By: Jordan Gaines Lewis, 3rd year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Program During my first year at Penn State College of Medicine, I participated in an MRI research study. I laid in an MRI machine for 45 minutes and looked at pictures of chocolate while smelling chocolate odors. Tough life, right? (Hershey really is the sweetest place … Continue reading What’s it like to get an MRI?
Brain Attacks: What Happens When the Immune System Targets the Brain
By: Lina Jamis, 1st year student in the Anatomy Graduate Program Anybody who knows me knows that I love a good read. So when I picked up a bright yellow book entitled Brain on Fire, in late 2012, it wasn’t a surprise that I devoured it in the course of a single afternoon. Brain on Fire … Continue reading Brain Attacks: What Happens When the Immune System Targets the Brain
War on Cancer: Tumor Relapse
By: Ross Keller, 3rd year PhD candidate in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program Chemotherapy is one of the most important aspects of cancer treatment. Although an undesirable, draining procedure, it has extended the lives many cancer patients over many decades. However, there are significant limitations to drug therapy treatment for cancer. The biggest limitation is … Continue reading War on Cancer: Tumor Relapse
Your Brain on Fiction
By: Lina Jamis, 1st year student in the Anatomy Graduate Program People love stories—we build social networks around them, we recount them to our friends and families at the end of our day, we whisper them in the dark to our children before they sleep. Stories are all around us, even in the most unlikely of … Continue reading Your Brain on Fiction
“Clarifying” Neural Circuitry: A New Technique to Image the Brain
By: Daniel Hass, 1st year PhD student in the Neuroscience Program The brain is complicated. There are hundreds of structures, layers, and cell types interacting with each other in complex ways in order for us to perform simple tasks, such as maintaining heart beat or moving a finger. Much of this complexity comes from the … Continue reading “Clarifying” Neural Circuitry: A New Technique to Image the Brain
Prosopagnosia: Why Some are Blind to Faces
By: Jordan Gaines Lewis, 3rd year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Program A few years ago, I had an hour-long conversation with one of my college professors in his office discussing his course that had just wrapped up. We veered off-topic toward the end of our talk, broaching the subjects of his grad school days, … Continue reading Prosopagnosia: Why Some are Blind to Faces
Making Mirrors: Our Brain’s Reaction to Familiar Movements
By: Amanda White, Research Technologist in the Department of Psychiatry The Philadelphia Eagles are an exciting NFL team to watch because you never know which team is going to show up: the one that puts up 30+ points, or the one that loses pitifully to the New York Giants. Watching a tennis match is just … Continue reading Making Mirrors: Our Brain’s Reaction to Familiar Movements
“How Can I Join a Lab as an Undergraduate?”
By: Caitlin Millett, 2nd year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Program There are many benefits to participating in undergraduate research. In most cases, especially in STEM fields, writing a research thesis is a requirement for graduation. Moreover, it’s necessary for a strong application to graduate or medical school. That said, there are many aspects of … Continue reading “How Can I Join a Lab as an Undergraduate?”
From Sacks to Suicidality: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and the NFL
By: Jordan Gaines Lewis, 3rd year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program Ah, football. The great American pastime. The fresh cut grass and crisply-painted yard lines. The sound of helmets clashing in an epic stack of large men vying for a single ball. Stands packed high with thousands upon thousands of crazed, prideful, body-painted … Continue reading From Sacks to Suicidality: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and the NFL
The Surprising Effects of Exercise on Memory
By: Amanda White, research technologist in the Department of PsychiatryNow that winter has descended upon central Pennsylvania, all I want to do is burrow into a pile of blankets and drink tea. But in the weeks ahead, I have to finish up projects, get together with family and friends, write cards, shop for last-minute gifts, … Continue reading The Surprising Effects of Exercise on Memory
Lions Talk Science 