Student Background/Interests
I received my B.S. in Microbiology in August 2004 from Indiana University-Bloomington.
As an undergraduate, I spent two years working with Dr. Greg Demas, during
which my research focused on analyzing the effects of experimentally-induced
sickness and photoperiod on the feeding behavior of Siberian hamsters
(Phodopus sungorus). I am conducting my first semester rotation with Dr.
Antonio Nunez and am interested in investigating the role played by the
Paraventricular Thalamic Nucleus (PVT) in modulating daily activity patterns
in the diurnal Nile striped grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus). The PVT
has been implicated in the regulation of sleep and wakefulness but little
is known about its specific function in modulating circadian inputs. My
research interests fit into one of the broader goals of the Nunez and
Smale labs: understanding the neuroendocrine pathways responsible for
differences in circadian rhythms between nocturnal and diurnal rodents.
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Alfredo
Durazzo