Week 7 Updates: ClinPrior and Translational Neurosciences Seminar
Hi Everyone! This week, I have some interesting updates on how my project is progressing. So far, I have cataloged eleven families’ ClinPrior results, and I have noticed some interesting patterns. Other than organizing my own observations, I also attended a seminar hosted by the Translational Neurosciences department.
ClinPrior Updates
Similar to previous weeks, I spent most of my time interpreting and organizing ClinPrior findings. In past weeks, I simply compared rank files to the broad batch database to find any commonalities. This week, aside from these comparisons, I also tried to observe similarities between affected individuals’ top-ranked genes. For example, the SHANK gene caught my attention several times as I was analyzing the data. In three of the affected individuals, the SHANK genes (SHANK1, SHANK2, SHANK3) were highly ranked. The OMIM database supports the SHANK genes’ association with neurological differences such as autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and developmental differences.
Seminar
Outside of my typical ClinPrior data analysis responsibilities, I learned about a different neuroscience project. I attended a lecture presented by a PhD candidate this afternoon; he discussed a study conducted on chemical signals in female rats’ brains. He introduced his topic by explaining the dopamine hypothesis for schizophrenia, which states that schizophrenia is caused by an excess of dopamine in the brain. Later, he explained how female sex hormones in both human and rat brains impact how dopamine is physiologically processed. The estrous cycle in rats, similar to a human menstrual cycle, can influence behavioral changes based on the secretion of hormones. In particular, estrogen increases dopamine release in the striatum, which improves sensorimotor function; however, it simultaneously decreases dopamine in the prefrontal cortex, which modulates emotional responses.
Takeaways and Next Steps
The lecture I attended provided an example of how to properly communicate research findings. As senior project presentations get closer and closer, I aim to become more familiar with the format of a research presentation. Additionally, I am working alongside Dr. Ponder on a final product. In the Schrauwen lab, however, I will continue to work on cataloging more results in order to notice more comprehensive trends in the data. By presentation time, I hope to familiarize myself with at least one confirmed genetic diagnosis from the data set.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Caitlin
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