Alina Huang

Publish an article: Kickstart your career as a scholar learning the neuroscience of how your brain interprets sound

Started Aug. 1, 2023

Abstract or project description

The brain is incredible and complex and the source of much scientific research around the world. In this pod, you’ll focus on how our brains allow us to take unassuming sound waves and enable us to enjoy music, learn a new language, or recognize danger. Through this fascinating process, students will learn about the research process, the brain regions, how the brain regions cooperate to interpret sensory information, and how those individual actions culminate into the actions we take every day but may take for granted.

Unveiling the Connection: COVID-19 Infections and Vaccinations' Impact on Epstein-Barr Virus Reactivation

Started June 22, 2023

Abstract or project description

Studies have suggested that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination can lead to the reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common lymphotropic herpesvirus virus that spreads through saliva and is prevalent in young adults. In most cases, EBV infection results in cold-like symptoms, though recent research has found that EBV infection actually increases the likelihood of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), the most pervasive chronic debilitating neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS), by thirty-fold. This paper discusses the research that supports the link between SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination and EBV reactivation. Evidence has shown that SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination is related to EBV reactivation. More than about 81.4% of the world's population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and more than 770 million people have gotten infected with SARS-CoV-2, making the possibility of the COVID-19 vaccine and COVID-19 being related to the reactivation of EBV a major concern 6. Some studies have shown up to 82% of EBV co-infection in COVID-19 patients, and a meta-analysis reveals the incidence of EBV reactivation during COVID-19 pathogenicity to be 0.48. In another study of COVID-19 patients, 30.3% had long COVID, while 66.7% of the long COVID patients were positive for EBV reactivation, compared to 10% of the control group. In particular, we identify what connects these two viral infections. This topic has broad implications for understanding how exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus through infection or its components through COVID-19 vaccination can lead to the detrimental effects of EBV reactivation.