Sarah Gonzalez
Psychology PhD candidate
Behavioral Neuroscience Major
Sarah is a Psychology PhD candidate at University of California Los Angeles. As a Behavioral Neuroscience major, she studies the interaction between brain and behavior. Her current work in the lab of Dr. Michael Fanselow focuses on the behavioral and biological factors that promote susceptibility versus resilience to the effects of stress. Sarah received her B.S. from Brown University in 2012 and M.A. from UCLA in 2015, and is planning to graduate in early 2021.
professional interests
Susceptibility versus resilience to the effects of stress
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after exposure to traumatic events and produces symptoms that severely impact quality of life including flashbacks, hyperarousal and avoidance of reminders of the traumatic experience. However, not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD, and the factors that promote susceptibility versus resilience to the effects of stress are poorly understood.
Rodent models that capture aspects of human disorders are powerful tools for unraveling the mechanisms of these conditions. In my dissertation work I am utilizing a rodent model of stress exposure that captures several aspects of PTSD to study the behavioral and biological factors that promote susceptibility versus resilience to the effects of stress.
How does stress affect the brain?
