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Theresa A. Jones, Ph.D.
Professor

Research, Publications & Vitaes | Faculty Directory | Books by Faculty | Faculty in the News | Area Chairs and Faculty
  

VITA

Jones Lab Homepage

PDFs of selected papers

Email: tj@psy.utexas.edu
Phone: 232-1814 Lab Phone: 475-7763
Office: SEA 5.248 Lab: ARC 3.120


See also Behavioral Neuroscience

DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH IN DR. THERESA JONES’ LAB

My laboratory studies plasticity of neural structure and synaptic connectivity in adult animals following brain damage and during learning. Damage to the adult brain results in degeneration and neurotoxicity in regions that are connected to the site of principal injury as well as an apparently adaptive neuronal plasticity and reconfiguration of synaptic connections. Our research on the effects of focal damage to the sensorimotor cortex in adult rats indicates that the neuronal response to brain damage is dependent upon post-injury behavioral changes, including compensatory behaviors that animals develop spontaneously and those induced using motor skill learning as rehabilitative training. This work supports that the degenerative effects of brain damage induce a fertile environment for neuronal growth and synaptogenesis, but that this must be capitalized upon by appropriate behavioral pressures in order to effectively shape the neuronal restructuring. That is, the "use it or lose it" idea as applied to neuronal connections may be especially applicable to the maintenance and growth of synapses in areas which are connected to the site of an injury. Additional research focuses on motor learning-induced plasticity of the cerebellum and motor cortex in intact animals and how this is altered after damage to the neocortex of one hemisphere. An ongoing component of this research is plasticity of glial-neuronal interactions. In addition to attempting to understand mechanisms underlying neuronal adaptation to brain damage, a goal of this work is to address the efficacy of using behavior as "therapy" to promote brain changes which are functionally adaptive.

Courses

PSY 308-Biopsychology
PSY 341K-Neural Plasticity and Behavior
PSY 394P-Quantifying Brain Structure 


Selected Publications
O'Bryant, A., Bernier, B. and Jones, T. A. (2007). Abnormalities in skilled reaching movements are improved by peripheral anesthetization of the less-affected forelimb after sensorimotor cortical infarcts in rats.  Behavioural Brain Research, 177: 298-307. pdf

Hsu, J. E. and Jones, T. A.  (2006). Contralesional neural plasticity and functional changes in the less-affected forelimb after large and small cortical infarcts in rats.  Experimental Neurology, 201: 479-494. pdf

Adkins, D. L., Campos, P., Quach, D. Borromeo, M., Schallert, K. and Jones, T. A.  (2006). Epidural cortical stimulation enhances motor function after sensorimotor cortical infarcts in rats.  Experimental Neurology,200: 356-370. pdf

Allred, R. P., Maldonado, M. A., Hsu, J. E. and Jones, T. A. (2005). Training the 'less-affected' forelimb after unilateral cortical infarcts interferes with functional recovery of the impaired forelimb in rats. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 23: 297-302. pdf

Adkins, D. L. and Jones, T. A.  (2005). D-amphetamine enhances skilled reaching function after cortical ischemia in rats.  Neuroscience Letters, 380: 214-218. pdf

Hsu, J. E. and Jones, T. A.  (2005). Time-sensitive enhancement of motor learning with the less-affected forelimb after unilateral sensorimotor cortex lesions in rats. European Journal of Neuroscience, 22: 2069-2080. pdf

Allred, R. P. and Jones, T. A. (2004) Unilateral ischemic sensorimotor cortical damage in female rats:  Forelimb behavioral effects and dendritic structural plasticity in the contralateral homotopic cortex. Experimental Neurology, 190: 433-445. pdf

Luke,  L. M., Allred, R. P. and Jones, T.A.  (2004) Unilateral ischemic sensorimotor cortical damage induces contra-lesional synaptogenesis and enhances skilled reaching with the ipsilateral forelimb in adult male rats.  Synapse, 54: 187-199. pdf

Adkins, D. L, Voorhies, A. C. and Jones, T. A. (2004) Behavioral and neuroplastic effects of focal endothelin-1 induced sensorimotor cortex lesions.  Neuroscience, 128: 473-486. pdf

Bury, S. D. and Jones, T. A.  (2004) Facilitation of motor skill learning by callosal denervation and forced forelimb use in adult rats.  Behavioural Brain Research,  150: 43-53. pdf

Adkins-Muir, D. L. and Jones, T. A. (2003). Cortical electrical stimulation combined with rehabilitative training:  enhanced functional recovery and dendritic plasticity following focal cortical ischemia in rats. Neurological Research, 25, 780-787. pdf

Jones, T. A., Bury, S. D., Adkins D. L., Allred, R.P., Luke, L. M.  and Sakata, J. T. (2003). The importance of behavioral manipulations and measures in rat models of brain damage and brain repair. Institute for Laboratory Animal Research Journal.  44,  144-152. html

Sakata, J. T. and Jones, T. A.  Synaptic mitochondrial changes in the motor cortex following unilateral cortical lesions and motor skills training in adult male rats.  Neuroscience Letters, 337 (2003) 159-162. pdf

Bury, S. D. and Jones, T. A. Unilateral sensorimotor cortex lesions in adult rats facilitate motor skill learning with the “unaffected” forelimb and training-induced dentritic structural plasticity in the motor cortex.  Journal of Neuroscience, 22 (2002) 8597-8606. pdf

Voorhies, A. C. and Jones, T. A.  The behavioral and dendritic growth effects of focal sensorimotor cortical damage depend on the method of lesion induction.  Behavioural Brain Research, 133 (2002) 237-246. pdf

Adkins, D. L., Bury, S. D. and Jones, T. A. Laminar-dependent dendritic spine alterations in the motor cortex of adult rats following callosal transection and forced forelimb use. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 78  (2002) 35-52. pdf

Jones, T. A. and Greenough, W. T. Chapter 19, Behavioral experience-dependent plasticity of glial-neuronal interactions.  In A. Volterra, P. Magistretti and P. G. Haydon (Eds.):  Glia in Synaptic Transmission, Oxford University Press. (2002) pp. 248-265.

Chu, C. J. and Jones, T. A. Experience-dependent structural plasticity in cortex heterotopic to focal sensorimotor cortical damage.  Experimental Neurology, 166 (2000) 403-414. pdf

Bury, S. D., Eichhorn, A. C., Kotzer, C. M. and Jones, T. A. Reactive astrocytic responses to denervation in the motor cortex of adult rats are sensitive to manipulations of behavioral experience.  Neuropharmacology, 39 (2000) 743-755. pdf

Bury, S. D., Adkins, D. L., Ishida, J. T., Kotzer, C. M, Eichhorn, A. C. and Jones, T. A. Denervation facilitates neuronal growth in the motor cortex of rats in the presence of behavioral demand.  Neuroscience Letters, 287  (2000) 85-88. pdf

Jones, T. A., Chu, C. J., Grande, L. A. and Gregory, A. D. Motor skills training enhances lesion-induced structural plasticity in the motor cortex of adult rats. Journal of Neuroscience, 19 (1999) 10153-10163. pdf

Jones, T. A.  (1999).  Multiple synapse formation in the motor cortex opposite unilateral sensorimotor cortex lesions in adult rats.  Journal of Comparative Neurology, 414, 57-66. pdf

Updated 2 June 2006
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