Current Position. Education. Awards & Honors

Transcription

1 Adam G. Walker Department of Pharmacology Vanderbilt University Medical Center 1205 Light Hall Nashville, TN Phone: Fax: Current Position Education Awards & Honors Postdoctoral Research Fellow Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program in Drug Discovery Department of Pharmacology Indiana University Bloomington, IN Ph.D. in Psychology and Neuroscience 2010 Dissertation: The prefrontal cortex system in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington s disease Advisor: George V. Rebec, Ph.D. University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO B.A. in Psychology 2005, Summa Cum Laude Graduate: Faculty commendation for outstanding qualifying exam performance 08/2007 Life Sciences Fellowship 08/2008 One year support ($12,000) IU Graduate Student Fellowship 08/ One year support ($6,000) Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior (CISAB) Fellowship 06/ Summer stipend support ($3,400) Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) F31 07/ Two years of support ($20,976/yr) Undergraduate: Eleanor S. and Alma J. Dickerson Scholarship 08/2004 ($1,500) UNC Works in Progress Symposium Award 04/ Fully funded to attend the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) Best Undergraduate Poster Award Front Range Neuroscience Group Meeting 11/2004 ($75) UNC Academic Distinction Award 05/2004 University of Northern Colorado Psychology Departmental Scholar Award 05/2005 Graduated Summa Cum Laude from University of Northern Colorado 05/2005 1

2 Publications Manuscripts in preparation & under review Published abstracts of papers presented 1. Walker, A.G. & Steinmetz, J.E. (2008). Hippocampal lesions in rats differentially affect long- and short-trace eyeblink conditioning. Physiology & Behavior. 93(3): Walker, A.G., Miller, B. R., Fritsch, J. N., Barton, S. J., & Rebec, G. V. (2008). Altered information processing in the prefrontal cortex of Huntington's disease mouse models. Journal of Neuroscience, 28(36): Miller, B. R., Walker, A. G., Shah, A. S., Barton, S. J., & Rebec, G. V. (2008). Dysregulated information processing by medium-spiny neurons in striatum of freely behaving mouse models of Huntington's disease. Journal of Neurophysiology. 100: Miller, B.R., Walker, A.G., Fowler, S.C., von Hörsten, S., Reiss, O., Johnson, M.A., & Rebec, G.V. (2010) Dysregulation of coordinated firing patterns in striatum of freely behaving transgenic rats that model Huntington s disease. Neurobiology of Disease. 37(1): Wilber, A.A., Walker, A.G., Southwood, C.J., Rebec, G.V., & Wellman, C.L. (under review). Chronic Stress Alters Neural Activity in Medial Prefrontal Cortex During Retrieval of Extinction. 2. Walker, A.G., Ummel, J.R., & Rebec, G.V. (in preparation). Reduced expression of conditioned fear in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington s disease is related to abnormal activity in prelimbic cortex 3. Walker, A.G., Wellman, C.L., Dicken, A.K., Ummel, J.R., & Rebec, G.V. (in preparation). Altered firing patterns in prefrontal cortex of R6/2 mice are related to abnormal dendritic mophology. 4. Miller, B.R., Walker, A.G., Barton, S.J., & Rebec, G.V. (in preparation) Dysregulated neuronal activity patterns implicate corticostriatal circuit dysfunction in multiple rodent models of Huntington s disease. 1. Walker, A.G. & Allen, M.T. (2004) Alzheimer s-like beta amyloid plaques disrupt learned irrelevance in rabbit eyeblink conditioning. Front Range Neuroscience Group Meeting. Fort Collins, CO Nov. 30, Allen, M.T. & Walker, A.G. (2004). Post-training scopolamine disrupts discriminative operant conditioning and spatial and working memory. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts. San Diego, CA October Walker, A.G., Allen, M.T., & Clark, C.L. (2005) A combined visual and auditory presentation yields better short term memory recall than either a visual or auditory alone presentation. Rocky Mountain Psychological Association. Phoenix, AZ April Walker, A.G., Allen, M.T., & McKinney, C.J. (2005) A copper and cholesterol diet disrupts the learned irrelevance pre-exposure effect in rabbit eyeblink conditioning: An environmental animal model of Alzheimer s Disease. Rocky Mountain Psychological Association. Phoenix, AZ April Allen, M.T., Walker, A.G., & Mckinney, C.J. (2005) Cholesterol Speeds Learning, but Copper & Cholesterol Disrupts Learned Irrelevance in Rabbit EBC. American Psychological Society. Los Angeles, CA May

3 6. Walker, A.G., Mckinney, C.J., & Allen, M.T. (2005) Cholesterol Speeds Learning, but Copper & Cholesterol Disrupts Learned Irrelevance in Rabbit EBC. International Behavioral Neuroscience Society. Santa Fe, NM June Allen, M.T., Walker, A.G., & Mckinney, C.J. (2005) A Copper and Cholesterol Diet Disrupts Learned Irrelevance in Rabbit Eyeblink Conditioning: An Environmental Model for Alzheimer s Disease. Society for Neuroscience. Washington, D.C. November Allen, M.T., Walker, A.G., & Mckinney, C.J. (2005)Beta Amyloid Plaques in the Entorhinal Cortex Disrupt Learned Irrelevance in Rabbit Eyeblink Conditioning. Pavlovian Society. October Walker, A.G. & Steinmetz, J.E. (2006) The effects of hippocampal ibotenic acid lesions on long and short trace eyeblink conditioning tasks with matched interstimulus intervals in rats. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts. Atlanta, GA October Walker, A.G., Barton, S.J., Fritsch, J.N., & Rebec, G.V. (2007) Electrophysiology of prefrontal cortex indicates corticostriatal pathology in murine models of Huntington s Disease. Program no Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. San Diego, CA: Society for Neuroscience, 2007.CD ROM 11. Rebec, G.V, Walker, A.G., Barton, S.J., & Fritsch, J.N. (2007) Decreased spike synchrony in the prefrontal cortex suggests dysfunction of the corticostriatal pathway and altered information processing in Huntington s Disease. Program no Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. San Diego, CA: Society for Neuroscience, 2007.CD ROM 12. Walker, A.G., Wellman, C.L., & Rebec, G.V. Facilitated extinction of conditioned fear in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington s disease. Program No Neuroscience Meeting Planner. Washington, D.C.: Society for Neuroscience, Online 13. Wilber, A.A., Walker, A.G., Southwood, C.J., Rebec, G.V., & Wellman, C.L.. Chronic stress alters neural activity in infralimbic and prelimbic cortex during recall of extinction in rats. Program No Neuroscience Meeting Planner. Washington, D.C.: Society for Neuroscience, Online. 14. Miller BR, Walker AG, Rebec GV (2009) Dysregulated striatal information processing in rodent models of Huntington s disease: analyses from the neuron to the network. Gordon Research Conference, CAG Triplet Repeat Disorders. Waterville Valley, NH. 15. Miller, B.R., Walker, A.G., Barton, S.J., & Rebec, G.V. (2010) Dysregulated neuronal activity patterns implicate corticostriatal circuit dysfunction in multiple rodent models of Huntington s disease. IBAGS X. Long Branch, NJ. Presentations Talks 1. Walker, A.G., & Allen, M.T. Alzheimer s-like beta amyloid plaques 3

4 disrupts learned irrelevance in rabbit eyeblink conditioning. National Conference for Undergraduate Research. Lexington, VA April Walker, A.G. Facilitated extinction of conditioned fear in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington s disease. Animal Behavior Conference Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. April Walker, A.G. Electrophysiological and behavioral evidence for prefrontal cortex dysfunction in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington s disease. Indianapolis Society for Neuroscience Chapter Meeting. Indianapolis, IN. October Walker,A.G. Prefrontal cortex dysfunction in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington s disease. University of South Carolina Medical School, Columbia, SC. April Walker, A.G., Ummel, J.R., & Rebec, G.V. Reduced expression of conditioned fear in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington s disease is related to abnormal activity in prelimbic cortex. HD2010. Cambridge, MA. August Posters 1. Walker, A.G., & Steinmetz, J.E. Effects of hippocampal lesions on longand short-trace eyeblink conditioning. Gill Center Symposium, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. May Walker, A.G., Fritsch, J.N., Barton, S.J., & Rebec, G.V. Prefrontal cortex electrophysiology and open field behavior in the 140 CAG mouse model of Huntington s disease. Animal Behavior Conference Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. April Walker, A.G. & Rebec, G.V. Recall of extinction of conditioned fear in mouse models of Huntington s disease. Animal Behavior Conference Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. April Walker, A.G., Wellman, C.L., & Rebec, G.V. Facilitated extinction of conditioned fear in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington s disease. Indianapolis Society for Neuroscience Chapter Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. October Southwood, C.J., Wilber, A.A., Walker, A.G., & Wellman, C.L. Chronic stress alters neural activity in infralimbic cortex during recall of extinction. Animal Behavior Conference Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. April 2009 Teaching Experience Other Training Courses Taught Methods in Experimental Psychology Laboratory Assisted Teaching Statistical Techniques Health Psychology Physiological Psychology P660: The Teaching of Psychology Spring 2007 A semester long course examining practical topics related to teaching undergraduate courses. Society for Neuroscience Short Course: Neural Signal Processing: 4

5 Quantitative Analysis of Neural Activity 11/2008 Short course at Neuroscience 2008 focusing on cutting edge analysis of discrete and continuously recorded neuronal signals. IACUC 101 & 201 Plus 04/2009 Two day workshop detailing functions and regulatory background of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees. Service Professional Organization Membership References Psi Chi Treasurer Indiana University Animal Behavior Conference steering committee Assisted with general conference logistics and coordinated the poster session setup Bloomington Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (BIACUC) Graduate student member. Member of Education Subcommittee. 02/ /2010 Society for Neuroscience Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society Available upon request 5