Ryan P. Mears

Ryan P. Mears

Lecturer & Neurophysiologist
University of Florida

Posts by Collection

portfolio

publications

Auditory inhibitory gating in medial prefrontal cortex: Single unit and local field potential analysis.

Published in Neuroscience, 2006

The results of the present study provide direct support for mPFC in sensory IG and show that the inhibition can persist over an extended period at both the LFP and single unit level.

Recommended citation: Mears, R. P., Klein, A. C., & Cromwell, H. C. (2006). "Auditory inhibitory gating in medial prefrontal cortex: Single unit and local field potential analysis. " Neuroscience, 141(1), 47-65. https://mears-ufl.github.io/files/paper1.pdf

Single unit and population responses during inhibitory gating of striatal activity in freely moving rats.

Published in Neuroscience, 2007

The present data show that striatal cells do respond to auditory information and display IG of this sensory input. IG in this neural subregion is more sparse in terms of the percentage of sensory responsive cells that gate compared with other structures that have been investigated such as the medial prefrontal cortex (Mears et al., 2006) and amygdala (Cromwell et al., 2005a).

Recommended citation: Cromwell, H. C., Klein, A., & Mears, R. P. (2007). "Single unit and population responses during inhibitory gating of striatal activity in freely moving rats." Neuroscience 1.146(1), 69-85. https://mears-ufl.github.io/files/paper2.pdf

Sensory gating in the human hippocampal and rhinal regions: regional differences.

Published in Hippocampus, 2008

This study was an invasive intracranial investigation of sensory gating in human hippocampus. This was the first study in humans to reveal analogous findings to prior studies of sensory gating in the dorsal hippocampus of the rodent animal model.

Recommended citation: Boutros, N. N., Mears, R., Pflieger, M. E., Moxon, K. A., Ludowig, E., & Rosburg, T. (2008). "Sensory gating in the human hippocampal and rhinal regions: regional differences." Hippocampus 1, 18(3), 310-316. https://mears-ufl.github.io/files/Boutros_Hippocampus_2008.pdf

Sensory gating: a translational effort from basic to clinical science.

Published in Clinical EEG and Neuroscience, 2008

This review presented a framework for translation of findings in preclinical and clinical investigations of sensory gating. This translational framework has been used in our prior studies to compare sensory gating in homologous neuroanatomical structures and systems of human and animal subjects. The invasive approach affords detailed information on the local-circuit components of each brain region.

Recommended citation: Cromwell, H. C., Mears, R. P., Wan, L., & Boutros, N. N. (2008). "Sensory gating: a translational effort from basic to clinical science. " Clinical EEG and Neuroscience, 39(2), 69-72. https://mears-ufl.github.io/files/Cromwell_ClinEEGNsci_2008.pdf

Electrophysiological assessment of auditory stimulus-specific plasticity in schizophrenia.

Published in Biological Psychiatry, 2012

This paper was a human clinical electrophysiology investigation of rapid neuroplasticity in the laboratory setting, and the paper was published in Biological Psychiatry. The approach was a direct clinical translation of prior studies of human and animal model studies. The plasticity approach was the first clinical paper to adapt a translational human and animal biomarker for ERP measured auditory plasticity. As the first of its kind regarding disrupted neuroplasticity in schizophrenia it was part of a special issue, titled “Translational Neuroscience Insights into Neuroplasticity Deficits in Schizophrenia”. In the special issue reviews and experimental findings of animal & human clinical results were published side by side. Disrupted neuroplasticity may be an important aspect of the neural basis for the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. We utilized a paradigm that had previously been shown to be non- invasively measurable human subjects. The neuroplasticity paradigm had been demonstrated to correspond to several mechanisms responsible to NMDA mediated long-term potentiation in sensory pathways. In this investigation event-related brain potentials were used to assay neuroplasticity after auditory conditioning in chronic schizophrenia patients and matched healthy control subjects.

Recommended citation: Mears, R. P., & Spencer, K. M. (2012). " Electrophysiological assessment of auditory stimulus-specific plasticity in schizophrenia." Biological psychiatry , 71(6), 503-511. https://mears-ufl.github.io/files/paper3.pdf

talks

teaching

Physiological Psychology (PSB 3002)

Undergraduate course, University of Florida, Department of Psychology, 2017

Survey of the biological basis of behavior with special relevance to psychology.

Laboratory in Sensory Processes (EXP 4174C)

Undergraduate course, University of Florida, Department of Psychology, 2018

Collect, analyze, and evaluate data on specific problems related to sensory and perceptual abilities.

Neuroscience of Consciousness

Undergraduate course, University of Florida, Department of Psychology, 2018

In this class we will consider cutting edge research of brain mechanisms and neural signs as we discuss abnormal, disrupted, and non-human consciousness. Relevant topics to the neuroscience of consciousness will include altered states, anesthesia, coma, dreaming, free-will, hallucinations, illusions, and imagination. As a result of this class, we will have a better understanding of the potential function of consciousness and be able to differentiate conscious from unconscious processes.

Sensory Processes (EXP 3104)

Undergraduate course, University of Florida, Department of Psychology, 2018

Introduces the human senses and their role in perception, how we sense the physical environment and what factors influence our perception of it.