Michelle Lynch, BS

Michelle is from Centralia, IL and graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where she studied Biology with a medical science concentration, as well as a minor in Chemistry. During her time at SIUE, she participated in stem cell research in the lab of Dr. Amy Winn which aimed to identify the genetic markers required for the regenerative abilities in planarian flatworms. In this lab, Michelle identified uncharacterized, non-conserved genes found in planarian flatworms that are suspected to be involved in regeneration. Through this lab experience, Michelle was excited to find that research offers an environment that encourages her natural curiosity and endless questions of how things work.

For as long as she can remember, Michelle has been very fascinated by the complexity of the human brain.  Broadly, she is interested in studying brain circuitry in various mental conditions (e.g. anxiety, ADHD, and autism). Additionally, she is interested in identifying potential sex differences in these conditions. Her goal is to earn a Ph.D. in neuroscience to further our understanding of how these conditions function to help facilitate innovation towards more effective treatments. In her free time, Michelle enjoys baking, running, hiking, and hanging out with her partner and their three cats

Neuroprep mentor: Meaghan Creed, PhD

The lab of Meaghan Creed strives to answer how pain and addictive drugs alter the function of neural circuits that drives maladaptive behavior. They are investigating the genetic and transcriptional changes in mice that contribute to plasticity in the ventral pallidum (VP) during drug self-administration. Specifically, Michelle is working on spatial transcriptomics to measure gene activity and create an atlas which identifies the cellular heterogeneity in the VP. Their goal is to determine whether oxycodone self-administration induces any transcriptional changes in the VP which contribute to drug seeking behavior.