Research
I am interested in how emotionally loaded
experiences alter brain structure,
and how changes in cellular architecture shape subsequent
behaviour. For my
M.Sc. thesis, I examined the impact of chronic stress on neuronal
structure
and resilience in the amygdala. I also demonstrated that treatment
with
mood stabilizing drugs protects the amygdala from the adverse
effects of
chronic stress. Given that the amygdala is a brain region
that processes
not only aversive and stressful experiences, but also positive,
reinforcing
ones, I joined Dr. Erb's lab to consider its role in encoding
and retaining
memories for drug experience. My current research is focused
on identifying
structural and functional changes in amygdalar neurons after
exposure to
psychostimulant drugs, such as cocaine.
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