Scholar Profiles
Amy Richardson
2000 - 2001 University Scholar
Mentor: Christiana M. Leonard (College of Medicine)
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
"I entered the USP because I was particularly interested in neuroscience research. I hoped to gain a better understanding of both the human brain and the scientific research process."
Senior mathematics major Amy Richardson will attend optometry school next fall. A graduate of Booker T. Washington High in Pensacola, she credits UF's pre-optometry curriculum with directing her interests toward vision and neuroscience. Richardson has volunteered at numerous community organizations, including Shands Hospital and Gainesville High School. (Photo by John Elderkin)
Research Description:
Can Experience Change the Brain?:
Attempts to Validate an Automated Computer Algorithm
This longitudinal study of normal development examined brain maturation in children. In this study, developmental changes in the amount of white matter were studied using a computer algorithm for image registration that measured changes in signal intensity between two MRI scans by computing a difference image. The subjects in this study included 29 children. Each subject was scanned twice approximately two years apart, (mean age, time 1 = 7.2 years ± 1.14, time 2 = 9.42 years ± 1.26). The aims of this study were to validate and improve the algorithm, to obtain a quantitative index of the developmental changes occurring in the occipital lobes, and to correlate these changes with behavior, age, and cognitive development. The hypothesis of this study was that there would be a simple relation between the developmental changes and the ages and behavior of the subjects. There were two main findings.
1. There was no relationship between brain changes and age
or test score change.
2. The greatest brain changes were found in the children with
the best long-term memory ability.
If these preliminary results can be confirmed, it suggests that experience is associated with brain changes that are visible using structural MRI.
Back to Profiles
Back to the Journal of Undergraduate Research
