Centre College's Blaine Lewis interns with the University of Cincinnati Center for Imaging Research

Related Media

Blaine Lewis, Centre College senior, analyzing fMRI data at the University of Cincinnati Center for Imaging Research.

DANVILLE, KY (07/24/2013)(readMedia)-- Blaine Lewis of Frankfort, a rising senior at Centre College, is interning this summer with the University of Cincinnati Center for Imaging Research on a study titled "The effects of recreational marijuana and ecstasy use on brain activation during visual-motor associative learning support aberrant learning theories of addiction."

The research theory and experimental design are complex, but the basics involve understanding how recreational use of drugs like ecstasy and marijuana affect associative learning, which occurs when a person learns to associate a particular stimulus with a specific physical response, such as pressing the correct button. This learning happens in conjunction with either positive or negative feedback (in this case, participants being told their action is correct or incorrect).

Lewis explains, "Previous studies have examined the changes of the reward system in the brain using fMRI [functional magnetic resonance imaging], but much less is known about how learning is changed in the brain as a result of drug use.

"So far, it appears that there may be some pivotal changes in brain activation for recreational drug users during our associative learning task," he adds.

Lewis' main research task is to analyze the data that has been collected over the course of several years; specifically, he has been analyzing participant reaction times and number of errors made, as well as learning how to interpret fMRI data. He will also be assisting in writing the manuscript that will be submitted for publication.

Lewis' interest in behavioral neuroscience has been focused and defined by his time at Centre, where he has had multiple opportunities to complete research at a very high level.

"Throughout my short time being involved with research at Centre, I have presented at three conferences, one of which was an actual competition for the Kentucky Psychological Association - my team and I won first place there," he says.

The current opportunity to work at a prestigious research institution like University of Cincinnati only deepens and expands Lewis' experience in the field of neuroscience. He sees this internship as a vital steppingstone in his long-term career plans.

"With the research opportunity that I have procured for the summer, I am one step closer to being accepted into graduate school and obtaining the first Ph.D. my family has ever seen - an honor that I can't even begin to express in words," he says.

Lewis is the son of Lonnie and Ann Lewis of Frankfort and is a graduate of Franklin County High School.

Centre College, founded in 1819, is a nationally ranked liberal arts college in Danville, Ky. Centre hosted its second Vice Presidential Debate on 10.11.12, and remains the smallest college in the smallest town ever to host a general election debate.