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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Kerri Szolusha receives Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience Travel Award

Kerri Szolusha (‘15), a neuroscience major and art therapy minor, was recently named a recipient of the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) Student Travel Award for 2014.

As a recipient, Szolusha is among the top 25 percent of applicants who submitted their research to FUN’s Travel Award review committee.  She will present her work at the upcoming Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington, D.C. and will attend the evening FUN social, where she will be presented funds to cover travel expenses associated with the trip. 

Szolusha’s research examines the role of the endocannabinoid system in the formation and storage of traumatic memories, such as those that lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  She finds that enhancing endocannabinoid function via inhibition of a degradation enzyme (FAAH) disrupts the acquisition of new traumatic memories, but not the consolidation of existing ones.  This may provide insight into a novel treatment modality for anxiety disorders.

Szolusha is the vice president of ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ’s Neuroscience Club.

About the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ

The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.