2024 Honors Thesis Projects

2024 Honors Thesis Projects

Michelle An

Neuroimmune Consequences of Early Life Opioid Exposure and Withdrawal

Julie Blendy, Pharmacology, Neuroscience

 

Aaron Anandarajah

Temporal Analysis of Traumatic Brain Injury

Ramon Diaz- Arrastia, Penn Neurology

 

Tynia Baker

Characterizing Microglia in 22q.11.2 Macro Deletion

Stewart Anderson, Psychiatry

 

James Bianchi

Contributions of a Hindbrain Circuit to Learning

Nick Betley, Biology

 

Emma Boockvar

Association Between Childhood Lead Exposure and Suicidal Behavior

Ran Barzilay, Psychiatry

 

Ryan Burns

GLP1R Activation and Modulation of Food and Drug-Seeking Behavior with Cues

Amber Alhadeff, Neuroscience

 

Jerry Cai

Measuring offset from different calibration protocols for optical trackers

Iahn Cajigas, Neurosurgery

 

Stephanie Chen

Clinical Validation of Impulse Control Disorder Risk Score in Parkinson’s

Thomas Tropea, Neurology

 

Richard Chen

Investigating the Tau Fibrillization in  Human Tau Seeded RT-RuiC System

Hong Xu, Pathology

 

Melody Cheng

Disynaptic Feed-Forward Inhibition in a Novel Mouse Model of KCNC1 Epilepsy

Ethan Goldberg, Neurology and Neuroscience

 

Daniel Dai

Towards a Better Understanding of Granulovacuolar Degeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease And Related Tauopathies

Virginia Lee, Pathology

 

Ipsita Das

Assessing EEG and spectral analysis in intraoperative monitoring

Michael McGarvey, Neurology

 

Jake Do

The Effect of Dimethyl Fumarate on a Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Mouse Model

Delia Talos, Neurology

 

Jang Elliot

Targeting Endogenous Tau in Human Tau Seeded Tauopathy Models Inhibits Tau Spread

Virginia Lee, Pathology

 

Kristine Enemuo

The neural correlates of curiosity in children

Allyson Mackey, Psychology

 

Om Gandhi

Perturbing MYCN-Driven Polyamine Synthesis to Promote Immunotherapy in High-Risk

Neuroblastoma

Michael Hogarty, Professor of Pediatrics

 

Alexander Gerlach

Mitochondrial Turnover in Retinal Neurodegeneration and SIRT1-based Therapy

Kenneth Shindler, Ophthalmology

 

Nicholas Hanchak

Modulation of reward-seeking behavior via GLP1R hindbrain neurons

Amber Alhadeff, Neuroscience

 

Stephanie Hanchak

The Relationship Between Anxiety and Social Functioning in Autistic Adults

Edward Brodkin, Psychiatry

 

Chloe Hassman

Role of Engram Activation in Remote Memory Deficits in Alzheimer's Disease

Frances Jensen, Neurology

 

Kayla Holloway

COVID-19's impact on the neurological development of toddlers

Wanjiku Njoroge, Adolescent Psychiatry 

 

Peter Hong

Using Bereitschaftspotentials to Explore Motor Planning in Learned Non-Use

Michelle Johnson, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

 

Katie Huynh

Neuromodulation of Deep-Brain Circuits via TMS/fMRI in Affective Disorders

Desmond Oathes, Psychiatry

 

Anooshey Ikhlas

Exploring the Tears: Studying Infant Cries

Julia Parish-Morris, Psychology and Center for Autism Research

 

Elliot Jang

Targeting Endogenous Tau in Human Tau Seeded Tauopathy Models Inhibits Tau Spread

Virginia Lee, Pathology

 

Anish Kammila

An Investigation of the Cellular-Signaling Pathways Underlying Multiple Sclerosis

Pathogenesis Caused by Epstein-Barr Virus

Erle Robertson, Department of Microbiology

 

Eashwar Kantemneni

Examining Possible Underlying Sex Differences in Brain Structure on Concussion Outcome

Douglas Smith, Neurosurgery

 

Dana Karson

Analyzing Phenotypes of Individuals with Neurexin-1a Variants

Maja Bucan, Genetics

 

Trinity Kellarakos

Assessing Visual Discrimination in Tree Shrews (Tupaia Belangeri)

Michael Arcaro, Psychology

 

Paige Kenton

The Effect of Ketone Supplementation/Ketogenic Diet on Alcohol Metabolism

Corinde Wiers, Psychiatry

 

Hayle Kim

Identifying the Molecular Basis of Sleep Maturation

Matthew Kayser, Psychiatry

 

Lynne Kim

The effect of prenatal hypoxia exposure on synaptic ultrastructure and density in juvenile mice

Ana Cristancho, Neurology

 

Shirley Li

Evaluation of the Impacts of Graffiti Murals in Philadelphia 

Anjan Chatterjee, Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics

 

Michelle Li

Investigating the Role of Trigeminal Activation in Odor Localization

Kevin Bolding, Monell Chemical Senses Center

 

Bridget Loja Patino

Classification of Microglial Morphologies in FTLD through Machine Learning

David Irwin, Neurology

 

Jessica Lvov

Exploring the role of Srcasm in memory, motor function and behavior

John Seykora, Dermatology

 

Colin Ly

A DREADD-Mediated Model of LC Activity in Neurodegeneration of hAPP Mice

Sigrid Veasey, Sleep and Circadian Biology

 

Jan Magielski

Neurogenetics of speech disorders: genomics and computational approaches

Ingo Helbig, Neurology and Pediatrics

 

Daniel Markman

Are the Subjective Effects of Ketamine needed for its Antidepressant Effects?

Joseph Cichon, Anesthesiology

 

Lily Martin

Effect of TMEM175 mutations on other PD-implicated genes 

Dejian Ren, Biology

 

Nadia Ngom

Activation of mu-opioid receptors in the PVT following stress

Julie Blendy, Pharmacology

 

Julu Nwaezeapu

Modeling Non-24 Sleep Dynamics in Julia

Ron Anafi, Sleep and Circadian Biology

 

Peace Oloko

Investigating mechanisms of HSP27 phosphorylation following lysosomal damage

Erika Holzbaur, Physiology 

 

Sumiya Olson

Unraveling the Molecular Mechanisms of Rett Syndrome: Targeting the Molecular Property of MeCP2 for Therapeutic Interventions

Zhaolan (Joe) Zhou, Genetics

 

Sakshi Parikh

Orexins Regulate Sex and Age Differences in the Stress Response

Seema Bhatnagar, Anesthesiology

 

Ronit Patel

Development of a 3-D microtissue model to study neuroinflammatory responses

Daniel Cullen, Neurosurgery

 

Sarah Pham

Assessing mechanisms of brain malformation in a stem cell-derived model 

Ethan Goldberg, Neurology & Neuroscience

 

Thrusha Puttaraju

Liquid Biopsy for Early Detection of Glioblastoma

Erica Carpenter, Hematology Oncology

 

Thrusha Puttaraju

Clinical Utility of Liquid Biopsy for the Early Detection of Tumor Detectors in Neuroblastoma

Melinda Yin, Hematology Oncology

 

Gad Eleazar Raganas

Assessing the Landscape of Genotype-Phenotype Associations in Familial Epilepsies

Ingo Helbig, Neurology

 

Lukas Richie

Optogenetic stimulation of the dm/cVMH after strenuous activity on the metabolic benefits of exercise

Nick Betley, Biology

 

Nicholas Sathi

Cortical Phenotype of Human Forebrain Organoids Grafted in Rat Motor Cortex

Han-Chiao Isaac Chen, Neurosurgery

 

Alisha Shetty

Effect of Light Disruption on Circadian Pacemaker in IAV-infected Host

Shaon Sengupta, Perelman School of Medicine

 

Alexis Singer

Physical Activity and Cognitive Health in the Older Latinx Population

Adriana Perez, Penn Nursing

 

Avinash Singh

Alternative splicing in EIF2AK3 transcripts in excitotoxic and ER stress

Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, Biomedical Graduate Studies

 

Jamaal Spence

Predictive Markers of Effort Expenditure during Dynamic Goal Evaluation

Joseph Kable, Psychology

 

Ashil Srivastava

Modulating Working Memory with Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation: Pilot Study for tACS as a Treatment for Age-Related Cognitive Decline

Roy Hamilton, Neurology

 

Lauren St. Louis

Intranasal Dantrolene Nanoparticles to Treat Major Depressive Disorder 

Huafeng Wei, Anesthesiology

 

Talia Stern

Contributions of Motivation to Competitive and Cooperative Decision-Making

Michael Platt, Perelman School of Medicine

 

Pranav Thokachichu

Investigating the Impact of COVID-19 on Olfactory Brain Regions Using MRI

Ruben Gur, Psychiatry

 

Wenxin Tu

Investigating the role of BLA-DMS projection in positive and negative reinforcement 

Marc Fuccillo, Neuroscience 

 

Syraj Uddin

Food Preference in B6 Mice Based on Neural Mechanism and Body Composition Analysis Following Exercise

Nicholas Betley, Biology

 

Sindhuja Uppuluri

The Role of Environment and GxE Interactions in Substance Use Disorder Risk

Rachel Kember, Psychiatry

 

Himanshi Verma

Brain Injury Markers for Acute and Long-Term Cognitive Impairment in Septic Patients

Nuala Meyer, Medicine

 

Aravind Viswanathan

Microglia Transduction Resistance and the STING Pathway

Guo-Li Ming, Neuroscience

 

Elise Wallen-Friedman

Subanesthetic ketamine and pattern separation in a Dravet Syndrome mouse model

Amelia Eisch, Anesthesiology

 

Devora Weintraub

Cell-Specific Mitochondrial Response to Pediatric Cardiac Arrest

Todd Kilbaugh, Anesthesiology

 

Frederique Wollaert

The role of CSF orexin in insomnia and sleep stages 

Philip Gehrman, Psychiatry and Penn Sleep Center

Xandro Xu

Examining Eco-Anxiety from a Cognitive-Neurological Lens

Jennifer Pinto-Martin, Nursing

 

Lis Zandbergen

Elucidating the relationships among ASD traits, sleep, & physical activity

Edward Brodkin, Penn Psychiatry

 

Nathan Zhang

Investigating Auditory Striatum in Behaviorally Relevant Sensory Filtering

Fuccillo Marc, Neuroscience

 

Yanjie Zhang

Interneuron Effects on CDD Mouse Models Lacking Spontaneous Seizures

Zhou Zhaolan, Genetics

 

Roland Zhang

Effect  of  Dantrolene  and  Lithium  Chloride on Mitochondrial and Cytosolic Calcium Levels as Prospective Neuroprotection in Alzheimer’s  Disease

Huafeng Wei, Penn Med

 

Liliann Zou

Neuromuscular activation of the triceps surae in Achilles tendinopathy

Josh Baxter, Orthopaedic Surgery