I'm an Arizona native from Gilbert who enjoys spending time with family and friends, running, hiking, going to museums, and volunteering. I studied Neuroscience in my BS and MS degrees at Brigham Young University, and also spent one year researching at the National Institute on Aging. My passion for neuroscience led me to pursue an MD/PhD at the University of Arizona--Phoenix, which I began in 2017. As part of that program, I am now working towards my PhD in Clinical Translational Sciences. I find the brain absolutely fascinating, and there is a great need for a better understanding of many neurological disorders. My current research is on the mechanism of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease. Outside of class and the lab you can find me hanging out with my husband, running on the trails, geeking out at a museum exhibit, or eating popcorn at the movies.
Publications (last name changed from Nelson to Guest in 2019):
- Nelson, A.C., Williams, S.B., Pistorius, S.S., Park, H.J., Woodward, T.J., Payne, A.J., Obray, J.D., Shin, S.I., Mabey, J.K., Steffensen, S.C. Ventral tegmental area GABA neurons are resistant to GABA receptor-mediated inhibition during ethanol withdrawal. Frontiers in Neuroscience (2018) 12:131. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00131. PMID: 29556175
- Williams, S.B., Yorgason, J.T., Nelson, A.C., Lewis, N., Nufer, T.M., Edwards, J.G. and Steffensen, S.C. Glutamate transmission to ventral tegmental area GABA neurons is altered by acute and chronic ethanol. Alcohol Clin Exp Res (2018) Sep 11. doi: 10.1111/acer.13883. PMID: 30204234
- Steffensen, S.C., Shin, S.I., Nelson, A.C., Pistorius, S.S., Williams, S.B., Woodward, T.J., Park, H.J., Friend, L., Gao, M., Gao, F., Taylor, D.H., Olive, M.F., Edwards, J.G., Sudweeks, S.N., Buhlman, L.M., McIntosh, J.M., and Wu, J. (2017). α6 subunit-containing nicotinic receptors mediate low-dose ethanol effects on ventral tegmental area neurons and ethanol reward. Addiction Biology, doi: 10.1111/adb.12559
- Jang, E.Y., Yang, C.H., Hedges, D.M., Kim, S.P., Lee, J.Y., Ekins, T.G., Garcia, B.T., Kim, H.Y., Nelson, A.C., Kim, N.J., and Steffensen, S.C (2016). The role of reactive oxygen species in methamphetamine self-administration and dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Addiction Biology, doi: 10.1111/adb.12419.
Conference presentations:
- Guest, A.C., Graham, D., O’Neill, K.J. III, Mirzadeh, Z., Ponce, F., and Greger, B. Electrophysiological responses to Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s disease. Soc. Neurosci Absts (2019)
- Nelson, A.C., Woodward, T.J., Park, H.J., Pistorius, S.S., Bair, S.D., Matthews, D.M., and Steffensen, S.C. Glutamate NMDA receptor-mediated plasticity in the ventral tegmental area by acute and chronic ethanol. Soc. Neurosci Absts 41 (2016) 825.08
- Nelson, A.C., Woodward, T.J., Park, H.J., Shin, S.I., Pistorius, S.S., Bair, S.D., Payne, A.J., and Steffensen, S.C. Glutamate NMDA receptor-mediated plasticity in the ventral tegmental area by acute ethanol. Alcoholism: Clin. Exp. Res. (2016) 40(S1) 518A(054)
- Nelson, A., Woodward, T.J., Park, H., Shin, S.I., Pistorius, S.S., Bair, S.D., and Steffensen, S.C. NMDA and GABAA receptor-mediated plasticity in the mesolimbic dopamine system by acute and chronic ethanol. Soc. Neurosci Absts 40 (2015) 314.13
- Nelson, A.C., Woodward, T.J., Hedges, D.M., Jang, E.Y., Park, H.J., Shin, S.I. and Steffensen, S.C. NMDA and GABAA receptor-mediated plasticity in the mesolimbic dopamine system by acute and chronic ethanol. Alcoholism: Clin. Exp. Res. (2015) 39(S1) 129A(202)
- Nelson, A., Woodward, T.J., Mabey, J.K., Shin, S.I., Ting-A-Kee, R., Vargas-Perez, H., Van der Kooy, D. and Steffensen, S.C. Functional switch in GABA(A) receptors on VTA GABA neurons by chronic ethanol. Soc. Neurosci Absts 39 (2014) 53.03
Faculty Mentor: Bradley Greger (Arizona State University)