Neurology, Pharmacology, & Poultry | SciShow Talk Show

TL;DR

Dr. Genevieve Lynde discusses her research on how drugs affect cells, specifically focusing on the interaction between drugs and proteins in the brain.

Transcript

hello and welcome to scishow talk show that day on scishow where we talk to interesting people about interesting stuff today we're talking to dr. Genevieve Lynde a science and technology fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of science hello and first congratulations cuz that sounds like it's a fairly new job yes just starting in a... Read More

Key Insights

• 🧠 Dr. Genevieve Lynde's research focuses on understanding how drugs interact with proteins in the brain, specifically the NMDA receptor.
• 🔮 Collaborations with other labs help obtain crystal structures of proteins and perform functional analysis to study these interactions.
• 🥺 Understanding the molecular level interactions can lead to the development of more effective drugs with fewer side effects.
• 😷 Chickens, like the Buff Orpington shown, have played a significant role in research, including medical and developmental studies.
• 😋 Chickens are descendants of dinosaurs and have been domesticated for pest control, food, and entertainment purposes.
• 🪺 Chickens lay eggs, with some breeds specializing in egg-laying.
• 🐔 Chickens can fly for short distances and are agile animals.
• 🤙 Chickens have physiological systems for different types of communication, including alarm calls and soothing talks.
• 👨‍🔬 Electro pharmacology and the study of frog eggs are used in research as tools to understand cellular and molecular processes.

Questions & Answers

Q: Can you explain the field of electro pharmacology and how it is used in your research?

Electro pharmacology is the use of electrical signaling properties as a tool to measure the activation of proteins. In my research, I use this tool to study how drugs interact with proteins in the brain and measure their effects.

Q: How do you study the interaction of drugs and proteins at the molecular level?

We collaborate with other labs to obtain crystal structures of the proteins involved. This allows us to see where the drugs are interacting with the proteins. We then perform functional analysis to understand the effects of these interactions.

Q: What is the NMDA receptor and why is it important in your research?

The NMDA receptor is a neurotransmitter receptor for glutamate. Glutamate is a primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, regulating various functions. Dysfunction of the NMDA receptor is associated with many disease states.

Q: How do you apply your research findings to drug development?

Our research helps us understand how drugs interact with proteins, allowing us to modify drugs to make them more effective or reduce side effects. This early stage research contributes to the drug development process.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Dr. Genevieve Lynde is a neuroscientist who researches the effects of drugs on cells, particularly the interaction between drugs and proteins in the brain.

• She collaborates with other researchers to study the molecular level interactions and functional analysis of these interactions.

• Her research focuses on the NMDA receptor and glutamate, a primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain.