh Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Bressler AJ, Chrzanowski TN, Lewis AR, Tessarrollo L, Blizard DA, Andrews AM. Aging mice with reduced BDNF expression show improved learning and memory in a low stress route learning task. 37th Society for Neuroscience Conference, San Diego, CA.
Lewis AR, Bressler AJ, Kovacsics CE, Jones BC, Vasudevan N, Cavigelli SA, Andrews AM. Recombinant inbred mouse strains as tools to identifying new genes underlying anxiety. 37th Society for Neuroscience Conference, San Diego, CA.
Lieu CA, Bressler AJ, Lewis AR, Jones BC, Andrews AM. Marble burying in aging serotonin transporter (SERT) deficient mice. 37th Society for Neuroscience Conference, San Diego, CA.
Maxson MM, Chrzanowski TN, Bressler AJ, Lewis AR, Blizard DA, Andrews AM. Anxiety-related behavior, locomotor activity and route learning in aging APP/PS1 transgenic mice. 37th Society for Neuroscience Conference, San Diego, CA.
Singh YS, Patel BA, Bressler AJ, Swain GM, Andrews AM. Serotonin release and reuptake using in vivo fast cyclic voltammetry in serotonin transporter deficient mice. 37th Society for Neuroscience Conference, San Diego, CA.
Singh YS, Patel BA, Bressler AJ, Swain GM, Andrews AM. Serotonin uptake rates in synaptosomes using boron-doped diamond electrodes. 37th Society for Neuroscience Conference, San Diego, CA.
Vasudevan N, Kovacsics CE, Cavigelli SA, Bressler AJ, Andrews AM, Jones BC. Behavioral inhibition in a novel physical environment in unrelated to social investigation. 11th Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Pacific Grove, CA.
Singh Y, Bressler AJ, Ren-Patterson R, Murphy DL, Andrews AM. High-speed chronoamperometric determination of serotonin transporter function in human lymphoblasts. 36th Society for Neuroscience Conference, Atlanta, GA.
