Helen M. Kamens, Ph.D.

Undergraduate Education
(2002) BS Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University

Training at OHSU
2002-2007

Second Year Project
(2004) Characterization of a procedure to test motor incoordination in mice ( Mentor : Tamara J. Phillips, Ph.D.)

Dissertation
(2007) Multidisciplinary approaches examining the genetic basis of drug-induced locomotor stimulation ( Mentor : Tamara J. Phillips, Ph.D.)

Current Position
Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT (Mentor: Marina R. Picciotto, Ph.D.)

E-mail
Helen.Kamens@Yale.Edu

Background & Interests
As an undergraduate student at Penn State I was very fortunate to have found the biobehavioral health program that integrates both biology and psychology. I was lucky that there were a number of faculty members and classes in the department that were directed towards behavioral genetics, allowing me to explore my interest in genes and how they can affect a vast array of traits from disease states to complex behaviors. I applied to a number of graduate schools that had on-going research in behavioral genetics, but it seemed like everyone I talked to gave me the same advice; “Go to OHSU!”

I find it very interesting that genes can affect behaviors and my hope is to be able to identify these genes. Because of the strong focus that OHSU has on drug abuse I decided to examine the genetics underlying this complex behavior. I am currently in the laboratory of Dr. Marina Picciotto at Yale where I hope to learn additional molecular biology tools to help examine the genetic basis of drug abuse.

My OHSU experience
My time in the Behavioral Neuroscience department was a great experience. The department has a great atmosphere for individuals who are interested in addiction or behavioral genetics because there is such a concentration of research in these fields. This provides a great training environment where there is always someone to talk to about any scientific problems you might encounter. The faculty are very supportive of the students and I always felt like they wanted me to succeed. Furthermore, Portland is a great city to live in for graduate school. The cost of living is reasonable even on a graduate student's stipend. I miss the great food that Portland has to offer at reasonable prices and the many wonderful outdoor activities around the city.

Publications
Phillips, T.J., Kamens, H.M., & Wheeler, J. (In Press) Behavioral genetic contributions to the study of abuse-related amphetamine effects. Neurosci Biobehav Rev.

Kamens, H.M., & Phillips, T.J. (In Press) A role for neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in ethanol-induced stimulation, but not cocaine- or methamphetamine-induced stimulation. Psychopharmacology (Berl). DOI: 10.1007/s00213-007-0969-7

Kliethermes, C.L., Kamens, H.M. , & Crabbe, J.C. (2007) Drug reward and intake in lines of mice selectively bred for divergent exploration of a hole-board apparatus. Genes Brain Behav, 6(7), 608-618.

Kamens, H.M. , & Crabbe, J.C. (2007) The parallel rod floor test: a measure of ataxia in mice. Nature Protocols, 2(2), 277-281.

Kamens, H.M. , Burkhart-Kasch, S., McKinnon, C.S., Li, N., Reed, C., & Phillips, T.J. (2006) Ethanol-related traits in mice selectively bred for differential sensitivity to methamphetamine-induced activation. Behav Neurosci, 120(6), 1356-66.

Palmer, A.A., Verbitsky, M, Suresh, R, Kamens, H.M. , Reed, C.L., Li, N., Burkhart-Kasch, S., McKinnon, C.S., Belknap, J.K., Gillman, T.C., & Phillips, T.J. (2005) Gene expression differences in mice divergently selected for methamphetamine sensitivity. Mamm Genome, 16, 291-305.

Kamens, H.M., Phillips, T.J., Holstein , S.E., & Crabbe, J.C. (2005) Characterization of the parallel rod floor apparatus to test motor incoordination in mice. Genes Brain Behav, 4(4), 253-66.

Kamens, H.M. , Burkhart-Kasch, S., McKinnon, C.S., Li, N., Reed, C. & Phillips, T.J. (2005) Sensitivity to psychostimulants in mice bred for high and low stimulation to methamphetamine. Genes Brain Behav, 4(2), 110-25.

Klein, L.C., Stine, M.M., Vandenbergh, D.J., Whetzel , C.A. , & Kamens, H.M. (2004) Sex differences in voluntary oral nicotine consumption by adolescent mice: a dose-response experiment. Pharmacol Biochem Behav, 78(1), 13-25.

 

Last updated: December 5, 2007