Dr. Sharmin Maswood

Education:

BS, MS: University of Dhaka
Ph.D. Texas Woman's University

Courses Taught:

BIOL 100 – General biology (lecture and lab)
BIOL 472 – Seminar in Biology

Areas of Specialization:

Neurochemistry and Behavioral Pharmacology.

Research Interest(s):

I am interested in studying female's enhanced vulnerability to mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. In particular I am interested in targeting neural mechanisms that may be responsible for the gender disparity involved in such mood disorders. My primary research focus is to study behavioral and neurochemical changes in female rats after pharmacological interventions.

Selected Publication(s):

Bravo, G. and Maswood, S. Acute treatment with Tropisetron reduces immobility in intact female rats exposed to the Forced Swim Test, Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav, 85,362-368 2006.

Uphouse, L., Maswood, S., Jackson, A., Brown, K.,Prullage J., Myers, T., Shaheen, F. Strain differences in the response to 5-HT(1A) receptor agonist, 8-OH-DPAT. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav., 72, 533-542, 2002.

Uphouse, L., Maswood, S.,Jackson, A. Factors elevating cAMP attenuate the effects of 8-OH-DPAT on lordosis behavior. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav., 66, 383-388, 2000.

Maswood, S.,Truitt, W., Hotema, M. Caldarola-Pastuszka, M, and Uphouse, L. Estrous cycle modulation of extracellular serotonin in the Mediobasal hypothalamus: Role of serotonin transporter and terminal autoreceptors. Br. Res., 831, 146-154, 1999.

Grahn, R. E., Will, M. J., Hammack, S. E., Maswood, S., McQueen, M. B.,Watkins, L. R., Maier, S. F. Activation of serotonin-immunoreactive cells in the dorsal raphe nucleus in rats exposed to an uncontrollable stressor. Br. Res., 826, 35-43, 1999.

Grahn, R. E., Maswood, S., McQueen, M. B., Watkins, L.R., Maier, S. F. Opioid-dependent effects of inescapable shock on escape behavior and conditioned fear responding are mediated by the dorsal raphe nucleus. Behavioral Brain Research, 99, 153-167, 1999.

Uphouse, L., Maswood, S. Estrogen actions, behavior. (Invited Paper) Encyclopedia of Reproduction, Vol.2, 1999, Academic Press Inc.

Maswood, S., Barter, J., Watkins, L. R., Maier, S. F. Exposure to inescapable but not escapable stress increases extracellular levels of 5-HT in the dorsal raphe nucleus of the rat. Brain Research, 783, 115-120,1998.

Maswood, S., Andrade, M., Caldarola-Pastuszka, M., Uphouse, L. Protective actions of the 5-HT 2 agonist, DOI, on 5-HT 1A -mediated inhibition of lordosis behavior in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus. .Neuropharmacology, 35(4): 497-501, 1996.

Maier, S. F., Grahn, R. E., Maswood, S., Watkins L.R. The Benzodiazepine receptor antagonists flumazenil and CGS8216 block the enhancement of fear conditioning and interference with escape behavior produced by inescapable shock. Psychopharmacology (Berlin),121(2): 250-258, 1995.

Maier, S. F., Busch, C.R., Maswood, S., Grahn, R. E., Watkins L.R. The dorsal raphe nucleus is a site of action mediating the behavioral effects of the benzodiazepine receptor inverse agonist DMCM. Behavioral Neuroscience,109: 759-766, 1995.

Maswood. S., Stewart, G., Uphouse, L. Gender and estrous cycle effects Of the 5-HT 1A agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, on hypothalamic serotonin. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 51: 807-813, 1995.

Uphouse, L., Maswood, S. and Caldarola-Pastuszka, M. Median raphe modulation of female rat lordosis behavior: effects on 5-HT 1A receptors. Br. Res. 668: 271-275, 1994.

Uphouse, L., Caldarola-Pastuszka, M., Maswood, S., Andrade, M and Moore, N. Estrogen-progesterone and 8-OH-DPAT attenuate the lordosis-inhibiting effects of the 5-HT 1A agonist in the VMN. Br. Res. 637: 173-180, 1994.

Uphouse, L., Andrade, M., Caldarola-Pastuszka, M. and Maswood, S. Hypothalamic infusions of the 5-HT 2 agonist, DOI, prevent the Inhibitory actions of the 5-HT 1A agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, on lordosis behavior. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 47: 467-470, 1994.

Maswood, S., and Uphouse, L. Disruptive effects of imipramine on female reproductive cyclicity. Reprod. Toxicol., 6: 319-322, 1992.