I am a former member of Berkeley's Wilbrecht Lab, focused on studying neuroplasticity as a model to identify trends in adolescence and addiction. The lab studies decision making in mice as a model to understand how humans are able to make decisions and how those decisions can drive behavioral changes.

 

My work in the lab was focused on database management, automated scripting for future users, and data analysis. Iprimarily focused on the effect of age in relation to the explorative behavior of adolescent and adult mice. 

 

 

Because the project on which I worked is still unpublished, I can only provide a general background of what my research entailed at the lab. Our experiment set-up involved training mice to respond positively (using a food reward) to a specified odor. After the mice showed reliable odor favoritism (8 correct trials out of 10) we swapped the reward odor and re-trained the mice to respond to the new odor. This process, called "reversal," provides a metric of neuroplasticity, or the ability of the brain to change and re-learn.

 

Unsurprisingly, younger mice can be trained more quickly, show greater neuroplasticity, and are faster during experimental trials. The same trends are seen in humans, where adolescent brains show greater plasticity than adult brains. Although this allows for learning and development, it also implies greater risk for potentially harmful or dangerous decisions.