Maria Cristina Velasquez Cobos

Interests

Research

• DPhil research project in...in the group of ...
• Completed a 12-week short project in...
• Completed a 12-week short project in...
  
• Research Assistantship, Albeanu Lab, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, (2016-2018) I investigated whether feedback projections from the Anterior Piriform Cortex (APC) to the mouse olfactory bulb (OB) relay task-contingent information in a go/no-go reversal learning task. I used multi-photon calcium imaging to characterize the dynamics of the APC projections in the OB as well as mitral/tufted cells, the output neurons of the bulb, as head-fixed mice flexibly discriminated between sound and odor stimuli to obtain water rewards. In parallel, I used optogenetic manipulations to inhibit the APC projections to the OB during the task to measure its effect on performance and thus probe their function in the context of the task.
  
• MSc Neuroscience Project, Rihel Lab, University College London, (2014-2015) My project aimed to better characterize how the hypocretin system interacts with other sleep and wake promoting systems to regulate sleep/wake propensity. To study this we combined behavioural, pharmacological, and genetic profiling in larval zebrafish. I compared the dose-dependent effects of sleep or wake promoting drugs on the activity and arousal thresholds of wildtype and hypocretin receptor null zebrafish.
  
• Master of Arts (Hons) Psychology Project, Bowman Lab, University of St Andrews, (2013-2014) The project involved correlating reward-oriented behavior and risk-taking with the number of dopaminergic cells in the ventral tegmental area and the substantia nigra pars compacta in rats. We used a modified Iowa Gambling Task and tyrosine hydroxylase staining.
  
• Research Assistantship, Visual Experience Lab, University of St Andrews, (2013) Explored the mechanisms of multifocal attention in the visual system. During this assistantship I learned about the theory behind human attention and perception, as well as many of the practicalities of running research in this area such as recruiting and communicating with participants, obtaining informed consent, and using an eye-tracker.
  
• Master of Arts Psychology Coursework, (2010-2014) As part of my undergraduate degree I also designed and carried out various experiments involving measures of reaction times, attention, memory, and visual focus, for example. Additionally, I learned to conduct surveys and structured interviews.

Conferences

Publications