Joshua S. Rodefer ’87, Denison alumnus and professor of psychology and neuroscience at Florida State University, will present a lecture at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24, in the Burton D. Morgan Lecture Hall (150 Ridge Road). Sponsored by Department of Psychology at Denison, Rodefer will lecture on “Evaluating Cognitive Flexibility: What Can Rats and Drugs Tell Us?” The event is free and open to the public.

Rodefer will discuss pharmacotherapies that address cognitive impairments. Emerging evidence suggests that new antipsychotics and nicotinic compounds might help in improving attention, learning, and working memory in both human and other species. Rodefer proposes that these novel drug interventions may offer treatment of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders in which cognitive impairment is a key symptom.

Rodefer’s research interests focus on the influence of pharmacological mechanisms on learning and decision-making; the interactions between decision-making and behavioral flexibility; and animal models of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as drug addiction and schizophrenia. Currently, Rodefer’s work addresses the relation between pro-cognitive drugs and schizophrenia; hormonal/sex interactions with psychotropic medications, and the shared structure behind food reward and drug addiction.

CALENDER LISTING: Denison University, Granville — Joshua S. Rodefer, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Florida State University lecture at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 24, in the Burton D. Morgan Lecture Hall (150 Ridge Road). Free and open to the public. For more information, contact 740-587-6338 or visit www.denison.edu.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

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Barbara Stambaugh

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(740) 587-8575