Week 4: Amelia

This week we were able to practice imaging with the 2P microscope on our first cranial window surgeries, with the intention of imaging to collect data from our experimental mice next week and the week after. I have used 2P microscopes before, but this was my first time doing calcium imaging instead of structural imaging, which was cool to see. We also started working on code to analyze the calcium imaging video data once we have it - this was a new challenge for me, as R is not one of my strong suits. I was also able to tour the TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) clinic that Dr. Liston has, which is in the middle of a clinical trial right now. Patients with treatment-resistant depression come in, and are evaluated by one of the psychiatrists to quantify their symptoms. Then, they are put on one of the TMS protocols, in which they receive the transcranial magnetic stimulation once an hour for several hours, so they spend a lot of time in the clinic. Some patients are on a shorter protocol, in which they come in every day for a week, and some a longer protocol. At the end of their TMS protocol, their depression symptoms are reevaluated by a psychiatrist. Some patients also get their EEG data taken before and after TMS, and getting to see the research grade EEG cap was very cool.