Proposal F18 Student Brady

Sponsored Research Newsletter Fall 2018

Student Spotlight - Molly Brady '19, Neuroscience, Motor Degeneration in Aging Mice

Sponsor: Dr. Terence Bazzett

WHAT IS YOUR PROJECT? It is a long-term study spanning several years tracking the learning capacity and eventual decline in the motor skills of mice. We compare different motor tests, including paw-reaching (mice reach a paw through a small hole to grasp and eat sucrose pellets) and grip strength. Paw-reaching is designed to measure fine motor skills, while grip strength measures gross motor skills. We intend to correlate these measures to provide substantial evidence of baseline rates of motor behavior in normal mice in order to compare to diseased mice in further studies. The eventual goal of the project is to eventually test mice with Huntington’s disease using the same procedure, and compare the lower rates of successful motor skills to the baseline decline in normal mice. This paradigm will eventually allow for drug treatments for Huntington’s disease to be tested.
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT HAS SURPRISED YOU? One unexpected finding we have encountered is sex differences in reaching behaviors. We were not expecting to find any differences; however, males tend to reach more often for pellets and have better accuracy than females. More females will not reach at all, and simply sit in the paw-reaching chamber during the test, while most males spend the majority of the time in the chamber trying to access the pellets. We have not performed statistical analyses on these results yet, but the findings have been intriguing all the same.
HOW HAS WORKING ON THIS PROJECT IMPACTED YOUR LONG TERM PLANS? I have realized that I really love working with animals. I find the human brain completely fascinating, but my long-term plans for graduate school have been steered towards translational research and the use of animals in basic scientific studies.
WHAT HAVE YOU ENJOYED THE MOST? I have enjoyed getting practical, real-life experience in a laboratory. Beyond the basic everyday behavioral testing, I have had the responsibility of designing a hypothesis and carrying it out. This involves unexpected barriers which I have had to figure out ways of getting around. This ability to figure out new solutions to the issues in the lab has been invaluable in discovering what the true research process is all about, and thus has prepared me for development of an individual research project for my Honors Capstone.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER STUDENTS WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN WORKING ON A RESEARCH PROJECT? Don’t be afraid to approach professors early, and invest as much time as possible into research. I have been working in Dr. Bazzett’s lab since I was a freshman, which has enabled me to really engage with the opportunities beyond the basic behavioral testing, such as learning perfusions and staining.