biology

J. David Jentsch

J. David Jentsch is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand J. David Jentsch rather than just read about it. In short: James David Jentsch (born April 9, 1972) is an American neuroscientist. He is a SUNY Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Binghamton University.

Key takeaways

J. David Jentsch belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect J. David Jentsch to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of J. David Jentsch from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

James David Jentsch (born April 9, 1972) is an American neuroscientist. He is a SUNY Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Binghamton University. His research considers the neurobiological origins of psychoses and addiction. Jentsch was awarded the 2011 AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility.

Early life and education Jentsch was born on April 9, 1972, in Seguin, Texas. He studied behavioural biology at Johns Hopkins University. He moved to Yale University for his graduate studies, where he specialised in neurobiology. Here he worked on the biochemical changes associated with the abuse of psychotomimetic and stimulant drugs. He completed his doctoral research under the supervision of Robert Henry Roth. Jentsch was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Pittsburgh, where he worked in the department of neuroscience.

Research and career Jentsch joined the University of California, Los Angeles in 2001. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2007, and Associate Director of the Brain Research Institute and Professor in 2009. In 2009 Jentsch woke up to find that his car had been firebombed by animal rights activists. The firebombing was one of a series of attacks against UCLA researchers, criticising Jentsch's use of animals in his research on schizophrenia. The following summer Jentsch was on the receiving end of several violent threats from Camille Marino, who told Jentsch that the thought of his death amused her "immensely". Jentsch founded UCLA Pro-Test, a group that looked to take on the alleged misinformation shared by animal rights activists and tackle violent extremism. Jentsch was made Empire Innovation Professor of Psychology at Binghamton University in 2015. His research looks to establish the neural and genetic mechanisms that underpin alcohol and drug addiction. At Binghamton Jentsch was awarded a $11,700,000 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to investigate cocaine addiction, and the neural pathways that can result in someone becoming addicted. Jentsch is interested in identifying the genes that can predispose people to drug addiction, as this may be able to inform life-saving interventions. Jentsch serves on the advisory board of the Lifeboat Foundation.

Awards and honours 2009 UCLA Department of Psychology Distinguished Teaching Award 2011 UCLA Department of Psychology Distinguished Service Award 2011 Society for Neuroscience Jacob P. Waletzky Memorial Award 2011 AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility 2014 Elected to the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 2014 California Biomedical Research Association Leadership Award

Selected publications Jentsch, J. David; Roth, Robert H (March 1, 1999). "The Neuropsychopharmacology of Phencyclidine: From NMDA Receptor Hypofunction to the Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia". Neuropsychopharmacology. 20 (3): 201–225. doi:10.1016/S0893-133X(98)00060-8. ISSN 0893-133X. PMID 10063482. Jentsch, J. D.; Taylor, J. R. (October 1, 1999). "Impulsivity resulting from frontostriatal dysfunction in drug abuse: implications for the control of behavior by reward-related stimuli". Psychopharmacology. 146 (4): 373–390. doi:10.1007/PL00005483. ISSN 1432-2072. PMID 10550488. S2CID 23450515. Jentsch, J. David; Redmond, D. Eugene; Elsworth, John D.; Taylor, Jane R.; Youngren, Kenneth D.; Roth, Robert H. (August 15, 1997). "Enduring Cognitive Deficits and Cortical Dopamine Dysfunction in Monkeys After Long-Term Administration of Phencyclidine". Science. 277 (5328): 953–955. doi:10.1126/science.277.5328.953. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 9252326. Jentsch, J. David; Tran, Anh; Le, Dung; Youngren, Kenneth D.; Roth, Robert H. (August 1, 1997). "Subchronic phencyclidine administration reduces mesoprefrontal dopamine utilization and impairs prefrontal cortical-dependent cognition in the rat". Neuropsychopharmacology. 17 (2): 92–99. doi:10.1016/S0893-133X(97)00034-1. ISSN 0893-133X. PMID 9252984.

Personal life Jentsch is openly gay and is part of the organisation 500 Queer Scientists. He uses social media including Twitter to share his research and experiences as a scientist.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with J. David Jentsch

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what J. David Jentsch claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to J. David Jentsch before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about J. David Jentsch ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of J. David Jentsch

In research: J. David Jentsch appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses J. David Jentsch in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: J. David Jentsch is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1972 births, 20th-century American scientists, 21st-century American scientists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for J. David Jentsch outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study J. David Jentsch in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is J. David Jentsch in simple terms?

James David Jentsch (born April 9, 1972) is an American neuroscientist. He is a SUNY Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Binghamton University.

Why does J. David Jentsch matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study J. David Jentsch?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on J. David Jentsch.