Ganser Lab Research 

My Master’s thesis involved the use of multiple schedule-one controlled substances such as THC, benzodiazepines, and amphetamines, which required an extensive permit application and review process, meticulous record keeping, and frequent, randomized visits from the Drug Enforcement Agency. In addition, I managed the daily husbandry of multiple mutants of zebrafish (Danio rerio), African Clawed frogs (Xenopus laeveus), axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum), and sea urchins (Echinoidea) for the Ganser, Nowak, and Ensign labs. My experience running the aquatics facility gave me the knowledge I needed to prepare my own IACUC protocol and standard operating procedure for my project using the Mauthner neuron-based c-start response (also called the escape circuit) in Danio rerio as an animal model for hyperekplexia. Hyperekplexia is an infantile disorder of inhibitory neurotransmitters, GABA and glycine, that displays a physical phenotype of active paralysis where the disruption of reciprocal inhibition homeostasis causes opposing muscular contractions. Because the escape circuit has been highly characterized, I was able to use the bandoneon mutant displaying an active paralysis phenotype to quantify via high-speed video the effects of THC on motor malfunction by measuring the time between identified muscular contraction (afferent) and relaxation (efferent) points. Moreover, I was able to examine inhibitory neurotransmitter displacement in the hindbrain of morphologically deformed and preserved mutants. The results from my research contributed to our growing understanding of natural cannabinoids effect on motor function, developmental growth, and the nervous system.