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McNair Scholar, 2026
Major: Neuroscience & Behavior and Philosophy
Mentor: Dr. Xuanmao Chen
Research Title: Loss of VLDLR & ApoER2 Alters Circuit-level Neural Activation Patterns in Response to Acute Stress
Abstract: The Reelin receptors ApoER2 and VLDLR, though both activated by the same ligand, perform distinct, non-redundant roles during embryonic neuronal migration: ApoER2 loss disrupts migration of late-born neurons, while VLDLR loss permits neurons to overshoot past their normal stopping point. This divergence persists into adulthood, where ApoER2 supports neuronal survival and synaptic plasticity, while VLDLR's role outside development remains comparatively understudied. Whether this receptor-specific divergence also shapes how the adult brain responds to acute stress at the level of neural circuit activation is unknown. This project will test whether loss of ApoER2 or VLDLR differentially alters neuronal activation across stress-relevant brain regions following acute stress. Wild-type, ApoER2 knockout, and VLDLR knockout mice will undergo an acute, unpredictable footshock stressor, followed by quantification of c-Fos in the hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus at multiple post-stress timepoints. Elevated Plus Maze and Open Field Testing will provide an accompanying behavioral anxiety-like phenotype. This project will clarify whether the receptor divergence established for neuronal migration extends to adult stress-circuit function, with relevance to Reelin's broader role in psychiatric and neurodegenerative disease.
