Department of Neuroscience
Mentor: Nicola Grissom, Ph.D., Department of Psychology
Project: Sex differences in deep brain stimulation effects on cognitive flexibility
Many individuals experiencing mental illness have difficulty shifting between thoughts or tasks, an ability known as cognitive flexibility. The inability to adapt to new environments or information can be debilitating, and is not improved by medications or cognitive behavioral therapy in up to 20-60% of individuals with neuropsychiatric conditions. Though internal capsule/striatum deep brain stimulation can improve cognitive flexibility in treatment resistant individuals, stimulation efficacy remains variable. In this project, Nic Glewwe aims to understand how sources of individual variability, like sex, affect the ability of electrical deep brain stimulation to improve cognitive flexibility using a mouse model.
