Teen stroke patient, returning participant take different paths to work together this summer in UTHealth Houston BRAINS research lab

尼古拉斯·林（Nicholas Lam）开始在他的表演艺术高中的场景店里建造一套，当时他开始感到左臂发麻，麻木的感觉。

林认为这与他的脚“入睡”的感觉相似 - 除了他没有躺在手臂上。他想知道他是否捏着神经。在接下来的45分钟内，肌肉无力开始扩散到Lam身体的整个左侧。

他向学校护士跑了楼梯，后者告诉林的父母将他带到急诊室。在去医院的途中，这位18岁的年轻人的讲话开始荡然无存，左侧的肌肉无力完全发展为偏瘫，这显着限制了Lam移动身体的能力。

“The doctors found a 3-cubic centimeter-sized bleed in my right thalamus – a symmetrical, egg-shaped structure in the middle of the brain – and told me I had an intracerebral hemorrhage that caused a stroke,” Lam said. “The average age of onset for stroke is 65, so I was definitely out of the typical demographic.”

After recovering use of his left side and being discharged from the hospital five days later, and graduating high school the following month, Lam began researching all he could about the kind of stroke he had, wanting to find the best stroke specialists in Houston to help him understand the science behind his experience. Lam’s internet searches pointed him toLouise McCullough，医学博士，博士学位，教授，罗伊·M（Roy M.UTHealth Houston以及Uthealth Houston神经科学的联合导演。

Lam saw that McCullough conducted much of her renowned research in the medical school’s Brain Rejuvenation Aging Inflammation Neurodegeneration Stroke (BRAINS) Research Laboratory, where more than 60 investigators, research scientists, fellows, assistants, and students study stroke, aging, inflammation, recovery, neurodegeneration, and sex differences in these areas. Lam was particularly interested in the BRAINS Lab’s Summer Research Program – an intensive 10-week program in which participants are paired with an experienced scientific mentor and assigned a research project. He cold-emailed program directorMichael E. Maniskas,博士学位，允许他迟到几周。

“When Nicholas first emailed, it was amazing to read his story and how far he had come since his stroke. After a virtual interview to discuss our research and gauge his interest in research, it was evident Nicholas belonged in the BRAINS Summer Program,” said Maniskas, research program manager in the Department of Neurology with McGovern Medical School. “While no specific project was set, Nicholas has had the opportunity to shadow almost every affiliated lab group within the BRAINS Research Lab, allowing him to get a broad overview of stroke research and the science behind each project.”

Over the past several weeks, Lam has shadowed Jack Monday, another recent high school graduate who is participating in the program for the second summer in a row, working under Maniskas.

“We are studying sex differences in the effects of ischemic stroke on middle-aged male and female mice,” said Monday, whose twin sister, Ellie Monday, is participating in a more clinical summer research program at the BRAINS Lab’s biobank. “Nicholas is helping me conduct behavior tests on the mice. From the data we’ve gathered so far, it looks like female mice will have more depressive symptoms, and perform better in behavior tests, following stroke.”

该计划允许周一扩大他的研究技能，从与动物一起工作到实验室中的细胞培养等。beplay苹果手机能用吗最终，他希望产生与中风与脑淀粉样血管病之间关系中的性别差异有关的更具体的问题。

“There’s not really a typical day – I’m shadowing three separate projects, including Jack’s,” Lam said. “From day one, I was immediately thrust into work. In my first week here, I helped collect specimens and learned how to prepare them for cell analysis. With Jack’s project, I haven’t been cleared to touch the mice yet, but I get to observe how Jack performs functional behavioral testing with them and see how all the different machines work. High school just does not prepare you for this.”

Throughout the summer program, students attend a neurology seminar, Journal Club, Grand Rounds, and weekly lab meetings. Sessions are designed to teach the basics of neurology and introduce students to translational neuroscience research. At the end of the program, Monday and other participants will present their findings to the BRAINS Laboratory Research Team, which Lam is looking forward to observing.

“我不会进入药如果不是蜜蜂n for my stroke,” said Lam, who is majoring in theater at Northwestern University in Chicago this fall with plans to attend medical school afterward. “Being a stroke survivor stirred something in me. Going through the BRAINS Lab’s Summer Research Program also helped me understand that there is a myriad of factors that could’ve led to my stroke, and it’s gratifying in a way to see all the different causes and outcomes. It made me more passionate about health access and equity.”

林可能会在芝加哥看到一张熟悉的面孔：星期一，他正在芝加哥大学攻读心理学或神经科学学士学位，或两者兼而有之。长期，星期一希望获得博士学位，并继续研究人脑。beplay苹果手机能用吗

“The BRAINS Lab has allowed me to ask so many questions and learn so much about the research process,” Monday said. “I still have many questions I want to answer regarding the brain, which I hope to do through my undergraduate research.”

Media Inquiries: 713-500-3030