Learning how memories are saved and lost

Mayd Alsalman used to think she wanted to be a doctor or dentist. But neither scratched her itch for deep scientific investigation.

Today, she’s pursing a doctorate in Virginia Tech’s Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, investigating memory disorders in the lab of Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC neuroscientist Shannon Farris. She hopes to add to the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease’s development and early progression and translate her findings to patients in a clinical setting. And she has an eye on going to medical school after all, to become a physician-scientist.

Alsalman’s research earned her a James R. Carter Sr. Memorial Award from the Swing It to End It organization. The $5,000 Carter fellowships support Virginia Tech graduate students conducting promising translational neuroscience research with a faculty mentor at the institute. Annette Carter created the awards to honor and remember her late husband by supporting the study of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The awards are funded through a golf tournament and other charitable events.

“Mayd’s findings opened up new research avenues in my lab,” said Farris, assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. “She is determined, creative, and driven by her desire to impact patients, in particular those suffering from neurodegeneration.”

Mayd talked about her research and why she chose this path.

Would you describe your research focus and current research projects?

I am interested in how memories stored in the brain are lost during aging and disease. My research project focuses on understanding how certain cell types in the brain are uniquely vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease pathology.

Mitochondria play an essential role in not only supplying energy to neurons, but also in supporting proper neuron communication through buffering calcium. My project seeks to understand whether differences in mitochondrial calcium signaling – a known trigger for cell death – plays a role in the development and early progression of Alzheimer’s disease. I am focusing on the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain, which is particularly vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease pathology, with a special interest in the part of it that is the hub for social memories, such as remembering individuals and faces.

What inspired you to pursue this path and what are your career goals?

Understanding the fundamentals of how memory works is essential for identifying therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases. However, in the future, I would like to build on my basic science research and move toward clinical research and/or drug development with the goal of more directly impacting patients’ lives. Memories shape our experiences and who we are, and losing those memories is detrimental to a patient’s identity and to their loved ones.

How are Virginia Tech, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, and this fellowship supporting your work?

Here, I have access to resources from fantastic imaging facilities to an environment that encourages collaborations across labs, providing me with the support to move my research forward. I have also had the opportunity to meet donors and loved ones of those affected with Alzheimer's disease, which further fueled my passion to understand and fill in the gaps in our understanding in how memories in the brain are stored and lost. I am currently working on publishing a manuscript that establishes the basis of this work, and this fellowship will support publication fees in addition to granting me some exposure with experts in the field at neuroscience conferences.