Carl D Smith

U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine · Military Performance Division

Background and purpose: The purpose was to explore the effects of transcutaneous trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) on neurochemical concentrations (brainstem, anterior cingulate cortex [ACC], dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [DLPFC], ventromedial prefrontal cortex [VMPFC], and the posterior cingulate cortex [PCC]) using ultrahigh-field magnetic res...

Background Physiological and psychological stress slow healing from experimental wounds by impairing immune function. Objective To determine whether supplemental protein and multi-nutrient supplementation improve wound healing markers following acute stress induced by acute sleep restriction. Methods In this single-blind, cross-over study of gene...

Marksmanship performance is a challenging skill for recreational enthusiasts, sport competitors and tactical (military and law enforcement) athletes. Peak performance is associated with the favorable psychological state of 'flow,' occurring when we perceive equilibrium between challenges and our capabilities. Stressors, like sleep loss, disrupt mar...

Peak physical performance is often associated with “being in the zone” or the mental performance state of ‘flow’ typically occurring when a person perceives balance between situational challenges and their capabilities. Stressors capable of degrading marksmanship performance, such as sleep restriction and cognitive demand, may also disrupt ‘flow’....

Statement of the problem: Flow has been described as a state of increased concentration and attention in which one feels absorbed by a task and “in the zone” (Csikszentmihalyi, Abuhamdeh, & Nakamura, 1990). Optimal performance and learning have been positively associated with elevated flow states (Culbertson, Fullagar, Simmons, & Zhu, 2015). Neuros...

Sleep restriction degrades cognitive and motor performance, which can adversely impact job performance and increase the risk of accidents. Military personnel are prone to operating under sleep restriction, and previous work suggests that military marksmanship may be negatively affected under such conditions. Results of these studies, however, are m...

Systemic immune function is impaired by sleep restriction. However, the impact of sleep restriction on local immune responses, and to what extent any impairment can be mitigated by nutritional supplementation is unknown. We assessed the effect of 72-h sleep restriction (2-h nightly sleep) on local immune function and skin barrier restoration of an...

Organophosphorus nerve agents (OPNAs) are irreversible inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase that pose a serious threat to public health because of their use as chemical weapons. Exposure to high doses of OPNAs can dramatically potentiate cholinergic synaptic activity and cause status epilepticus (SE). Current standard of care for OPNA exposure involv...

Reports an error in "Noradrenergic alpha-2 receptor modulators in the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis: Effects on anxiety behavior in postpartum and virgin female rats" by Carl D. Smith, Christopher C. Piasecki, Marcus Weera, Joshua Olszewicz and Joseph S. Lonstein (Behavioral Neuroscience, 2013[Aug], Vol 127[4], 582-597). Table 2 shoul...

Emotional hyperreactivity can inhibit maternal responsiveness in female rats and other animals. Maternal behavior in postpartum rats is disrupted by increasing norepinephrine release in the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTv) with the α2-autoreceptor antagonist, yohimbine, or the more selective α2-autoreceptor antagonist, idazoxan (S...

Maternal behavior in laboratory rats requires a network of brain structures including the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTv) and medial preoptic area (mPOA). Neurotransmitter systems in the BSTv and mPOA influencing maternal behaviors are not well understood, although norepinephrine is an excellent candidate because the BSTv contain...

The postpartum period is associated with many behavioral changes, including a reduction in anxiety, which is thought to be necessary for mothers' ability to appropriately care for infants. In laboratory rats, this reduction in anxiety requires recent contact with pups, but areas of the brain where infant contact influences neural activity to reduce...

The medial preoptic area (MPOA), ventral pallidum (VP), and nucleus accumbens (NA) receive dopaminergic afferents and are involved in maternal behavior. Experiments investigated whether dopamine (DA) receptor antagonism in NA disrupts maternal behavior, determined the type of DA receptor involved, and investigated the involvement of drug spread to...

Several experiments explored the roles of nucleus accumbens (NA), ventral pallidum (VP) and medial preoptic area (MPOA) in the regulation of maternal behavior in rats. A preliminary experiment found that bilateral radiofrequency lesions of medial NA did not disrupt maternal behavior. Experiment 1 found that bilateral infusions of muscimol into VP,...