Reynolds

Rowe Researcher: Drug Treatment for Depression

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Shanicka Reynolds
Shanicka Reynolds presenting her research at Frontiers in Undergraduate Research

 

Drug Treatment for Depression: Deprenyl’s Effect on Motivation, Effort and Behavior

2015-2016

Investigator: Shanicka Reynolds

Depression is more than a feeling of sadness. It can progress into a disabling disease that degrades mental, physical, and social health. One of the most debilitating symptoms of depression is a decrease in motivational behavior. Motivational symptoms such as fatigue and anergia are difficult to treat and many of the existing antidepressants do not effectively treat motivational symptoms. This project will focus on the MAO-B inhibitor drug, deprenyl. The goal is to provide a more detailed characterization of the motivational effects of deprenyl through experimentation. Successful increase of motivational behavior using deprenyl will not only benefit patients suffering from depression, but will help patients of various disorders such as Parkinson’s where depression can be a side effect of their disease.

 

2012 Rowe Scholar: Shanicka Reynolds

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Shanicka Reynolds
Shanicka Reynolds (Freshman)

Shanicka Reynolds was born in Queens but has spent most of her life in Bloomfield, Connecticut, where she graduated from Bloomfield High School. She has taken part in UCHC’s Health Career Opportunities Programs, both Junior and Senior Doctors Academy. As a member of the Summer Research Apprentice Program Shanicka dissected over 55 mice in six weeks as she conducted research in Dr. Roger Thrall’s lab on white blood cells in Allergic Airway Diseased Mice.