SUMMER STUDENTSHIP
Scholarship gives student fascinating view into
neuroscience research
While other students were mowing lawns during their summer holidays, Nick Mann was
working on "the most interesting summer job I could have 
thought of" thanks to a
University of Canterbury run Summer Student Programme.
Nick was funded by a Canterbury Medical Research Foundation summer scholarship.
"It was incomparably more enjoyable than a usual summer job and I felt good about
keeping my mind sharp," said Nick.
He said he was very happy to be awarded a summer scholarship, worth $4000 over
10 weeks, as it gave him the opportunity to be involved with brain research that he may
never have had the chance to engage in otherwise.
Nick worked with Associate Professor John Dalrymple-Alford (Psychology) and Dr Richard Watts (Physics and Astronomy) at the Van der Veer Institute in Christchurch on a study investigating the brain's activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The study has a particular interest in brain networks that change during the early phase of Alzheimer's disease.
Nick spent a significant amount of time adapting a computer program developed by collaborators in France so that it could be used while subjects were being tested in the fMRI.
"The program needed to be altered in order to increase our chances of looking at the areas of the brain we were interested in," Nick said."We also needed to modify the program so that we could record relevant changes on a second by second basis when someone was in the scanner."
The study aims to identify areas of the brain that are involved in spatial memory because this is a sensitive marker for early memory failure.
While in the fMRI participants wore goggles to look at the computer task Nick helped design. The task involved memorising the locations of specific objects in a virtual reality scene and later identifying the correct location of each object.
Participants had to recognise an object's location when tested from either the same viewpoint from which they initially saw the objects or from a different viewpoint. The "new viewpoint test” places greater demands on spatial memory. Nick compared the parts of the brain that showed either increased or decreased activation in the two conditions.
"I have an increased appreciation for how much work and time goes into conducting a study using neuroimaging. I learned a lot very quickly.
"Being able to help contribute to knowledge in a small way was very satisfying. There is still a lot of headway to be made in understanding memory loss in Alzheimer's disease and it was fantastic to have the opportunity to be involved with research that has potential to help those with Alzheimer's disease."
Currently completing a BA (Hons), Nick hopes to continue his interest in neuroscience. "It was fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it further stimulated my interest in this area."
