A Day in the Life of a Neuroscience student: from brain fog to brain freeze

A Day in the Life of a Neuroscience student: from brain fog to brain freeze

?"Neuroscience!? Wow! That’s so?fancy! How do you do it?"?

?I never really know how to respond to that, especially when the first thing that runs through my mind is my?7 AM?alarm?I killed?with a single tap?this morning to?stop?my brain from?thinking about the?long?day ahead.?

As a second-year neuroscience student, I am often asked why I chose to study it. It’s a great question – one that I had trouble answering myself when I was first considering my degree choice. Neuroscience is a broad term that can refer to the study of any number of topics?within the brain and the central nervous system:?from the brain freeze you get after eating ice cream too fast, to the cognitive fog that accompanies conditions such as depression and anxiety. I’m a neuroscience student, and I love it. My days are long, but they’re never boring. I’m constantly learning new things, and I’m surrounded by people who are just as passionate as I am. If you’re thinking about studying neuroscience, or you’re just curious about what it’s like, then read on!?

My Morning Routine?

7:00AM:?Wake up, time to head off to the gym. I don’t go every day, but?conveniently?on the day I chose to log everything,?I did!

8:30AM:?Head back home. If I don't have anything on campus in the morning, my sense of urgency dissipates so it's harder to hop straight into the shower before post-workout sluggishness hits.

9:00AM:?Once I'm ready I'll head over to my desk and start my lectures for the day. My faculty has adopted a 'hybrid' learning approach, which means?all?my lectures are pre-recorded, but we have weekly 'workshops' on campus to consolidate the content studied. I also have lab sessions - these can last anywhere?from 3-6 hours. I try to head over to the university library but the torrential rain this week?means?it's?easily defeated by?the comfort of my room.?

An afternoon of mouse brains, fluorescent?dyes,?and negotiations

12:00PM:?Lunch.?It's a particularly quiet day today. On other days I might have a workshop?during?this period.?In another one I had this?week;?we were looking at the challenges of targeting a particular pain receptor as a drug to treat chronic pain.?I also get to ‘minor’ in other modules outside of Neuroscience. I’m currently taking a?Business?module on organizational psychology, so,?kind of the brain, but?not?really.?

2PM:?Lab! Our current practical is looking at neurogenesis (the process by which new neurones are formed in the brain). The aim is to take a well-studied part of the brain important in forming new neurones and?see?if this region is affected in a mouse model of human epilepsy. We do this by staining the brain slices to localise a marker that reveals recently divided cells (think:?mitosis) using a process called immunohistochemistry. The antibodies we use have something called a fluorophore?bound to it, which, if done correctly, will fluoresce?bright?colours (often red,?green?or blue) under the microscope. If you've ever seen microscope pictures of the brain and wonder how it looks so colourful - this is normally what we do.?This practical was particularly interesting because the mouse model we're using has never (publicly) been studied, so anything we find out is new to the world!?

4:30PM:?After my lab, I had a meeting with some other students and my programme leaders relating to some course concerns my cohort had. I'm also the course representative for my year,?and?in this role,?I act as a middleman between students and the school to ensure everyone is happy with the?degree and?negotiate improvements that could be made.?

Breaking news:?Neuroscience student?still?hasn’t cured procrastination

6:00PM-10:00PM:?I finally head back home. I can't recall too much in this 4-hour window, because it clearly wasn't spent on doing things my brain deemed important enough to store?in?my?long-term?memory.?I should've been making a start?on?my lab report - but as I write this?post,?it's?looking very, very blank. Besides, it would be an inaccurate?‘day in the life’?if I?lied. I caught up with my housemates, went into my room and mindlessly scrolled on TikTok for a few hours. Eventually,?I remembered the concept of eating so?I made dinner and got into bed.?

That's the end of my day!

What are the benefits of studying?Neuroscience?

?The pros of studying neuroscience are many. First and foremost, Neuroscience provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the human mind and its workings.?The problem-solving and analytical skills you gain can be applied in many fields outside of the degree. On top of this,?frequent exposure to challenges in mental health typically fosters?a?passion?for?investigations?into novel therapeutics. This can be anything from depression to Alzheimer's disease;?and as neuroscience students,?we're constantly at the forefront of research.?

Why did I choose to study Neuroscience at University?

During my A-Levels, I completed an extended project on new pharmacotherapies for treating post-traumatic stress disorder using novel compounds. At the time of completion, there was only 1 organisation in the world permitted to study these drugs in clinical trials, which had received a clinical hold. Now, this organisation is in the final stages of its 36-year campaign to obtain FDA approval! It was this project I worked on?that really sold me to commit 3-4 years of my life (and mounting student debt) to Neuroscience. 2 years in, I love being a neuroscience student, and I’m grateful for every day that I get to spend learning about this fascinating discipline. Studying neuroscience can be a rewarding experience, but it also comes with its fair share of challenges – the workload is intense, and it takes a lot of time and effort to master all the material. But it’s worth it. The people I meet and the things I learn make it all worthwhile.?