Brittany K
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill)
Expertise
neurovascular coupling, network neuroscience, network neuroscience, striatal network, neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric disorders
Bio
My name is Brittany Katz, I have completed my doctoral studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and am now a staff scientist at UCLA. I believe the brain is one of the last remaining frontiers. I became invested in neurobiology as I began to understand what Alzheimer's disease is and why my great grandmother behaved the way she did as the disease progressed. While Alzheimer's peaked my interest in neurobiology, I entered the field and discovered there was a lot that I could study and began to explore system neuroscience. I enjoyed learning how neurons communicated with one another and thus continued exploring system neuroscience in my doctoral studies, examining neurovascular coupling ( how neurons and blood vessels communicate within the brain). Having used electrophysiology to study social aspects with psychiatric disorders and neurovascular coupling within the dorsal striatum in rodents, I am now using my skills to study hippacampal activity in genetic mouse models of Alzheimer's Disease. Outside of lab, I enjoy various hobbies, one of which is playing with my daughter, and coming up with new ways to encourage learning and imagination for her young and developing mind. I also enjoy reading fictional novels, largely those loosely based on true events. Additionally, I enjoy a good podcast, two of my favorites are History Chicks and Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. Lastly love a good movie.Project ideas
Mental Health reframe a look from the network level
The brain is the last frontier. It has is composed of neurons, neuromodulators, neuropeptides, and hormones. It is involved in a myriad of processes that impact behavior and how we as humans function in the word. Mental health is still has stigma attached to it. A blog post or mini article highlighting how the brain works, how many symptom combinations lead to the same diagnosis, how small network changes in the brain impair human behavior, and current findings showing modern technologies being used to treat mental health disorders.
Housely
Housely is a comic strip the depicts the brain as a house, and the rooms as different areas of the brain and the inhabitants are neurons. This comic will explore stress and its effects on the brain. Once Housely reaches a breaking point he will explore meditation, and the comic strip will showcase how meditation shifts neuronal networks, or in this case Housely's inhabitants interactions to create a more functional peaceful environment/network. All works will be based on current neuroscience findings.