Draft:William D. Klipec

Klipec earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Kent State University, followed by a Master of Arts from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. He received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Arizona, where he studied under Dennis Clark and David R. Thomas.

After completing his doctoral work, Klipec joined the faculty at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he has served as an associate professor in the departments of psychology and neuroscience. He teaches courses in statistics and research design, learning, and the history of psychology and neuroscience.

Klipec’s research uses behavioral pharmacology and electroencephalography (EEG) in animal models to explore the neural mechanisms of reinforcement and learning. His laboratory records EEG from rat brains during behavioral tasks to study mesolimbic reinforcement systems. He has also investigated electrophysiological correlates of cognitive disorders, including rat models of Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.

Much of Klipec’s research has focused on the interaction between dopaminergic pathways and addictive behavior. His collaborative work with the University of St. Thomas, the Institute for Behavioral Genetics at the University of Colorado Boulder, and Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals led to the discovery that deletion of the TRPC4 gene in rats reduces cocaine self-administration and spontaneous activity in the ventral tegmental area without affecting learning for natural rewards.^[2] This finding suggested that TRPC4 channels may be a potential therapeutic target for cocaine addiction and other dopamine-related disorders.

Klipec’s work and mentorship have been highlighted in local and professional publications for advancing undergraduate neuroscience research. He and his students have presented findings on the effects of amphetamine and cocaine on neural reinforcement systems at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting.^[1]

Earlier in his career, Klipec conducted behavioral studies using pigeons and rats to examine discrimination learning, generalization gradients, and the effects of psychopharmacological agents such as amphetamine, cocaine, and chlorpromazine on learning and performance.^[3]

Klipec’s role in the development of behavior analysis at Drake University and his contributions to experimental psychology have been recognized by the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) as part of its documentation of enduring programmatic contributions to the field.^[4]

• Klipec, W. D., Burrow, K. R., O’Neill, C., et al. (2016). "Loss of the TRPC4 gene is associated with a reduction in cocaine self-administration and reduced spontaneous ventral tegmental area dopamine neuronal activity, without deficits in learning for natural rewards." Behavioural Brain Research.
• Klipec, W. D., Faux, S. (2012). "P300-like event-related potential amplitude in rats is a correlate of conditioned reinforcement." Behavioural Brain Research.
• Lyons, J., Lyons, J. D., & Klipec, W. D. (2013). "Stimulus control in the albino rat as a function of extradimensional discrimination training." The Psychological Record.
• Thomas, D. R., & Klipec, W. D. (1966). "Investigations of a mirror-image transfer effect in pigeons." Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Klipec has mentored numerous undergraduate researchers who have gone on to graduate and medical programs. He is also noted for building custom research equipment and behavioral contraptions for laboratory studies.

• Behavioral neuroscience
• Dopamine system
• TRPC4