Title of Research Student Researchers Faculty Mentor What are you researching?<\/strong><\/p>\n Jaikaran:<\/strong> The research we are focusing on aims to create a more accurate, specialized MRI brain map for children with chromosome 8p rearrangements. By moving away from standard “one-size-fits-all” brain models, this research provides a precise tool to better understand how brain structure impacts behavior in this unique population.<\/p>\n Why did you choose this topic? Jaikaran:<\/strong> I chose this topic because as a neuroscience major it’s always fascinating to work with brains, especially real-life brain scans. It is super important that we’re able to make a difference on this scale of research. Working alongside the 8P heroes and learning about their brain and their disorder, helps us understand the brain scans and behaviors so we can generate a brain specific atlas for them, as well as more general knowledge.<\/p>\n Lopez:<\/strong> I was given this opportunity by Dr. Wittmeyer. With my main interest being in neuropsychology, I was fully intrigued by getting hands-on experience with the software that was used for this project. This project gives me motivation to develop better skills while helping validate data that could improve diagnostic accuracy for underrepresented populations.<\/p>\n What is the most interesting aspect of this research? <\/strong><\/p>\n Jaikaran:<\/strong> The most interesting aspect of this research is the number of brain scans we can upload to our mapping software and evaluate. Every brain is unique, so it\u2019s always going to be different in every scan. Being able to appreciate the uniqueness of the human body is something I enjoy throughout this research because it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.<\/p>\n Lopez:<\/strong> The most interesting aspect of this project is that we are creating a brain atlas for a condition that lacks research. Normally, most researchers use a ‘standard’ adult brain atlas, which doesn’t accurately reflect the anatomy of someone with 8p rearrangements. Being part of the team that is working to provide a more accurate tool for this rare condition is very rewarding.<\/p>\n What are you hoping to accomplish through this research project? <\/strong><\/p>\n Jaikaran:<\/strong> I am hoping to show that having a brain specific mapping (atlas) is very important for specific disorders (8p chromosomal). I also hope to get a better understanding of 8P and how it affects behaviors of the individuals. I want other researchers and scientists to see our data so they can go based off our findings and grow the knowledge of 8P since it’s very rare.<\/p>\n Lopez:<\/strong> Through this project, I am hoping to gain a better and deeper understanding of genetic variations and brain structure. I also hope to learn the process of MRI segmentation and learn how to identify and correct errors in brain mapping.<\/p>\n Talk about working with your mentor. How have they helped you throughout this experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n Jaikaran:<\/strong> Working with Dr. Wittmeyer has truly been an honor. She is a very understanding and devoted mentor. She really tries to put into perspective how important the work that we’re doing is. Even though there is a lot of troubleshooting, she always finds a way around it! Learning from her and working under her has really opened my eyes to a world of different possibilities when it comes to neuroscience, so I’m very grateful to have a mentor to look up to as I continue the research under her.<\/p>\n Lopez:<\/strong> Dr. Wittmeyer has been a dedicated mentor, providing me with the training and patience I needed when it came to navigating MRI segmentation. She also provided me with the guidance that is necessary to navigate the complexity of my research project.<\/p>\n Hear from the faculty mentor- Dr. Jennifer Wittmeyer <\/strong><\/p>\n “It has truly been an honor to work with Indira and Jesslyn this summer. This project involved an enormous amount of careful, detail-oriented work, as they spent countless hours manually inspecting and correcting low-quality MRI images from children. It’s the kind of task that requires tremendous patience, precision, and perseverance, and they approached it with incredible dedication. Their tenacity, attention to detail, and commitment to producing high-quality work have been essential to the success of the project, and I’ve been continually impressed by the level of responsibility and professionalism they’ve shown throughout the summer.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As part of Elizabethtown College\u2019s Summer Creative Arts and Research Program, Neuroscience students Indira Jaikaran \u201927 and Jesslyn Lopez \u201927 are working to create a unique brain atlas for individuals with a rare genetic condition, contributing to scarce research on the topic. Working with data provided through Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Neuroscience […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":158,"featured_media":22172,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1338,775],"tags":[197,1350,2683],"class_list":["post-22134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics-and-research","category-campus","tag-elizabethtown-college","tag-etown","tag-etown-scarp-series","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/158"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22134"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22222,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22134\/revisions\/22222"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong>Creating a Population Specific Brain Atlas for Children with Chromosomal 8p Rearrangement<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Indira Jaikaran \u201927 (Neuroscience)
\nJesslyn Lopez \u201927 (Neuroscience)<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Jennifer Wittmeyer, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Director<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2026\/07\/55353071224_f739e41d4a_c-200x300.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n