Student Profile
Aya Kobeissi
[email protected]Department: Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Advisor: Wei-Dong Yao, PhD
Profile:
I received my B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In Dr.
Wei-Dong Yao's lab, I study the neural mechanisms underlying disinhibition and loss of
empathetic behaviors in a C9orf72 mouse model of behavioral variant frontotemporal
dementia (bvFTD). To address our questions, I combine electrophysiology, behavior, and viral-based
circuit manipulations. The goal of this work is to understand the neural circuitry
underlying bvFTD-associated behavioral symptoms and to identify therapeutic targets to
alleviate these symptoms.
Fellowship/Awards
Diana Jacobs Kalman/ American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) Scholarship