Sarah Blythe

Professor Blythe teaches Addiction and Drugs of Abuse, Vertebrate Endocrinology, Anatomy and Physiology, Food for Thought and Experimental Neurophysiology. Her research explores the physiological and neurobiological effects of obesity. Current projects in her laboratory involve diet-induced cognitive impairments, the gut-brain connection (microbiome), and time-restricted feeding paradigms.

Sarah Blythe

Sarah Blythe

Associate Professor of Biology

Education

  • Postdoctoral Fellow - University of Virginia
  • Ph.D. - Northwestern University
  • B.A. - Hanover College

Research

My research explores the physiological and neurobiological effects of obesity.  Current projects in my laboratory involve diet-induced cognitive impairments, the gut-brain connection (microbiome), and time-restricted feeding paradigms.  I am also interested in the effects of sex differences in physiology and behavior. 

Teaching

  • Addiction & Drugs of Abuse (BIOL 111)
  • Vertebrate Endocrinology (BIOL 250)
  • Anatomy & Physiology (BIOL 260)
  • Food for Thought (BIOL 275)
  • Experimental Neurophysiology (BIOL 360)

Selected Publications

  • Sarfert KS*, Knabe ML*, Blythe SN (2019) Western-style diet induces object recognition deficits and alters complexity of dendritic arborization in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex of male rats.  Nutritional Neuroscience, 22(5): 344-353.

  • Woodie LN*, Blythe SN (2018) The differential effects of high-fat and high-fructose diets on physiology and behavior in male rats. Nutritional Neuroscience, 21(5): 328-336.

  • Volk KM*, Pogrebana VV*, Roberts JA*, Zachry JE*, Blythe SN, Toporikova N (2017) High-fat, high-sugar diet disrupts the pre-ovulatory hormone surge and induces cystic ovaries in cycling female rats.  Journal of the Endocrine Society, 1(12): 1488-1505.

  • Roberts JS*, Perets RA*, Sarfert KS*, Bowman JJ*, Ozark PA*, Whitworth GB, Blythe SN, Toporikova N (2017) High-Fat High-Sugar Diet Induces Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in a Rodent Model. Biology of Reproduction 96(3): 551-562.

  • Marwitz SE*, Woodie LN*, & Blythe SN (2015) Western-style diet induces insulin insensitivity and hyperactivity in adolescent male rats. Physiology & Behavior, 151: 147–154.

 * Denotes undergraduate student co-author

Recent Posters

  • Knabe M & Blythe SN (October 2016) Do Bilinguals Outperform Monolinguals in a Directed Forgetting Task? Investigating the bilingual advantage in inhibitory control. Poster presented at VAS Fall Meeting in Richmond, VA.

  • Roberts J*, Sarfert K*, Toporikova N, Blythe SN (Nov 2015) Diet-induced obesity impairs estrous cycle regularity in female rats. Poster presented at APS-Gender Conference in Annapolis, MD.

  • Blythe SN, Toporikova N, Knabe M*, Pogrebna V* (Nov 2015) A tale of two diet experiments: Do different diets affect LH and PRL surges and TH and ORX fiber colocalization? Poster presented at APS-Gender Conference in Annapolis, MD.

  • Bowman J*, Caldwell T*, Guider J*, Lee J*, Ozark P*, Blythe SN, Toporikova N, Whitworth GB (Nov 2015) Effects of diet-induced obesity on reproductive hormone signaling and gene expression. Poster presented at APS-Gender Conference in Annapolis, MD.

  • Blythe SN, Gonzalez-Iglesias AE, Bertram R, Whitworth GB, Toporikova N (Oct 2015) The effect of diet-induced obesity on estradiol-induced hormonal surges in female rats. Poster presented at SFN in Chicago, IL.

  • Marwitz S*, Woodie L* & Blythe SN (Nov 2014) Diet-Induced Obesity Induces Insulin Resistance and Hyperactivity. Poster presented at SFN in Washington DC.

  • Knabe M*, Sarfert K*, Curtiss S* & Blythe SN (Nov 2014) Cafeteria-Style Diet Impairs Memory and Increases Risk of Metabolic Syndrome. Poster presented at SFN in Washington DC.

  • Curtiss S* & Blythe SN (Nov 2014) The Effects of Diet-Induced Obesity and Gender on the Morphology of Hippocampal Neurons. Poster presented at SFN in Washington DC.

  • Curtiss S*, Marwitz S*, Woodie L* & Blythe SN (March 2014) The Effects of Diet-Induced Obesity on the Morphology of CA1 Pyramidal Neurons and Dentate Gyrus Granule Cells. Poster presented at CVCSN in Richmond, VA.

  • Marwitz S*, Woodie L*, & Blythe SN (March 2014) Pay Attention to What You Eat! The Effect of Diet on Attention, Learning, and Memory. Poster presented at CVCSN in Richmond, VA.

  • Gunawansa N* & Blythe SN (March 2014) Sex-Differences in Diet-Induced Cognitive Impairment. Poster presented at CVCSN in Richmond, VA.

  • Woodie L* & Blythe SN (March 2014) Battle of the Macronutrients: Exploring the Physiological Impacts of High Fructose and High Fat Diets. Poster presented at CVCSN in Richmond, VA.

* denotes undergraduate co-author