BHRI Newsletter (Spring 2025)

	Spring 2025
			NEWS
BHRI Research Spotlight  Student Life Study The Student Life Study is a first-of-its-kind project that combines the elements of a giant research study and wellness intervention to promote student health and well-being. Initially funded by the Research & Economic Development GameChanger program and Department of Psychological Sciences, the Student Life Study will follow 10,000 undergraduates to graduation and beyond to better understand how to best promote mental and physical health, academic and job success, and life satisfaction. Cutting-edge methodology allows the project to collect unprecedented mental health data during emerging adulthood (18-25 years of age) – the developmental period with the highest rates of new mental health disorders. Importantly, the technology developed for the Student Life Study also has the potential to do much more than simply collect data – it can also serve as a platform to deliver precision interventions to help meet student needs. Approximately 60% of college students struggle with a mental health condition, 1 in 3 meet criteria for substance abuse, and nearly one-third have an academic disorder that risks their ability to graduate. A recent grant from the State of Ohio (Accelerating testing of smartphone intervention tools, $512,000) allows KSU researchers to develop and refine smartphone-based		interventions to personalize interventions to help combat the mental health crisis found on college campuses. In so doing, the Student Life Study will develop interventions that could be implemented at colleges and universities around the country. Led by Drs. Karin Coifman and John Gunstad, the Student Life Study research team includes more than 40 KSU faculty and more than 50 trainees. More information about the Student Life Study can be found at www.kent.edu/student-life-study or by contacting Dr. Coifman (kcoifman@kent.edu) or Dr. Gunstad (jgunstad@kent.edu) directly. I Promise School Visit Students enjoyed a day of STEM activities during the I Promise School Visit to BHRI BHRI recently welcomed 70 fourth-grade students from the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, for a day of scientific activities. During their visit, the students participated in five neuroscience workshops that used crafts to teach about various brain-controlled activities, including movement and reflexes, emotion, senses, memory and learning.  “The purpose of the visit is to introduce students to potential careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) at an early age, and hopefully spark their interest and excitement in neuroscience in a lasting way,” said Michael Lehman, Ph.D., director of the Brain Health Research Institute.
UltraMicroscope Blaze New, State-of-The-Art Light Sheet Microscope in the BHRI Neuroimaging Collaboratory BHRI recently obtained a new, state-of-the-art light sheet microscope, the UltraMicroscope Blaze from Miltenyi Biotec. The Blaze is an upgrade from the previous light sheet microscope and can produce 3D images of whole, optically cleared rodent brains and other tissues at high resolution. Christopher Carmona, a field applications scientist from Miltenyi Biotec, presented an “Introduction to Light Sheet Microscopy with the UltraMicroscope Blaze” webinar on Jan. 28, 2025. Please use this link to watch the webinar recording: https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/8428526729992811357 BHRI will host a Collaboratory Open House on May 2, 2025, in the ISB Lower Level. The itinerary will include demos of the equipment in the Neuroimaging and Neurocognitive Collaboratories, as well as individual meetings with the researchers. Light refreshments will be provided.		Pilot Grant Program Congratulations to our Gold Award winners! Are tanycytes a source of new hypothalamic neurons after major reproductive milestones? Dr. Joseph Bedont (KSU Biological Sciences) A Liquid Crystalline “Flytrap” for Cancer Cells in the Brain Drs. Clements and E. Hegmann (KSU Biological Sciences) Neural Pathways that Mediate Reduced Motivation During Peripheral Inflammation Dr. John Johnson (KSU Biomedical Sciences) Pilot Study of SOX3 SUMOylation in Glioblastoma: Exploring Post-Translational Modifications and Their Role in Tumor Biology Drs. Dinah Qutob (KSU Biological Sciences) and Adam Underwood (Walsh University Math and Sciences) Advanced Seminars IN Autism Research Collaborative Event BHRI’s Neurodiversity Research Initiative partnered with the Pontifical Catholic University of Parana (PUCPR) for a 3-day hybrid, collaborative seminar on autism research that took place Feb. 12-14. The list of seminar speakers included faculty members from the Pontifical Catholic University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil, and from Kent State University. Researchers discussed contemporary issues in autism and neurodiversity with a focus on cultural components and intercultural learning. Seminar topics included: “College Students with Autism”, “Medical and Therapeutic Considerations”, and “Advocacy and Human Rights”.
AY25-26 Seminar Series October 14 - Yi-Lan Weng, PhD, Assistant Professor, Houston Methodist Research Institute December 2 - Or Shemesh, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh January 20 - Pei-San Tsai, PhD, Professor, University of Colorado Boulder If you have any suggestions for speakers, please email Mary Koch at mekoch@kent.edu.