My name is Roey Beniluz, and I am a rising senior studying Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry. I live in East Brunswick, New Jersey. I love to travel, learn languages, and spend time outdoors.

According to data from the US census, the population of adults age 65+ grew by 34.2% during the past decade. Among this population, 1 in 9 people have Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), a devastating illness affecting brain regions that are responsible for memory and cognitive functioning. One such region is the Entorhinal Cortex (EC), which is also one of the earliest affected brain regions in AD. Due to its early loss of function in AD, the EC is a new focal point of research into behavioral biomarkers of preclinical AD. Surprisingly, the different types of neurons within the EC that are affected, especially in humans, are largely unknown. To address this gap in our understanding, this summer I am working on a project to investigate how specific EC neuron types are impacted in AD. 

My mentor is Dr. Shawn Sorrells, an assistant professor in the Neuroscience Department whose lab researches neuronal migration, the presence of immature neurons in adulthood and adolescence, and the unique neural development of the EC.  Our lab recently discovered a migratory stream of interneurons arriving into the human EC until up to 2-3 years after birth. This migratory route is known as the EC stream, and is unique to the EC, as most other regions contain all their neurons prior to birth.  The goal of my project this summer is to generate a preliminary understanding of the expression of LAMP5 interneurons within the EC across the process of normative aging by creating maps of their locations throughout the different layers of the Entorhinal Cortex. These maps will then be used for a comparison with appropriately matched AD samples. As the prevalence and incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease rise alarmingly all over the world, and as current research has failed to deliver an acceptable treatment to the population, research approaching the problem from a novel angle feels relevant and urgent. It is my hope that my research into the EC may enhance our understanding regarding the cell types that are affected by Alzheimer’s and allow for earlier identification and management of the disease, and illuminate therapeutic targets for treatment development. 

Next year, I will apply to medical school and am interested in treating patients with disorders of the nervous system. However, I am also interested in contributing to and understanding the research underlying the treatments that I will administer as a physician. Specifically, I am interested in aging related disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.  The Brackenridge Fellowship will direct me to achieve my research goals and offer the unique opportunity to learn from a group of other interdisciplinary researchers. Hearing from other students about the topics and challenges they are researching helps put the challenges I am working towards in a wider context and will allow me to get feedback to strengthen my research. I am excited to see how the project develops over the course of the next few months!