Sharay Setti

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.

Setti, S.E., Littlefield, A., Johnson, S., Kohman, R. A. (2015). Diet-induced obesity prevents endotoxin-induced cognitive deficits. Physiology & Behavior, 141, 1-8. 
 
Hunsberger, H.C., Weitzner, D.S., Rudy, C.C., Hickman, J.E., Libell, E.M., Speer, R.R., Setti, S.E., Gerhardt, G.A., Reed, M.N. (2015). Riluzole rescues glutamate alterations, cognitive deficits, and tau pathology associated with P301L tau expression. World Biomedical Frontiers, short communication.

Hunsberger, H.C., Wang, D., Petrisko,  T.J., Alhowail, A., Setti, S.E., Suppiramaniam, V., Konat, G.W., Reed, M.N. (2016). Peripherally restricted viral challenge elevates extracellular glutamate and enhances synaptic transmission in the hippocampus. J Neurochem, 138, 307-316.
 
Hunsberger, H.C., Setti, S.E., Heslin, R.T., Quintero, J.E., Gerhardt, G.A., & Reed, M.N. (accepted). Using enzyme-based biosensors to measure tonic and phasic glutamate in Alzheimer’s mouse models. The Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE).

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.

Setti, S., Littlefield, A.M., Diaz, C., Jones, A., Johnson, S., and Kohman, R.A. (2014, June). Effect of high fat diet consumption on endotoxin-induced cognitive deficits. Poster presented at International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS), Las Vegas, NV.

Littlefield, A.M., Setti, S., Diaz, C., Guendner, E., and Kohman, R.A. (2014, June). Exercise increases expression of neurotrophic factors in hippocampal microglia of aged mice. Poster presented at International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS), Las Vegas, NV.

Setti, S., Littlefield, A.M., Johnson, S., and Kohman, R.A. (2014, November). Diet-induced obesity prevents spatial learning deficits following bacterial endotoxin exposure. Poster presented at Society for Neuroscience (SFN), Washington, D.C.

Setti, S., Freeman, P., Littlefield, A.M., Barnes, K., Shanahan, M., Kohman, R.A. (2015, June). Effect of exercise on cognition following chronic inflammation. Poster presented at Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society (PNIRS), Seattle, WA.

Setti, S., Hunsberger, H.C., Weitzner, D.S., Rudy, C.C., Reed, M.N. (2015, October). Age and mutant P301L tau expression interact to increase memory deficits and tau phosphorylation. Poster presented at South Eastern Association for Behavior Analysis (SEABA), Roanoke, VA.
 
Setti, S., Hunsberger, H.C., Weitzner, D.S., Rudy, C.C., Reed, M.N. (2016, April). Effect of P301L tau expression on learning and Alzheimer's disease pathology in the aged brain. Poster presented at Harrison School of Pharmacy (HSOP) research symposium, Auburn, AL.
 
Setti, S., Hunsberger, H.C., Weitzner, D.S., Rudy, C.C., Reed, M.N. (2016, April). P301L tau expression exacerbates memory deficits and tau phosphorylation in the aged brain. Poster Presented at This Is Research symposium, Auburn, AL.