Can you say "hippocampal neurogenesis"?

I first got into a lab when I was a sophomore. Throughout that year, I had become more and more interested in the molecular side of neuroscience, and I started working in Justin Rhodes' lab in the spring. I immediately got involved in a project led by a grad student, Peter Clark, and became completely absorbed in the culture of scientific research.

The project's objective was to get a better understanding of the mechanism(s) underlying exercise-induced cognitive enhancement (a well-established phenomenon). Specifically, we focused on exercise-induced hippocampal neurogenesis. The hippocampus is associated with spatial learning and memory, and it was known that exercise causes, among other things, the growth of new neurons in the hippocampus. The study I worked on blockdc hippocampal neurogenesis using irradiation, allowing us to compare spatial learning and memory performance in mice with and without new hippocampal neurons.

At the same time, I was also working on the neuro-imaging part of a study that had been done before I began in the lab. The study sought neuroanatomical differences between mice expecting a natural reward (food), versus mice expecting a drug reward. I fell in love with the project. I was amazed by our ability to look into the neurophysiology of an actual experience, to visualize a state of mind and analyze it. Amazingly, one of the four regions I examined, the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) ended up being the most significant finding of the entire study! Recently I helped edit the paper and it was submitted for review to the Journal of Physiology and Behavior. I will help Dr. Rhodes present the poster for this work at the Society for Neuroscience Convention in San Diego in November.

During winter break of my sophomore year I had spent a lot of time looking into internship opportunities offered around the country. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the Interdisciplinary Summer Undergraduate Research Program at University of Iowa, and I picked Dr. Toshihiro Kitamoto as my mentor. I spent the summer learning about the history of behavioral research and doing independent projects relating to the genetics of Drosophila melanogaster, arguably the most powerful behavioral model in biology. I worked on three separate projects, one attempting to use Drosophila as a model for drug abuse, the second involving acetylcholine receptor mutants, and the third involving characterization of the TRPM mutant phenotype. Things just started coming together during the close of my 10-week stay, and I presented a poster on my work at the end of the summer. I'm still in close contact with Dr. Kitamoto, and he keeps me updated with new developments that have been made in the project since I left.

As for now, I'm just starting my own independent study in the Rhodes lab, looking at the specific neuroanatomical differences between animals expecting pleasurable experiences and animals expecting aversive experiences using cocaine and lithium chloride. In addition to this study, I have a whole group of ideas for related and unrelated projects that I'd be interested in pursuing in the future. I've just begun my career in research, and I already feel like I've been able to do so much. I'm addicted to the fast-paced, intellectually stimulating environment offered by scientific research. Hopefully this addiction won't hurt my grades too much!