SCItations

As many of my readers know, I am a graduate student pursuing a PhD in molecular neuroscience. For those that think I'm crazy, maybe I am, but I hope you will feel a little crazy too after hearing a bit more about why I've chosen this path... Unless you are a student of neurophysiology or unlucky enough to have epilepsy you probably have never heard of ion channels. Ion channels are the proteins that control the “electricity” of your nervous system. Just like the components in an electrical circuit (resistors, transistors, capacitors, etc.),   ion channels are tiny elements in the circuitry of your brain. Ion channels switch on and off in precise ways to control when and where bioelectricity flows in your brain (and body).   I didn’t know ion channels existed until 2012 when I took a class in the Hendrix College Psychology department titled “Sensation and Perception.” It was here that I learned how my interaction with the world around me - my sense of taste, smell,