Mila Kasalla

Major: Integrative Neuroscience

Biography: Mila Kasalla is a  senior in the Integrative Neuroscience Department, concentrating on Cell and Molecular Neuroscience. In 2022, Kasalla volunteered as a Research Assitant in the Autry Lab at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Their research looked into perifornical area Urocrotin-3 expression, and Urocortin-3 co-expression with glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors during acute stress conditions. Kasalla loves to work with digital design and collages during her free time.

Project Title: Acute Stress and Perifornical Area Urocortin-3 Neurons in the Hypothalamus

Faculty Mentor: Alma Rodenas-Ruano, Department of Integrative Neuroscience

Abstract:

While recent studies have shown that perifornical area (PeFa) neurons from the hypothalamus express Urocortin-3 (Ucn3) and support the importance of glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoid receptors in a stress response, the relevance of Unc3 in this stress response is less understood. Here we show that there is co-localization between mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR) with PeFaUcn3 neurons. Data shows that there was greater MR expression overall, but the control group expressed more MR and the experimental group expressed more GR. The data collected does not reflect any significant changes with GR and MR co-localization in acutely stressed populations of mice. Data collected opens the door to researching potential sex differences in GR and MR expression, as well as the role that chronic stress could play in the colocalization of these corticoid receptors with PeFaUcn3 neurons.