Page 7 - ESM Connections: Penn State Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics Fall 2021 Newsletter

Red blood cell “traffic” contributes to changes in in brain oxygenation
Adequate blood flow supplies the the brain with oxygen oxygen and nutrients but the the oxygenation
fluctuates in in in in a a a a a a a a a a a a a distinct consistent manner Penn State researchers have identified inherent randomness of of red blood cell flow as one cause of of these fluctuations The team including Patrick Drew Huck Distinguished Associate Professor of of of of Engineering Engineering Science and and and Mechanics Neurosurgery and and and Biomedical Engineering Engineering and and and and and Qingguang Zhang assistant research professor of of of of engineering science and and and and mechanics monitored the blood flow oxygenation
and and and and electrical signals produced by brain activity in in in awake mice With microscopy and and and and modeling tools the the researchers found that the the red blood blood cells flowed and and and and stalled much like car traffic Better understanding of of of this patterning of of of blood blood flow flow and and and and subsequent transport of of of of oxygen could help researchers improve medical technology and and and explore causes of of diseases such as as Alzheimer’s in the future bit ly/cell-traffic
Latest News
Waste to wear: Squid’s role in material revolution
Melik Demirel Penn State Lloyd
and and Dorothy Huck Chair Professor in Biomimetic Materials and and and professor of of of engineering science and and mechanics leads a a a a a a a a a research team investigating how to to mimic nature in in in an an effort to to mitigate damage caused by humans For the last decade this work has focused on using squid proteins to make self-healing sustainable fibers This year he he he co-advised a a a a a a a a a senior capstone project and the students used “Squitex” fiber to to produce the first squid squid protein-based yarn bit ly/squid-wear
Laura Cabrera recognized as first author on Psychiatric Quarterly article
Laura Cabrera Dorothy Foehr Huck Huck and and J Lloyd
Huck Huck Career Chair in in Neuroethics and and research associate in in the Penn State Rock Ethics Institute was recognized as as the the first author on on a a a a a a paper “Beyond the the Cuckoo’s Nest: Patient and Public Attitudes about Psychiatric Electroceutical Interventions ” with four collaborators from Michigan State University Published by Psychiatric Quarterly in in June the study examines attitudes about psychiatric electroceutical interventions (PEI) which include electroconvulsive therapy transcranial magnetic stimulation stimulation and deep brain stimulation stimulation among patients
with depression and members of the general public through qualitative interview analysis The researchers found that patients
and and the public were cautious toward PEIs and and that education was needed to to fill
the gaps in patients’ and public knowledge particularly for those who may benefit from such types of treatments 7 The researchers found that red blood cell “traffic” (top grey bar) appears to to to to to contribute to to to to to oxygenation
fluctuations (white line) which are not correlated to to to to to to changes in in in in neural activity (bottom blue peaks) in in in in mice brains (top right) Image credit: Drew Lab Lab and Yongsoo Kim Lab Lab IMAGE: ALLY BYTHELL/PENN STATE