Hi everyone! My name is Mercy Akanmu, and I am so excited to have received the Health Sciences Fellowship this summer!
My research is focused on neurogranin, a protein that helps regulate the development of our brain’s reward circuit. The reward circuit is a fascinating pathway that determines our responses to various stimuli (food, social interaction, drugs, etc.). Many structures within this pathway determine our reactions to specific stimuli, however, my focus is on the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc). The NAc integrates information from all our stimuli to create a behavioral output. It also works with dopamine, a neurotransmitter that alters our responses to stimuli.
Previous studies have shown that alternations or abnormalities in how the NAc processes information are related to how drastically our brains change under the influence of drugs. These abnormalities are quite extensive and can be impacted by many factors – one of which being the levels of neurogranin in the brain.
Neurogranin can regulate how the NAc processes input it can also be impacted by outside factors, such as nutrition and life experiences. However, this concludes the known facts about neurogranin. Other studies have shown that less neurogranin expression during early development can lead to underdeveloped brain structures, but by what mechanism? Based on this lack of information, I have decided to study the effects of Neurograin on the reward pathway and whether a lack of this protein is directly correlated with an underdeveloped NAc.
I am working with Neurogranin Knockout (NgKO) and Wild-type (or normal) mice to see how the lack of the neurogranin gene alters the development of the reward circuit. I can test for differences in development by looking at three key features of neurons – neuron spine density, spine morphology, and the development of the dendritic branches. This project will be under the supervision of Dr. Xu, in the Xu Lab at the University of Pittsburgh.
This project is crucial for the development of new treatments and therapies for individuals who suffer from reward-pathway dysfunctions – including disorders like substance use disorder, schizophrenia, and others. A thorough understanding of Neurogranin’s role in the reward pathway will open up new focus points for therapies and cures for aforementioned disorders. My project is a first step towards this goal, as I hope to determine whether or not there is a correlation between Neurogranin levels and the development of the NAc.
After college, I plan on completing an MD and a PhD in Philosophy. With my medical degree, I hope to become a neurosurgeon! This fellowship will assist me in my professional goals, as it sets a foundation for research experience and the work ethic required to make these goals a reality. Similarly, this fellowship provides me with an interdisciplinary perspective on science, which will help me better understand how I can cross philosophy with neuroscience.
I’m double majoring in Neuroscience and History and Philosophy of Science (long name, I know!), and double minoring in Spanish and Chemistry. One unique thing about me is that I am trilingual!
