This summer, the Discovery Center for Chronic Pain Recovery welcomed two rising high school juniors as interns: Nadia Napadow Baquero and Norah Shiple. We were thrilled to have Norah join us for the first time, while Nadia returned for her second summer with the Center. Both interns joined the Sclocco Lab and participated in the Talaria Summer Institute, a mentorship program focused on medical and scientific research for high school students of marginalized genders. They each contributed to different studies and, at the end of their internship, presented their research findings in both a presentation and a paper.
Throughout the internship, we had the pleasure of getting to know these incredible young women. Keep reading to learn more about their experiences and contributions!
Nadia Napadow Baquero
Primary mentor/s: Roberta Sclocco, Liz Ayoub, Andy Bolender
Special talent: Crocheting clothing and plushies!
Favorite Spaulding Cafeteria Food: ravioli and bacon cheeseburger
Project: This summer I looked into white matter pathways in the brain and how they may be affected by chronic pain. To do this, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan data from 9 MGH chronic low back pain patients and looked at diffusion transfer imaging (DTI), which allowed us to see the water diffusion through all the white matter tracts. Fractional anisotropy (FA) is measured on a scale of 0-1 and demonstrates how directional the water molecule diffusion is (being healthy when the FA is closer to 1 and more unidirectional, and potentially harmed when the FA is closer to 0 and the water can break through and move in different directions). By looking at these FA metrics, we found four significant white matter pathways: left inferior cerebellar peduncle, left superior cerebellar peduncle, right superior cerebellar peduncle, and right anterior limb of the internal capsule. We then correlated the FA in these four tracts with the patients’ pain ratings, which showed that it is likely that chronic pain impacts and alters brain structure and white matter pathways.
What I learned: I learned so much to be able to understand this topic- from what white matter pathways and FA are, to how they can be affected and what this means. I’m really grateful for the experience, as I was even able to learn how to write a research paper.
What I might want to be when I grow up: There are so many possibilities, but possibly something involving biology or forensics.
Norah Shiple
Primary mentor/s: Roberta Sclocco
Special talent: I have a green thumb!
Favorite Spaulding Cafeteria Food: Deli wraps
Project: Using data already collected by the lab, I analyzed the impact of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on patients with idiopathic gastroparesis, focusing on how it could reduce anxiety and improve symptom severity.
What I learned: I learned that CBT can be useful beyond psychotherapy and can help improve symptoms of conditions like gastroparesis. I also gained experience in analyzing patient outcomes to assess treatment efficacy. Overall, I gained invaluable experience in how research is conducted and how data are analyzed in a lab.
What I might want to be when I grow up: Not sure which specific area but I’m interested in biological engineering!