This is the lab research description: Depression is a
debilitating disease and affects many women during pregnancy and the postpartum
period. Women who seek help for depression during their perinatal period are
often prescribed antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors (SSRI). Taking SSRIs during pregnancy and postpartum can lead to
adverse effects for the developing child such as an increased risk of being
diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These adverse outcomes may be
due to the imbalance of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is critical for
neurotypical development. In animal models, SSRI use during perinatal
development has been shown to decrease the amount of oxytocin (OT) produced in
the brain. OT plays a critical role in social behavior and may have an
influence on the abnormal pattern of social behavior seen in those with ASD.
Recent studies have found that individuals with ASD display differential brain
activation when viewing social stimuli compared to neurotypical peers. Testing
a rodent model of ASD, the current study aims to investigate the OT cell
activation in response to social and non-social stimuli in animals that have
been exposed to stress during the prenatal period and the SSRI Fluoxetine during
the postpartum period to look for differences in OT cell activation.
Your job is to write a written a statement of why you should be
considered for this research lab, and why you choose to be a part of this
research lab, why it is important for you to be a part of this lab, what can
you bring to the lab, DO NOT TALK ABOUT PAST EXPERIENCE. Lastly how this lab will benefit
your future and what do you plan to do with your future. PLEASE DON’T SAY “BECAUSE
I NEED LAB EXPERIENCE” in the reason why you want to be a part of the lab.
Side note, maybe include in this statement:
·
I am a junior in college, I am trying to get into
this lab with a professor I’ve had all year because she is the first psychology
professor at Lawrence (my college) that believes in me, also she believes in my
ideas and has helped me grown a lot. She doesn’t make me feel like I am stupid
and she is the professor I’ve learned a lot from this year. And I’d love to
keep learning from her.
·
I do not have any lab experience.
·
In the future I’d like to maybe become a
neuropsychologist.