Caitlyn M. Edwards

Individual differences in ethanol drinking meal structure are shaped by social environments

The paper analyzes ethanol drinking patterns in mice using high-resolution fluid meal analysis to identify sex- and housing-dependent behavioral differences and a meal phenotype linked to social dominance.

Sex-specific control of feeding and defensive behaviors by MC3R neurons in the bed nuclei of the stria terminalis

This study shows that MC3R neurons in the BST modulate feeding and defensive behaviors, with sex-specific effects on feeding reduction and stress responses.

Adolescent onset of volitional ethanol intake normalizes sex differences observed with adult-onset ethanol intake and negative affective behaviors during protracted forced abstinence

This study compares sex differences in voluntary ethanol consumption and negative affective behaviors in mice starting ethanol intake during adolescence versus adulthood, finding reduced sex differences in adolescent-onset drinkers.

A novel mouse home cage lickometer system reveals sex- and housing-based influences on alcohol drinking

This study develops a group-housed lickometer system to investigate how sex and social housing influence ethanol consumption in mice, revealing sex- and housing-based differences in drinking behavior.

An ascending vagal sensory-central noradrenergic pathway modulates retrieval of passive avoidance memory

This study shows that disrupting gut-sensing vagal afferents or noradrenergic inputs to the vlBNST increases passive avoidance memory retrieval in rats.

Blockade of ghrelin receptor signaling enhances conditioned passive avoidance and context-associated neural circuit activation in fasted male rats

This study shows that blocking ghrelin receptor signaling in fasted male rats restores conditioned passive avoidance behavior and increases neural circuit activation in specific brain regions.

Sex and metabolic state interact to influence expression of passive avoidance memory in rats: Potential contribution of A2 noradrenergic neurons

This study examines how sex and metabolic state affect passive avoidance memory in rats, finding that PrRP+ noradrenergic neurons and their connections to vlBNST are involved in memory expression and modulated by metabolic state.