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Undergraduate Research in Neuroscience

Undergraduate Research in Neuroscience . Terry D. Blumenthal, Ph. D. Wake Forest University. The Neuroscience Minor at Wake Forest. Launched in 2000, first students graduated with the minor in 2003 Faculty in Biology, Computer Science, Philosophy, and Psychology

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Undergraduate Research in Neuroscience

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  1. Undergraduate Research in Neuroscience Terry D. Blumenthal, Ph. D. Wake Forest University

  2. The Neuroscience Minor at Wake Forest • Launched in 2000, first students graduated with the minor in 2003 • Faculty in Biology, Computer Science, Philosophy, and Psychology • Over 50 students graduated in the past 6 years • Their success rate is stunning!

  3. Requirements • Required Courses: 7 credits • Elective Courses: 8 credits (Biology, Computer Science, Health and Exercise Science, Philosophy, Psychology) • Research: 2 credits

  4. Research in Neuroscience • Reynolda Campus • Medical School

  5. What Students Learn in My Lab • How to read science • Research design • How to write an IRB proposal • Equipment for presenting stimuli and measuring responses • Data analysis plan • Lab management • Recruiting participants

  6. and then the participant arrives . . . • Interacting with the participant • Attaching sensors • Collecting data • Scoring data • Analyzing data • Writing a report • Planning the next step

  7. What we use • Startle eyeblink response • Skin conductance level and response • EKG • Finger pulse volume • Blood Pressure • Self-report questionnaires • Visual Analog Scale • Behavioral observation

  8. Startle Eyeblink • Sensitive, simple, easy • Cross-species • Developmental • Can be used to measure attention, emotion, arousal, personality, drug effects, expectancy, sensory sensitivity, multisensory interaction, fear, anxiety, schizophrenia, habituation, life, the universe, and everything.

  9. Startle Pathway Pre-Frontal Cortex Motor Cortex Basal Ganglia Tegmentum Superior Colliculus Light Orbicularis Oculi Cochlear n. CN 8 Startle Center nRPC Facial Motor n. CN 7 Sound Trigeminal Vestibular Dorsal Column “Touch” Amygdala

  10. What have they done?Personality Research • Race rejection images and racial regard: Yolanda Lawson & Clark Shell (Journal of Youth and Adolescence) • Schizoid, histrionic, borderline traits: Joe Franklin (SPR) • Eating disorders: Joe Franklin (SPR) • Extraversion: Lynda Gioia, Jennifer Scruggs, Kevin Muse (SPR) • Psychosis-prone: Joanna Thompson (SPR)

  11. What have they done?Psychophysics Research • Signal-to-noise ratio: Joe Franklin and Nicole Moretti (Psychophysiology; Biological Psychology) • Magnitude estimation: Ed Ergenzinger (Perception & Psychophysics) • Low-intensity sensitivity: Chris Goode (Psychophysiology)

  12. What have they done?Social Research • Social anxiety: Ashley Mays, Kevin Muse (Personality and Individual Differences; SPR) • Social evaluation and perceptual processing: Lynda Gioia, Kevin Muse (SPR)

  13. What have they done?Cognitive Research • Attention: Joe Franklin, Elisa Agrella, Cecilia McNamara (APS, SPR, SEPA) • Time Estimation: Joe Franklin (SYNAPSE) • Pain: Scott Duncan (Advances in Psychological Research)

  14. What have they done?Psychopharmacology Research • Hormonal factors: Robert Linz (SPR) • Caffeine and placebo responding, addiction, withdrawal, and conditioning: Ryan Newton, Marie White, Erika Carello, Pete Kardel, Nathan Schultheiss, Heather Scalf, Cecilia McNamara, Lisa Mann, Tim Ralston (SPR)

  15. What have they done?Emotion Research • Mood induction: Ed Ergenzinger (SEPA) • Anxiety: Ashley Mays (SPR, SYNAPSE)

  16. What have they done?Other Research • Legal: Ed Ergenzinger (Practical Dispute Resolution) • Forensic: Nicole Dorthe (Forensic Sciences Meeting) • Multisensory interaction: Chris Lovelace (Psychobiology) • Computer Issues: Joe Cooper (Psychophysiology)

  17. Where Do They Go? • Neuroscience PhD programs • Medical school • Academic graduate school • Law school • Business and Industry (R&D)

  18. What you need • Flexibility: they will pull you in directions • Fast ramp-up: they don’t have 3 years for training • Mentoring: in all areas (design, data collection, analysis, writing, career, life) • Keep your eye on the goal: scientists, not publications* * Sometimes you get both!

  19. What You Get • Breadth of Ideas • Depth of Thinking • Current Connections • Impact on the Field

  20. A Breath of Fresh Air • Enthusiasm • Work ethic • Challenging questions • Teaching moments • An unfolding future

  21. Were they happy? Yes!

  22. And you will be too!

  23. Thank you for your attention. Let’s eat!

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