Alex's Project Page

Who:  I am from New Jersey and came to the University of Utah for the ACCESS program, amazing research opportunities and the ability to do outdoor activities. Utah is a great place for outdoor activities. Salt Lake City is beautiful and unique compared to other cities I have visited. I like to hang out with my friends, shop, hike, and ski in my free time.

My scientific/engineering interests:  I became interested in biology after my first  high school biology class. I fell in love with research when I did a small project during the summer of my junior year of high school. It was amazing to get the results and connect it to a bigger picture.

Academic goals:  I am a biology major. My academic goals are to continue working in my ACCESS lab and getting published before graduation. After my undergraduate, I hope to attend graduate school, with the goal of earning a doctoral degree in biology.

Career goals: Ultimately, I hope to work in a lab and become a researcher. 

Bluehead wrasses, Thalassoma bifasciatum, are coral ray-finned fish found in the Caribbean Sea. These wrasses use complex motor behaviors and undergo elaborate color changes to during courtship. Color changes include displaying an opalescent blue-gray body color and darkening of the pectoral fin tips. Researchers have explored the bluehead wrasses courtship behaviors on ecological, behavioral, and endocrine levels. However, research has not been conducted on the neurological regulation level. We hypothesize that the color changes are due to neural responses in certain areas of the wrasses’ brains. To better understand the color changes, we stimulated the regions of the wrasse using glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter. We use a technique called micro iontophoresis in which a negative current in the electrode causes glutamate, an anion, to be expelled from the electrode tip. We successfully stimulated courtship-like responses in the telencephalon and diencephalon, such as darkening pectoral fin tips, darkening body, lightening body, and the head becomes dark blue. Further research must be done to verify the results.

Neurological Exploration of Color Changes in Bluehead Wrasses During Courtship Download Neurological Exploration of Color Changes in Bluehead Wrasses During Courtship