Zhaolong Adrian Li
Program: Unspecified
Current advisor:
Undergraduate university: Washington University
Research summary
My rotation in Dr Tamara Hershey’s lab focused on characterizing microstrutcural development in the brain’s white matter in Wolfram syndrome. A multicompartmental neuroimaging technique, diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI), allowed for in vivo assessment of myelin integrity, tissue cellularity, and axonal density. Using generalized mixed additive models, I showed that the developmental trajectories of these DBSI-derived tissue properties were different in individuals with and without Wolfram syndrome. This work highlighted developmental hypomyelination with spatial heterogeneity as a prominent phenotype of Wolfram syndrome.
In my other projects, I examined the brain’s structural and functional development as well as mental health and cognition, all as functions of socioeconomic disadvantage and adverse exposome-level exposures. These works have demonstrated both distinct and overlapping links between facets of adversity and brain health, illuminating pathways to support healthy development in youth.
My rotation in the Washington University Neonatal Development Research (WUNDER) Lab, co-led by Drs Christopher Smyser and Cynthia Rogers, focused on assessing associations between prenatal cannabis exposure and neonatal brain structure and function. Comprehensive prospective assessments of substance use via both self-reports and urine drug screens, together with diverse neuroimaging modalities allowed for an in-depth investigation into the neurodevelopmental consequences of cannabis exposure with specificity. Preliminary findings show that prenatal cannabis exposure is associated with altered hippocampal and prefrontal structure, as well as default mode network functional connectivity.
Graduate publications