Home Department: Biology
Mentor: Boris Heifets (Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine)

“Immunohistological Characterization of the Neuronal Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor in a Novel Transgenic Mouse Model”

Psychedelic drugs show promise for treating depression, PTSD, and anxiety; however, our neurobiological understanding of their action is incomplete. A key barrier to progress has been an inability to visualize which neurons express the key psychedelic receptor, the 5-HT2A receptor. Using a mouse model that has fluorescent 5-HT2A receptor-positive neurons, Kate will be trained to characterize 5-HT2A receptor expression in the whole mouse brain, acquiring experience in rodent handling, microdissection, vibratome sectioning of brain tissue, immunohistochemistry and fluorescence microscopy techniques. This work is important for serotonin neurobiology and may lead to the design of safer, more efficacious psychiatric medicines.