• 25.12.2025 07:11

First Scientific Steps

Students from the "First Step into Science" scientific club for the first-year medical students at Tula State University visited the Sensory Systems Physiology Laboratory at the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

Igor Vyacheslavovich Bondar, the head of the laboratory, a leading researcher at the institute and Doctor of Biological Sciences, spoke about the team's scientific interests, current research activities, and introduced the students to plans and goals for future experiments.

Researchers at the laboratory study the specific reactions of animal brain neurons to various stimuli. The laboratory has developed and utilized sensor devices—microelectrodes—that are implanted in specific areas of the brain. This signal is analyzed by a neural network program, allowing to make conclusions about the sensitivity of different neurons to various stimuli. Similar microelectrodes can be implanted in the chest of animals to study ECGs and analyze cardiovascular activity depending on changing environmental conditions.

Animal behavior patterns in various situations and the connection between behavioral responses and environmental factors and the individual characteristics of the animal are also being studied.

During the meeting, opportunities for further scientific collaboration between the laboratory and the Tula State University Institute of Medicine were discussed. This interesting experience will help expand the medical students' scientific horizons and motivate them to pursue further research. Photos provided by trip participants.