Three Minute Thesis 2023
3MT 2023 WINNERS!
Title: Magic Touch? How tactile stimulation on fathers, prior to conception, can transcend generations and impact their babies' brains and behaviour.
Abstract:
Recent studies from the University of Lethbridge have shown that tactile stimulation (loving touch) slows the onset of Alzheimer's disease in aging mice. If touch can slow the onset of a fatal disease, I wonder, what else can it do? That's where my research comes in. I want to know if touch can transcend generations? Specifically, I will be looking at how tactile stimulation on fathers (Long-Evans rats) prior to conception impacts their babies' brains and behaviour.
Title: The Environmental Toll of Fire Control
Abstract:
The novel flame retardant, 1,2,5,6-tetrabromocyclooctane (TBCO), is a replacement option for major use BFRs that are being phased out of usage due to concerns about toxicity. Little is currently known about the toxic effects of TBCO however, based on its lipophilic chemical nature, it is likely to bioaccumulate in lipid rich fish eggs. This study demonstrates that while TBCO exposure does not appear to induce toxicity in adult fish, the chemical is maternally transferred to developing offspring inducing various developmental and reproductive toxicities. This research ultimately provides insight into the effects of TBCO as its usage is poised to increase.
Title: Can environment enrichment improve cognitive skills in mice
Abstract:
Every hour, nine Canadians aged 65 or older are diagnosed with dementia, a condition characterized by the gradual decline of cognitive abilities. As the elderly population continues to grow, the number of Canadians living with dementia is expected to increase drastically. Research suggests that individuals with diverse life experiences are less likely to develop dementia, though the reasons for this are not yet understood. To understand this mechanism, my research focuses on using mice as a model system and enriched environment as a surrogate for varied experiences. Through this, I hope to gain insights into the brain mechanisms that imparts these differences.
Title: Effects of Circadian Rhythm Disruption on Hippocampus Function
Abstract:
My research is on how disrupted sleep schedules alter the activity of hippocampi. To study this, I will use fMRI techniques with volunteers whose jobs involve sleep-schedule-disrupting shift work. I will also use two photon microscopy techniques on the hippocampi of transgenic mice, some of whom will have had their circadian rhythms shifted.
3MT Finalists
Title: The Environmental Toll of Fire Control
Abstract:
The novel flame retardant, 1,2,5,6-tetrabromocyclooctane (TBCO), is a replacement option for major use BFRs that are being phased out of usage due to concerns about toxicity. Little is currently known about the toxic effects of TBCO however, based on its lipophilic chemical nature, it is likely to bioaccumulate in lipid rich fish eggs. This study demonstrates that while TBCO exposure does not appear to induce toxicity in adult fish, the chemical is maternally transferred to developing offspring inducing various developmental and reproductive toxicities. This research ultimately provides insight into the effects of TBCO as its usage is poised to increase.
Title: Effects of Circadian Rhythm Disruption on Hippocampus Function
Abstract:
My research is on how disrupted sleep schedules alter the activity of hippocampi. To study this, I will use fMRI techniques with volunteers whose jobs involve sleep-schedule-disrupting shift work. I will also use two photon microscopy techniques on the hippocampi of transgenic mice, some of whom will have had their circadian rhythms shifted.
Title: Magic Touch? How tactile stimulation on fathers, prior to conception, can transcend generations and impact their babies' brains and behaviour.
Abstract:
Recent studies from the University of Lethbridge have shown that tactile stimulation (loving touch) slows the onset of Alzheimer's disease in aging mice. If touch can slow the onset of a fatal disease, I wonder, what else can it do? That's where my research comes in. I want to know if touch can transcend generations? Specifically, I will be looking at how tactile stimulation on fathers (Long-Evans rats) prior to conception impacts their babies' brains and behaviour.
Title: Chess for Life: Building adolescent executive function through chess play
Abstract:
Executive functions are an important part of our everyday lives, however, these skills are still under development until our mid-twenties. That being said, these skills, or the lack thereof, can cause many teenagers to struggle academically and socially, and can even lead to poor decisions that land them in the youth justice system. My research involves evaluating adolescent executive functions before and after an intervention of 25 hours of chess, to determine if the positive development of executive functions is the reason that the Chess for Life program has been so successful since its inception in 2016.
Title: Are mitochondria the key to mental health?
Abstract:
Through my investigations of the brain-gut axis, I discovered that inflammation in the gut via an irritable bowel disease promotes inflammation in the brain and results in anxiety. I hypothesize that the mechanism of anxiety production is related to the mitochondria and that by improving mitochondrial health by means of MitoQ or Psilocybin injections in mice, I will also decrease anxiety.
Title: Investigating emotional processing mechanisms associated with migraine
Abstract:
Migraine is a disorder that is characterized by pain, but research has shown that migraine changes the way your brain processes the world between migraine attacks. People with migraine respond to emotions differently than people without migraine, typically feeling the emotion stronger. Studies that have looked at this have used static picture stimuli, which fail to mimic emotions in everyday life. By using movies, I can elicit emotional processing more akin to real life responses. This will allow me to provide the first look at how migraine shapes emotions in everyday life, getting us one step closer to treating it.
Title: Mapping Neural Synchrony during Movie Viewing and fMRI
Abstract:
Watching movies is one of the most common activities in our society. Different genres make us feel different kinds of emotions, but what do these differences look like in the brain? I will have 30 participants undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging while watching movies of differing genres in an attempt to find the answer to this question.
Title: Multiple parallel memory systems in rodents: another addition?
Abstract:
Investigating the interactions between different memory networks, specifically the interactions between the perirhinal cortex and the hippocampus.
Title: Second-hand dose: Do antidepressants change the placenta?
Abstract:
The effects of antidepressant drug use during pregnancy on the developing fetus are unclear. An exploratory analysis of the placental metabolome can advance the understanding of the influence antidepressants may have in prenatally exposed children.
Title: Can environment enrichment improve cognitive skills in mice
Abstract:
Every hour, nine Canadians aged 65 or older are diagnosed with dementia, a condition characterized by the gradual decline of cognitive abilities. As the elderly population continues to grow, the number of Canadians living with dementia is expected to increase drastically. Research suggests that individuals with diverse life experiences are less likely to develop dementia, though the reasons for this are not yet understood. To understand this mechanism, my research focuses on using mice as a model system and enriched environment as a surrogate for varied experiences. Through this, I hope to gain insights into the brain mechanisms that imparts these differences.