Kelli McDonald

Research Interests:  Sharay’s research interests have included identifying potential interventions to cognitive deficits that come with normal aging and attenuating age-related changes in the inflammatory response to immune challenge. Her Master’s thesis, defended at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Spring 2015, examined whether exercise would serve as an effective intervention against chronic inflammation in middle-aged mice. Her future research pursuits will include pathological aging (i.e. Alzheimer’s disease) and incorporating the use of optogenetics with other lab techniques currently used in the Aging and Alzheimer’s Lab.

Extracurricular Activities:  Sharay enjoys writing fiction in her free time, and has previously completed the NANOWRIMO “Write a novel in a month challenge.” She hopes to publish her fiction work at some point in the future. She also loves arranging doggie-play dates with her lab, Brooklyn, and dogs of her friends.

Honors & Awards:

• 2013 Graduate Research Travel Award, University of North Carolina Wilmington
• 2014 Graduate Student Association Travel Award, University of North Carolina Wilmington
• 2014 Graduate Research Travel Award, University of North Carolina Wilmington
• 2015 Graduate Student Association Travel Award, University of North Carolina Wilmington
• 2016 Dean’s Travel Award, Auburn University

Milestones Completed:

• 2015 Master’s Thesis Defense: “Effect of exercise on cognition following chronic inflammation” UNC Wilmington

Service:

• 2012-2014 South Eastern Association for Behavior Analysis (SEABA), Student Member
• 2014 International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS), Student Member
• 2014 Society for Neuroscience (SFN), Student Member
• 2015 Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society (PNIRS), Student Member    

Teaching:

• 2016 Contemporary Aspects of Pharmaceutical Practices, Graduate Teaching Assistant

Research Support: 

• 2015 Research Assistant, NIH/NIA-1R15AG045812

Publications:
Baumgarner, K. M., Setti, S., Diaz, C., Littlefield, A., Jones, A., & Kohman, R. A. (2014). Diet-induced obesity attenuates cytokine production following an immune challenge. Behavioural Brain Research, 267, 33-41.

Littlefield, A.M., Setti, S.E., Priester, C., Kohman, R.A. (2015). Voluntary exercise attenuates LPS-induced reductions in neurogenesis and increases microglia expression of a proneurogenic phenotype in aged mice. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 138, 1-12.

Presentations:
Setti, S., Hughes, C., (2013, April). Effect of Acute Hydrocodone Administration on Delay-Discount Functions in Adult, Male Rats. Poster presented at Center for the Support of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CSURF), Wilmington, NC.

Setti, S., Diaz, C., Jones, A., and Kohman, R.A. (2013, October). Duration of Sickness Behavior following Endotoxin in Aged and Adult Animals. Poster presented at South Eastern Association for Behavior Analysis (SEABA), Myrtle Beach, NC.

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