Anna Young, PhD Candidate

My Research Interests lie at the intersection of neuroscience and veterinary medicine. I am fascinated by the movements of small molecules in the nervous system and how they affect brain function and ultimately, behavior. My aim is to better understand such neuromodulatory mechanisms. This research interest serves well my personal passion for shelter medicine, which is a type of veterinary medicine that aims to balance the needs of each animal with the overall health of the herd, without jeopardizing the welfare of either one. My goal is to become an expert veterinary physician and leader responsible for the wellness of abandoned animals. This profession will combine my love of practicing veterinary medicine with the knowledge and skills acquired doing neuroscience research, specifically fundamental information about the biochemical and biophysical bases of behavior, the scientific method, and the collection, analyses, and management.

Brief Bio After being home-schooled throughout high school, I discovered a love for science by taking classes at a local community college. I attended Allegheny College in Meadville, PA and majored in Neuroscience with a minor in Latin American and Caribbean studies. My research project focused on the voltage-gated calcium channel Cav2.2 and its response to conotoxins extracted from the venom of cone snails. We used two-electrode voltage clamp on Xenopus oocytes expressing this channel to determine if the conotoxins might be able to block the channel, which is involved in the pain pathway in the dorsal root ganglia. The overall goal of the project was to discover a more effective pain killer. While in college, I also had the opportunity to study in Ecuador for a semester, when I worked on a dairy farm for several weeks, learning about animal husbandry. After college, I pursued my new found passion for animal care working at an animal hospital, several horse farms, and at an animal shelter before joining UB and the Biochemistry PhD program in teh Fall of 2016, and the Popescu Lab in May of 2017.

My Current Project in the Popescu Lab concerns NMDA receptors containing glycinergic GluN3A subunits. These receptors interest me because they have been only marginally studied, despite their clear importance in brain function and dysfunction. This unusual excitatory glycinergic channel exhibits properties that in most cases are the opposite of those displayed by the conventional glutamatergic NMDA receptors. My research aims to better characterize this channel and obtain information that will help to better understand its role in brain health and disease.