Category: Year

2025-26, General Neuroscience

My Brain Is Shrew-nking: Connections Between Eurasian Common Shrew’s Evolutionary History and Their Seasonal Neuroplasticity

By Katie Au, Class of 2029 Figure 1.  Image of the Eurasian common shrew The Eurasian common shrew (S. araneus) has two rare traits. One is seasonal brain size plasticity, where the brain shrinks during winter and regrows in spring. The other is extensive chromosomal rearrangements, or structural differences in chromosomes, within the species. In a study examining S. araneus, William R. Thomas and his … Continue reading My Brain Is Shrew-nking: Connections Between Eurasian Common Shrew’s Evolutionary History and Their Seasonal Neuroplasticity

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2025-26, General Neuroscience

A Real Eye-Opener: How Demyelination May Be Linked to Poor Color Vision

By Katie Au, Class of 2029 Figure 1.  Retinal fundus photographs of the right and left eyes in a patient with acute optic neuritis, a common presenting manifestation of multiple sclerosis. Acute optic neuritis (ON) is a common first symptom for a later diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). It is known that high-contrast visual acuity—the ability to read black letters on a white background—tends to … Continue reading A Real Eye-Opener: How Demyelination May Be Linked to Poor Color Vision

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2025-26, General Psychology

Feeling blue: How different colors on campus can affect student mental health

By Katie Au, Class of 2029 Figure 1.  An image of the Stony Brook University campus depicting natural green tones and strong warm colors. College students experience many changes in their mental and physical health while on campus, and the colors of a campus may directly contribute to their health. Yingjie Li and his colleagues at Shandong Agricultural University and the Shandong Academy of Forestry … Continue reading Feeling blue: How different colors on campus can affect student mental health

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2025-26, General Neuroscience

The Pandemic on the Brain: How COVID-19 may be affecting the nervous system

By Katie Au, Class of 2029 COVID-19, a disease that notably affects the respiratory system, has also been shown to affect the nervous system. While some have initial experiences of insomnia and even stroke, others continue to have long-term neurocognitive changes like memory loss after the initial acute symptoms, which researchers have labeled as neurological post-acute sequelae (N-PASC). Xiaohua Yang and colleagues from the Renaissance … Continue reading The Pandemic on the Brain: How COVID-19 may be affecting the nervous system

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2024-25, Depression, General Neuroscience, General Psychology, Health, Health and Medicine, Neuroscience

Novel Implications of the Neuroimmune System in Major Depressive Disorder

Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Every year, three million people in the United States alone are diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). MDD is a serious form of mental illness that impacts countless facets of people’s lives, characterized by a persistently low mood and general impairment of daily routines. Interestingly, glial cells, generally known for their roles in regulation and support of neuronal networks in … Continue reading Novel Implications of the Neuroimmune System in Major Depressive Disorder

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2024-25, Cognition, Degenerative Disease, Disease, General Neuroscience, Health, Health and Medicine

Green Tea: Fighting Dementia One Cup at a Time

Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Dementia is a progressive neurological disease most prevalent in older adults that is associated with aging and significant declines in cognitive function and memory. It has been strongly correlated with general brain atrophy, including of the hippocampus, and the increased presence of lesions (areas of damage within brain tissue) in cerebral white matter. This corresponds to the symptoms observed in … Continue reading Green Tea: Fighting Dementia One Cup at a Time

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2024-25, Biology, Degenerative Disease, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

Neurogenesis and Repair Mechanisms Following Traumatic Brain Injury: Insights from Mouse Models

Kang Lai, Class of 2026 Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the most common causes of cognitive defects affecting both physical and mental functions of the brain. Its implications span from cognitive defects to motor dysfunction to behavioral disorders–all of which permanently and severely diminish quality of life. TBI also greatly disrupts neurogenesis–the formation of new neurons– and neuronal stem cell regeneration. At the … Continue reading Neurogenesis and Repair Mechanisms Following Traumatic Brain Injury: Insights from Mouse Models

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2024-25, Biology, Health, Health and Medicine

Biochemical Mechanisms Behind the Sleep-Promoting Effects of Bananas and Milk

Kang Lai, Class of 2026 Sleep is an important controlling factor of many regulatory and restorative functions of the human body. However, many conditions have impacted sleep quality, the most prevalent being insomnia. A study conducted by Dr. Muteber Gizen Keser and colleagues at KTO Karatay University examined certain biochemical parameters and behavioral analyses to determine whether banana and milk lead to the improved sleep … Continue reading Biochemical Mechanisms Behind the Sleep-Promoting Effects of Bananas and Milk

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2024-25, COVID-19, Health, Health and Medicine

Couch Potato Benefits: The Effects of COVID-19 on Nephrolithiasis Risk Factors

Kaylie Huang, Class of 2027 While the COVID-19 pandemic drastically disrupted the lifestyles of populations globally, an intriguing side effect is its notable impact on the levels of sodium in the average diet. While some have claimed that the lockdown helped improve diets due to decreased dining out and consumption of fast food, others have argued that the isolation instead encouraged snacking on salty foods … Continue reading Couch Potato Benefits: The Effects of COVID-19 on Nephrolithiasis Risk Factors

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2024-25, Health, Health and Medicine

Work Smart, Eat Smarter: The Role of the Workplace in Employee Diets

Kaylie Huang, Class of 2027 The average lifestyle of an inhabitant of a developed city consists of lounging around and consuming unhealthy foods, both of which contribute to the major risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). To find an effective method of mitigating the number of people affected by CVD, health programs developed by workplaces have sought to encourage healthier lifestyles for their workers, touching … Continue reading Work Smart, Eat Smarter: The Role of the Workplace in Employee Diets

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2024-25, Cancer, Health, Health and Medicine, Microbiota

Avoiding The Snack Aisles in Supermarkets—A Battle Against Processed Food and Western Diet

Sajia Athai, Class of 2026 With social media and YouTube beginning an era of tutorials, DIY videos, and cooking shows, it has become increasingly accessible to try new foods. From hwachae to Dubai chocolate bars, people globally try new sweets and dishes that excite their sweet tooth. It’s often easy to forget to consume these sweets in moderation. In addition, changes in meat-processing and cooking … Continue reading Avoiding The Snack Aisles in Supermarkets—A Battle Against Processed Food and Western Diet

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2024-25, Disease, Health, Health and Medicine, Microbiota, Natural World

How Do You Like Your Eggs? Poached, Sunny Side Up, or Contaminated?

Sajia Athai, Class of 2026 Eggs can be made in many distinct ways–poached, sunny side up, scrambled, fried, or boiled. With a recent frenzy of fighting for cartons of eggs in supermarkets, there have been concerns raised about the food safety of eggs amid the bird flu epidemic. From Costco recalling eggs on its shelves to increasing prices for cartons of a dozen, research about … Continue reading How Do You Like Your Eggs? Poached, Sunny Side Up, or Contaminated?

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment