I'm preparing to leave for Switzerland on this coming Thursday, May 28, and I'm getting really excited to go! Check out where I"ll be staying at the Foyer Universitaire de Carouge: http://www.foyerdecarouge.ch/maison.html .
It's a home for 10-12 women in the Carouge neighborhood of Geneva. It seems like a great way for me to make friends and to practice my French since there are shared living room areas, shared meals, and Foyer-sponsored daytrips.
At work at the University of Geneva, I'll be helping with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies of unilateral spatial neglect. This is a common neurological problem encountered after a stroke or other brain-injury in which patients often "neglect" an entire half of their bodies. They may report that they can't see objects on one side, only shave or put make-up on one side of their faces, or lose control of an arm or leg on a certain side. In the lab, we'll be investigating nicotine (without cigarettes, of course!) as a possible treatment for this condition. When I first received information about this project, I was surprised to see that nicotine is a possible treatment, but after reading more about it I've learned that it's known to increase levels of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine (ACh). ACh levels are often lower in patients suffering from unilateral spatial neglect, and so, nicotine may be able to help alleviate some symptoms. I'll have more information on the project once I start working, but here's the lab website for a general overview of my laboratory group: http://labnic.unige.ch/nic/htms/vuilleumier.html .
That's all I've got for now. Post comments with anything else you'd like to know!
Regina! I hope your flight and settling in is going well! I miss you already and I can't wait to hear about everything you are doing!
ReplyDeleteGina, I think what you're doing is really terrific! Hope you're settling in well. My question is about the language spoken there. I always thought that German was the predominant language. Do they have one national language or several? I can't wait to follow your adventure on your blog! Take good care of yourself!!
ReplyDeleteActually, Switzerland has four national languages! In Geneva, the dominant language is French, but the other three are German, Italian, and Romansch (a dialect spoken mostly in the mountains). The women at the house where I'm staying speak French (luckily, I know enough to get by), and I'm trying to find Italian language classes so that I can pick up a little before the summer's over.
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