Medicine students’ work published in international science journal

Two students from the University of Exeter Medical School have worked on a scientific paper which has been published in Neuroscience, a well-respected international journal.

Kamuran Akkus, a 2nd year Medicine student, and Aurimas Kudzinskas, a 3rd year Medicine student, were part of a group of students who undertook a 10 week laboratory placement with Dr Asami Oguro-Ando this summer. The pair had no laboratory experience prior to the placement.

Dr Oguro-Ando’s research aims to further our understanding of the molecules, cells and circuits that underlie neurodevelopmental disorders affecting mental health. Kamuran and Aurimas worked as part of Dr Oguro-Ando’s team to research a gene associated with Autism spectrum disorder.

Findings from the paper, CD38 is required for dendritic organisation in visual cortex and hippocampus, suggested that a certain gene called CD38 is implicated in the development of brain areas associated with social behaviour. This type of research is key to expanding our understanding of the brain and behaviour, as well as relatively common conditions such as Autism spectrum disorder, which affects 1 in 100 people in the UK.

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