I鈥檝e听been fascinated听by behaviour听and听understanding听why we do the things we听do听from听an early age.听This curiosity, coupled with my affinity for science subjects, led me to pursue undergraduate studies in neuroscience. I enrolled in the fall of 2012 at Carleton University and began taking all the basic science courses 鈥揷hemistry, biology, math and physics.听However, the one subject听that caught my attention was听a听neuroscience听course: Introduction to Mental Health and Disease.听In this class,听I was introduced to the brain听and immediately became intrigued by its complexity.听We learned about the basics of听the听brain:听the听organization听of its many structures, and of course,听the action potential.听What I found the most interesting, however,听were听our discussions on mental illnesses and neurological disorders.听I was captivated by听what happened when things went awry.听It quickly became clear to me that I was passionate about studying the brain and听that I had听made the right decision听to pursue听studies听in the field of neuroscience.听听
My curiosity for understanding听how the听malfunction of the brain could lead to a number of听debilitating disorders听prompted me to听volunteer听at听the Royal Ottawa听Mental听Hospital to gain experience听working with patients with mental illnesses. It is through this experience that I developed a true听understanding of the importance of providing adequate treatment and support for individuals听suffering from mental illness.听As a volunteer,听I was fortunate to have many roles which allowed me to interact with听patients. In one of these roles I volunteered as a recreational therapist assistant听on听the听schizophrenia unit where I organized leisurely activities for patients. I found听my experience in this volunteer position to be both extremely rewarding听and听educational. I听was thrilled that I could provide an entertaining afternoon for the patients on the unit and at the听same time, have the opportunity to receive hands-on learning in areas that had been听covered in my university courses.听听
My role as a mental health volunteer has had a huge impact on my decision to pursue studies at the graduate level.听The听experiences听I gained through my 2+ years as a volunteer听allowed me to discover my true passion for helping individuals suffering from听neurological disorders and听mental illness. This听ultimately听led me to听apply for听graduate studies听in the field of neuroscience at 91丝瓜视频.听听
I started my Master鈥檚 degree in 91丝瓜视频鈥檚听IPN听in the fall of 2016 under听the supervision of听Dr.听Jesper听Sj枚str枚m. In this lab, I study听epileptogenesis听鈥搕he gradual process by which the brain develops听epilepsy鈥� in rodents听using state-of-the-art techniques such as听optogenetics听and 2-photon laser microscopy. I have found this research topic to be extremely fascinating and necessary because there are many unknowns in the field of epilepsy pertaining to the development of the disease.听Additionally, anti-convulsive听drugs are the primary treatment听for epilepsy, but these are听only effective in听~70% of cases.听For these reasons, it is critical to continue studying how epilepsy develops in the brain, to advance our understanding of epilepsy and to discover new ways to treat this disorder.听My goal is to aid in this endeavor by studying the听synaptic plasticity of听inhibitory interneurons in cortical microcircuits听to determine their impact on neocortical seizures听in rodent models of epilepsy.听
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