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Contributors Letter from the Editors Faculty Profile: Dr. Vince Tropepe Student Spotlight: Herun Tarun Bridging Research & Scientific Understanding of the Brain Through Neuroimaging Course Spotlights: HMB390 & PSL444 The Interneuron Quarterly Calendar: Upcoming Events Paper Review on Decapitated Planaria Student Spotlight: Samantha Yammine
List of Contributors
Editorsin-Chief
Editorial Advisor
Shakira Brathwaite Alina Guna
Logo Design
Laura Park
Jenise Chen
Junior Editors
Zahra Emami
Cover Design
Omar Al-Bitar Susmita Sarkar Sarah Peters
Issue 1 Additional Contributors Layout Board
Marketing Director
Jenise Chen Zahra Emami Herman Tang
Steven Meas
Ann Mansur Arash Samadi Ashkan Azimi Djurdja Djordjevic Emily Anne Opala Rick Kussinger Andy Cheng Han Fan Allan Turton
Hi young neuroscientists!
Letter from the Editors
We hope you had a fantastic summer and we welcome you to the new school year. We are pleased to announce that the Neuroscience Association for Undergraduate Students (NAUS) is spearheading a new venture! You are currently reading the inaugural copy of the Interneuron, a quarterly publication aimed at all undergraduate students affiliated with or interested in the neurosciences. This publication hopes to engage undergraduate students with the local and wider neuroscience community. In this rapidly advancing field, there is always lots going on! We want to provide you with key updates in an accessible format so that you don’t have to labour reading Science articles on top of your already demanding course load. Apart from articles on recent events and discoveries in the field, we also want to make sure you know what is happening at U of T. There are always neuroscience related events happening around campus from academic seminars to journal clubs to socials. We want to make sure that you are aware of these and have the opportunity to get involved as much and as early as you can in your undergraduate careers. Navigating your education at U of T can often be a daunting task. In an attempt to shine a little light on the road ahead, we will be featuring interviews with undergraduates, graduate students and professors in the neurosciences. We hope you’ll be better able to gauge the options you have after graduating, and how others have fared in the neuroscience program (or at least have the comfort of knowing that you are not alone!). Specific reviews about courses in the program will also occasionally be featured – as we are not all adept at deciphering the cryptographies of the course calendar. Finally, we are optimistic that this publication will serve as a forum for students to lend their voices and contribute to the undergraduate neuroscience community, while gaining valuable knowledge of and experience in all aspects of the peer-review process. We look forward to having as many students as possible join us in writing articles, designing artworks, and taking pictures for the Interneuron. Thus, we encourage you to join our Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ InterneuronUofT/), and follow us on Twitter (@interneuron_uoft). Alternatively, feel free to e-mail us at interneuron. utoronto@gmail.com.
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We are extremely excited by this initiative and hope it becomes regular reading for every U of T neuroscience student! Sincerely, A&S, Editors-in-Chief The Interneuron | Issue 1 | September 2013
Research Faculty Profile: Dr. Vincent Tropepe Djurdja Djordjevic The Interneuron will feature a number of interviews with U of T faculty actively involved in the neuroscience community. This issue, Interneuron writer Djurdja Djordjevic introduces us to the current director of Human Biology, Dr. Vince Tropepe. D: Can we start by getting a little bit about your background? I did my undergrad in biology and psychology at McMaster University. After that, I decided to enroll in the PhD program here at the University of Toronto, in what was then the department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. In 2000, I did a post-doctoral fellowship at the Whitehead Institute at MIT. Then I was hired here, in what was originally the Zoology Program [now reorganized into CSB and EEB]. D: Did you want to return to UofT? Yes. The job market at that time wasn’t that bad and there were a number of programs that the Government of Canada was putting on to try to recruit people back to Canada. I applied to most major centers in Canada. Back then, my wife was finishing medical school and was applying to residency programs. You had to choose one country to do your matching and we made the conscious decision to choose Canada for personal reasons. We didn’t really have a sense of where we would be, so I tried to find a job in all the places where she was trying to get matched. I guess we got lucky that she matched to Sick Kids, and I got a job here. D: In your opinion, what makes U of T so special when compared to other schools? In my case, it would have to be the research. I was looking for a place that I knew would not only support the kind of research I wanted to do, but that had opportunities for me to interact with individuals in various fields that could help nurture my own research interests. There are other places in Canada that have a similar sort of environment – Calgary, UBC, Montreal – but UofT is really spectacular in that respect.
D: Looking at what the students’ options are in terms of integrating different programs, do you think CSB and HMB do a good job of that? Do you think they could do better? I think they do a good job, not a fantastic one since there are numerous challenges to try and do this really well. It would be ideal if students came in and said, ‘I’m really interested in a number of different things, and I want to put it together as an undergraduate program –taste of research, some independent work, some highly specialized areas, some very broad areas’. I think all the departments and programs try to be well rounded. The Human Biology program is a great example, as it is interdisciplinary by nature. We try to make sure whatever we’re teaching in neuroscience isn’t going to be all biophysics of the membranes and synapses. You will broaden out within the field of neuroscience. We’re trying to attract students that are interested in that level of study.
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However, there are then those students who say, ‘I like HMB but I also like CSB’. So now we have a huge number of neuroscience – CSB double majors. But while we are trying to accomplish something in HMB, CSB is trying to do their own thing. This makes it difficult to bring it all together for the students.
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Research Human biology integrates these areas into one – and this is how we can differentiate ourselves as a program at the undergraduate level. We rely a lot on the student to make the right choices. If a student says, ‘I want to do an HMB major, but also another major in something else’, what is that something else? Psych maybe? Others want English or Pharmacy. That’s reasonable, but then it becomes a poorly integrated undergraduate experience. So, we need to think about how we can council students make better choices. Even if you wanted to mix and match between departments, it should still stitch together in a way that makes sense. And that is something we can do a little better. D: Is it the wrong mentality, when students come into first year believing there is still time and there is no pressure to make these decisions? I don’t see first year as being a pressure-inducing exercise to map out what you want to do. You’re going to learn new things and change your mind -- but I think that by having self-imposed guidance, and by finding extra guidance, you should have at least a sense of what you want at the end of first year. When I was an undergrad in my first year, I was dead set on molecular biology. But at the end of the first year I changed my mind and said, ‘No, it has to be neuroscience’. Working in a lab totally changed my mind about what I wanted to do. That was really early on in the process, but from that point onwards, I was able to craft my experience, take certain kinds of courses, and I did lots of independent reading. D: What is your vision of HMB over the next few years? One thing that we were discussing with the group is trying to develop a strategy to differentiate ourselves a bit more from other life science programs. I think it’s safe to say that many students and faculty view HMB as a premed program. The rationale is that a lot of students in that program have health careers in mind. But a degree in human biology is not a degree in immunology or cell and molecular biology. Some students view it as a collection of courses that we put together that they can hook up with another major. But human biology is in fact a discipline, in and of itself. It’s got a lot of research that covers topics from population genetics to human development, and from the different perspectives of how the brain develops, to nutritional standards and psycho-social implications.
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D: Can you give any tips for students on how to utilize some of the things UofT offers to better their experience in the program? Start looking for mentoring research opportunities early. There are many researchers at UofT, and many prefer not to take on inexperienced first years. But, there are instances where those opportunities are available, and once you have a bit of experience under your belt, it’s easier to get more. I see a lot of students that email me saying, ‘I’m graduating but have no research experience; do you have any spots in your lab?’ Fourth year is really not the time for your first research experience at UofT. It’s hard to get these experiences but try as early as possible. Another thing is to use the writing centers and program-specific workshops early if you think that you need that help; don’t wait till the last minute. More and more HMB courses are incorporating writing and seminars as a major part of the learning process. It doesn’t matter what job you want later on- if you’re not able to communicate on paper and verbally, it’s going to be very difficult for you to compete in any environment. D: One final question– you mentioned that a lot of students are pre-med and pre-research in undergrad. I think a lot of students struggle with finding other options after university. What would you recommend as ways to discover other options, or some of your own suggestions? From a program level, the best we can do is to offer more career workshops. In those workshops, we have representation from academic research and various clinical fields. But there are other fields where a degree in human biology can be a big asset. One is shaping policy at the different levels of government. That policy can be on education, science, health - all require individuals who have a basic understanding of those issues. Someone finishing a degree in human biology also knows what it takes to have a good undergraduate experience. They have something to say about it, and governments are trying to redesign undergraduate education. Same goes in the case of health care. There are also many individuals now getting into business. If we do a good job of training students to be analytical, critical thinkers and good communicators, they can apply it anywhere.
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Research I think designing really good career workshops means we have all those options available. A lot of science students think, ‘I’m not going into business or law since I have to take history or other areas to go into those’. That’s just not the case. If we do our job as an interdisciplinary program, I think our students might start to believe they could have careers that aren’t necessarily in medicine or biomedical research.
We would like to send a huge thank you to Dr. Tropepe for taking the time to lend us his insights.
Student Spotlight: Herun Tarun Shakira Brathwaite The Interneuron will feature a number of interviews with students currently enrolled in the HMB Neuroscience program to provide our readers with unique outlooks on courses, events and future career paths. In this issue, we are excited to feature Herun Tarun, a 4th year undergraduate student in a Psychology specialist and a Neuroscience major. Disclaimer: the ideas and sentiments expressed in this piece are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Toronto. S: Just to start off, can you tell us a bit about yourself? Right now, I’m a psych specialist and neuro major going into 4th year. I am also the E-communications director for NCSC [New College Student Council]. While it’s technically my first year as an elected official, I’ve been in the NCSC office for the last three years – helping out with NCSC events, contributing to frosh as both a leader as well as an exec, and training for my current position. I have also been working in Dr. Yeoman’s lab for the last 2 years doing just about everything – slicing, staining, microscopy, animal handling…no surgeries or genotyping though. I enjoy reading a wide variety of papers and books depending on the courses I am taking: for example, I recently read a book on positive growth after trauma in reference to a social psych class, and another on flow systems for Buddhism, while also keeping up with startle research [Dr. Yeoman’s specialty]. If I’m not particularly busy, I like to go to Chapters to read;
the book I buy at the end is usually not the book I started off with [laughs]. I also like to play Assassin’s Creed when I’m on vacation in Erie, Pennsylvania. I’ve gotten quite good at playing the game since my time is so limited. S: Quite the busy man, I see. How did you get so involved and how do you manage to balance your extra-curriculars with school and other commitments? It all started when I applied for a frosh leader position in February of 1st year. You get accepted by April and spend a bit of the summer prepping for frosh but at New College, the community is super tight-knit – so anything you do for frosh will invariably put you in contact with NCSC. And then NCSC directs you to New College clubs, admin and alumni, and also the Human Biology department when it’s applicable. Everything’s in one place, so it’s very easy to get to know everyone.
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Now balance: that’s an interesting one. You definitely learn by example; being in the [NCSC] office for three years, I can see who can and can’t do it. And you want to align yourself with those who can. Also, sometimes you need to know
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Undergraduate Community the fundamentals are subject to change. Which is fine since everything in the world changes, but at the same time, it was just very frustrating to study. So I dropped the Buddhism minor, which left 4th year open, so I decide to extend one of my majors into a specialist. In the end, I went with the psych specialist. I don’t think there really was a reason why I didn’t want to do the neuro specialist, just more reason to do psych instead. I definitely made the right decision. S: What was your favorite course in the last year? Why?
when to back off and not accept too many responsibilities. I’m still learning; when I was not officially on NCSC, I could drop things at a moment’s notice, but now that I am elected, I can’t do that. I won’t lie - right now, my social life is suffering. But I still believe in taking breaks, no matter how busy you are. One of my friends dragged me out for an ice-cream thing at Magnum Toronto a week before my MCAT, and it was probably the best afternoon of my entire summer. S: Why did you choose your current POSt? How did you assess your options? In retrospect, do you think you made the right decision? I knew after PSY100 that I was going to do a psych major, but I also wanted something more “sciency”. I looked at CSB, but while I liked BIO130, I couldn’t see myself looking at molecular pathways for 4 years. I needed something bigger – something that could not be reduced to just pathways. I needed a sense of mystery and wanted a more holistic approach. So I looked at HMB. I went with neuro because of a PSY100 lecture in which Dolderman [lecturer] introduced dynamic systems theory - basically the idea that a system itself changes depending on input and the processes with it. I immediately thought of the brain. So I enrolled in a psych major, a neuro major and minor in Buddhism. But then I took a Buddhism course in 3rd year and found it to be much more different than expected. In science, we are used to generating hypotheses based on facts, but whenever I tried to find a starting point for my Buddhism fact pyramid, there was no stable point. Even
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Probably positive psych [PSY336]. Yes, it was a difficult course, but it seriously gives life lessons - how to approach life and mostly how to approach failure. And how you recover from it. Since we’re at U of T, failure is like a daily occurrence. Whether it is failure from the university standpoint or your own personal standards. So learning how to recover and move forward from failure is big, especially if you do it in the right way. The interesting thing about positive psych was that it gave you material to think of even outside of the course. For the first part of summer, I was watching TED talks on the TTC on the way home. One that I repeatedly watched was a 2010 talk by Brené Brown. You just keep watching it over again and realize that a lot of these apply a lot in your life and as much as you don’t want to admit it, stuff needs to change. S: Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? In five years - learning to teach, along with whatever science dreams I am trying to accomplish. In ten years, I will definitely be teaching at a university somewhere, preferably in North America. Should North America be rendered uninhabitable by global warming, I will consider going underneath the oceans [laughs]. The dream would be to be a physician-teacher. Considering my inclination towards psych, I’ll probably end up being a psychiatrist and then teaching at a university. S: Do you have any advice for our readers? I don’t believe in bird courses. This mythical, fictional list of super-easy courses does not in fact exist anywhere except in your head. I’ve always found that the people who take bird courses have found themselves putting more effort into getting the marks in a bird course compared to a course that they are actually interested in. If you are in a subject post, whether or not you do well in those required courses depend entirely on how much you are interested in the subject matter.
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Undergraduate Community Bridging Research & Scientific Understanding of the Brain Through Neuroimaging Ann Mansur In 2003, the acclaimed professor and neuroscientist Dr. Floyd Bloom wrote in his book, Fundamental Neuroscience: “As we begin the 21st century, the Hubble space telescope is providing us with information about as yet uncharted regions of the universe and the promise that we may learn something about the origin of the cosmos. This same spirit of adventure is also being directed to the most complex structure that exists in the universe - the human brain.” Indeed, this past decade has been marked by tremendous advancements in our understanding of the brain, which can largely be attributed to an explosion in the field of functional neuroimaging. Supporting this novel interest in mapping the brain has been the role of the Organization of Human Brain Mapping (OHBM). Founded in 1995, it has grown to be an international leader in the promotion of advancements in neuroimaging, in addition to acting as a forum for the exchange of intellectual resources amongst neuroimaging specialists. One of the primary ways in which it does this is through its annual OHBM conference. This year, I had the tremendous opportunity to partake in the 2013 OHBM conference in Seattle. Together with thousands of other neuroscientists, professors, and students, we embarked on a five-day journey filled with new learning opportunities. A typical day at the conference started off with morning courses and workshops that were designed to train delegates how to better process neuroimaging data and use different modalities to address a variety of research questions. Throughout the rest of the morning and early afternoon, some of the more popular research questions were thoroughly addressed by panelists and renowned keynote speakers. Each speaker spoke about a unique discipline in the field of neuroimaging such as topographical mapping, the “connectome” (the integrated network of synaptic connections), deep brain stimulation for depression, understanding the processing of language, representational functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), bridging fMRI and lesion studies, etc. A larger spectrum of research questions and findings was presented in the afternoon poster sessions, where thousands of researchers and aspiring scientists, including myself, had the opportunity to share research with the rest of the neuroimaging community.
However overwhelming this exchange of knowledge was, it carried on well beyond the proceedings of the conference. Whether one was cracking cooked crab legs at the famous Pike Market or enjoying the gala at the EMP Museum, there were numerous debates on data interpretation, and hastily made sketches of potential new technological designs, with lab contact information exchanged on bar napkins, and plans being drafted for collaborative efforts on neuroimaging projects in the year to come. The excitement expressed by Dr. Bloom a decade ago is clearly still alive and fertile in every neuroimaging discipline. No modality proved to be more of a highlight than the other- all were investigated, praised and scrutinized with equal fervor. However, as I attended every talk and sped through as many posters as I could, I tried to think of one unifying theme that could characterize this year’s OHBM conference and express the common message amongst all the disciplines, and that is: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. A presentation given by Dr. T. Ellmore towards the closing of the conference elegantly exemplified this theme through his multimodal neuroimaging framework. He showed how to combine electrocorticographic recordings, functional imaging, and diffusion weighted imaging data to inform us on the correlations between structural and functional connectivity of the brain. He suggested that the future of neuroimaging research will be characterized not by individual efforts on single imaging modalities; instead, the integration of multimodal paradigms and collaborations among imaging experts will prove crucial in achieving a greater interpretative capacity. As we move forward with another decade of neuroimaging research, we turn to The Interneuron for inspiration in connecting our disciplines in order to promote the efficient conduction of intellectual efforts in various ‘circuits’ or pathways of neuroscience research.
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Undergraduate Community Course Spotlight: HMB390 - Scientific Communications Emily Anne Opala Course Description
Increase fundamental skills in analytical and critical analysis of current topics in the biological/clinical sciences through the use of written and communication skills. Assignments focus on assessing primary scientific articles, oral presentation, written reviews, grant proposals, and peer evaluation to enhance effective communication skills. Unlike many other human biology courses, the course calendar provides a very accurate description of what to expect in HMB390. Scientific Communication is structured like a seminar with various guest speakers visiting the classroom every week. The class focuses on skills you will need to excel in a career in the life sciences, including presentation skills (critically evaluating papers) and writing skills (how to present yourself to potential supervisors and employers). The course provides ample opportunity to practice writing and presenting in a variety of contexts; for instance, the “News and Views” assignment allows you to try your hand at a short 500-word review in the style of Nature or Science, whereas the “Interview” assignment gives you the chance to speak to an actual scientist about the work they are currently doing. Another useful feature of the class is that
it encourages students to choose topics that interest them: a health and disease major is not required to write about some new genetic theory, and a neuroscience major can focus on neuropsychology if they do not care for biochemistry. In this way, the class is extremely adaptable to the needs and interests of the students. For students who are particularly interested in scientific writing, this class allows the opportunity to develop a diverse portfolio of writing samples. Even for students who do not enjoy writing, this course is exceptionally useful, as writing is an important part of the scientific process. The skills learned in HMB390 will boost you above the competition. I developed my CV in this class and have used it for a variety of research opportunities; I plan to use an adapted version of it in my application to graduate schools. Scientific Communication may be the most useful course I have taken thus far in university. If I could make one recommendation to second and third year Human Biology students looking for an opportunity to learn truly useful skills in their time at the University of Toronto, it would be to take this class and get as much out of it as possible.
Course Spotlight: PSL444Y1 - Neuroscience II (Cellular & Molecular) Ashkan Azimi This course is designed for you neuroscience fanatics! PSL44Y1 is directed towards both graduate and undergraduate students, which is an indication of its level of difficulty and the complexity of the material. As such, the marking scheme is a little different compared to most courses undergraduates are used to. There are 4 term tests (held during the December and April examination periods), each worth 25% of your total mark, that are the sole evaluations determining your final grade.
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Personally, what I like most about the course is the breadth of covered material and the variety of the instructors. For the 2012 – 2013 academic year, there were a total of 19 instructors for 24 scheduled lectures. These instructors are all eminent scientists - prominent figures in their specific subfields. The course coordinator, who also teaches a substantial portion of the course (5/24 lectures), is Dr. James Eubanks. Dr. Eubanks’ main interest as a researcher is the epigenetic means of Rett’s syndrome – which he touches on in some of his lectures.
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Undergraduate Community Another favourite lecturer is Dr. Alexander Velumian, who draws on his extensive work on glia (spanning more than 25 years!) in his introductory lectures. As mentioned earlier, students will benefit from being exposed to a wide array of topics. The course begins with a basic introduction to some of the fundamental molecular aspects of neuroscience (e.g. NT release, electrophysiology of mammalian CNS, different receptor systems).The second half of the course consists of ‘Disease-based Workshop’ lectures, in which the pathologies of multiple CNS-related disorders (e.g. relevant genetic disorders, movement disorders, neuroimmunology, epilepsy) are discussed in light of the previously learned molecular mechanisms.
Since this course is being taught by instructors who are occupied with full-time research and teach a lecture or two on the side, there is practically no portal blackboard page and there are no recordings provided. You will receive (most of the time) the printed slides when you come to class. This can make life difficult for those of us who like to read the slides before the class or like listening to recordings after the class. However, if a person in your class takes the initiative to contact the professors individually post-lecture and ask for the electronic version of the file, they are almost always willing to oblige. Try to build a good community with your peers and it will really help for this class!
The Interneuron Quarterly Calendar Upcoming Events Rick Kussinger Between class, volunteer work, and part-time jobs, it’s never easy to find something out of the ordinary to stimulate your brain. For anyone in search of a fun extracurricular or social affair, look no further! Get off of Reddit, stop binge-watching Breaking Bad, and head out to one of these local events… there are always things to learn and people to meet! If you or someone you know are hosting a neuroscience-related event, let us help you promote it by publishing it here in the Interneuron! Send all event details (event name, date, description, organizers, etc.) to interneuron.utoronto@gmail.com.
Clubs & Organizations Event: U of T Neuroscience Journal Club (NJC) Date: Bi-Weekly & Special Events Location: Subject to change (check out the website!) Description: The U of T Neuroscience Journal Club is open to all U of T students and meets biweekly to present and discuss journal articles in the field of neuroscience. These meetings provide an opportunity for students in any program of study to learn more about neuroscience in a welcoming, interactive environment. NJC’s website is easy to navigate and lists upcoming events, helpful tips about writing, reading, and editing, and even photos of monthly events! More Information: www.neurojc.com | njc@utoronto.ca
Event: LGBTOUT Meet n’ Greet Date: Monday, September 23rd | 6pm - 10pm Location: To be announced Description: The LGBTOUT Meet n’ Greet is the kick-off event for the University of Toronto’s Queer Orientation. The event is for queer, trans, questioning and allied students, staff, faculty and alumni of all programs, years and experiences to meet and mingle. More information on Queer Orientation on the website! Make sure you check the website for updates during Orientation Week. More Information: www.lgbtout.com | @LGBTOUT | publicrelations@lgbtout.com Event: NAUS Welcome Back BBQ and First Peer Mentorship Program Meeting Date: Tuesday, September 24th | 12pm – 3pm Location: UTSU Front Lawn Description: In typical NAUS fashion, the first event of the academic year will be a BBQ for all of undergraduate neuroscience. Students will have the opportunity to interact with peers and (hopefully!) faculty. Additional activities will be planned for those participating in the Neuroscience Peer Mentorship Program. So come out! Eat, drink, and be merry! More Information: nausuoft.wordpress.com | naus@ utoronto.ca
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Undergraduate Community
Conferences & Seminars Event: Heads Up Conference 2013 Date: Saturday, September 14th | 8:30am - 12:30pm Location: Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 209 Victoria St. Toronto Description: If you think that the concepts you learn in HMB classes do not extend beyond the classroom, take advantage of this event hosted by St. Michael’s Hospital and hear firsthand about the effects of brain injury. The purpose of this free event is to educate the public on the subject of brain injuries and concussions. Discussion topics will include mental health, safety and treatment, and the latest head injury research. You’ll get the chance to hear directly from leading neuroscientists and psychiatrists in the field! Make sure to visit the website and register; there are a limited number of seats available. More Information: http://www.tmw.to/members. php?uri=Heads-Up-Conference-2013 Event: NAUS Fall Academic Seminar Date: October (check the website soon for date and time!) Description: The NAUS Fall Academic Seminar is a great chance for exposure to current ongoing research at the University of Toronto. Two experts will talk about exciting new work in their particular fields of neuroscience, with subsequent opportunities for questions. As always, refreshments will be served! More Information: nausuoft.wordpress.com | naus@ utoronto.ca
Event: MSSU Annual Research Seminar Date: October Description: Get a head-start on research! Come out to hear presentations by U of T’s Research Opportunity Office, professors and experienced students regarding available research projects and summer opportunities. More Information: www.facebook.com/mssu.ut Event: NAUS 2nd Annual Undergrad Neuroscience Research Conference Date: November (check the website soon for date and time!) Description: The 2nd Annual Undergraduate Neuroscience Research Conference is an opportunity to learn about exciting advancements and findings from some of the best researchers in Neuroscience. This full-day event consists of a lecture series, a panel discussion, an undergrad poster competition, a workshop, and free food. All students and faculty are welcome. More Information: nausuoft.wordpress.com | naus@ utoronto.ca
Paper Review on Decapitated Planaria Steven Meas
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The other day I encountered a bizarre question, “If all our memories were stripped away and somehow returned to us at a later moment, would we still be the same person?” During our busy student lives, we don’t have much spare time to reflect, but during one of those endless nights when I just couldn’t get to sleep that question spun into a web of thought: Would I still have the same thoughts, beliefs, and feelings, if the new ‘me’ had the same memories? Would
I retain the same skills or would I be facing a complete stranger in the mirror? Unfortunately we as adult humans don’t have the ability to regenerate entire organs, much less the entirety of our heads to test these questions. However, planarian flatworms perform this phenomenon regularly. In an effort to answer the last of the above questions, clearly one entertained by others not just myself, Best & Rubenstein, Corning &
The Interneuron | Issue 1 | September 2013
Community-at-Large John, and McConnel performed a series of experiments with decapitated planaria. They found evidence to suggest that, though decapitated, these planaria were able to recall original training after growing back their heads! Much of this early research had been discredited due to a limited sample size, difficulty in precise reproduction, and a lack of quantitative analysis. However, Shomrat & Levin (2013) of Tufts University, Boston, MA, revived the study using an Automated Training Apparatus (ATA).In short, the ATA is a complex of “Skinner Chambers” proposed to quantitatively characterize anything from curiosity (measured as a tendency for dish exploration) to circadian rhythms (measured as the variability of behavior as a function of daytime) (Blackinston, 2010). According to Shomrat and Blackiston, fully automated experiments have several advantages. For one, it eliminates bias and experimenter effects. It also allows for larger sample sizes in the quantification of behavior and allows for more consistent training circumstances. In the study, Shomrat trained Dugesia japonica for ten to eleven consecutive days in either the ‘familiar condition’, with Petri dishes of a rough-textured floor, or the ‘unfamiliar condition’, with standard, smooth-bottom Petri dishes. The training consisted of feeding planaria in the ATA for one hour with small drops of liver on days one, four, seven, and ten. Once they were starved, the group tested the planaria by shining a strong blue LED light on the site of the liver as an aversive stimulus. If worms ignored the aversive stimulus and fed for three consecutive minutes during a period lasting sixty minutes, they were included in the study (Fig. 1). The worms that were included in the study were decapitated between the auricles and anterior side of the pharynx (Fig. 2) and retrained within the ‘familiar’ environment of rough-textured flooring. Shomrat & Levin (2013) found that worms adopted a ‘savings paradigm’, defined as the ability to train significantly faster in a specific task if trained in this task prior to decapitation. Thus, the familiarized worms displayed shorter ‘feeding latency’ (time needed to retrain) compared to unfamiliarized worms. As a control, they also compared intact worms, and the results were similarly significant. This effect only persisted for those headless fragments tested around fourteen days, which is the time needed for full regeneration of the head. This suggests not only that the brain is required to reproduce this effect but also that memory persists for at least the fourteen days needed to regenerate the brain.
Shomrat & Levin’s findings suggest that plasticity during learning, also known as brain remodeling, and brain regeneration are regulated via epigenetic pathways that determine patterns of self-organization from electrically communicating cells. In the case of planarians, some trace of the memories may be stored outside of the brain. Other theories propose either that the peripheral nervous system (PNS) is the executive manager of this behavior independent of the brain, or that the PNS retrains the new brain, which is assumed to be free of memory traces - akin to neonatal organisms. These alternative explanations are unlikely however, since the whole brain must regenerate before exhibiting this particular learned behavior. Furthermore, the task has been described as a brain-regulated behavior program, too complex for subcellular training. Still, this remarkable study provides evidence for ‘extracranial’ memory storage mechanisms. And as most radical discoveries do, these conclusions give rise to further questions: What evolutionary pressures lead planaria to evolve these mechanisms? Do other organisms have similar storage areas? In the last couple of years there have been cases of supposed memory transference in organ transplant recipients whereby the receiver claims to have ‘inherited’ memories from their donor. This phenomenon has inspired the pseudoscientific theory (in the sense that there are no scientific experiments directly testing this point, just anecdotal evidence) of Body/ Cellular Memory where memories are stored in individual cells. Interestingly, if there is proof that some organisms contain memory storage areas beyond the brain, could they not exist in human organs? In other words, could this study provide evidence of Body/Cellular Memory? Although it may seem like an interesting prospect at first, don’t get too exited. Just as you wouldn’t expect your head to regrow after decapitation, don’t expect to have stored memories in places other than what’s between your ears. Planaria and humans evolutionarily diverged a long time ago. But in the spirit of testing other organisms and with the invention of the ATA, similar studies can be easily conducted for the sake of scientific curiosity.
The Interneuron | Issue 1 | September 2013
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Figure 1. Taken from (Shomrat & Levin, 2013). Illustration of worm regeneration sequence in our protocol conditions of 12 worms / 2ml water in 18°C and constant darkness (not the same worm in each of the panels). Worms were decapitated at the point between the auricles and the anterior side of the pharynx (red arrows). References 1.) Best, J. B., & Rubinstein, I. (1962). Environmental familiarity and feeding in a planarian. Science, 135(3507), 916–918. 2.) Corning, W. C., & John, E. R. (1961). Effect of ribonuclease on retention of conditioned response in regenerated planarians. Science, 134(3487), 1363–1365. 3.) Douglas Blackiton, T. S. C. L. N. C. G. M. L. (2010). A Second-Generation Device for Automated Training and Quantitative Behavior Analyses of Molecularly-Tractable Model Organisms. PLoS ONE, 5(12), e14370. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0014370 4.) McConnell, J. V. (1965). A Manual of psychological experimentation on planarians. Ann Arbor, Mich. Shomrat, T., & Levin, M. (2013). An automated training paradigm reveals long-term memory in planaria and its persistence through head regeneration. The Journal of experimental biology. doi:10.1242/jeb.087809
Figure 2. Taken from (Shomrat & Levin, 2013). Typical exploration/foraging trail during the test. At the start (red arrow) the worms are mainly moving around the edge of the chamber, avoiding the illuminated quadrant (Blue area) containing the liver stain (dashed red circle). In some cases, as in this example, the worm will make more than one, short, enters to the illuminated quadrant with the liver, before making a sharp turn toward the liver stain and initiating feeding.
Artwork by: Andy Cheng Fan The Interneuron | Issue 1 | September 2013
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Artwork by: Allan Turton
Student Spotlight: Samantha Yammine Alina Guna
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The Interneuron will feature a number of interviews with students who have graduated from the HMB Neuroscience program. In this issue, we are excited to feature Samantha Yammine.
A: To start off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? S: My name is Samantha Yammine and I am a UT neuroscience alumnus currently pursuing graduate research in the Department of Molecular Genetics.
Disclaimer: the ideas and sentiments expressed in this piece are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Toronto.
A: Who do you work with and what are you studying in particular? S: I am studying the lineage of the earliest neural stem cells in the mammalian embryo in Derek van der Kooy’s lab. I just finished my first year (that sounds like a long time but
The Interneuron | Issue 1 | September 2013
Community-at-Large it went by quickly!) so the project is still in its early stages. A: What prompted you to go into stem cell research? Did you develop an interest in research or stem cells in particular during your undergrad? S: I felt that I wanted to pursue research in neuroscience before I really even knew what that meant. A lot of my passion for neuroscience research has been fueled by the people around me. For example, I had some peers who were stigmatized for learning difficulties in high school, and this got me really passionate about learning more about how the brain works so I could educate others and reduce this type of discrimination. While this targeted my academic pursuits towards neuroscience, I didn’t feel strongly about any particular research area until my uncle was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. I then became interested in the molecular biology of neurodegenerative diseases in general and ended up doing my HMB400 research project in a lab studying Alzheimer’s. Of course, while studying neurodegeneration, I started reading a lot about the opposite: neuroregeneration. The more I learned about this new exciting topic, the more I fell in love with the basic biology behind neurogenesis and development; that’s where I’m at now. I know this was a bit of a long-winded answer but I just wanted to highlight that two years ago, I didn’t know that I’d be studying this today; I think it’s okay to explore a variety of research interests during undergrad. A: Do you feel the courses you took in your undergrad complement your current research focus and perhaps even directed you towards it? S: I think that my undergraduate courses really provided the opportunity to become acquainted with the different fields of research that encompass neuroscience. I did a lot of reading on the side to learn more about my particular interests and get a sense of the finer details that can’t possibly be covered in a single course. With that said, a lot of the fourth year seminar classes were really great for giving me insight on thinking “like a scientist”, for example CSB435 (Regulatory Networks and Systems in Molecular Biology) and CSB430 (Neurogenesis). These courses were great for emphasizing critical thinking and following the trajectory of research.
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A: If you were to go back and take/retake any classes, what would they be and why? S: I definitely would take computer science and bioinformatics courses because I think they teach skills that can be applied to any career vocation, including any field of research. It’s never too late to learn something new and these topics have a wide variety of online resources, but it would have been beneficial to have taken them in the more
structured, interactive setting that undergrad provides. A: You were very involved in the neuroscience community as an undergraduate, especially in your role as being a Copresident of NAUS in your final year. Do you recommend people get more involved in the social community? And how would this benefit them? S: I mean, I really enjoyed being a part of the NAUS community but everyone has their own preference for social interactions. I recommend they do whatever suits them best. On that same note, I think NAUS does really try to accommodate as many people as possible, so no one should ever feel like they wouldn’t fit in, or that there’s nothing NAUS could offer them. I always looked at NAUS as being whatever the neuroscience undergrads at the time want it to be (all of them, not just the executives!). I loved being a part of NAUS because it helped me meet so many amazing and intelligent people.... and for the free food of course. A: What are your plans for the future, in the context of your career? S: Oh goodness, I don’t think anyone ever likes this question! In an ideal world, I’d stay in academia forever and maybe teach others (one day). I try to keep an open mind and consider alternatives because it’s still pretty early in the game. A: Now, what about some lasting pieces of advice for us undergrads worried about the future and its prospects? Post-undergrad wisdom? S: Haha I don’t want to be too preachy because everyone’s different, but personally I’ve always found it helpful to just keep the big picture in mind. Remember why you wanted to come to U of T, what you find interesting, what can sustain your happiness, and how lucky you are to be at one of the world’s top universities. I’m not saying to forget all your worries; I’ve always tried to just take things as seriously as they need to be taken and not a single bit more. I prefer life to be about more than just grades and lines on a CV, but I think that is easily forgotten during times like midterm season. Also, staying balanced and having other interests and passions outside of school is something that I think becomes particularly important to keep you stable during times of doubt (like after you graduate and start questioning what all the sweat and tears were for or if you’ve made the right decisions).
The Interneuron | Issue 1 | September 2013
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