Kaya Zeynep

EDUCATION

College / University

Oberlin College

Highest Degree

Bachelor of Arts

Major Subjects

Neuroscience

Country

Turkey

Lab Experience

Handling and restraining rats; maintaining and evaluating animal records; assisting with stereotaxic neurosurgical procedures, including bilateral cannula implantation and intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS); administering IP and SC injections; extracting rodent brains; conducting behavioral tests on rodents, including Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates (DRL), Forced Swim Test (FST), Open Field Test (OFT), and Elevated Plus Maze (EPM); performing extracellular recordings of crayfish motor nerves using suction electrodes; micropipetting; protein assays; Western blotting; DNA isolation; PCR; gel electrophoresis; immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy; immunohistochemistry; microtome tissue sectioning; ELISA; and DAPI staining in C. elegans

Projects / Research

2025 – 2026: "Investigating the role of D1Rs in sex differences in cocaine-induced impulsivity", Oberlin College, United States
2024 – 2025: "Sex Differences in Drug-Induced Impulsivity: The Selective Blockade of Dopamine and Norepinephrine", Oberlin College, United States

Scholarships / Awards

2022 – 2026:	John F. Oberlin Scholarship
2022 – 2026:	Whitehouse Scholarship
2022 – 2026:	Ann B. Stevens Scholarship
2022 – 2026:	Bonner Scholar Stipend

SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS AND GOALS

What happens in the brain when pleasures like drugs, sex, and rock and roll become problems? I want to investigate the addictive brain and the memory systems. Addiction is considered as a complex neurobiological disorder of maladaptive learning and behavior. Drugs, alcohol, nicotine, sugary food, sex, slot machines, and social media can all hijack the brain’s dopaminergic reward pathway. Thus, I would like to explore: 1. How neuronal dynamics guide addictive behavioral output 2. How circuit-level manipulations might be used to disrupt maladaptive associative memories and prevent addictive behaviours. More broadly, I aim to understand the brain mechanisms behind basic behaviors and gain insights into potential therapeutic approaches for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. I am particularly interested in approaches including memory engram labeling, in vivo two-photon calcium imaging, and optogenetics.