As the complexities of the adolescent brain have become an increasingly urgent focus, we have found ourselves drawn to the field of neuroscience. The mounting pressures of high school upperclassmen – college applications, standardized tests, and transition to adulthood – have highlighted the importance of understanding how stress impacts mental and physical health. Therefore, we were excited to learn that we had the opportunity to intern at The Wheeler Lab in the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Under Dr. Michael Wheeler, we explored the connections between our mental state and the physical behaviors that result from it, which Dr. Wheeler calls the “mind-body problem.”
When we first started out, our lab partners helped to explain basic practices – like labeling tubes, doing calculations, and cleaning our space – we would perform multiple times throughout the internship. For example, when we were first told that our task would be to label 50 test tubes, we thought that the task was insignificant compared to what our lab partners were completing; however, we quickly found that labeling test tubes accurately and staying organized is crucial in any lab setting. We found that clear, precise labeling helps prevent mix-ups and ensures that samples are correctly identified throughout an experiment. We also learned how to create agar gel plates. These gel plates acted as a host for the growth of bacteria which we used to perform plasmid cloning. This was a process where a favored gene replaced an old gene in a circle of DNA, and then was cloned through bacteria’s ability to multiply rapidly.
Gradually, we gained knowledge of how these tasks contributed to the bigger picture of the lab’s purpose. In experiments, we investigated the physiological and cellular responses of stressed mice. We learned several safe methods scientists use to induce stress in mice. One way was simply restraining mice in small test tubes. This method led to feelings of confinement, which increased stress and anxiety in the mice as well as defecation, which we were responsible for cleaning up. Despite this challenge, the increased fecal output served as a clear indicator of stress. Also, to observe the mice’s individual behavior under stress, we helped construct an elevated plus maze. By analyzing the cellular changes in the mice after being put through these various experiments, we gained insight into how stress impacts their body and brain.
A more complex procedure we ran was the harvesting of immune cells from stressed mice. Our targeted cell type, a kind of immune cell recruited when the mice are put under stress, is most prominent in the mice’s bone marrow. We witnessed our lab partners extracting these cells by first cutting out the leg bones and then washing the femur bone marrow cells out. Once extracted, we isolated the targeted cell type from the cell colony through negative isolation; this meant that instead of targeting the wanted cell directly, we picked out all of the unfavorable substances. To carry out this procedure, we used a process called MACS separation. This consisted of beads with a specific charge connected to antibodies which attached to their corresponding cells (the ones that we did not want) in the bone marrow. Then, we ran the solution through a magnetic filter that binded to these beads, extracted the unwanted substances, and left the targeted cells to trickle through.
Performing the MACS Separation Protocol Closer look at the MACS Separation
Once we were more accustomed to the lab equipment and procedures, we were trusted to perform protocols on our own with less guidance. For example, a process that we ran frequently was called a Mini Prep. This procedure entailed extracting plasmid DNA from bacteria cells that we grew from the agar plates created beforehand. The protocol consisted of lysing the bacteria cells in order to access the DNA, filtering out debris through spin columns in the centrifuge, and finally eluding the DNA out. We also performed Picopure RNA Isolation in which we extracted the RNA from different cells. This procedure gradually became a more independent task for us once we had become more familiar with the steps and ideas of the protocol.
Performing Mini Preps A closer look at the Mini Prep
Through our lab work, we were also taught the importance of teamwork, which challenged our initial perception of laboratory work as a predominantly individualistic endeavor; we discovered that successful experiments rely heavily on collaboration. For example, in most instances, we performed small steps that made up a lab member’s bigger project. As we recognized the importance of teamwork, we became more comfortable with asking our lab mates what they needed help with and felt at ease with whatever task we were given. Not only did we develop a relationship where our lab mates could trust us with tasks vital to their projects, but we also felt extremely comfortable in asking any questions concerning the content of the work itself. By working together, we were able to streamline our processes, ensure accuracy, and achieve our research goals more efficiently.
Interning at The Wheeler Lab was truly an eye-opening and transformative experience. Under the mentorship of Dr. Wheeler, we gained a deeper understanding of the interplay between mental and physical health. Dr. Wheeler’s mentorship, as well as the supportive environment fostered by the entire lab team, has been instrumental in our growth as aspiring scientists. By being present in lab meetings, we observed how researchers work together by sharing knowledge and building on each other’s findings and individual projects, and although there is some level of competition in the science field, we are ultimately working towards the same goal of improvement. We would like to thank Dr. Michael Wheeler, Dr. Jinsu Lee, Dr. Sienna Drake, Lizzie Chung, and Tae Hyun Heo for guiding us through this amazing experience. We would also like to thank Rivers and Mr. Schlenker for making this internship possible.