Home Department: Undeclared
Mentor: Gen Shinozaki (Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences)

“Epigenetics Investigation of Neuroinflammation and Aging in the Context of Post-operative Delirium”

Sofia will be mainly working on two projects, both related to Delirium, a devastating condition among elderly patients that results in significantly reduced mental abilities and awareness. The first project is a clinical study to develop a novel small bispectral electroencephalography (BSEEG) device at the Stanford Hospital, where she will be conducting patient interviews, assessing mental status and recording EEG signals. Additionally, she will be learning how to analyze the collected data. Her second project is an analysis of large-scale genome-wide epigenetic (DNA methylation) data from human subjects using R-programming. She will be in search of promising biomarkers of Delirium. This work is of great importance as it uses novel approaches for detection of Delirium and investigates the pathophysiology of Delirium. Successful outcomes of these projects can lead to better patient care and potential discovery of new treatment for Delirium in future.