Craig McDonald
Research Assistant Professor
Email: cmcdona3@gmu.edu
Craig McDonald currently holds a post-doctoral fellowship under Dr. Smith, studying the effects of drugs on behavior and neuronal development. He also supervises Smith lab students in conducting behavioral and histochemical experiments, and helps to keep the lab facilities running smoothly.
Current Research
Nicotine induced neuroplasticity in the mesolimbic dopamine reward pathway; visual and clinical neurophysiology.
I am examining how nicotine exposure during adolescence alters the morphology of neurons from the mesolimbic reward pathway and how this drug-induced neuronal plasticity relates to vulnerability to addiction. I am also interested in the neurophysiology of vision. Specific interests include clinical neurophysiology and color vision.
Publications
McDonald, C.G., Eppolito, A.K., Smith, L.N., Brielmaier, J.M., 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, in press.
McDonald, C.G., Joffe, C.L., Barnet, A.B., & Flinn, J.M. (2007). Abnormal flash visual-evoked potentials in malnourished infants: An evaluation using principal component analysis. Clinical Neurophysiology, 118(4): 896–900.
Polesskaya, O.O., Fryxell, K.J., Merhcant, A.D., Locklear, L.L., Ker, K.-F., McDonald, C.G., Eppolito, A.K., Smith, L.N., Wheeler, T.L., & Smith, R.F. (2007). Nicotine causes age-dependent changes in gene expression in the adolescent female rat brain. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 29(1): 126–40.
Brielmaier, J.M., McDonald C.G., & Smith R.F. (2007). Immediate and long-term behavioral effects of a single nicotine injection in adolescent and adult rats. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 29(1): 74–80.
Smith, L.N., McDonald, C.G., Bergstrom, H.C., Brielmaier, J.M., Eppolito, A.K., Wheeler, T.L., Falco, A.M., & Smith, R.F. (2006). Long-term changes in fear conditioning and anxiety-like behavior following nicotine exposure in adult versus adolescent rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, & Behavior, 85: 91–97.
Bergstrom, H.C., McDonald, C.G., & Smith, R.F. (2006). Alcohol exposure during adolescence impairs auditory fear conditioning in adult Long-Evans rats. Physiology & Behavior, 88: 466–472
Chrosniak, L.D., Smith, L.N., McDonald, C.G., Jones, B.F., & Flinn, J.M. (2006). Effects of enhanced zinc and copper in drinking water on spatial memory and fear conditioning. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 88(1–3): 91–94.
McDonald, C.G., Daily, V.K., Bergstrom, H.C., Wheeler, T.L., Eppolito, A.K., Smith, L.N., & Smith, R.F. (2005). Periadolescent nicotine administration produces enduring changes in dendritic morphology of medium spiny neurons from nucleus accumbens. Neuroscience Letters, 385(2): 163–167.
McDonald, C.G., Haimberger, T.J., & Hawryshyn, C.W. (2004). Wavelength-dependent waveform characteristics of tectal evoked potentials in rainbow trout. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 82: 1614–1620.
McDonald, C.G., Paul, D.H., & Hawryshyn, C.W. (2004). Visual sensation of an ethological stimulus, the agonistic display of Betta splendens, revealed using multi-unit recordings from optic tectum. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 70: 285–294
McDonald, C.G., & Hawryshyn, C.W. (1999). Latencies and discharge patterns of color-opponent neurons in the rainbow trout optic tectum. Vision Research, 39: 2795–2799.
McDonald, C.G., & Hawryshyn, C.W. (1995). Intraspecific variation of spectral sensitivity in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from different photic regimes. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 175: 255–260.
McDonald, C.G., Reimchen, T.E., & Hawryshyn, C.W. (1995). Nuptial colour loss and signal masking in Gasterosteus: An analysis using video imaging. Behaviour, 132: 963–977.
Presentations
Adolescent but not adult alcohol consumption induces persisting effects on emotionality in rat.
Bergstrom, H.C., McDonald, C.G., Falco, A.M., Bachus, S.E., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience 2005, Program No. 680.12.
Changes in dopamine receptor mRNA expression following chronic nicotine administration during periadolescence.
Brielmaier, J.M., Bachus, S.E., McDonald, C.G., Smith, L.N., Bergstrom, H.C., Eppolito, A.K., Falco, A.M., Wheeler, T.L., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience, 2005
Prental cocaine exposure alters behavioral response to cocaine in the adult rat.
Daily, V.K., McDonald, C.G., Bergstrom, H.C., Brown, K.D., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience 2005, Program No. 799.7
Chronic nicotine administration during early but not late adolescent development produces enduring psychomotor alteration.
Eppolito, A.K., McDonald, C.G., Smith, L.N., Bergstrom, H.C., Brielmaier, J., Falco, A., Wheeler, T.L., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience 2005, Program No. 684.12
Long-term anxiogenic effects of nicotine exposure in adult versus adolescent rats.
Falco, A.M., Smith, L.N., McDonald, C.G., Eppolito, A.K., Bergstrom, H.C., Brielmaier, J.M., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience 2005, Program No. 684.14
Principal component analysis of abnormal visual evoked potentials in malnourished infants.
McDonald, C.G., Joffe, C., & Flinn, J.M.
Society for Neuroscience 2005, Program No. 978.15.
Changes in gene expression resulting from nicotine treatments and developmental age in adolescent female rat brain areas.
Polesskaya, O.O., Fryxell, K.J., Merchant, A.C., Locklear, L.L., McDonald, C.G., Eppolito, A.K., Smith, L.N., Wheeler, T.L., Ker, K., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience, 2005
Relationships between learning ability, and frontal cortical nicotinic and NMDA receptors consequent to periadolescent exposure to chronic nicotine.
Stanton, K.R., Bachus, S.E., McDonald, C.G., Eppolito, A.K., Wheeler, T.L., Smith, L.N., Meador-Woodruff, J.H., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience, 2005
Periadolescent and adolescent nicotine exposure alters cocaine self-administration in adult rats.
Bergstrom, H.C., McDonald, C.G., Daily, V.K., Stern, A.R., Eppolito, A.K., Smith, L.N., Brown, K.L., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience 2004
Adolescent methamphetamine induces motor changes in adult rats.
Brown, K.D., McDonald, C.G., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience 2004, Program No. 118.8
Chronic nicotine exposure causes parallel changes in gene expression in several brain areas in adolescent female rats.
Fryxell, K.J., Gandretti, V., Merchant, A.D., McDonald, C.G., Eppolito, A.K., Smith, L.N., Wheeler, T.L., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience 2004, Program No. 120.1
Periadolescent nicotine administration produces enduring changes in dendritic morphology of neurons from nucleus accumbens.
McDonald, C.G., Dailey, V.K., Bergstrom, H.C., Wheeler, T.L., Eppolito, A.K., Smith, L.N., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience 2004, Program No. 120.5
Enhancement of zinc in drinking water (10ppm ZnCO3) impairs cognitive ability in wild-type APP2576 mice.
Thompson, J.H., Diefendorf, A., Linkous, D.H., Chrosniak, L.D., Conko, K.M., Jones, B.F., Smith, L.N., Flinn. J.M. & McDonald, C.G.
Society for Neuroscience 2004, Program No. 444.3
Are there enduring cognitive effects of simultaneous ethanol and nicotine administration in periadolescent rats?
Wark, M., McDonald, C.G., Eppolito, A.K., Smith, L.N., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience 2004, Program No. 120.3
Periadolescent nicotine affects spatial learning in adult rats.
McDonald, C.G., Eppolito, A.K.*, Smith, L.N.*, Wheeler, T.L.*, Fryxell, K.J., & Smith, R.F.
Society for Neuroscience 2003, Program No. 323.2
