Brenda Bloodgood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brenda Bloodgood
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of California San Diego, Harvard University |
| Known for | Role of Npas4 in modulating synaptic physiology |
| Awards | 2015 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, 2015 Pew Biomedical Scholar, 2014 Searle Scholar, 2011-2012 Charles A. King Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2010-2011 L’Oreal Fellowship for Women in Science |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neuroscience |
| Institutions | University of California San Diego |
Brenda Bloodgood is an American scientist who studies the brain. She is a professor at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Bloodgood explores how our brains change when we interact with the world around us. She looks at tiny parts of the brain, like cells and molecules, to understand these changes.
Contents
Becoming a Brain Scientist
Early School Days
When Brenda Bloodgood was in high school, she joined a special science program. This program let her ask big questions and create her own science ideas. It made her want to study the brain for her career.
After high school, she went to a community college in California. Later, she transferred to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). There, she earned a degree in Animal Physiology and Neuroscience. While at UCSD, she worked in a lab at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. This was her first experience doing real research.
Advanced Brain Studies
After finishing her first degree in 2001, Dr. Bloodgood continued her studies. She went to Harvard Medical School to get her PhD. At Harvard, she studied how brain cells talk to each other. Her research looked at how signals move through tiny parts of brain cells called dendritic spines. This important work was even published in the famous journal Science.
After her PhD in 2006, she stayed in Boston for more research. She studied a special protein called Npas4. This protein helps control how genes work in brain cells. Dr. Bloodgood found that Npas4 helps arrange connections between brain cells. This can make a brain cell better at gathering information.
Discoveries and Leadership
Starting Her Own Lab
In 2012, Dr. Bloodgood returned to UCSD, where she had studied before. She started her own lab to continue her research on Npas4. Her lab focuses on how Npas4 affects how the brain works. They also study how it influences animal behavior.
Just two years after starting her lab, Dr. Bloodgood received special funding. This funding came from the BRAIN Initiative in 2014. This was a big project started by President Barack Obama to understand the brain.
Leading Brain Research
Dr. Bloodgood also helps lead important groups in brain science. In 2016, she became a co-director of the San Diego Brain Consortium. This group helps scientists work together and share their discoveries. It also helps train new brain researchers.
She is also an advisor for the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind at UCSD. This shows her leadership in the field.
Recent Brain Discoveries
Recently, Dr. Bloodgood's lab made new discoveries about Npas4. They found that Npas4 can be activated in different ways. Even though it's the same protein, these different ways of activating it lead to different effects on genes in brain cells. This means Npas4 is very important for how brain cells work.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Bloodgood has received many awards for her important work:
- 2015 NIH Director's New Innovator Award
- 2015 Pew Biomedical Scholar
- 2014 Searle Scholar
- 2011-2012 Charles A. King Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship
- 2010-2011 L’Oreal Fellowship for Women in Science
- 2009-2010 Dorsett L. Spurgeon Distinguished Research Award
- 2008-2011 Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellowship
- 2007-2008 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award, NS007484- 07
- 2006 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Dissertation Award
