Setlow Lab

Mechanisms and therapeutic potential of vagus nerve stimulation in aging and Alzheimer's disease

Testing nerve stimulation as a treatment for brain aging and Alzheimer's.

Effects of cannabis on age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease pathology

Studying how cannabis impacts brain aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Project The Effects of Chronic Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Administration on Intertemporal Choice in Aged Rats

The lab studies how long‑term cannabis use affects decision making in older rats. Seventeen rats were given THC in gelatin for four weeks while choosing between a small immediate reward and a larger delayed reward. THC‑treated rats chose the larger reward less often as the delay grew, showing increased impulsivity. Future work will explore how THC changes brain reward circuits in aging.

From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 567

The Effects of Concurrent Cocaine and Cannabis Use on neural Reward Circuitries

The lab examines how using cannabis together with cocaine changes reward‑related behavior in rats. The student helped expose rats to smoke, run cocaine self‑administration sessions, manage a 30‑day abstinence period, and will use c‑Fos staining to look at brain activation during relapse testing.

From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 529

Project The rola of dopamine in decision making

The lab investigates how dopamine neurons in the brain influence risky choices. Students train rats to choose between a safe small reward and a larger reward that may be followed by a mild footshock. They then use light to turn off these neurons during specific parts of the task and observe how the rats’ choices change.

From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 459