Hi everyone! My name is Anna Gillen and I am currently a rising senior. I am majoring in neuroscience, minoring in chemistry and sociology, and completing the global health certificate. My research project focuses on the neurological basis of externalizing behavior in adolescence. This is a continuation of research I have worked on for the past year and a half at The Lab of Neurocognitive Development, where they are interested in the change of neurometabolites through adolescence.
Through Neuroscience research thus far, we have increased our understanding of the underlying biochemical mechanisms of psychopathology. However, little is known about the neural basis of externalizing behaviors, which include aggressive behavior, rule-breaking behavior, intrusiveness, as well as aspects of anxiety and depression. These behaviors are significant because they can be symptoms of mood, behavioral, or learning disorders such as Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Adolescence is a significant time for the onset and diagnosis of these symptoms, which is why it is critical to consider an adolescent population when analyzing our data. This project is important because it could tell us whether neurotransmitter levels in adolescents can be used to predict future behavior patterns or pathology. Currently the diagnosis of these disorders are based on medical assessments consisting of a series of interviews due to the lack of an understanding of the neural basis for externalizing symptoms. While this is not necessarily a problem, assessments can sometimes be subjective or even driven by biases of medical professionals.
After completing my undergraduate degree, I plan on pursuing a Master’s in Public Health, focusing on behavioral and community health. I am very passionate about health equity and working to achieve increased access to necessary healthcare, especially mental health care, while eliminating biases and discrimination. Since biases can be an underlying factor in the diagnosis of many externalizing behaviors, this project could lead me in the direction of reaching my career goals. The Brackenridge will allow me to conduct this research under the direction of my lab’s director, Dr. Beatriz Luna, and my mentor Maria Perica, a PhD student in the lab. Having the chance to direct my focus on this project during the summer will hopefully allow me to reach the answers I am looking to get out of this research as I prepare to write my thesis.
Outside of school, I love to travel, hike, try new foods, and music. This past semester I had the chance to do all of those things while studying abroad in Vienna, Austria! It was an amazing opportunity that allowed me to experience a different culture, learn a new language, and gain a broader perspective of the world that will be applicable to my future work and my own personal development.
