SMITH, Robert, Professor of Psychology; Director, Biopsychology Program.
Photograph HereB.S., University of Florida, 1971;
M.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1973;
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1976.
 
 
 
 
 
 

E-mail to: bsmith@gmu.edu
Office located in David King Hall, Room 2044


     Dr. Smith has been at GMU for his entire professional career, but has also consulted on projects with the USDA (behavioral effects of a pesticide) and the U.S. Army (behavioral effects of nerve warfare agents).  His research centers around effects of drugs and chemicals on behavioral and neurological development; recent work has emphasized persisting structural and functional consequences of adolescent nicotine, and the underlying mechanisms by which nicotine alters neural development.  He teaches graduate course such as Behavioral Chemistry, Developmental Psychobiology, and Biological Bases of Addiction, as well as undergraduate courses.

 

Recent publications:

Craig G. McDonald, Vernon K. Dailey, Hadley C. Bergstrom, Tracey L. Wheeler, Amy K. Eppolito, Laura N. Smith and Robert F. Smith.  Periadolescent nicotine administration produces enduring changes in dendritic morphology of medium spiny neurons from nucleus accumbens.  Neuroscience Letters, 2005, 385, 163-7.  PMID: 15955627

 Polesskaya, O., Fryxell, K.J, Smith, R.F.  Polesskaya, O., Fryxell, K.J, Smith, R.F.  2006.  Chronic Nicotine Doses Down-Regulate PDE4 Isoforms that Are Targets of Antidepressants in Adolescent Female Rats. Biological Psychiatry, 61, 56-64.  PMID: 16814262

 Bergstrom, H.C., McDonald, C. G., Smith, R. F.  Alcohol exposure during adolescence impairs auditory fear conditioning in adult Long-Evans rats.  Physiology & Behavior, 88, 466-72, 2006.  PMID: 16753191

 Smith, Laura N., McDonald, Craig G., Bergstrom, Hadley C., Brielmaier, J.M., Eppolito, Amy K., Falco, Adriana M., Smith, Robert F.  Long-term changes in fear conditioning and anxiety-like behavior following nicotine exposure in adult versus adolescent rats.  Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, 2006, 85, 91-7.  PMID: 16919320

 Wheeler, Tracey L.,  Eppolito, Amy K.,  Smith, Laura N., Huff, Thomas, Smith, Robert F.  A novel method for oral stimulant administration in the neonate rat and similar species.  Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 2007, 159, 282-5.  PMID: 16942798

  Eppolito, A.K., Smith, R.F.   Long-term behavioral and developmental consequences of pre- and perinatal nicotine.  Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, 2006, 85, 835-41.  PMID: 17196635

 Brielmaier, JM., McDonald, CG, Smith, RF  Immediate and long-term behavioral effects of a single nicotine injection in adolescent and adult rats.  Neurotoxicology & Teratology, 2007, 29(1), 74-80.  PMID: 17095188

 Nicotine Causes Age-Dependent Changes in Gene Expression in the Adolescent Female Rat Brain.  Oksana O. Polesskaya, Karl J. Fryxell, Amita D. Merchant, Laura L. Locklear, Ko-Fei Ker, Craig G. McDonald, Amy K. Eppolito, Laura N. Smith, Tracy L. Wheeler, Robert F. Smith.  Neurotoxicology & Teratology, 2007, 29(1), 126-40.  PMID: 17234382

 McDonald, Craig, Eppolito, Amy K., Brielmaier, J. M., Smith, L. N., Bergstrom, H.C., Lawhead, M.R., Smith, R. F.  (2007)  Evidence for elevated nicotine-induced structural plasticity in nucleus accumbens of adolescent rats.  Brain Research, 1151, 211-218.  PMID: 17418110

 Smith, Robert F.  2008.   Biological Bases of Psychopathology.  In Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding.  Maddux, J.E., & Winstead, B.A., eds.  Lawrence Erlbaum.

  Jennifer M. Brielmaier, Craig G. McDonald*, and Robert F. Smith .  2008.  Does a biased conditioned place preference design provide a measure of nicotine reinforcement?  Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, 89, 94-100.   PMID: 18086490

 Bergstrom, H.C., McDonald, C. G., French, H., Lawhead, M., Smith, R. F.  [2008] Selective structural plasticity in pyramidal neurons from the prelimbic cortex after continuous nicotine administration in adolescent and adult rats.   Synapse,  62 (1), 31-9; PMID: 17957736.

 A.M. Falco, H.C. Bergstrom, S.E. Bachus, R.F. Smith. Persisting changes in basolateral amygdala mRNAs after chronic ethanol consumption.  2009  Physiology and Behavior 96(1) 169-173.  PMID: 18938187.

 

Conference Presentations 2008-9 Year:

 J. M. BRIELMAIER, C. G. MCDONALD, R. F. SMITH.  Effects of stress on nicotine conditioned place preference in adolescent rats. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC, Nov 15-19, 2008.

A. M. FALCO, C. G. MCDONALD, R. F. SMITH; Age-dependent locomotor changes after an acute dose of nicotine in male Long-Evans hooded rats.  Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC, Nov 15-19, 2008.

A. K. EPPOLITO, S. E. BACHUS, C. G. MCDONALD, R. F. SMITH; Persistent alterations in cholinergic subunit mRNA expression following chronic prenatal and early postnatal exposure to nicotine. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC, Nov 15-19, 2008.

H. C. BERGSTROM, C. G. MCDONALD, R. F. SMITH; Prior chronic nicotine exposure produces age-dependent enhancement of the cued fear response. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC, Nov 15-19, 2008.

T. L. WHEELER, S. E. BACHUS, C. G. MCDONALD, T. D. PARRY, R. F. SMITH; Nicotine and methylphenidate have long-term additive effects on behavioral tolerance and mRNA indices of dopamine and NMDA receptors in the mPFC and striatum in the rodent. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC, Nov 15-19, 2008.

 L. N. SMITH, S. E. BACHUS, C. G. MCDONALD, R. F. SMITH; Differential expression of dopamine receptor-related mRNAs following chronic nicotine treatment in adolescent and adult rats. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC, Nov 15-19, 2008.

S. G. COLEMAN, C. G. MCDONALD, R. F. SMITH; Changes in anxiety-like behavior throughout adolescence in the rat. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC, Nov 15-19, 2008.

A. S. RIZER, S. E. BACHUS, T. L. WHEELER, C. G. MCDONALD, *R. F. SMITH; Persisting effect of chronic adolescent exposure to low-dose methylphenidate on forebrain glutamate decarboxylase mRNA expression.  Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC, Nov 15-19, 2008.

Jennifer M. Brielmaier, Craig G. McDonald, Robert F. Smith.  Stress modulates initial sensitivity to nicotine reward in adolescent rats.  VTSF Research Conference, Richmond, VA, April 15, 2009 

 

Brielmaier, J.M., McDonald, C.G., Smith, R.F., Stress modulates nicotine conditioned place preference in adolescent rats. International Behavioral Neuroscience Society, Cancun, Mexico, May, 2009.