BIO 159 places students in the position to analyze ongoing research at Miami University in an attempt to teach them about neuroscience as well as introduce them to techniques used in the field. The class also pushes students to frame that research within the broader body of published research. Additionally, students learn how to take that research and convey it to different levels of audiences through presentations. The general area of research that we have been looking at has to deal with the Purkinje neurons located within the cerebellum and how they relate to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Ransdell lab focuses on the excitability of these Purkinje neurons and how their altered function affects or causes behavior of ASD. By knocking out certain genes, the lab can observe the impact they have on motor coordination. Then through the use of electrophysiology, they are able to quantify and measure these effects. Impacts of this research include further understanding of the mechanisms underlying ASD and ASD associated behavior. This could lead to the basis of potential treatments or interventions by exposing a biological foundation off which to build treatments. This research is beneficial to us as students because it increases our knowledge of the field from what is being researched to techniques through which neuroscience research is being conducted. Additionally, as neuroscience students, it is useful to expand our knowledge of the nervous system in general, which this research does by introducing us to very specific cells like Purkinje neurons.
Authors: John Mulrey, Brittany Walterbusch, Grace Runge, Henry Beckett
Faculty Advisor: Joyce Fernandes, Biology
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