Final Blog by Rhianna Zhang

As the end of our TRIP together draws to an end, I can confidently say that I have grown so much with my labmates—we’ve really found our wings through our lectures, experiments, and countless yap sessions. I will cherish the skills and friendships that will accompany us for a lifetime and am so grateful for this opportunity.
For my independent project, I studied the efficacy of neuromodulatory electromagnetic field therapy in treating traumatic brain injury. To evaluate the impacts of the treatment and the stressor, I used the negative geotaxis and social space assays to track the flies’ mobility and sociability, which are two significant symptoms of head trauma. As for the electromagnetic field (EMF) therapy, I borrowed a variety of different instruments, including a function generator, solenoids, and a multimeter, to create a device to administer an oscillating EMF at 60 Hz. I exposed the flies to this EMF for 30 minutes a day, 7 days a week. This is meant to recreate the current experimental conditions being used in human trials. The inspiration behind my project idea started with my passion for physics and my desire to pursue an independent project in the field. However, given that TRIP is a program centered around human health, I envisioned a project at an intersection between the two subjects, going beyond traditional medicine to use emerging treatments that use physics to treat injuries.

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The results I received were interesting. First, just as I initially hypothesized, the flies affected by head trauma showed significantly reduced motility as compared to the control group. However, the flies that were exposed to both head trauma and the EMF treatment showed a much smaller decrease in motility, with motility levels almost as high as the control group, showing that EMF therapy was effective in treating traumatic brain injury when it came to motility. However, contrary to my hypothesis, the flies exposed to head trauma actually displayed higher levels of sociability than the control group, and the flies exposed to only EMF therapy displayed even higher levels of sociability than the head trauma group. Finally, the flies exposed to both head trauma and EMF therapy had levels of sociability very similar to the control group. This could indicate that EMF treatment is effective in restoring normal levels of sociability after exposure to head trauma, but that EMF treatment on its own can increase sociability.
As I think about how I will no longer spend every Saturday at William Tennent sorting flies, performing assays, and talking nonstop to my labmates, I’m filled with a sense of bittersweetness. I’m incredibly thankful to the directors Dr. Amanda Purdy and Dr. Theresa Austria, as well as Dr. Silvia Valdes and Dr. Austin Cozzone, our instructors, and lastly Phoebe Ting, our TA, for their patience, insight, and unwavering support. TRIP would not have been the experience it was without them. ​

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