Nontraditional post-baccalaureate students: How to better provide support for perceived mental health needs.

OBJECTIVE: Mental health is noted as a central indicator of academic success. This study explored the perceived mental health needs of nontraditional post-baccalaureate students and what may increase their abilities to meet these needs. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (n = 79) were students at a mid-sized Midwestern university enrolled in identified nontraditional programs targeting students who previously obtained a bachelor's degree and nontraditional graduate students. METHOD: Participants completed an online survey assessing perceived mental health needs, service utilization, and potential barriers to service utilization. Surveys were analyzed using descriptive analysis, coding qualitative data, and two-tailed correlations. RESULTS: Results demonstrated nontraditional post-baccalaureate students perceive themselves as having mental health needs due to stress and time constraints. Participants' responses reflected 5 areas that may help increase mental health service utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate nontraditional post-baccalaureate students have perceived unmet mental health needs. Ways to help meet these needs are discussed.

Chemogenetic inactivation of the nucleus reuniens impairs object placement memory in female mice.

Episodic memory is a complex process requiring input from several regions of the brain. Emerging evidence suggests that coordinated activity between the dorsal hippocampus (DH) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is required for episodic memory consolidation. However, the mechanisms through which the DH and mPFC interact to promote memory consolidation remain poorly understood. A growing body of research suggests that the nucleus reuniens of the thalamus (RE) is one of several structures that facilitate communication between the DH and mPFC during memory and may do so through bidirectional excitatory projections to both regions. Furthermore, recent work from other labs indicates that the RE is necessary for spatial working memory. However, it is not clear to what extent the RE is necessary for memory of object locations. The goal of this study was to determine whether activity in the RE is necessary for spatial memory as measured by the object placement (OP) task in female mice. A kappa-opioid receptor DREADD (KORD) virus was used to inactivate excitatory neurons in the RE pre- or post-training to establish a role for the RE in spatial memory acquisition and consolidation, respectively. RE inactivation prior to, or immediately after, object training blocked OP memory formation relative to chance and to control mice. Moreover, expression of the immediate early gene EGR-1 was reduced in the RE 1 hour after an object training trial, supporting the conclusion that reduced neuronal activity in the RE impairs the formation of object location memories. In summary, the findings of this study support a key role for the RE in spatial memory acquisition and consolidation.