Ida Margrethe Uggerud

• Tuset, Elly Herikstad; Uggerud, Ida Margrethe; Hagen, Anikke & Byhring, Anne Kristine (2024). Students’ connection to nature and culturally responsive teaching in early years teacher education. Journal of the European Teacher Education Network (JETEN). ISSN 1749-7213. p. 31–51. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The study wanted to contribute to the development of culturally responsive teaching in outdoor education. To implement culturally responsive teaching in outdoor situations, the authors wanted insight into student teachers’ contact with nature and engagement with environmental sustainability issues. The authors conducted a thematic analysis of student teacher discussions in an Erasmus course at a university in Norway. The data consisted of transcripts of student discussions in a statement game using claims borrowed from Nisbet et al.’s Nature Relatedness Scale. The analysis resulted in three main themes: 1) Contact and interaction with nature, 2) Bigger political things, and 3) We as teachers. Student teachers showed a broad interest in ethical and political topics, often expressing a sense of distance and worry concerning global climate and environmental issues. The study emphasises the importance of critical emotional awareness in heterogeneous student groups.

• Uggerud, Ida Margrethe; Kråkenes, Torbjørn; Hirai, Hirokazu; Vedeler, Christian Alexander & Schubert, Manja (2023). Development and Optimization of a Multilayer Rat Purkinje Neuron Culture. Cerebellum. ISSN 1473-4222. doi: 10.1007/s12311-022-01510-4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Elucidation of the mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases of the cerebellum has been hampered by the lack of robust single cell models to study Purkinje neurons and replicate at the same time in vivo features. Cerebellar Purkinje neurons are difficult to grow in dispersed cell culture, and only limited work has been done using rat cells. We developed a refined protocol for growing rat Purkinje neurons from embryonic and postnatal tissue ex vivo that results in well-developed, mature, functional, and synaptically active neurons. The rat Purkinje neurons generated are responsive to paracrine factors and genetic manipulation, allowing great experimental flexibility at the single-cell level. This ex vivo model can be used to investigate disease mechanisms that disturb Purkinje neuron morphology, function, and communication in high- and low-throughput screening formats.

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• Schlegel, Ulrike; Hjallar, Viktor A.; Lensjø, Kristian; Uggerud, Ida Margrethe; Bjaalie, Jan G. & Hvoslef-Eide, Martha [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2022). Mapping of parahippocampal and visual neural networks in mice: Preliminary evidence for feedback projections from perirhinal cortex to visual areas. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Feedback projections from higher-order processing areas to lower-order areas within the visual system havebeen observed in several species. While much is known about the function of feedforward connections in thevisual processing pathway, feedback connections are not as well studied. They are thought to cause behaviorssuch as (selective) attention or expectations, but the exact mechanism and underlying neural connectivity isstill unknown. The perirhinal cortex (PRH) forms the intersection between perceptual and mnemonic areas ofthe visual processing pathway. Evidence from rats, monkeys and humans suggests that it is involved in bothobject memory and perceptual tasks, which is reflected in its connectivity. PRH forms numerous feedforwardand feedback projections with other areas of the visual processing pathway. However, little is known about thefunction and organization of feedback projections from PRH, and other parahippocampal regions, to visualareas in mice. Given the widespread availability of genetic and molecular tools, novel opportunities toinvestigate the function of these feedback projections would be enabled by mapping them in mice. Here wepresent preliminary data from anterograde and retrograde tract tracing experiments showing feedbackprojections from PRH, and other parahippocampal regions, to visual areas. We have found first evidence forfeedback projections from PRH to lower-order visual areas that were assumed to be exclusive to higher-developed animals such as monkeys or humans. Further, we have identified feedback projections from otherparahippocampal regions with specific subregional distribution.

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