Welcome to the lab, Shang MA! Shang is investigating the contribution of thalamocortical network to auditory processing deficits in Fragile X Syndrome.

We welcome to the lab a whole group of new undergrads this fall!  Kat Dnovan, Aya Moller, and Mahi Patel are all MCB majors. Mahum Rauf is a biochem major. We are excited to have everyone join the lab!

As a Beckman Institute Graduate Fellow,  Guowei Zhang spent the summer working on finding a safe and audiology-friendly anesthesia.  Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) recording is a crucial technique for measuring hearing sensitivity. However, in animal ABRs require anesthesia, which can compromise both survival rates and result accuracy. 

His work focused on testing 5 different anesthesia used in MRIs, ABRs, and animal surgery. He found that Dexmedetomidine is safer than the more traditional xylazine without compromising ABR results like with isofluorane.

As a Beckman Institute Undergraduate Fellow,  Guowei Zhang spent the summer working on finding a safe and audiology-friendly anesthesia.  Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) recording is a crucial technique for measuring hearing sensitivity. However, in animal ABRs require anesthesia, which can compromise both survival rates and result accuracy. 

His work focused on testing 5 different anesthesia used in MRIs, ABRs, and animal surgery. He found that Dexmedetomidine is safer than the more traditional xylazine without compromising ABR results like with isofluorane.

Congratulations to Manasi Inamdar who capped off her 2nd year of graduate school by getting a Randi J. Hagerman Summer Scholars Research Awards from the National Fragile X Foundation. Her summer project focused on determining if auditory sensitivity differences in Fragile X Syndrom (FXS) is the result of cellular-molecular changes.

We welcome to the lab a whole group of new undergrads this summer!  Anand Vellara is a masters student and Brand Kim is majoring in MCB. Rose Olvera and Ethan Hong are both aiming for the Neuroscience major. Imad Mohiuddin joins us from the Psychology department. Burhan Nizamuddin is a major in Brain & Cognitive Sciences. We are excited to have everyone join the lab and look forward to a very productive summer!

It was a busy semester for the Auerbach Lab. On top of another successful Beckman Open House and 4 posters at this year's Undrgraduate Research Symposium, we had several major achievements by our lab members.

Laurel Hart received the C. Ladd Prosser Outstanding Achievement Award from the Molecular & Integrative Physiology for her senior thesis Auditory System Development in a Rat Model of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Auditory. She is graduated with high distinction.

Sarika Kumar was awarded highest distinction with her thesis Investigating the Role of Cochlear Synaptopathy in Hidden Hearing Loss. 

Walker Gauthier is a 2024 Beckman Institute Graduate Fellow.

Xander Cue project on Exploring Protein Expression in the Auditory Cortex of Fragile X and TSC Rats is being funded this summer by an MCB SURF award.  

Guowei Zhang recieved a Beckman Undergraduate Fellowship this summer to look at anesthesia affects on physiological measures of hearing!

A big congratulations to everyone!

We welcome to the lab, Rachel Qui and Kyndal Smolenski! Rachel and Kyndal are both aiming for the new Neuroscience major. We are excited to have both of them join the lab!

The undergrads of the Auerbach lab recently took time off from their finals to present our interactive exhibit "Rat v. human: the ultimate hearing test" at the Robeson Elementary School PTA STEM Night. While we humans still haven't beat the rats, everyone got an oppertunity to be a 'lab rat' and trying their hearing. This hopefully let them see how we can use reaction time to determine how easy to hear or perceive a sound is.

Welcome to the lab, Harry Kennedy and Harika Matukumalli! Harry is a aiming for a Neuroscience major. Harika is an MCB major. We are excited to have both of them join the lab!

Scientist are people too and we have various hobbies here in the Auerbach Lab. Over the summer, Laurel Hart, created an awesome painting called We Search that got Honorable Mention in the MCB deparment's "Life Inspiring" competition. She was the only undergraduate to win, so a big congratulations to her!

This painting pays homage to the collaboration,  instruction, and controlled chaos of a research laboratory. It takes a  village to keep all of the projects at any given time moving smoothly,  and to watch the pieces gradually come together over time is extremely  rewarding. In my time in Dr.  Benjamin Auerbach’s lab, I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of working  alongside such a bright, inspiring team of people. The mentorship I have  received has been integral to my growth as a researcher, and I’m deeply  grateful to my advisers and colleagues for such a valuable experience. Depicted  are several projects I have contributed to, including fluorescence  microscopy and rat behavior assaying. I investigate neuron growth in  models of autism spectrum disorder, and how aberrant development  contributes to sensory processing deficits. This critical link may have  major applications in sensory oversensitivity treatment and quality of  life improvement for individuals with autism. 

- Laurel Hart's Artist Statement

Welcome to the lab, Gebran Hammoud and Guowei Zhang! Gebran is a sophomore with a Mathmatics major. Guowei is a psychology major with an interest in Behavioral Neuroscience. We are excited to have both of them join the lab this semeter.