Category: Neuroscience

2024-25, Brain, Chemistry, Neuroscience

Taste Discrimination: How We Learn to Identify Similar Foods

Author: Asher Agarwal, Class of 2027 Figure 1. A brown mouse eating food. The ability to discriminate similar, partially overlapping sensory stimuli is critical for an animal to survive in its environment. For example, in taste, learning discrimination becomes the difference between consuming a nutritious food item and a toxic one. Previous research done on other senses supports 2 models: one that learning may enhance … Continue reading Taste Discrimination: How We Learn to Identify Similar Foods

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2024-25, Chemistry, Degenerative Disease, Disease, Molecular Biology, Neurology, Neuroscience

Lipid Accumulation Found as a Mechanism of Cellular Senescence in Parkinson’s Disease

Author: Asher Agarwal, Class of 2027 Figure 1. A man assisting an old patient with taking their medication. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with neuronal death, specifically of the dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the region of the brain responsible for motor coordination and control. The death of these neurons, most commonly due to aging, causes a classic triad of symptoms: bradykinesia (slow … Continue reading Lipid Accumulation Found as a Mechanism of Cellular Senescence in Parkinson’s Disease

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2024-25, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Technology

Touchscreen or Webcam VR? Different Virtual Reality Games Improve Motor Performance of Individuals with Genetic Ataxia Uniquely

Author: Asher Agarwal, Class of 2027 Figure 1. A child playing a game with a VR headset, reaching out for something in-game. Patients with ataxia present with poor balance and impaired motor coordination and control. Genetic ataxia (GA) is rare and varies greatly as many gene mutations can be responsible for it. Virtual reality has shown promising results as an enjoyable and effective rehabilitation method … Continue reading Touchscreen or Webcam VR? Different Virtual Reality Games Improve Motor Performance of Individuals with Genetic Ataxia Uniquely

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2024-25, Cognition, Neuroscience, Technology

Mastering the Map: The Role of Gaze Movement in League of Legends

Author: Tiffany Ang, Class of 2025 Figure 1: A Competitive League of Legends Team in Action Gaze movement refers to the motion of a visual focal point and is essential for understanding perceptual-cognitive processing. Fixation, a specific aspect of gaze movement, plays a crucial role in processing visual information, as the majority of the visual experience is constructed during fixation. Dr. Jeong and colleagues at … Continue reading Mastering the Map: The Role of Gaze Movement in League of Legends

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2024-25, Cognition, General Psychology, Neuroscience

An Unfiltered Mind: Why an Overload of Irrelevant Information Causes Hallucinations

Author: Tiffany Ang, Class of 2025 Figure 1: A visual representation of how perception overload amplifies the complexities of cognitive processing. Hallucinations are disruptions in perception that lead to incorrect interpretations of environmental stimuli. Dr. Larsen and colleagues from the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University are exploring the relationship between hallucination-proneness and the weighting of information, particularly how a diminished responsivity to variations … Continue reading An Unfiltered Mind: Why an Overload of Irrelevant Information Causes Hallucinations

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2024-25, Cancer, Exercise, Health, Neuroscience

Can Exercise Improve Chemotherapy Side-Effects?

Author: Amal Bilal, Class of 2028 Figure 1. Woman lifting two dumbbells at the gym Certain types of chemotherapy, a widely used treatment for cancers, can lead to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a side-effect that causes pain, numbness, tingling, balance difficulties, and an increased risk of falls. Up to 68% of patients undergoing chemotherapy develop CIPN during or immediately after treatment, and 30-40% of patients … Continue reading Can Exercise Improve Chemotherapy Side-Effects?

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2024-25, Brain, Degenerative Disease, Disease, mental health, Neuroscience

Amyloid-beta Deposition: A Cause or Byproduct of Alzheimer’s?

Author: Farzad Hoque, Class of 2028 The relationship between neurovascular coupling and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression has been a focal point of neurological research. While vascular dysfunction in AD is well-documented, questions remain about whether these abnormalities emerge before amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition or arise as a consequence. Recent research has shed light on the early neurovascular changes in mouse models of AD, suggesting new mechanisms … Continue reading Amyloid-beta Deposition: A Cause or Byproduct of Alzheimer’s?

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2024-25, Brain, Degenerative Disease, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

EEG Wave Value Differentiation Explaining Different Stages of Parkinson’s Disease

Author: Ishmam Khan, Class of 2025 Figure: Parkinson’s is a detrimental neurodegenerative disease that affects patients at varying degrees of severity As neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease (PD) progress, insights into brain changes become crucial for early diagnoses and effective interventions. In a recent study, Pappalettera et al. at Stony Brook University utilized Approximate Entropy (ApEn) analysis to compare the complex brain signals that occur … Continue reading EEG Wave Value Differentiation Explaining Different Stages of Parkinson’s Disease

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Brain, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

Taking A Glimpse into A VR Headset: The Connection Between the Mind and Vision

By Sajia Athai, Class of 2026 For the past decade, homes have transformed into vibrant arenas of gaming with sounds of clicking controllers and the colors of OLED screens. Parents often feel concerned about the spike in new video games as companies release new accessories and skins for players to customize. Worried about the possibility of addiction, many forget the positive outcomes that games offer, … Continue reading Taking A Glimpse into A VR Headset: The Connection Between the Mind and Vision

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2023-24, 2023-24, Brain, Cellular and Molecular Science, Degenerative Disease, General Neuroscience, Molecular Biology, Neurology, Neuroscience, Year

Mature Oligodendrocytes Demonstrate Delayed Cell Death by Alternate Mechanism

By Vignesh Subramanian, Class of 2024 Figure 1: A myelinating oligodendrocyte in a murine brain.  Oligodendrocytes are specialized glial cells in the central nervous system primarily responsible for myelination, the process of ensheathing the axons of neurons in a lipid-rich membrane known as myelin, which insulates the nerve fibers and speeds up the transmission of the action potentials they conduct. Oligodendrocytes are the products of … Continue reading Mature Oligodendrocytes Demonstrate Delayed Cell Death by Alternate Mechanism

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2023-24, 2023-24, Brain, Cognition, General Neuroscience, General Psychology, Neuroscience, Psychology, Year

Childhood Maltreatment as a Predictor of Neural Activity During Postpartum

Marie Collison, Class of ‘25 Individuals who have experienced childhood maltreatment (CM) in their past have a greater risk of exhibiting behaviors of maltreatment towards their own children. As such, it is important to understand how mothers may respond to their infant cues in context with their past experiences, especially during the often tumultuous postpartum (after-birth) period. Prior research has established that brain responses in … Continue reading Childhood Maltreatment as a Predictor of Neural Activity During Postpartum

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2023-24, Brain, Cognition, Depression, General Neuroscience, General Psychology, Neuroscience, Psychology, Year

Understanding SSRI Withdrawal: Insights Into the Complex Journey

By: Marie Collison, Class of ‘25 Depression is a very common and impairing condition, often resulting in costly care. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly prescribed as a part of treatment; however, 30–50% of individuals who are prescribed antidepressants do not take them long-term. There are many reasons why a patient may decide to stop taking their medication, such as experiencing negative side effects … Continue reading Understanding SSRI Withdrawal: Insights Into the Complex Journey

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