Sae Y
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at Princeton University
Expertise
neuroscience of anxiety and depression, predictors of neurodegenerative disease, emotion perception
Bio
I am a neuroscience PhD student with research experience in clinical psychology, cellular and molecular neuroscience, and systems neuroscience. With my previous projects I thought about the following questions: 1) What is the role of oxytocin in anxiety and depression disorders and how does it affect different sexes. 2) How does dopamine affect astrocytes (a cell type found in the brain that is thought to regulate neuronal activity) in the prefrontal cortex? 3) What is the genetic basis that allows the brain to maintain homeostasis? 4) What neuropsychological markers are correlated with neurodegenerative disease? My current interests lie in studying the role of non-neuronal cells in social behaviors such as anxiety disorders. My interests outside of research include finding good eats, exploring new places, paper cutting art, and gaming!Project ideas
Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.
Major depressive disorder and their relationship to neurodegenerative diseases in late life.
Episodes of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) have been implicated in increased inflammation in the brain. Additionally, individuals diagnosed with MDD are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Long term inflammation and poor cardiovascular health are also predictors of neurodegenerative disorders in late life. What other predictors might there be between mental health and geriatric health? What are the potential treatment targets that could decrease these outcomes? Conversely, what are the predictors of healthy aging and how can we implement those practices in our lives?
Coding skills
python, SPSS, MatlabLanguages I know
Japanese (native)Teaching experience
Mentored an undergraduate student who was participating in the UCSF Summer Research Program by showing them research methods, suggesting papers to read, and going over any questions they had about their research project. Mentored incoming undergraduate researchers as a senior undergraduate researcher by teaching them research techniques an talking through / catching them up on ongoing projects. Previously TA'ed students in college level Japanese language classes.Credentials
Work experience
University of California, San Francisco (2018 - 2022)
TechnicianUniversity of California, Berekeley (2020 - 2022)
Research AssistantEducation
University of California Davis (UCD)
BS Bachelor of Science (2018)
NeuropsychologyPrinceton University
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Neuroscience