CV

Lauren T. Hewitt 

Education: 

Coronado High School Henderson, NV

Honors Diploma, May 2010

Arizona State University Tempe, AZ

B.S. in Psychology, Minor in Biology, Graduation Date: May 2014

University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX

Neuroscience PhD, Expected Graduation Date: 2022


Research Experience:

Neuroscienceof Memory and Aging Laboratory, Arizona State University

PI: Heather Bimonte-Nelson, PhD

Undergraduate Research Assistant:  August 2010 – May 2014

Neuro-imagingLaboratory, Barrow Neurological Institute

PI: Leslie Baxter, PhD

Research Intern:  December 2011 – December 2013

Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory, Arizona State University

PI: Jason Newbern, PhD

Full-Time Research Assistant:  June 2014 – June 2016

Brain Rhythms in Learning and Memory Laboratory, University of Texas at Austin

PI: Laura Colgin, PhD

Rotating Graduate Student:  January 2017- June 2017

Physiology of Learning and Memory Laboratory, University of Texas at Austin

PI: Darrin Brager, PhD

Graduate Research Assistant:  August 2016- present

Neural Systems and Behavior Course, Marine Biology Laboratory, Woods Hole

Summer 2018


Publications:

Sarah E. Mennenga, Leslie C. Baxter, Itamar S. Grunfeld, Gene A. Brewer, Leona S. Aiken, Elizabeth B. Engler-Chiurazzi, Bryan W. Camp, Jazmin I. Acosta, B. Blair Braden, Keley R. Schaefer, Julia E. Gerson, Courtney N. Lavery, Candy W.S. Tsang, Lauren T. Hewitt, Melissa L. Kingston, Stephanie V. Koebele, K. Jake Patten, B. Hunter Ball, Michael K. McBeath, Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson. Navigating to new frontiers in behavioral neuroscience: Traditional neuropsychological tests predict human performance on a rodent-inspired radial-arm maze. Frontiers in Science, 2014.

RyokoHiroi, Giulia Weyrich, Stephanie V. Koebele, Sarah E. Mennenga, Joshua S.Talboom, Lauren T. Hewitt, CourtneyN. Lavery, Perla Mendoza, Ambra Jordan, Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson. Benefits of hormone therapy estrogens depend on the type of estrogen: 17β-estradiol and conjugated equine estrogens have differential effects on cognitive, anxiety-like, and depressive-like behaviors and increase tryptophanhydroxylase-2 mRNA levels in distinct subregions of the dorsal raphe nucleus. Frontiers in Science, 2016.

Stephanie V. Koebele, Sarah E. Mennenga, Ryoko Hiroi, Alicia M. Quihuis, Lauren T. Hewitt, Mallori Poisson, Loretta P. Mayer, Cheryl A. Dyer, Leona S. Aiken, Laurence Demers, Catherine Carson, Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson. Cognitive Changes Across the Menopause Transition: A Longitudinal Evaluation of the Impact of Age and Ovarian Status on Spatial Memory. Hormones and Behavior, 2016.

Willeman MN, Mennenga SE, Siniard AL, Corneveaux JJ, De Both M,  Hewitt LT, Tsang CWS, Caselli J, Braden BB, Bimonte-Nelson HA, Huentelman MJ. The PKC-β selective inhibitor, Enzastaurin, impairs memory in middle-aged rats. PLoS One, 2018.

Michael C. Holter, Lauren T. Hewitt, Stephanie V. Koebele, Jessica Judd, Christopher Wedwick, Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson, Cheryl D. Conrad, Benjamin G. Neel, Toshiyuki Araki, William D. Snider, Jason M. Newbern. The Noonan Syndrome-linked Raf1 L613V mutation drives increased glial number and alterations in learning. Accepted PLoS Genetics, 2019

Manuscripts in Preparation:

Mennenga, S.E., Gerson, J.E., Koebele, S.V., Lauren T. Hewitt, Jordan, A.S., Mousa, A.A. &Bimonte-Nelson, H.A. Estradiol only improves performance when working memory load is very high: alternative interpretations of poor performance on an easy task.

Mennenga, S.E, Koebele S.V., Lauren T. Hewitt, Hiroi, R., Mendoza, P.K., Lavery, C.N., Weyrich, G., Karber, L.F., Bimonte-Nelson, H.A. The impact of estrogenic hormone therapy on memory in young Sprague-Dawley rats: A comparison of conjugated equine estrogens and 17β-estradiol.


Selected Abstracts:

Lauren Hewitt, Sarah E. Mennenga, Ambra Jordan, Abeer Mousa, Stephanie V. Koebele &Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson. Dose and delivery method impact cognitive effects of ethinyl estradio administration in the surgically menopausal rat. Presented at WASEO/MGE Regional Conference, 2013. Received honorable mention award.

Lauren Hewitt, Sarah E. Mennenga, Stephanie V. Koebele, Courtney N. Lavery, Perla K. Mendoza, Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson. Conjugated equine estrogens impact cognition: effects replicate in the Sprague-Dawley rat. Presented at the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society, 2013.

Mennenga, S.E., Lauren Hewitt, Carson, C., Poisson, M.,& Bimonte-Nelson, H.A.  Thecontraceptive estrogen ethinyl estradiol impairs spatial working memory inyoung adult, ovary-intact rodents. Presented at the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium, 2015

Lauren T. Hewitt, Moreno, Mario;Bjorklund, George; Daniels, Carter; Olive, Foster; Sanabria, Fedrico; Marsh, Steve; Treiman, David; Snider, WD; Newbern, Jason. Hyperactivation of ERK/MAPK signaling in developing GABAergic interneurons promotes increased cortical excitability. Presented at Society for Neuroscience 2015

Michael C. Holter*, Lauren T. Hewitt*, Stephanie V. Koebele, Jessica Judd, Christopher Wedwick, Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson, Cheryl D. Conrad, Benjamin G. Neel, Toshiyuki Araki, William D. Snider, Jason M. Newbern. The Noonan Syndrome-linked Raf1 L613V mutation drives increased glial number and alterations in learning. Presented at Society for Neuroscience, 2016.

G. R. Bjorklund, Lauren T. Hewitt, L. Xing, V. Nikolova, S.S. Moy, W.D. Snider, J.M. Newbern. ERK/MAPK hyperactivation lead to altered corticospinal neuron connectivity and motor learning deficits. Presented at Society for Neuroscience, 2016.

G. R. Bjorklund, Lauren T. Hewitt, Nishimura, K, J.M. Newbern. Hyper activation of ERK/MAPK leads to altered cortical projection neuron outgrowth, reduced activity dependent gene expression, and motor learning deficits. Presented at Society for Neuroscience, 2017.

A.J. Mably, Lauren T. Hewitt, L.L. Colgin. CA2 place cells remap in response to social olfactory stimuli. Presented at Big Questions in Neuroscience, 2017 & Society for Neuroscience, 2018.


Awards, Honors, and Affiliations:

Recipient of the ASU Provost’s Scholarship, May 2010

Arizona State University Deans List Spring 2013, Fall 2013

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, Awarded Spring 2016

Deans Prestigious Fellowship Scholarship, Fall 2017, Fall 2018

Recipient of honorable mention poster presentation at MGE@MSA Conference, February 2013

Member of Western Alliance to Expand Student Opportunity (WAESO), Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013

Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium, 2013-2016

Psi Chi National Honors Society Member, 2013- present

Society for Neuroscience, 2011- present

Arizona State University Theta Omicron Chapter of Sigma Kappa

  • Founding President, January 2012- January 2013
  • Standards Council Senior Representative January 2013- May 2014