User:Sofianeuroendocrinology
Introduction
[edit]I am an undergraduate at the University of Notre Dame. I am pursuing my B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavior, and am set to graduate in May 2019.
Research Experience
[edit]My research experience is in the role of stress in habit use and goal-directed behavior. During the summer of 2017, I was an Amgen Scholar at the National Institutes of Health, where I worked in a lab at the National Institutes of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. I used immunohistochemistry to map the anatomy of a brain projection from the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala (CeA) to the Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta (SNc) in mice. I then used optogenetics to manipulate this projection in vivo, and performed tests to identify some behaviors mediated by inputs from the CeA to the SNc.
Future Goals
[edit]More broadly, I am interested in researching the effects of trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) as they relate to the neurodevelopment of children of low socioeconomic status. Toward that end, I plan to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience following my graduation from Notre Dame.