Posts classified under: TNT Former Scholar

Karina Keus

As a National Science Foundation funded student, I work on developing novel microscopy techniques to probe multisensory integration in the Drosophila Melanogaster brain. Similar to the mammalian hippocampus, the central complex may serve as a critical indexing and integration site to coordinate spatial navigation. Building off my previous work on the UCLA Miniscope Project, I will refine a new two-photon microscope capable of patterned optogenetic stimulation in fruit flies. I hope to manipulate the neural circuits that coordinate synaptic plasticity in the central complex to reveal how vision, odor, and atmospheric polarized light integrate so that flies may produce complex navigation paths while traversing the earth.

Mentor: Mark Frye, Ph.D.

Timothy Jordan

My research interests are in applying brain imaging to TMS treatment to find biomarkers for the aid of treatment. Specifically I want to find a way of utilizing resting state functional MRI data to determine both the best area for treatments in specific populations and improve individual based treatments by finding biomarkers that correlate with participant improvement. My current research involves applying these methods to Smoking populations and using fMRI & TMS to reduce smoking withdrawal symptoms.

Mentor: Nicole Petersen, Ph.D.

Zachary Zeidler

Memory is an active process that allows for the recall of previous experiences, shaping how we interpret the present moment and plan future behavior. My research seeks to understand the mechanisms and function of how memories organize and reorganize in the brain across time. To achieve this, I use a combination of techniques from molecular, systems, and behavioral neuroscience within a rodent model system and classical fear memory paradigms.

Mentor: Laura DeNardo, Ph.D.

Ricky Savjani

My name is Ricky Savjani, a resident physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UCLA. My research interests lie in leveraging population inferences to understand the underpinnings of human cognition and to better guide oncological care for cancer patients. This also includes functional sparing and optimal delivery of radiation to the brain to minimize toxicity and cognitive impairments. I am interested in functional and structural neuroimaging using MRI to tackle these challenges. Additionally, I am interested in AI, brain brachytherapy, and functional radiosurgery. I am thrilled to be able to participate in the UCLA TNT program to turn ideas into technologies to optimize individual patient care.

Mentor: Daniel Low, Ph.D.

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