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College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Psychology

Karlie Intlekofer

Psychology/Neuroscience Department Lecturer

Karlie Intlekofer

Karlie Intlekofer
Lecturer

Education
  • B.S. Colorado State University, 2005
  • Ph.D. University of Massachusetts, 2011
C.V. (PDF)
Email: karlie.intlekofer@uvm.edu
Phone:
Room: 247

Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 9:00 - 10:00

Research Interests

My main research interest has been to determine the mechanisms by which physical exercise benefits cognition. Exercise enhances the function of several brain regions important for learning and memory, including the hippocampus. Ample evidence supports the idea that physical activity boosts hippocampal-dependent learning and memory in humans and other animals.

My previous work has identified some of the adaptive epigenetic changes that occur as a result of daily physical activity. These epigenetic changes involve the promoter region of genes involved in hippocampal function, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Hippocampal BDNF may be required for spatial memory gains that result from exercise, because blocking BDNF in the hippocampus abolishes exercise-induced memory improvements. Importantly, these findings highlight the potential for exercise to offset the decline in hippocampal function that occurs with aging and neurodegenerative disease.

Representative Publications

  • Intlekofer KA, McQuown SC, Malvaez M, Cunningham MJ, Wood MA, Cotman CW (2012) Exercise primes hippocampal spatial memory: Essential role of BDNF. Learning & Memory. Manuscript in revision.
  • Intlekofer KA, Cotman CW (2012) Exercise counteracts declining hippocampal function in aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Neurobiology of Disease. In press.
  • Intlekofer KA, Cunningham MJ, Caplan AL (2012) The HPV vaccine controversy. American Medical Association Journal of Ethics. 14:1 39-49.
  • Petersen SL, Krishnan S, Aggison LK, Intlekofer KA, Moura PJ (2012) Sexual differentiation of the gonadotropin surge release mechanism: A new role for the canonical NfκB signaling pathway. Front Neuroendocrinol. 33:1 36-44.
  • Intlekofer KA, Petersen SL (2011) 17β-estradiol and progesterone regulate multiple progestin signaling molecules in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus, ventromedial nucleus and sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area in female rats. Neuroscience. 176, 86-92.
  • Intlekofer KA, Petersen SL (2011) Distribution of mRNAs encoding classical progestin receptor, progesterone membrane components 1 and 2, serpine mRNA binding protein 1, and progestin and ADIPOQ receptor family members 7 and 8 in rat forebrain. Neuroscience. 172, 55-65.
  • Krishnan S, Intlekofer KA, Aggison LK, Petersen SL (2009) Central role of TRAF-interacting protein in a new model of brain sexual differentiation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 106, 16692-7.
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