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Recent Submissions
Reductions in protein degradation in the retrosplenial cortex regulate contextual fear memory formation in a sex-independent manner
Turner, Meagan; Ball, Olivia; Ray, W. Keith; Helm, Richard F.; Jarome, Timothy J. (Elsevier, 2025-12-16)
The retrosplenial cortex (RSC), which serves as a hub to connect the hippocampus and amygdala with other cortical regions, has been shown to play a role in the formation of contextual fear memories. However, the molecular mechanisms by which the RSC forms memories and whether sex differences exist within these mechanisms remain largely unknown. Increases in ubiquitin–proteasome-mediated protein degradation have been shown to be sex-dependently involved in the formation of contextual fear memories in multiple brain regions, including the hippocampus and amygdala. To date, whether increases in protein degradation are needed in the RSC for memory formation in either sex has yet to be examined. Here, we found that proteasome function in the RSC decreases after contextual fear conditioning in both male and female rats. Consistent with this, increasing proteasome activity in the RSC via CRISPR-dCas9-mediated upregulation of Psmd14 impaired contextual fear memory in a mixed sex cohort. Interestingly, proteomic analysis of degradation-specific lysine-48 (K48) polyubiquitination in the RSC of fear-conditioned rats showed largely distinct protein degradation targets and impacted pathways across the sexes. This suggests that despite the shared need for reductions in protein degradation, males and females are using this mechanism in different ways to form the same memory. Together, these data demonstrate that reductions in protein degradation in the RSC are critical for contextual fear memory formation in both males and females and indicate that the molecular changes in the RSC during memory formation may be distinct from those of other more commonly studied brain regions.
Multiplexed smFISH reveals the spatial organization of neuropil localized mRNAs is linked to abundance
Tarannum, Renesa; Mun, Grace; Quddos, Fatima; Swanger, Sharon A.; Steward, Oswald; Farris, Shannon (Society for Neuroscience, 2025-11)
RNA localization to neuronal axons and dendrites provides spatiotemporal control over gene expression to support synapse function. Neuronal messenger RNAs (mRNAs) localize as ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs), commonly known as RNA granules, the composition of which influences when and where proteins are made. High-throughput sequencing has revealed thousands of mRNAs that localize to the hippocampal neuropil. Whether these mRNAs are spatially organized into common RNA granules or distributed as independent mRNAs for proper delivery to synapses is debated. Here, using highly multiplexed single molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization (HiPlex smFISH) and colocalization analyses, we investigate the subcellular spatial distribution of 15 synaptic neuropil localized mRNAs in the male and female rodent hippocampus. We observed that these mRNAs are present in the neuropil as heterogeneously sized fluorescent puncta with spatial colocalization patterns that generally scale by neuropil mRNA abundance. Indeed, differentially expressed mRNAs across cell types displayed colocalization patterns that scaled by abundance, as did simulations that reproduce cell-specific differences in abundance. Thus, the probability of these mRNAs colocalizing in the neuropil is best explained by stochastic interactions based on abundance, which places constraints on the mechanisms mediating efficient transport to synapses.Significance statement RNA localization establishes compartment-specific gene expression that is critical for synapse function. Thousands of mRNAs localize to the hippocampal synaptic neuropil, however, whether mRNAs are spatially organized as similar or distinctly composed ribonucleoprotein particles for delivery to synapses is unknown. Using multiplexed smFISH to assess the spatial organization of 15 neuropil localized mRNAs, we find that these mRNAs are present in variably sized puncta suggestive of heterogeneous transcript copy number states. RNA colocalization analyses in multiple hippocampal cell types suggest that the spatial relationship of these mRNAs is best described by their abundance in the neuropil. Stochastic RNA-RNA interactions based on neuropil abundance are consistent with models indicating that global principles, such as energy minimization, influence population localization strategies.
Growth-based grading: A non-traditional approach to grading in leadership education
Sunderman, Hannah M. (Emerald, 2025-07-01)
Purpose: A principal pursuit of higher education in the United States is fostering critical thinking, application and empowerment among students. However, a gap exists between this pursuit and traditional grading structures, which can restrict students’ thinking and motivation in pursuit of grade achievement. Therefore, the current pedagogy manuscript describes the development, implementation and evaluation of one system of non-traditional grading, growth-based grading (GBG), within leadership education. Design/methodology/approach: GBG emphasizes students’ self-assessment of their learning in collaboration with the instructor. Specifically, GBG utilizes complete/incomplete assignments, heavy feedback and reflective portfolios to document course engagement and encourage students’ metacognition. GBG was implemented over five courses at two large, land-grant institutions. Participants (N = 83) completed a survey evaluating their perceptions of GBG in comparison to traditional grading. Findings: Quantitative survey results revealed a significant difference between perceptions of GBG and traditional grading with participants perceiving GBG more favorably than traditional grading. Open-ended survey responses emphasized that GBG reduced stress while enhancing focus on class content, learning and creativity. Participants also shared critiques of and suggestions for GBG, including providing more feedback on performance. Practical implications: Curricular leadership educators are urged to regard grading as foundational to pedagogy, interrogating if and how assessment structures align with content, learning objectives and overarching beliefs about leadership education. Originality/value: The field of leadership education has actively explored instructional practices and pedagogy; yet, grading structures, although a significant component of students’ curricular experience, have largely been absent from inquiry.
“Who Am I?” Exploring Leader Identity Low Point Narratives for College Student Leadership Development
Sunderman, Hannah M.; McCain, Kate D.; Orsini, Jonathan; Adebayo, Bolanle; Cheng, Abigail H. (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2025-11-01)
Leader identity development (LID) is an essential component of leadership development in meaning-making processes. Previous study of LID focused on positive leadership experiences. The current study explored stories of leader identity low points (i.e., negative leadership experiences) of 26 college students at four large institutions across the United States. A multimethod data collection process studied narrative thematic analysis and emotion coding. Results revealed that participants’ LID low points occurred during times of transition, rejection, toxic leaders and environments, or self-worth struggles, including low points of sadness, embarrassment, and anxiety. When participants made meaning of low points through support networks and reflection, they experienced coherent positive resolution, reframing the low point as a period of growth. The current study emphasizes the essentiality of studying and discussing negative leadership experiences among college students, centering emotions in student leadership development theory and practice, encouraging the development of coherent authors following LID low points, and arguing for support networks as having a social buffering effect for challenging experiences.
Navigating Transitions: Alternative Education Leadership Perspectives on Student Re-Entry Processes in Central Virginia Schools
Cole, Jennifer Whitlow (Virginia Tech, 2025-12-16)
This qualitative study examined alternative education leadership perspectives on student transition processes between alternative and comprehensive school settings in Central Virginia. Through semi-structured interviews with seven alternative leaders across five school divisions, the research investigated processes guiding student assignment to alternative settings, re-entry into comprehensive schools, and monitoring procedures for academic, behavioral, and social-emotional progress. The study addressed the research question: What processes guide assignment to and re-entry from alternative placements into the comprehensive high school, including processes for the student's academic, behavioral, and social-emotional progress upon return to school? Data collection occurred during May-June 2025, with analysis following Creswell and Creswell's (2018) five step process. Five key findings emerged: (1) Alternative education programs lack formal, comprehensive assessment protocols for determining student readiness, relying instead on basic compliance measures and administrative discretion; (2) A substantial curriculum disconnect exists between alternative and comprehensive schools, leaving students academically unprepared for reintegration; (3) The dramatic transition from small, highly structured alternative settings to large, less structured comprehensive schools creates substantial adjustment challenges; (4) Alternative programs lack sufficient mental health services and trauma-informed support systems; and (5) Student success depends primarily on individual staff relationships rather than systematic, evidence-based practices. The research revealed that while basic structural elements exist across programs, three of five school divisions acknowledged substantial service gaps. Most programs rely on predetermined dates or basic compliance measures rather than comprehensive readiness evaluations. Only one school division described systematic transition procedures with multi-stakeholder involvement. These findings highlight critical gaps between Virginia's Model Guidance for Positive and Preventative Code of Student Conduct Policy recommendations and actual practice (VDOE, 2021). The study contributes to understanding how support systems affect student transitions and identifies the urgent need for standardized readiness assessments, curriculum alignment, and structured transition programs, enhanced mental health staffing, and comprehensive staff development focused on relationship-building and trauma-informed approaches to improve outcomes for students returning from alternative placement.