Staff profile

Dr Stephen P Kent

Head of School of Psychological Science, Associate Professor

Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering

School of Psychological Science
Department of Psychology

George Singer Building, room 464, Melbourne (Bundoora)

 

Qualifications

AB Wabash, PhD Illinois.

Membership of professional Associations

Association for Psychological Science, Australian Neuroscience Society, Society for Neuroscience (USA), International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (Co-chair, Program Comm)

Area of study

Psychology

Brief Profile

For many years I have investigated the behavioural effects of the proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α), their site of action, and the neurochemical intermediaries. We are currently examining the role of nitric oxide, cholecystokinin, and glutamate in the development and maintenance of fever and sickness behaviour. This latter term refers to the constellation of non-specific symptoms that sick individuals experience, including malaise, fatigue, and disinterest in usual activities such as eating, drinking, and social activities. Stemming from an interest in sickness behaviour, my research group has studied immune-induced cognitive impairments. We demonstrated that immune activation interrupts the transition from short-term to intermediate-term memory. More recently, we have used a swim stress paradigm to examine the effects of controllable and uncontrollable stress on the immune system. We have also characterised differences between stress resilient and stress vulnerable rats. This work is currently being extended to determine the impact of rearing environment. Other projects are investigating the behavioural, neurochemical, and immunological consequences of caloric restriction. Finally, I am interested in the potential link between cytokines, heart attacks, and depression.

Research interests

Neuroscience and neuropsychology

- psychoneuroimmunology

Recent Publications

MacDonald, L., Radler, M., Paolini, A.G., Kent, S., (2011) Calorie restriction attenuates LPS-induced sickness behavior and shifts hypothalamic signaling pathways to an anti-inflammatory bias. American Journal of Physiology 301: R172–R184.

Stiller, A.L., Drugan, R.C, Hazi, A., Kent, S. (2011) Stress resilience and vulnerability: The association with rearing conditions, endocrine function, immunology, and anxious behavior. Psychoneuroendocrinology 36:1383-95.

Levay, E.A., Paolini, A.G., Govic, A., Hazi, A., Penman, J., & Kent, S. (2010) HPA and sympathoadrenal activity of adult rats perinatally exposed to maternal mild calorie restriction. Behavioural Brain Research 208: 202-208.

Levay, E.A., Tammer, A.H., Penman, J., Kent, S. & Paolini, A.G. (2010) Calorie restriction at increasing levels leads to augmented concentrations of corticosterone and decreasing concentrations of testosterone in rats. Nutrition Research 30: 366-373.

Di Benedetto, M., Burns, G.L., Lindner, H.D. & Kent, S. (2010) A biopsychosocial model for depressive symptoms following acute coronary syndromes. Psychology and Health 25: 1061-1075.

Govic, A., Levay, E.A., Kent, S., & Paolini, A. (2009) The social behavior of male rats administered an adult-onset calorie restriction regimen. Physiology and Behavior 96: 581-85.

Kent, S. (2009) Obituary: Evelyn Satinoff (1937-2008). American Psychologist 64: 154.

Abbot, J.D., Kent, S., Levay, E.A., Tucker, R.V., Penman, J., Tammer, A.H., & Paolini, A.G. (2009) The effects of calorie restriction olfactory cues on conspecific anxiety-like behaviour. Behavioural Brain Research 201: 305–310.

Di Benedetto, M., Lindner, H.D., & Kent, S. (2008) The course of depression 10-weeks post-acute coronary syndrome: Assessment using the Cardiac Depression Visual Analogue Scale. Psychology, Health, and Medicine 13:483-493.

Levay, E.A., Paolini, A.G., Govic, A., Hazi, A., Penman, J., & Kent, S. (2008) Anxiety-like behaviour in adult rats perinatally exposed to maternal calorie restriction. Behavioural Brain Research 191: 164-172.

Govic, A., Levay, E.A., Hazi, A., Penman, J., Kent, S. & Paolini, A. (2008) Alterations in male sexual behaviour, attractiveness and testosterone levels induced by an adult-onset calorie restriction regimen. Behavioural Brain Research 190: 140-146.

Begg, D.P, Mathai, M.L., McKinley, M.J., Frappell, P.B. & Kent, S., (2008) Central nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition restores behaviorally mediated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced fever in near-term rats. Physiology and Behavior 94: 630-634.

Govic, A., Kent, S., Levay, E.A., Hazi, A., Penman, J., & Paolini, A. (2008) Testosterone, social and sexual behavior of perinatally and lifelong calorie restricted offspring. Physiology and Behavior 94: 516-22.

Levay, E.A., Govic, A., Penman, J., Paolini, A.G. & Kent, S. (2007) Effects of adult-onset calorie restriction on anxiety-like behavior in rats. Physiology and Behavior 92: 889-896.

Begg, D.P., Kent, S., McKinley, M.J. & Mathai, M.L. (2007) Suppression of endotoxin-induced fever in near-term pregnant rats is mediated by brain nitric oxide. American Journal of Physiology 292: R2174-R2178.

Di Benedetto, M., Lindner, H.D., Hare, D. & Kent, S. (2007) The role of coping and anxiety in depression at 6-months post-acute coronary syndrome. Psychology, Health, and Medicine 12: 460-469.

Drugan, R.C., Weidholz, L.M., Holt, A., Kent, S. & Christianson, J.P. (2007) Environmental and immune stressors enhance alcohol induced motor ataxia in rat. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 86: 125-131.

Weiland, T.J., Voudouris, N.J. & Kent, S. (2007) CCK2 receptor nullification attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced sickness behavior. American Journal of Physiology 292: R112-R123.

Kent, S., Dedda, K., Hale, M. & Crowe, S.F. (2007) Polyinosinic: polycyctidylic acid induces memory-processing deficits in the day-old chick. Behavioural Pharmacology 18: 19-27.

Older Publications

Weiland, T.J., Anthony-Harvey-Beavis, D., Voudouris, N.J., & Kent, S. (2006) Metabotropic glutamate receptors mediate lipopolysaccharide-induced fever and sickness behavior. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 20: 233-245.

Levay, E.A., Govic, A., Hazi, A., Flannery, G.R., Christianson, J.P., Drugan, R.C., & Kent, S. (2006) Endocrine and immunological correlates of behaviorally identified swim stress resilient and vulnerable rats. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 20: 488-497.

Kent, S. (2006) An emotional link between sickness and depression. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 20: 515-516.

Chen, H., Kent, S., Morris, MJ (2006) Is the CCK2 receptor essential for normal regulation of body weight and adiposity? European Journal of Neuroscience 24: 1427-33.

Di Benedetto, M., Lindner, H.D., Hare, D. & Kent, S. (2006) Measuring depression following acute coronary syndromes: A comparison between the Cardiac Depression Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 60: 13-20.

Weiland, T.J., Kent, S., Voudouris, N.J., & Shulkes, A (2005) The effect of lipopolysaccharide on cholecystokinin in murine plasma and tissue. Peptides 26: 447-455.

Di Benedetto, M., Lindner, H.D., Hare, D. & Kent, S. (2005) A Cardiac Depression Visual Analogue Scale for the brief and rapid assessment of depression following acute coronary syndromes. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 59: 223-229.

Drugan, R.C., Eren, S., Hazi, A., Silva, J., Christianson, J.P. & Kent, S. (2005) Impact of water temperature and stressor controllability on swim stress-induced changes in body temperature, serum corticosterone, and immobility in rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 82: 397-403.

Weiland, T.J., Voudouris, N.J. and Kent, S. (2004) The role of CCK2 receptors in energy homeostasis: Insights from the CCK2 receptor-deficient mouse. Physiology and Behavior 82: 471-476.

Fortier, M.-E., Kent, S., Ashdown, H., Poole, S., Boksa, P. & Luheshi, G.N. (2004) The viral mimic, polyinosinic: polycyctidylic acid (poly I:C), induces fever in rats via an interleukin-1 dependent mechanism. American Journal of Physiology 287: R759-R766.

Sell, K.M., Crowe, S.F., & Kent, S. (2003). Lipopolysaccharide induces biochemical alterations in chicks trained on the passive avoidance learning task. Physiology and Behavior 78: 679-688.

Stokes, M., Kent, S., & Armstrong, S. (2002) Relationships between phase and period response curve to light pulses in the rat. Biological Rhythms Research 33: 303-317.

Stokes, M., Kent, S., & Armstrong, S. (2001). The effect of repeated pulses of light at the same time upon period responses of the rat circadian pacemaker. Chronobiology International 18: 187-201.

Sell, K.M., Crowe, S.F., & Kent, S. (2001). Lipopolysaccharide induces memory-processing deficits in day-old chicks. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 68: 497-502.

Research projects

Neurochemical intermediaries of lipopolysaccharide-induced sickness behaviour: A role for cholecystokinin and glutamate.  Tracey Weiland (2004) PhD

Depression following myocardial infarction in women: Does the immune system play a role? Mirella Di Benedetto (2006) PhD

The role of nitric oxide as a signalling molecule in thermoregulatory responses during near-term pregnancy in the rat.  Denovan Begg (2008) MSc

Rearing environment, endocrine, and immunological correlates of swim stress resilient and vulnerable rats. Anna Stiller (2009) Doctor of Psychology

Neuroendocrine and behavioural alterations in response to adult and perinatal initiated calorie restriction. Elizabeth Levay (2009) PhD

The effects of calorie restriction on the acute immune response. Leah MacDonald (2012) PhD

Comparison of a cognitive skills self-management group and individual treatment for older persons with memory impairment. Anna McLaren (2012) Masters of Clinical Neurosychology

Calorie restriction, sickness behaviour and neuroinflammation. Morgan Radler (in progress) Doctor of Psychology

The role of stress and anxiety on irritable bowel syndrome. Kristy Jensen (in progress) Doctor of Psychology