Bruna de Souza is a PhD IPN student in the Watt lab, in the Bellini building of McGill's Life Sciences Complex. Her project, titled Axonal plasticity during cerebellar development, falls under Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives' Research Theme 3—Applied Cognitive Neuroscience of Brain Plasticity.
What inspired you to pursue your current degree?
I've always been amazed by the brain, so I pursued my BSc in Biology. During my undergrad years, I had the opportunity to learn more about neuroscience and how broad and fascinating this field of research is! In my first year, I got a position in a neuroscience lab where I could help with different projects and join scientific discussions. With that experience, I knew I wanted to continue on this path. I started my master's in Neuroscience, during which I worked with an animal model of neurodevelopmental disease and realized I'm more interested in answering basic-science questions rather than disease-related ones. My curiosity for neuroscience only increased, so I decided to pursue a PhD in this area of research and looked for a grad program that could help me attain bigger aims/dreams.
What is your area of research and what are the future implications of your project?
My research area is cerebellar development, and my project aims to study axonal swellings that appear in Purkinje cells during a specific period in cerebellar development. We know that these structures are implicated in motor learning, but we haven't yet identified a clear developmental process or mechanism that is involved in the transient formation of these axonal swellings. As we improve our knowledge about the process, I hope my project will yield more insights into cerebellar development. In the future, we hope to study whether axonal-swelling formation is affected by neurodevelopmental disorders.
What are some challenges that you face as a trainee or in your research? How do you try to overcome them?
One challenge that comes with working in neurodevelopment is that you can't plan too far ahead and have to constantly check in on your mice. As soon as a litter of mice is born, you have to note the exact birthdate and plan your experiments accordingly for the next week or two. In my case, I work with mice between 10 and 14 days old, and sometimes they'll reach that age on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday.
Another challenge is with the science itself! We have a list of several processes that are happening in the cerebellum during the developmental period I study, and these might influence the formation of axonal swellings. My project involves disrupting each one of these processes and seeing if there's an impairment in axonal-swelling formation. As it's not super straight forward, I may end up dealing with negative results or even the problem of two or more different processes affecting axonal swellings. I often have to tease out each influencing variable and the mechanisms involved.
What do you like best about (your) research?
I really like the techniques that I use—usually electrophysiology and imaging. I love to see the cells firing and observe the different firing properties of cerebellar cells. We always study these things on paper, but it's very different when you're the one recording the cell activity. Additionally, since I'm imaging mice of different ages, I love to see how the cerebellum changes between an 11-day-old mouse or younger compared to a 15-day-old mouse or older. We read about how development occurs, but I love looking at my images and being able to confirm that the structures are just as described in the literature: the cells are migrating, dendritic trees are growing, etc.
What non-science activity or hobby do you most enjoy?
I love going to the movies, watching a TV show or reading a book (usually fiction, romance or history). Whenever possible I like to try different coffee places in town. In the winter I like to ice skate, and in the summer I try to enjoy the outdoors. I'm always going for a walk, spending a day in the park and looking for other available outdoor activities.
What accomplishment are you most proud of this year?
I'm really proud of myself for receiving the HBHL Fellowship this year. It shows me that I'm on the right path and that all the dedication I've put in these past years was worth it. But I think I'm most proud of my growth as a neuroscientist. This past year, I've learned more about the equipment that I'm working with, and I'm bringing more insights and ideas for my project. As I'm concluding a few current research aims and starting to work on others, I can see a clear prospective path for my final project.
