Amanda C. Kentner

                                                What We Do

 

Our research explores the effects of environmental stressors on the developing brain (e.g., maternal/neonatal infection, psychogenic manipulations, drugs and other neurotoxicants). We also have a particular interest in evaluating factors that offer protective and/or rehabilitative potential against early-life adversity.

 

Using rodent models, we assess behavioral performance using a variety of translational behavioral tasks including several sociability metrics, prepulse inhibition, touchscreen technology, and other indices of emotional reactivity. Neuroendocrine and neurobiological correlates are also evaluated using standard approaches such as ELISA, western blotting, immunochemistry, and qPCR. The lab is currently evolving to include additional methods to evaluate neural circuit adaptations that arise from exposure to enrichment (e.g., environmental complexity, targeted sensory stimulation, maternal care).

 

Here is a select listing of some of our work:

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Martz, J., Shelton, M.A., Geist, L., Seney, M.L., Kentner, A.C. (2024). Sex differences in offspring risk and resilience following 11β-hydroxylase antagonist in a rodent model of maternal immune activation. Neuropsychopharmacology, 49, 1078-1090. Paper available at:  https://rdcu.be/drZRD.

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DeRosa, H., Smith, A., Geist, L., Cheng, A., Hunter, R.G., Kentner, A.C. (2023). Maternal immune activation alters placental histone-3 lysine-9 tri-methylation, offspring sensorimotor processing, and hypothalamic transposable element expression in a sex-specific manner. Neurobiol Stress, 24:100538. doi: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100538.

 

DeRosa, H., Caradonna, S.G., Tran, H., Marrocco, J., Kentner, A.C. (2022). Got Milk? Maternal immune activation during the mid-lactational period affects nutritional milk quality and adolescent offspring sensory processing in male and female rats. Molecular Psychiatry, 27, 4829-4842. doi: 10.1038/s41380-022-01744-y. Paper available at: https://rdcu.be/cUP3e

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​Zhao, X., Mohammed, R., Tran, H., Erickson, M., Kentner AC. (2021). Poly (I:C)-induced maternal immune activation modifies ventral hippocampal regulation of stress reactivity: prevention by environmental enrichment. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 95, 203-215, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2021.03.018.

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Kentner, A.C., Speno, A.V., Doucette, J., Roderick, R.C. (2021). The contribution of environmental enrichment to phenotypic variation in mice and rats. eNeuro, 8(2):ENEURO.0539-20.2021, https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0539-20.2021.

 

Kentner, A.C., Bilbo, S.D., Brown, A.S., Hsiao, E.Y., McAllister, A.K., Meyer, U., Pearce, B.D., Pletnikov, M.V., Yolken, R.H., Bauman, M.D. (2019). Maternal immune activation: reporting guidelines to improve the rigor, reproducibility, and transparency of the model. Neuropsychopharmacology, 44, 275-258, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-018-0185-7. 

 

Kentner, A.C., Cryan, J.F., Brummelte, S. (2019). Resilience priming: translational models for understanding resiliency and adaptation to early-life adversity. Developmental Psychobiology, 61, 350-375,  https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.21775.

 

Kentner, A.C., Scalia, S., Shin, J., Migliore, M.M., Rondon-Ortiz, A.N. (2018). Targeted sensory enrichment interventions protect against behavioral and neuroendocrine consequences of early life stress.  

Psychoneuroendocrinology, 98, 74-85,  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.07.029.  

 

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Other publications may be found under our 'Publications' section of this website.