Category: 2023-24

2023-24, 2023-24, Ecology, Environment, Natural World, Year

Penguin Nesting Behavior: Effects of Tourism at Port Lockroy

By: Kimberly Johnston, Class of 2026 Figure 1:  Gentoo penguin with chicks at Port Lockroy, Antarctica. Antarctic tourism has raised concerns about the effects of human disturbance on gentoo penguins during their breeding season, which coincides with peak tourist activity. For example, the movement of zodiacs used to transport tourists ashore can disrupt the penguins’ normal routes and foraging areas. However, quantifying the effects of … Continue reading Penguin Nesting Behavior: Effects of Tourism at Port Lockroy

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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, Uncategorized, 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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2023-24, 2023-24, Ecology, Environment, Health and Medicine, Natural World, Uncategorized, Year

Modeling Debris Patterns in the Antarctic to Protect Biodiversity

Marie Collison, Class of ‘25 Image 1 Gentoo penguins in Antarctica Marine pollution is a prominent problem in environmental policy and study. Reports of pollution in organisms in the Antarctic are becoming increasingly common, likely due to increasing human activity, growing tourism, and an expanding krill fishing industry. However, the sources of these pollutants along the West Antarctic Peninsula are still poorly understood. There are … Continue reading Modeling Debris Patterns in the Antarctic to Protect Biodiversity

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2023-24, Brain, Chemistry, Degenerative Disease, Disease, General Neuroscience, Health and Medicine

Uncovering a Novel Biomarker For The Identification of Parkinson’s-Related Diseases

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Parkinson’s disease is a severe neurodegenerative disorder most commonly occurring in late adulthood. It is primarily characterized by motor dysfunctions such as uncontrollable tremors and stiffness. Since there is no conclusive test for diagnosis of the disorder, neurologists rely on a comprehensive evaluation system, combining symptoms and physical assessments to gauge the likelihood that an individual has Parkinson’s. A … Continue reading Uncovering a Novel Biomarker For The Identification of Parkinson’s-Related Diseases

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2023-24, Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science, Genetics, Health and Medicine

Mysterious Long Non-Coding RNAs Revealed as Playing a Role in Gastric Cancer

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 To the astonishment of many, nearly 99% of the human genome consists of non-coding regions that are not transcribed into mRNAs for protein synthesis. However, some of those non-coding regions of DNA can be transcribed into various types of non-coding (nc) RNAs, including long ncRNAs. Until recently, the scientific community believed these ncRNA products to be functionally irrelevant, playing … Continue reading Mysterious Long Non-Coding RNAs Revealed as Playing a Role in Gastric Cancer

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2023-24, Cellular and Molecular Science, General Neuroscience, Genetics, Neurology, Neuroscience

Uncovering a Key Mechanism of Rett Syndrome Pathology

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurological disorder found primarily in females that causes impairment in essential functions including breathing, eating, and walking abilities. The disorder is characterized by slowed brain growth, which can lead to various mental and physical disabilities. Key markers and causes of RTT are mutations on a gene called MECP2. MECP2 is an X-linked gene … Continue reading Uncovering a Key Mechanism of Rett Syndrome Pathology

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2023-24, Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science, Disease, Health and Medicine, Molecular Biology

Linking Key Immune System Components to Cancer Progression

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed form of cancer in the world and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a common type of breast cancer, is fast-growing and is associated with consistent poor prognosis. Unlike several other types of breast cancer, TNBC possesses a unique pathogenic mechanism, which means that it … Continue reading Linking Key Immune System Components to Cancer Progression

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2023-24, Depression, General Neuroscience, mental health, Psychology

Orbitofrontal Cortex Studies May Pave the Way to Treating Social Anhedonia

Author: Kimberly Johnston, Class of 2026 Social anhedonia is a psychological condition characterized by a diminished ability to experience pleasure from social interactions and activities. It is associated with greater symptom severity and poorer response to treatment in individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). In individuals with MDD and social anhedonia, abnormalities in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) may hinder the brain’s ability to properly respond … Continue reading Orbitofrontal Cortex Studies May Pave the Way to Treating Social Anhedonia

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2023-24, Brain, mental health, Psychiatry

Decoding Schizophrenia: Potential Mechanisms of the Schizophrenic Brain Could Lead to Novel Treatments

Author: Kimberly Johnston, Class of 2026 Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a mental disorder characterized by severe impairments in working memory (WM), a type of short-term memory responsible for temporarily storing and manipulating information needed to perform tasks, solve problems, and make decisions. A key region of the brain involved in this process is the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which is active during internal thinking and deactivated … Continue reading Decoding Schizophrenia: Potential Mechanisms of the Schizophrenic Brain Could Lead to Novel Treatments

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2023-24, Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Health and Medicine, Microbiota

Watermelon Snow: A Medium for Antibiotic Resistance Research

Author: Marie Collison, Class of ‘25 A common adaptation of bacteria is antibiotic resistance, a very important field of study in microbiology and medicine. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can arise naturally and exist as an important natural survival tool for bacteria. ARGs have risen in frequency in human-inhabited regions as a result of increased use of antibiotics. As a result, there is growing concern over … Continue reading Watermelon Snow: A Medium for Antibiotic Resistance Research

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