We hypothesize that glial impairment in the CA1 region of the hippocampus will alter place cell function by disturbing neurotransmission. The result of this will be a decreased ability of the animal to orient in a novel environment to which it has been previously exposed. If this hypothesis is supported by our findings, this will be the first evidence for an important role of glia in neuronal processing related to learning and memory in a conscious animal. Understanding the function of glia is critical to our understanding of how the brain processes information. Dr. Peter Cain of the Psychology department is collaborating on this work.
Human activities can negatively impact the water quality of streams.
Biological as well as chemical processes influence the chemistry of water as it enters an area as rain or snow and flows across the landscape to streams. The area of land draining into a stream is called the stream's watershed. Biological activities in the watershed such as nutrient and water consumption by vegetation and the retention of soil by roots regulate the supply of water, nutrients and sediment particles to streams. Disruption of normal biological activities due to the removal of forests can increase the supply of water, sediment particles and nutrients to streams and thus degrade the stream's water quality. Agricultural activities can increase the degradation of stream water quality by increasing the likelihood of erosion and by adding fertilizer, animal wastes, and herbicides to the landscape.