Currently I am working on my honors thesis in the lab examining the effects of mucosal serotonin (5-HT) signaling in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE), the mouse model of Multiple Sclerosis. 5-HT is a neurotransmitter that initiates, regulates, and modifies GI motility, secretion, and vasodilation and has been noted to be altered in inflammatory diseases. Although Multiple Sclerosis is classified as an inflammatory disease, the implications of 5-HT signaling have yet to be examined. That said, it is the aim of this work to test the hypothesis that there will be an increase in 5-HT expression in the EAE GI tract driven by a decrease in the 5-HT transporter SERT.

Additionally, my project has recently adapted an additional component of examining the possibility that female mice respond to EAE in a similar manner to male mice in terms of GI dysmotility symptoms, as male mice have up until this point been the commonly used model in the lab. This exploration is based off of a recent finding in the lab that showed asymptomatic male mice can still present with GI dysfunction, leading to the hypothesis that female mice, which generally present asymptomatic, might also develop GI dysmotility and therefore could serve as equal models to their male counterparts. Once this work is complete and I have graduated in the spring, it is my plan to continue straight into graduate school in order to obtain a Ph.D. in neuroscience with the ultimate career goal of pursuing research full time."