Correlating Voluntary Exercise with Neural Outcomes of Chronic Stress
By Yanevith Peña '25This summer, I worked on a neuroscience research project in the Maguire Lab at Tufts Medical School (Biomedical Research Division). My research project was focused on the effects of voluntary exercise on habit formation and learning in mice that experienced chronic stress. The chronic stress paradigm was analogous to human experiences of extreme poverty and unstable housing. We wanted to discover whether voluntary exercise (a form of enrichment) would help alleviate the well-established neural outcomes of chronic stress on learning and habit formation.
On top of adding new research skills to my tool belt (sectioning with a cryostat, brain surgery, optogenetics, operant conditioning, working with mice, etc.), I learned so much from the people I worked with this summer. Dr. Jamie Maguire, the PI, and Dr. Kenneth Amaya, my direct mentor, provided me with unwavering support and cared about my growth as a scientist, taking active steps to have conversations and experiences that would help me decide on what I want to do in the future. I also attended career development workshops held by Tufts aiming at increasing diversity in biomedical fields, and the 2023 American Heart Association (AHA) conference in Boston. Overall, I gained a more realistic view on the field, which solidified my aspirations to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience after my time at Bowdoin.
My favorite part of the summer, however, was undoubtedly the connections I made with the other undergraduate students in the lab. Daniela (Dartmouth 24’), Zoe (Tufts 24’), and Maya (Bowdoin 25’), filled my summer experience with warmth, growth, and support for one another. I sincerely hope to cross paths with them again in the future!
Internship funded by the Peter Buck Internship Fund.