Sarah Blythe Associate Professor of Biology, Director of the Neuroscience Program

Sarah Blythe

Parmly 301
540-458-8342
blythes@wlu.edu

Education

Postdoctoral Fellow - University of Virginia
Ph.D. - Northwestern University
B.A. - Hanover College

Research

My research explores the physiological and neurobiological effects of obesity.  Current projects in my laboratory involve diet-induced cognitive impairments, the gut-brain connection (microbiome), and time-restricted feeding paradigms.  I am also interested in the effects of sex differences in physiology and behavior. 

Teaching

Addiction & Drugs of Abuse (BIOL 111)

Vertebrate Endocrinology (BIOL 250)

Anatomy & Physiology (BIOL 260)

Food for Thought (BIOL 275)

Experimental Neurophysiology (BIOL 360)

Selected Publications

Sarfert KS*, Knabe ML*, Blythe SN (2019) Western-style diet induces object recognition deficits and alters complexity of dendritic arborization in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex of male rats.  Nutritional Neuroscience, 22(5): 344-353.

Woodie LN*, Blythe SN (2018) The differential effects of high-fat and high-fructose diets on physiology and behavior in male rats. Nutritional Neuroscience, 21(5): 328-336.

Volk KM*, Pogrebana VV*, Roberts JA*, Zachry JE*, Blythe SN, Toporikova N (2017) High-fat, high-sugar diet disrupts the pre-ovulatory hormone surge and induces cystic ovaries in cycling female rats.  Journal of the Endocrine Society, 1(12): 1488-1505.

Roberts JS*, Perets RA*, Sarfert KS*, Bowman JJ*, Ozark PA*, Whitworth GB, Blythe SN, Toporikova N (2017) High-Fat High-Sugar Diet Induces Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in a Rodent Model. Biology of Reproduction 96(3): 551-562.

Marwitz SE*, Woodie LN*, & Blythe SN (2015) Western-style diet induces insulin insensitivity and hyperactivity in adolescent male rats. Physiology & Behavior, 151: 147–154.

 * Denotes undergraduate student co-author

Recent Posters

Knabe M & Blythe SN (October 2016) Do Bilinguals Outperform Monolinguals in a Directed Forgetting Task? Investigating the bilingual advantage in inhibitory control. Poster presented at VAS Fall Meeting in Richmond, VA.

Roberts J*, Sarfert K*, Toporikova N, Blythe SN (Nov 2015) Diet-induced obesity impairs estrous cycle regularity in female rats. Poster presented at APS-Gender Conference in Annapolis, MD.

Blythe SN, Toporikova N, Knabe M*, Pogrebna V* (Nov 2015) A tale of two diet experiments: Do different diets affect LH and PRL surges and TH and ORX fiber colocalization? Poster presented at APS-Gender Conference in Annapolis, MD.

Bowman J*, Caldwell T*, Guider J*, Lee J*, Ozark P*, Blythe SN, Toporikova N, Whitworth GB (Nov 2015) Effects of diet-induced obesity on reproductive hormone signaling and gene expression. Poster presented at APS-Gender Conference in Annapolis, MD.

Blythe SN, Gonzalez-Iglesias AE, Bertram R, Whitworth GB, Toporikova N (Oct 2015) The effect of diet-induced obesity on estradiol-induced hormonal surges in female rats. Poster presented at SFN in Chicago, IL.

Marwitz S*, Woodie L* & Blythe SN (Nov 2014) Diet-Induced Obesity Induces Insulin Resistance and Hyperactivity. Poster presented at SFN in Washington DC.

Knabe M*, Sarfert K*, Curtiss S* & Blythe SN (Nov 2014) Cafeteria-Style Diet Impairs Memory and Increases Risk of Metabolic Syndrome. Poster presented at SFN in Washington DC.

Curtiss S* & Blythe SN (Nov 2014) The Effects of Diet-Induced Obesity and Gender on the Morphology of Hippocampal Neurons. Poster presented at SFN in Washington DC.

Curtiss S*, Marwitz S*, Woodie L* & Blythe SN (March 2014) The Effects of Diet-Induced Obesity on the Morphology of CA1 Pyramidal Neurons and Dentate Gyrus Granule Cells. Poster presented at CVCSN in Richmond, VA.

Marwitz S*, Woodie L*, & Blythe SN (March 2014) Pay Attention to What You Eat! The Effect of Diet on Attention, Learning, and Memory. Poster presented at CVCSN in Richmond, VA.

Gunawansa N* & Blythe SN (March 2014) Sex-Differences in Diet-Induced Cognitive Impairment. Poster presented at CVCSN in Richmond, VA.

Woodie L* & Blythe SN (March 2014) Battle of the Macronutrients: Exploring the Physiological Impacts of High Fructose and High Fat Diets. Poster presented at CVCSN in Richmond, VA.

 

* denotes undergraduate co-author