Alix Robinson | University of California, Santa Barbara (original) (raw)

Papers by Alix Robinson

Single Session Thinking and Practice in Global, Cultural, and Familial Contexts, 2021

Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2016

The focus of the current study was to examine student-identified academic and mental health conce... more The focus of the current study was to examine student-identified academic and mental health concerns, the prevalence of psychological distress in the student population, student utilization of counselling services, and perceived barriers to accessing counselling services. A convenience sample of students ( N = 400) from a large university in western Canada completed a four-page questionnaire that included The General Population – Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE-GP) and researcher-generated questions. Survey results indicated that 63.1% of students identified having academic concerns, 36.1% of students identified anxiety as a concern, and 31.9% endorsed depressive symptomology as a mental health concern. The criteria for clinical psychological distress were met by 42% of males and 43% of females, yet only a small portion of students identified accessing counselling services for these concerns. Students reported numerous barriers that impeded access to counselling servic...

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2016

Background: Calgary, Alberta has the fourth highest immigrant population in Canada and ethnic min... more Background: Calgary, Alberta has the fourth highest immigrant population in Canada and ethnic minorities comprise 28 % of its total population. Previous studies have found correlations between minority status and poor pregnancy outcomes. One explanation for this phenomenon is that minority status increases the levels of stress experienced during pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to identify specific types of maternal psychosocial stress experienced by women of an ethnic minority (Asian, Arab, Other Asian, African, First Nations and Latin American). Methods: A secondary analysis of variables that may contribute to maternal psychosocial stress was conducted using data from the All Our Babies prospective pregnancy cohort (N = 3,552) where questionnaires were completed at < 24 weeks of gestation and between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation. Questionnaires included standardized measures of perceived stress, anxiety, depression, physical and emotional health, and social support. Sociodemographic data included immigration status, language proficiency in English, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status. Results: Findings from this study indicate that women who identify with an ethnic minority were more likely to report symptoms of depression, anxiety, inadequate social support, and problems with emotional and physical health during pregnancy than women who identified with the White reference group. Conclusions: This study has identified that women of an ethic minority experience greater psychosocial stress in pregnancy compared to the White reference group.

BMC Medicine, 2014

Background: Chronic stress is considered to be one of many causes of human preterm birth (PTB), b... more Background: Chronic stress is considered to be one of many causes of human preterm birth (PTB), but no direct evidence has yet been provided. Here we show in rats that stress across generations has downstream effects on endocrine, metabolic and behavioural manifestations of PTB possibly via microRNA (miRNA) regulation. Methods: Pregnant dams of the parental generation were exposed to stress from gestational days 12 to 18. Their pregnant daughters (F1) and granddaughters (F2) either were stressed or remained as non-stressed controls. Gestational length, maternal gestational weight gain, blood glucose and plasma corticosterone levels, litter size and offspring weight gain from postnatal days 1 to 30 were recorded in each generation, including F3. Maternal behaviours were analysed for the first hour after completed parturition, and offspring sensorimotor development was recorded on postnatal day (P) 7. F0 through F2 maternal brain frontal cortex, uterus and placenta miRNA and gene expression patterns were used to identify stress-induced epigenetic regulatory pathways of maternal behaviour and pregnancy maintenance. Results: Progressively up to the F2 generation, stress gradually reduced gestational length, maternal weight gain and behavioural activity, and increased blood glucose levels. Reduced offspring growth and delayed behavioural development in the stress cohort was recognizable as early as P7, with the greatest effect in the F3 offspring of transgenerationally stressed mothers. Furthermore, stress altered miRNA expression patterns in the brain and uterus of F2 mothers, including the miR-200 family, which regulates pathways related to brain plasticity and parturition, respectively. Main miR-200 family target genes in the uterus, Stat5b, Zeb1 and Zeb2, were downregulated by multigenerational stress in the F1 generation. Zeb2 was also reduced in the stressed F2 generation, suggesting a causal mechanism for disturbed pregnancy maintenance. Additionally, stress increased placental miR-181a, a marker of human PTB. Conclusions: The findings indicate that a family history of stress may program central and peripheral pathways regulating gestational length and maternal and newborn health outcomes in the maternal lineage. This new paradigm may model the origin of many human PTB causes.

Behavioural Brain Research, 2009

The rat is an altricial species and consequently undergoes considerable postnatal development. Ca... more The rat is an altricial species and consequently undergoes considerable postnatal development. Careful analysis of the emergence and disappearance of motor behaviours is essential to gain insight into the temporal pattern of maturation of motor system structures. This study presents a qualitative analysis of the developmental progression of skilled movement in the rat by using a skilled walking task. A new rung bridge task was used to expose rat pups to a novel environment in order to reveal their potential capabilities. Ten rat pups were filmed daily from postnatal day 7 through postnatal day 30 as they explored the rung bridge task. Discrete changes in skilled and non-skilled walking in fore-and hind-limbs were evaluated by scoring seven categories and 24 subcategories of motor behaviour, including limb flexion and extension, coordination, posture, sensorimotor responses, distal control, and tail use in rat pups. Frame-by-frame analysis of ambulatory movement revealed six distinct stages of locomotor development. The most significant transformation to mature gait patterns was found between postnatal days 15 and 19, and maturation of all motor behaviour was completed by postnatal day 27. The findings are discussed in relation to the maturation of underlying structures and their relevance to studies of brain damage.

Behavioural Brain Research, 2011

The organic pesticide rotenone is a neurotoxin suspected to cause Parkinson's disease (PD) sympto... more The organic pesticide rotenone is a neurotoxin suspected to cause Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms by selectively targeting and compromising the survival of dopaminergic neurons. Rotenone in rodent models reproduces key features of human PD by impairing the mitochondrial electron transport chain, leading to intracellular alpha-synuclein aggregates and functional impairments typical for PD. The present study characterized the dose-response relationship of standard rotenone concentrations in motor impairments in a rat model. Rats received a single medial forebrain bundle injection of 4, 8, or 12 g of rotenone. Animals were assessed in skilled limb use, skilled and non-skilled walking and exploratory activity as well as drug-induced rotation. The results revealed rotational bias and stable impairments in skilled walking and gross motor function up to five weeks post injection. However, transient motor deficits facilitated rapid improvement of skilled reaching success. Mainly the temporal aspects of skilled and non-skilled motor performance were responsive to different rotenone concentrations. By contrast, drug-induced rotation and nigral TH+ cell loss were not influenced by different rotenone doses. Rats infused with 8 g and 12 g seemed to have reached a ceiling effect in motor deficits as they were not distinguishable in behavioral measures. Most strikingly, the stereological and morphological analyses revealed non-specific toxicity of vehicle and rotenone infusions that caused macroscopic lesions beyond nigral boundaries. These findings suggest that sensitivity of comprehensive motor tests to subtle modulation of dopamine function is independent of dopamine cell loss per se. Furthermore, caution is advised concerning nonspecific toxicity of rotenone and vehicle substances in experimental animal models.

Canada has a long tradition as an immigrant-receiving country. Women who have recently immigrated... more Canada has a long tradition as an immigrant-receiving country. Women who have recently immigrated to Canada contribute significantly to Canadian population growth, first by migrating to Canada, and second, by bearing children soon after arrival to Canada. Considering the crucial role that women who immigrate contribute towards the population growth of Canada, understanding her pregnancy health needs is of national importance. Surprisingly, there remains a conspicuous knowledge gap in understanding immigrant women's experiences in pregnancy, in particular, in understanding her experiences establishing pregnancy supports. The aim in conducting this study was to address the current knowledge gap in relation to pregnancy experiences of newcomers to Canada who identify with a non-European ethnic group by identifying (a) facilitative strategies used in primary support formation, (b) the barriers to forming primary supports in Canada and, (c) what supports participants would have wante...

The reference to stress is ubiquitous in modern society, yet it is a relatively new field of rese... more The reference to stress is ubiquitous in modern society, yet it is a relatively new field of research. The following article provides an overview of the history of stress research and its iterations over the last century. In this article, I provide an overview of the earliest stress research and theories introduced through physiology and medicine and eventually as a concept in psychology. I begin with an exploration of the research of biological stressors 1st explored by experimental physiologist Claude Bernard and eventually adopted as a foundational concept in stress research when Walter Cannon expanded on Bernard’s work and identified homeostasis. The contributions of Hans Selye, considered the father of stress research; Sir William Osler; Yerkes and Dodson; and Richard Lazarus are also discussed. Finally, I discuss how, in the new millennium, research on psychological stress has expanded across disciplines ranging from physiology to medicine, chemistry, endocrinology, neurosciences, epidemiology, psychiatry, epigenetics, and psychology, reflecting the complexity of the construct both theoretically and biologically.

Background: Calgary, Alberta has the fourth highest immigrant population in Canada and ethnic min... more Background: Calgary, Alberta has the fourth highest immigrant population in Canada and ethnic minorities comprise 28 % of its total population. Previous studies have found correlations between minority status and poor pregnancy outcomes. One explanation for this phenomenon is that minority status increases the levels of stress experienced during pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to identify specific types of maternal psychosocial stress experienced by women of an ethnic minority (Asian, Arab, Other Asian, African, First Nations and Latin American). Methods: A secondary analysis of variables that may contribute to maternal psychosocial stress was conducted using data from the All Our Babies prospective pregnancy cohort (N = 3,552) where questionnaires were completed at < 24 weeks of gestation and between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation. Questionnaires included standardized measures of perceived stress, anxiety, depression, physical and emotional health, and social support. Socio-demographic data included immigration status, language proficiency in English, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status.

abstract The focus of the current study was to examine student-identified academic and mental hea... more abstract The focus of the current study was to examine student-identified academic and mental health concerns, the prevalence of psychological distress in the student population, student utilization of counselling services, and perceived barriers to accessing counselling services. A convenience sample of students (N = 400) from a large university in western Canada completed a four-page questionnaire that included The General Population – Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE-GP) and researcher-generated questions. Survey results indicated that 63.1% of students identified having academic concerns, 36.1% of students identified anxiety as a concern, and 31.9% endorsed depressive symptomology as a mental health concern. The criteria for clinical psychological distress were met by 42% of males and 43% of females, yet only a small portion of students identified accessing counselling services for these concerns. Students reported numerous barriers that impeded access to counselling services. Recommendations for targeting student-identified concerns and addressing potential barriers to counselling services are offered. résumé La présente étude est centrée sur l'examen des enjeux académiques et de santé mentale déterminés par les étudiants, la fréquence de la détresse psychologique au sein de la population étudiante, le recours aux services de counseling chez les étudiants, et les obstacles perçus à l'accès à ces services. On a demandé à un échantillon de commodité d'étudiants (N = 400) d'une grande université de l'Ouest du Canada de remplir un questionnaire de quatre pages, y compris les questions liées au système CORE-GP (General Population – Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation) et celles formulées par les chercheurs. Les résultats du sondage révèlent que 63,1 % des étudiants ont déclaré avoir des préoccupations liées aux études, suivis de 36,1 % qui ont pointé l'anxiété comme étant une préoccupation et, finalement, 31,9 % ont reconnu des symptômes dépressifs comme étant une préoc-cupation de santé mentale. Quarante-deux pour cent des répondants masculins et 43 % des répondantes féminines ont satisfait aux critères associés à la détresse psychologique clinique, et pourtant, seul un petit nombre d'entre eux a précisé l'accès à des services de counseling en lien avec ces préoccupations. Les étudiants ont cité de nombreux obstacles à l'accès aux services de counseling. L'article propose des recommandations qui permet-traient de cibler les préoccupations identifiées par les étudiants et les obstacles potentiels aux services de counseling.

In this paper, a professor and a group of doctoral students reflect on the video Out of Order: De... more In this paper, a professor and a group of doctoral students reflect on the video Out of Order: Dealing with the Death of a Child, treating the video as research on the topic of grief. The video was shown to the group and then all individuals offered pieces of interpretive writing to offering their understanding of what the " participants " in the video were helping us understand about the topic. There is a film that continues to draw me (Moules) as a nursing educator and as a researcher in the hermeneutic tradition. It is a film about the experiences of three dyads of parents who suffered the experience of having a child die 1. This is a very local, personal film, made for therapeutic purposes to offer help to other parents experiencing the unimaginable and never expected experience of being a bereaved parent. As an educator and researcher, I choose this film deliberately it is poignant, powerful, painful, raw, and truthful. I have " used " it in classes on grief because it is so powerful. I have also repeatedly used it in graduate level research classes. I

Behavioural Brain Research, 2011

Background: Chronic stress is considered to be one of many causes of human preterm birth (PTB), b... more Background: Chronic stress is considered to be one of many causes of human preterm birth (PTB), but no direct evidence has yet been provided. Here we show in rats that stress across generations has downstream effects on endocrine, metabolic and behavioural manifestations of PTB possibly via microRNA (miRNA) regulation. Methods: Pregnant dams of the parental generation were exposed to stress from gestational days 12 to 18. Their pregnant daughters (F1) and grand-daughters (F2) either were stressed or remained as non-stressed controls. Gestational length, maternal gestational weight gain, blood glucose and plasma corticosterone levels, litter size and offspring weight gain from postnatal days 1 to 30 were recorded in each generation, including F3. Maternal behaviours were analysed for the first hour after completed parturition, and offspring sensorimotor development was recorded on postnatal day (P) 7. F0 through F2 maternal brain frontal cortex, uterus and placenta miRNA and gene expression patterns were used to identify stress-induced epigenetic regulatory pathways of maternal behaviour and pregnancy maintenance. Results: Progressively up to the F2 generation, stress gradually reduced gestational length, maternal weight gain and behavioural activity, and increased blood glucose levels. Reduced offspring growth and delayed behavioural development in the stress cohort was recognizable as early as P7, with the greatest effect in the F3 offspring of transgenerationally stressed mothers. Furthermore, stress altered miRNA expression patterns in the brain and uterus of F2 mothers, including the miR-200 family, which regulates pathways related to brain plasticity and parturition, respectively. Main miR-200 family target genes in the uterus, Stat5b, Zeb1 and Zeb2, were downregulated by multigenerational stress in the F1 generation. Zeb2 was also reduced in the stressed F2 generation, suggesting a causal mechanism for disturbed pregnancy maintenance. Additionally, stress increased placental miR-181a, a marker of human PTB.

The rat is an altricial species and consequently undergoes considerable postnatal development. Ca... more The rat is an altricial species and consequently undergoes considerable postnatal development. Careful analysis of the emergence and disappearance of motor behaviours is essential to gain insight into the temporal pattern of maturation of motor system structures. This study presents a qualitative analysis of the developmental progression of skilled movement in the rat by using a skilled walking task. A new rung bridge task was used to expose rat pups to a novel environment in order to reveal their potential capabilities. Ten rat pups were filmed daily from postnatal day 7 through postnatal day 30 as they explored the rung bridge task. Discrete changes in skilled and non-skilled walking in fore- and hind-limbs were evaluated by scoring seven categories and 24 subcategories of motor behaviour, including limb flexion and extension, coordination, posture, sensorimotor responses, distal control, and tail use in rat pups. Frame-by-frame analysis of ambulatory movement revealed six distinct stages of locomotor development. The most significant transformation to mature gait patterns was found between postnatal days 15 and 19, and maturation of all motor behaviour was completed by postnatal day 27. The findings are discussed in relation to the maturation of underlying structures and their relevance to studies of brain damage.

The organic pesticide rotenone is a neurotoxin suspected to cause Parkinson’s disease (PD) sympto... more The organic pesticide rotenone is a neurotoxin suspected to cause Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms by
selectively targeting and compromising the survival of dopaminergic neurons. Rotenone in rodent models
reproduces key features of human PD by impairing the mitochondrial electron transport chain, leading
to intracellular alpha-synuclein aggregates and functional impairments typical for PD. The present study
characterized the dose–response relationship of standard rotenone concentrations in motor impairments
in a rat model. Rats received a single medial forebrain bundle injection of 4, 8, or 12g of rotenone.
Animals were assessed in skilled limb use, skilled and non-skilled walking and exploratory activity as well
as drug-induced rotation. The results revealed rotational bias and stable impairments in skilled walking
and gross motor function up to five weeks post injection. However, transient motor deficits facilitated
rapid improvement of skilled reaching success. Mainly the temporal aspects of skilled and non-skilled
motor performance were responsive to different rotenone concentrations. By contrast, drug-induced
rotation and nigral TH+ cell loss were not influenced by different rotenone doses. Rats infused with 8g
and 12g seemed to have reached a ceiling effect in motor deficits as they were not distinguishable in
behavioral measures. Most strikingly, the stereological and morphological analyses revealed non-specific
toxicity of vehicle and rotenone infusions that caused macroscopic lesions beyond nigral boundaries.
These findings suggest that sensitivity of comprehensive motor tests to subtle modulation of dopamine
function is independent of dopamine cell loss per se. Furthermore, caution is advised concerning nonspecific
toxicity of rotenone and vehicle substances in experimental animal models.

Single Session Thinking and Practice in Global, Cultural, and Familial Contexts, 2021

Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2016

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2016

BMC Medicine, 2014

Behavioural Brain Research, 2009

Behavioural Brain Research, 2011

Background: Calgary, Alberta has the fourth highest immigrant population in Canada and ethnic min... more Background: Calgary, Alberta has the fourth highest immigrant population in Canada and ethnic minorities comprise 28 % of its total population. Previous studies have found correlations between minority status and poor pregnancy outcomes. One explanation for this phenomenon is that minority status increases the levels of stress experienced during pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to identify specific types of maternal psychosocial stress experienced by women of an ethnic minority (Asian, Arab, Other Asian, African, First Nations and Latin American). Methods: A secondary analysis of variables that may contribute to maternal psychosocial stress was conducted using data from the All Our Babies prospective pregnancy cohort (N = 3,552) where questionnaires were completed at < 24 weeks of gestation and between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation. Questionnaires included standardized measures of perceived stress, anxiety, depression, physical and emotional health, and social support. Socio-demographic data included immigration status, language proficiency in English, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status.

Behavioural Brain Research, 2011

Background: Chronic stress is considered to be one of many causes of human preterm birth (PTB), b... more Background: Chronic stress is considered to be one of many causes of human preterm birth (PTB), but no direct evidence has yet been provided. Here we show in rats that stress across generations has downstream effects on endocrine, metabolic and behavioural manifestations of PTB possibly via microRNA (miRNA) regulation. Methods: Pregnant dams of the parental generation were exposed to stress from gestational days 12 to 18. Their pregnant daughters (F1) and grand-daughters (F2) either were stressed or remained as non-stressed controls. Gestational length, maternal gestational weight gain, blood glucose and plasma corticosterone levels, litter size and offspring weight gain from postnatal days 1 to 30 were recorded in each generation, including F3. Maternal behaviours were analysed for the first hour after completed parturition, and offspring sensorimotor development was recorded on postnatal day (P) 7. F0 through F2 maternal brain frontal cortex, uterus and placenta miRNA and gene expression patterns were used to identify stress-induced epigenetic regulatory pathways of maternal behaviour and pregnancy maintenance. Results: Progressively up to the F2 generation, stress gradually reduced gestational length, maternal weight gain and behavioural activity, and increased blood glucose levels. Reduced offspring growth and delayed behavioural development in the stress cohort was recognizable as early as P7, with the greatest effect in the F3 offspring of transgenerationally stressed mothers. Furthermore, stress altered miRNA expression patterns in the brain and uterus of F2 mothers, including the miR-200 family, which regulates pathways related to brain plasticity and parturition, respectively. Main miR-200 family target genes in the uterus, Stat5b, Zeb1 and Zeb2, were downregulated by multigenerational stress in the F1 generation. Zeb2 was also reduced in the stressed F2 generation, suggesting a causal mechanism for disturbed pregnancy maintenance. Additionally, stress increased placental miR-181a, a marker of human PTB.

The rat is an altricial species and consequently undergoes considerable postnatal development. Ca... more The rat is an altricial species and consequently undergoes considerable postnatal development. Careful analysis of the emergence and disappearance of motor behaviours is essential to gain insight into the temporal pattern of maturation of motor system structures. This study presents a qualitative analysis of the developmental progression of skilled movement in the rat by using a skilled walking task. A new rung bridge task was used to expose rat pups to a novel environment in order to reveal their potential capabilities. Ten rat pups were filmed daily from postnatal day 7 through postnatal day 30 as they explored the rung bridge task. Discrete changes in skilled and non-skilled walking in fore- and hind-limbs were evaluated by scoring seven categories and 24 subcategories of motor behaviour, including limb flexion and extension, coordination, posture, sensorimotor responses, distal control, and tail use in rat pups. Frame-by-frame analysis of ambulatory movement revealed six distinct stages of locomotor development. The most significant transformation to mature gait patterns was found between postnatal days 15 and 19, and maturation of all motor behaviour was completed by postnatal day 27. The findings are discussed in relation to the maturation of underlying structures and their relevance to studies of brain damage.