katherine furman
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I am currently a Junior at New York University’s College of Arts and Sciences pursuing a B.S. in Neural Science, and a minor in Chemistry. Since my freshman year, I have been a research assistant in the laboratory of Dr. Cristina Alberini. The lab studies the molecular basis behind learning and memory, with a large focus on the IGF2 protein, which Dr. Alberini has proven to be necessary in memory consolidation. My main role on this project is supervised by Susan Sheng, a PhD candidate in the lab, in which we are investigating the expression patterns of IGF2 mRNA in different cell types of rat hippocampal and cortical regions. During the summer of 2017, I worked in Dr. Jill Becker’s lab at the University of Michigan. I spent this time working on a project with PhD Candidate Katie Yoest, using Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry (FSCV) as a way to measure dopamine concentration in the rat nucleus accumbens. We used FSCV in anesthetized animals, in conjunction with different selective estrogen receptor antagonists, to investigate which estrogen receptor subtype is responsible for dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens of both male and female rats. Dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens is the main response to drug addiction in rats, and this research will lead to a better understanding of the sex-differences that that have been observed in drug addiction habits. I hope to get as much research experience as I can during my undergraduate career, in order to expand my knowledge and my skill set in the field. After earning my B.S. from NYU, I hope to pursue a graduate program in neuroscience.
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