A teenager Natasha Kulviwat won $50,000 at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair for her project where she studied brains of those who committed suicide. The 16-year-old spent around 6 months in a laboratory at Columbia University where she studied the brain tissues to investigate if there was something measurable in the brain to explain the phenomenon.
Kulviwat Found 4 Differences
Kulviwat identified four biomarkers in the brains of those who died by suicide. The suicide brains had higher concentration of inflammatory cytokines which are released as a result of body’s natural response to pathogens. The cytokines are also released in the absence of threats during excessive stress which can cause further inflammation.
The Claudin-5
The inflation in the brains restricted the function of claudin-5 protein which plays an important role in regulating the passage of substances from blood to brain. Kulviwat’s project concluded that the elevated levels of claudin-5 can cause toxicity and can interfere with the decisions a human being makes.
