Dr. Prerana Shrestha on “Engineering protein synthesis modulators to understand the neural basis of emotional behaviors”

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Clara Tran

On Tuesday, September 24, 2024, Dr. Prerana Shrestha presented the first lecture of the fall 2024 STEM Speakers Series at the University Libraries.

Dr. Shrestha discussed some key aspects of her research on the molecular basis of emotional behaviors, focusing on how protein synthesis and its regulatory pathways modulate both innate and learned emotional behaviors, how disruption of protein synthesis regulatory pathways can lead to anxiety in neurodevelopmental disorders, and how her lab uses of advanced genetic tools to manipulate protein synthesis in specific neuronal populations for precise control over temporal aspects of protein synthesis.

Students from various STEM disciplines, including neurobiology, biology, computer science, and psychology attended this highly intriguing lecture. After the lecture, Dr. Shrestha fielded questions from students, providing deeper insights into the methodologies and the implications of their research findings.