Medical student-mentor teams in research: Anthony Allam and mentor Dr. Dorina Papageorgiou share their experience with SOAR
In this new episode of From the Labs SOAR series, join fourth-year medical student Anthony Allam and his mentor Dr. Dorina Papageorgiou, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and of Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, as they present their experiences with the SOAR program.
You will learn about their research to better understand how the brain adapts after complex neurological injury or disease through the rewiring of brain networks, and how this knowledge can guide future treatment. You also will see how the SOAR experience has shaped Allam’s career in neuroscience and his contributions to potential future therapies.
An important outcome of Allam’s experience in the Papageorgiou lab is the publication of his findings in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
In this proof-of-concept study, Allam and his colleagues explored in healthy subjects whether a new non-invasive brain-training technique called individualized fMRI neuromodulation (iNM) could help people improve their ability to perceive and interpret visual information—especially motion and spatial relationships.
The researchers found that healthy brains could better predict and respond to visual stimuli under iNM. This study suggests that iNM could be used to train the brain to use alternate pathways when primary ones are damaged. The findings are important because they offer a potential new way to restore or preserve visual and spatial abilities in people with cortical blindness (vision loss due to brain damage) or early signs of cognitive decline, as these people often struggle with tasks like reading, driving or navigating spaces. There are currently no effective treatments for these issues. A second publication evaluating the use of iNM in neurorehabilitation is on the works.
The Office of Student Opportunities for Advancement in Research (SOAR) is dedicated to educating and supporting BCM medical students in pursuing research opportunities.
For instance:
- The SOAR database helps faculty and students find matching research projects.
- SOAR provides information on how to complete the NICER attestation form, participate in scientific and medical conferences and learn from the Student Research Educational Resources.
- SOAR Travel Awards are available to support student research presentations at scientific and medical conferences.
Faculty members interested in offering research opportunities to medical students are encouraged to submit their research projects to the SOAR database. Learn how, here.
Students interested in acquiring research experience can search the SOAR database to find projects of interest, here.
For more information, email SOARoffice@bcm.edu
