Amanda C. Kentner

                                                What We Do

 

Our research explores the effects of environmental stressors on the developing brain (e.g., maternal/neonatal infection, psychogenic manipulations, drugs and other neurotoxicants). We also have a particular interest in evaluating factors that offer protective and/or rehabilitative potential against early-life adversity.

 

Using rodent models, we assess behavioral performance using a variety of translational behavioral tasks including several sociability metrics, prepulse inhibition, touchscreen technology, and other indices of emotional reactivity. Neuroendocrine and neurobiological correlates are also evaluated using standard approaches such as ELISA, western blotting, immunochemistry, and qPCR. The lab is currently evolving to include additional methods to evaluate neural circuit adaptations that arise from exposure to enrichment (e.g., environmental complexity, targeted sensory stimulation, maternal care).

 

Here is a select listing of some of our work:

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Martz J, Hammer B, Langen T.J, Berkowitz B.N, Berkowitz B, Storm J.A, Lu J, Lehri D, Wijenayake S, Marrocco J, Kentner, A.C. (in press). Investigating milk-derived extracellular vesicles as mediators of maternal stress and environmental intervention. Mol Psychiatry. 2025 Nov 17. doi: 10.1038/s41380-025-03346-w. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41249551.

 

Martz, J., Shelton, M.A., Geist, L., Seney, M.L., Kentner, A.C. (2024). Sex differences in offspring risk and resilience following 11β-hydroxylase antagonist in a rodent model of maternal immune activation. Neuropsychopharmacology, 49, 1078-1090. Paper available at:  https://rdcu.be/drZRD.

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DeRosa, H., Caradonna, S.G., Tran, H., Marrocco, J., Kentner, A.C. (2022). Got Milk? Maternal immune activation during the mid-lactational period affects nutritional milk quality and adolescent offspring sensory processing in male and female rats. Molecular Psychiatry, 27, 4829-4842. doi: 10.1038/s41380-022-01744-y. Paper available at: https://rdcu.be/cUP3e

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Kentner, A.C., Bilbo, S.D., Brown, A.S., Hsiao, E.Y., McAllister, A.K., Meyer, U., Pearce, B.D., Pletnikov, M.V., Yolken, R.H., Bauman, M.D. (2019). Maternal immune activation: reporting guidelines to improve the rigor, reproducibility, and transparency of the model. Neuropsychopharmacology, 44, 275-258, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-018-0185-7. 

 

Kentner, A.C., Cryan, J.F., Brummelte, S. (2019). Resilience priming: translational models for understanding resiliency and adaptation to early-life adversity. Developmental Psychobiology, 61, 350-375,  https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.21775.

 

Kentner, A.C., Scalia, S., Shin, J., Migliore, M.M., Rondon-Ortiz, A.N. (2018). Targeted sensory enrichment interventions protect against behavioral and neuroendocrine consequences of early life stress.  

Psychoneuroendocrinology, 98, 74-85,  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.07.029.  

 

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Other publications may be found under our 'Publications' section of this website.