Lifen Htet

I earned my BA with honors in Neuroscience & Behavior, and a minor in philosophy from Mount Holyoke College in May 2024. During my undergraduate studies, I completed a senior honors thesis in the laboratory of Dr. Travis Hodges where I investigated the sex-specific effects and functional connectivity between the nucleus accumbens, dorsal hippocampus, and the amygdala involved in reward-based cognitive bias using rats as the animal model. My results validated that females were more negatively biased in reward-based tasks than males, and I was able to identify the specific brain region involved in those negatively biased decision-making behaviors. As a post baccalaureate scholar in the Maguire lab, I investigate the therapeutic effects of neurosteroids on transgenic mice that mimic postpartum depression-like behaviors. By targeting the δ-subunit of the GABAA receptors, I hope to further understand the neurobiological mechanisms of neurosteroid treatments for postpartum mental health and maternal care.