Member-only story
Hey there, I’m Ashlea!
WEOC Member Profile: Ashlea A Morgan
Who am I? I’m Ashlea Morgan, neuroscientist, and writer.
As a kid, I started wondering what makes us feel and behave the way we do. Through science classes and outreach programs, I learned that the brain is responsible, and luckily, the brain can be studied!
As a neuroscientist, I’ve now been able to answer some of my childhood questions. Currently, as a doctoral candidate in neurobiology, I study how neural signaling drives our ability to regulate emotions and behave flexibly — i.e. how nerve cells use chemicals to drive our ability to change our minds.
The chemical I study is serotonin. Serotonin is well-known for its role in depression, but I am studying how it’s used in a very particular region of the brain. This area (the medial prefrontal cortex) is vital for higher-order executive functions like anticipating, decision making, regulating emotion, and thinking flexibly. When I say flexible here I mean being able to change thinking to adapt to various environments and situations.
I think my curiosity goes beyond intricate scientific concepts. I wanna know about me. Who am I? Who are you? Who are we?
As a writer, I compose articles, essays, and poems integrating all of my various interests in science…
