Home Department: undeclared
Mentor: James Dunn (Surgery - Pediatric Surgery)

“Discovering Neurodegenerative Effects of Mechanical Force on the Second Brain: Insights from Hirchsprung Disease”

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is characterized by aganglionic segments in the colon’s terminus, impeding stool movement. In the dilated colon proximal to this segment, stool accumulation exerts pressure on the intestinal wall. The Dunn lab developed a murine model to investigate this intestinal mechanical dilation and its impact on enteric neuronal regeneration. Arshia’s research focuses on the transcriptomics of neural circuits in colon sections experiencing this force in HSCR patients. He aims to identify neurodegenerative mechanosensitive elements through computational analysis of human datasets and in vivo data. His findings aim to reverse engineer a technique for neural regeneration in the enteric nervous system.