| Affiliations: | Neuroscience Research Leadership Program |
| Project Leader: | Matthew Alwood matthewalwood@tamu.edu Psychological & Brain Sciences |
| Faculty Mentor: | Justin M. Moscarello, Ph.D. |
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Meeting Times:
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Currently, we meet Mondays at 5:30pm, but we’ll likely change that to fit schedules for next semester.
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Team Size:
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7
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| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Provided the data collected is sufficient to warrant a conference presentation, students will have the option of presenting. Additionally, students may be invited to continue working with the lab in subsequent semesters
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Team Needs:
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Students should have a strong interest in research and not be afraid of working with rats. Good communication skills and a desire to learn about the research process as well as the techniques used in the lab are also very important. Masks are strongly recommended by both the team leader and the lab’s principal investigator. |
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Description:
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Student researchers will be working on 1 of a variety of ongoing projects studying the neural mechanisms that underlie the learning and reconsolidation of avoidance behavior. In one project, undergrads will be examining how the connectivity between the nucleus reuniens and several limbic structures suppresses fear to facilitate avoidance. In another, researchers are investigating the role of the retrosplenial cortex in the long-term maintenance of avoidance behavior. In the third, researchers are studying the contribution of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to avoidance behavior. In all projects, students will be involved in behavioral experiments, as well as histology and imaging |