The use of the liquid scintillation counter and automated set-shifting apparatus for studying the brain

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What kinds of brain abnormalities occur in adulthood as a result of abnormal brain development? How does the brain produce goal-directed behaviour and cognition? Can we use incredibly minute molecules, called nanoparticles, to increase the quantity of drugs reaching the brain? These are some of the questions our team of scientists from Psychiatry, Biology, and Engineering are trying to answer. To help us answer these questions, our laboratories need two instruments: 1) The Liquid Scintillation Counter helps us to study the binding of our natural brain chemicals to proteins found on neurons; 2) The Automated Set-Shifting Apparatus helps us to study cognition. Using these instruments, our labs will be able to study how the brain develops, what sorts of abnormalities can occur from irregular development, what controls cognition and goal-directed behaviour, how new compounds can prevent and reverse brain disorders, and how we can use nanoparticles to decrease the dose and increase the effectiveness of drugs. This research will not only help the public understand how our brains work, but will be especially important to those who suffer from brain disorders. Ultimately, our research will add new knowledge to the field and bring us one step closer to understanding cognition and the proteins behind it.