About Caitlin Aamodt
Caitlin Aamodt is a doctoral candidate in neuroscience at UCLA. Her research interests include behavioral epigenetics, cognitive evolution, and neuropharmacology. In addition to research she also enjoys electronic music, growing plants, practicing yoga, and writing science fiction.

Epigenetic Explanations For Why Cutting Sugar May Make You Feel Smarter

January 23, 2018 Caitlin Aamodt

The beginning of a new year is often a time for setting an intention to build new habits. A foundational goal many people share is to improve their health, which typically includes positive changes in diet. Although most would think of shedding pounds or building muscle as the primary outcome of these changes, it turns out that improvements in cognition are another big benefit to eating clean. To understand why, the key is to think in terms of evolutionary medicine. [more…]

Histone variant H2A.Z underlies inactivation of activity-dependent gene expression in learned behavior

August 23, 2016 Caitlin Aamodt

Over the past decade discoveries about the role of epigenetic mechanisms in learning and memory have changed the way scientists think about cognition 1. The most well characterized to date are histone acetylation and DNA methylation, but more recently discovered epigenetic mechanisms are continuing to shape researchers’ understandings of transcriptional regulation in post-mitotic neurons. Chromatin is made up of nucleosomes, which are 147 base pairs of DNA wrapped around a histone octomer. The canonical histones that organize DNA at the [more…]

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