Matthew M. Clasen
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
Phone: 202-885-1721
Email: mc0817a@student.american.edu
Education
The American University
Doctoral Candidate (expected graduation date May, 2018)
Master’s Thesis successfully defended on January 21st, 2016
Advisor: Dr. Anthony Riley PhD.
Department: Psychology
Program: Behavior, Cognition, & Neuroscience.
Lab: Psychopharmacology
GPA: 3.9
James Madison University
Graduation: May 2014
Degree: B.S. in Psychology
Minor: Biology
GPA: 3.3
Northern Virginia Community College
Graduated May 2011
Degree: Associate of Science
Focus: Psychology
GPA: 3.8
Relevant Course Work
Introduction to Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Social Psychology
Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
Sensation and Perception
Psychology of Learning
Applied Behavior Analysis
Neurobiology
Biopsychology
Neuroscience of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
General Chemistry and Lab
Biology of Organisms
Evolution and Ecology
Cell and Molecular Biology
Advanced Psychological Statistics
Genetics and Development
Neural Circuits and Behavior
Neural Bases of Learning and Memory
Neuropharmacology
Design of Experiments
Biology of Addiction
Special Lectures in Computational Neuroscience
Nutritional Neuroscience
Psychology of Drug Dependence
Academic Awards
Belle Haven Country Club: Bag Boy Scholarship Award
Fall, 2010
Northern Virginia Community College: Award for Academic Excellence in Psychology
Spring, 2011
James Madison University: Centennial Scholarship Program
Fall, 2011
James Madison University: Outstanding Achievement in Research Award
Spring, 2013
James Madison University: Dean’s Award for Best Research Poster
Spring, 2013
James Madison University: 11th Annual Colonial Academic Alliance Undergrad Research Conference Award
Spring, 2013
James Madison University: National Conference on Undergratuate Research Student Scholarship Award
Fall, 2013
Research Grant Awards
Travel Grants:
Clasen, Matthew. “The Effect of Caffeine and REM Sleep Deprivation on Free Operant Responding”, Southeastern
Association for Behavior Analysis. Columbia, SC. (2012) $300 received from James Madison University’s Department of
Psychology.
Clasen, Matthew. “Strategic Differences on a Radial Arm Maze Task in a Rodent Model of ADHD”, Association of
Psychological Sciences. Washington D.C. (2013) $300 received from James Madison University’s Department of Psychology.
Clasen, Matthew. “Effects of Brief Paradoxical Sleep Deprivation on Radial Arm Maze Performance in the SHR.”, Associated
Professional Sleep Societies. Baltimore, MD. (2013) $300 received from James Madison University’s Department of
Psychology.
Clasen, Matthew. “The Effect of Cocaine on Delay Discounting in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat”, Colonial Academic
Alliance Undergraduate Research Conference. Newark, DA. (2013) All expenses paid by James Madison University’s Office of
Sponsored Events.
Clasen, Matthew. “The Effect of Cocaine on Delay Discounting in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat.”, Society for
Neuroscience. San Diego, CA. (2013) $300 received from James Madison University’s Department of Psychology.
Clasen, Matthew. “The Effect of Cocaine on Delay Discounting in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat”, National
Conference on Undergraduate Research. Lexington, KY. (2013) All expenses paid by James Madison University’s Office of
Sponsored Events.
Clasen, Matthew. “Adolescent Drug Pre-exposure Fails to Attenuate Taste Avoidance Conditioning”, Behavior, Biology, and
Chemistry: Translational Research in Addiction. San Antonio, Texas. (2016) Selected to receive a stipend/travel prize that
covers expenses for attendance and participation of the conference.
Research Grants:
Clasen, Matthew. $500 awarded from James Madison University’s Department of Psychology for the research project, “The
Effect of Cocaine on Delay Discounting in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat.” (2013)
Clasen, Matthew. $1008 awarded from James Madison University’s Department of Communication and Speech Disorders for
the research project, “Auditory Masking in a Rodent Model of ADHD.” (2013)
Clasen, Matthew. $1000 awarded from the Mellon Foundation at American University for the research project, “The
assessment of methylphenidate upon conditioned taste avoidances within adolescence.” (2014)
Clasen, Matthew. $695.30 awarded from the Mellon Foundation at American University for the research project, “In vivo
manipulation of parabrachial neurons on the aversive effects of cocaine.” (2015)
Conference Presentations
Bradley, C., Peterson, D., McVay, S., Corbett, T., Henry, E., Sequeira, S., Clasen, M., Crosby, T., & Dyche, J. The
Effects of Caffeine and REM Sleep Deprivation on Free Operant Responding Under a VI30 s Schedule of Reinforcement. Southeastern
Association for Behavior Analysis, 2012.
Clasen, M., Sequeira, S., McVay, S., Cooke, C., Houhoulis, S., Jeter, A., Keegan, R., Shemery, A., Williams, D.,Yohn, C., &
Holt, D. The Effects of Cocaine on Delay Discounting in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat. Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis,
2013.
McVay, S., Clasen, M., Sequeira, S., Cooke, C., Houhoulis, S., Jeter, A., Keegan, R., Shemery, A., Williams, D., Yohn,, C.
Dyche, J., & Holt, D. Effects of Brief Paradoxical Sleep Deprivation on Radial Arm Maze Performance. Virginia Association for
Behavior Analysis, 2013.
Clasen, M., Sequeira, S., McVay, S., Cooke, C., Houhoulis, S., Jeter, A., Keegan, Shemery, A., Williams, D., Yohn C., & Holt,
D. The Effects of Cocaine on Delay Discounting in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat. Colonial Academic Alliance Undergraduate
Research Conference, 2013.
Clasen, M., Sequeira, S., McVay, S., O’Malley, J. Shemery, A., Dyche, J., & Holt, D. The Effects of Cocaine on Delay
Discounting in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat. Society for Neuroscience, 2013.
Clasen, M., Sequeira, S., Franssen, C., Dyche, J., & Holt, D. The Effects of Cocaine on Delay Discounting in the Spontaneously
Hypertensive Rat. National Conference on Undergraduate Research, 2014.
Clasen, M., Sequeira, S., Franssen, C., Dyche, J., & Holt, D. The Effects of Cocaine on Delay Discounting in the Spontaneously
Hypertensive Rat. NIDA/NIAAA and APA Divisions 28/50 Early Career Investigator Poster Session, 2014.
Franssen, RA, Hauver, AJ, LaFerve, J, Clasen, M, Gaffney, K, Pardes, A, Pruett, R, Uyguner, H, Vassallo, M, Franssen, CL.
Maternal rats use the frontal cortex to discriminate between OWN and ALIEN pups. Society for Neuroscience, 2014.
Hauver, AJ, LeFerve, J, Mills, J, Russel, C, Clasen, M, Gaffney, K, Pardes, A, Pruett, R, Uyguner, H, Vassallo, M, Franssen,
CL, Franssen, RA. Discrimination between Own and Alien Pups in the Maternal Rat. SYNAPSE, 2014.
Amarante, L., Caetano, M., Clasen, M., Swanson, K.., Wetzell, B., & Laubach, M. Frontal cortical circuits for the control of
consummatory behavior. Society for Neuroscience, 2015.
Clasen, M., Wetzell, B., & Riley, A. Adolescent drug pre-exposure fails to attenuate taste avoidance conditioning. Behavior, Biology, and
Chemistry: Translational Research in Addiction, 2016.
Articles
Garrett, B., Wakeford, A., Clasen, M., Friar, M., & Riley, A. The effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) drug history on
THC taste and place conditioning. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior. (IN PRESS)
Clasen, M., Wetzell, B., & Riley, A. Adolescent male rats display attenuated taste avoidance learning relative to adults and fail
to demonstrate a US pre-exposure effect. Learning and Behavior. (IN PRESS)
Book Chapters
Riley, A., Clasen, M., & Friar, M. Conditioned taste avoidance drug discrimination procedure: assessments and applications.
Special Series in Behavioral Neuroscience, Springer. (Accepted for print)
Teaching Assistantships and Experience
Psychology of Learning (PSY 390): Dr. Daniel Holt (Spring 2013)
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Tutored students
Lead test review sessions
Graded exams and assignments with Dr. Holt
Biopsychology (PSY 385): Dr. Catherine Franssen (Fall 2013)
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Tutored students
Lead test review sessions
Graded exams and assignments with Dr. Franssen
Managed Canvas
History and Systems of Psychology (PSYC 502): Dr. Maria Gomez (Fall 2014)
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Graded exams and essays
Phsiological Psychology (PSYC 501): Dr. Maria Gomez (Fall 2014)
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Graded exams and essays
Psychology as a Natural Science (PSYC 115): Dr. Maria Gomez (Spring 2015)
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Gave 3 guest lectures
Drugs and Behavior (PSYC 240): Dr. Anthony L. Riley (Spring 2015 & Fall 2015)
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Graded assignments and essays
Tutored students
Managed all of Blackboard content
Psychology as a Natural Science (PSYC 115): Dr. Anthony L. Riley (Spring 2016)
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Tutored students
Grade assignments and exam
Managed entire Cengage BrainTap course online
LABORTORY EXPERIENCE (self-proficient in the following areas)
Behavioral Assessments:
 Delay Discounting
 8-Arm Radial Arm Maze
 Conditioned Taste Avoidance
 Conditioned Place Preference
 Intravenous Self-Administration
Pharmacological Skills:
 Dose calculations
 Drug and solution mixing
 Intraperitoneal and sub-cutaneous injections
 Experience maintaining a schedule 2 drug log.
Surgical Skills:
 Jugular catheter implantation surgery for self-administration (survival surgery; rat)
 General stereotaxic surgery (survival surgery; rat)
 Stereotaxic surgery for implantation of light sensitive opsin containing AAV’s and ferrule for optogenetics (survival
surgery; rat)
 Implantation of DREADDs AAV (survival surgery; rat)
Tissue Collection:
 Cardiac perfusion (rat)
 Rapid brain extraction (rat)
 Rapid brain dissection (rat)
 Tail vein blood collection (rat)
Tissue Processing:
 Sledge microtome sectioning of the rat brain
 Frozen cryostat sectioning of the rat brain
 Micro-punch brain dissection of the rat brain using a frozen cryostat
Cellular and Molecular Methods in Neuroscience
 Western Blot Analysis (rat brain)
 Blood brain barrier analysis using sodium fluorescein (rat brain)
 Immediate early gene expression (c-fos & Npas4; rat brain)
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Implantation of various adeno-associated viruses (AAV’s) into the rat brain (DREADDs, optogenetic probes, CRE
dependent AAV’s, & non-CRE dependent AAV’s)
Microscopy:
 Light microscopy
 Fluorescent microscopy
Software and Hardware Skills
 Experience constructing and repairing Med PC operant boxes
 Experience running Med PC software
 MED-PC software programing
 Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint
 SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences)
 FIJI
 Adobe Photoshop
 Python toolbox
Research Invitations
Long Wood University: June 2013
 Invited to work in Dr. Adam Franssen’s Research lab
 Practiced rat profusions and extractions
 Practiced cryostat techniques for well and dry slide mounting
 Studied and performed Immunohistochemistry
Boston University: July 2013
 Invited to work in Dr. Kathleen Kantak’s Research lab
 Studied and performed cocaine self-administration surgeries and techniques
 Experience surgically implanting femoral catheters
 Experience with rat post-surgical care
May 30th- 31st
June 27th –July 11th
American University: Summer 2015
June 10th –August 11th
 Invited to work in Dr. Mark Laubach’s Research lab under a private grant
 Studied and performed stereotaxic surgery for optogenetics and DREADDs for behavioral assessments
 Performed perfusions and tissue processing for fluorescent imaging
 Performed immunohistochemistry
 Performed light and fluorescent microscopy for neuroanatomical tract tracing
 Performed behavioral assessments
References available upon request.