Christa Helms, Ph.D.

Undergraduate Education
(2001) B.A. Psychology, Reed College

Training at OHSU
2001 - 2006

Second Year Project
(2003) Delay-concurrent stimulus effects in the adjusting amount procedure. (Mentor: Suzanne Mitchell)

Dissertation
(2006) Adaptation of choice behavior in concurrent chains schedules and the role of the basolateral amygdala. (Mentor: Suzanne Mitchell, Ph.D.)

Current Positions
Postdoctoral Fellow, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton OR
(Postdoctoral Advisor: Kathleen A. Grant, Ph.D.)
Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Western Oregon University

E-Mail
helmsc@ohsu.edu

Background and Interests
I am interested in how past experience allows animals to anticipate the future and the contribution of emotions to choice behavior. I enjoy discussing art that evokes complex, and sometimes aversive, emotion. When I find the time, I make collages and paint. The process of making aesthetic decisions reminds me of how I generate hypotheses in behavioral neuroscience. To me, there is nothing quite as beautiful as a clear set of data.

I am also interested in the public understanding of science and the role of science in public policy. People have diverse beliefs about causality and the nature of reality, despite common lineage and similar environments. Understanding the factors contributing to these beliefs could inform efforts in public education. Oregonians are lucky to have legislators that understand the value of research for public health and the economy. For several years, I have chaired the Science Advocacy Committee, which has variable activity across the seasons. Committee members visited the offices of Oregon legislators in conjunction with the Society for Neuroscience 2005 Annual Meeting in Washington , DC to support funding for the National Institutes of Health. The Committee encourages scientists to be more vocal about the value of their research, communicating with their legislators, family and friends.

Publications
Helms, C.M., Reeves, J.M. & Mitchell, S.H. (2006). Impact of strain and D-amphetamine on impulsivity (delay discounting) in inbred mice. Psychopharmacology , 188, 144-151.