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Student Spotlight: Jordan Richardson

Class of 2019

Hometown: Platte City, Missouri

Current research: My current project focuses on discerning the toxicity of Dextromethorphan on the developing brain. Dextromethorphan has recently begun being used clinically as a neuroprotective agent in patients as young as a few weeks old because, at high doses, it blocks NMDA receptors. However, the toxicity of Dextromethorphan has yet to be fully explored for a regimen of repeated high doses. To model the effects of the developing brain, I’m working to determine both short- and long-term toxicity in adolescent mice who receive high doses daily for an extended period of time.

 My thoughts on neuroscience education: I believe that neuroscience education is incredibly important because it gives students the tools to understand the basics of one of the most important biological systems, which is crucial for understanding complex life.

What jump-starts my brain: I am fascinated by the fact that everything that makes us human (thoughts, emotions, consciousness, ethics, free will, etc.) is ultimately derived from sets of chemical reactions in a group of tissue. It’s amazing to think of all the different levels of organization and complexity that go into the process.