Deepa Ramamurthy, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences, has been awarded a Young Investigator Grant totaling $70,000 from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.
The two-year grants are intended to help early-career scientists who study neurobiological disorders, such as schizophrenia and depression, extend their postdoctoral training or launch independent academic careers.
“I’m grateful to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation for supporting my laboratory’s research at this pivotal stage as I establish my group at UC Riverside,” Ramamurthy said. “This award will allow us to launch a new line of research, extending our work on how attention functions to understanding how it is disrupted in neuropsychiatric conditions.”
Ramamurthy is studying how two types of brain cells, known as VIP and NDNF neurons, may help regulate attention. Located in the brain’s outer layer, these cells can amplify selected sensory signals, potentially playing distinct roles in maintaining focus and shifting attention.
Her lab will conduct experiments in mice to investigate how the neurons function and interact, and how their activity may be disrupted. The research could shed light on the biological mechanisms underlying attention difficulties associated with conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Based in New York City, the foundation is a leading private funder of scientific research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of mental illness.
Ramamurthy earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience at UC Davis in 2018. Before joining the faculty of UC Riverside last year, she was a postdoctoral scholar at UC Berkeley.