Jacob Buursma, B.S.

Jacob joined the NIAAA Clinical Neuroimaging Research Core (CNIRC) in July 2024 shortly after earning his Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience summa cum laude from Washington State University. During his undergraduate studies, Jacob performed research under the guidance of Dr. Kristen Delevich for three years. His research primarily sought to delineate the long-term effects of chronic cannabis vapor exposure during adolescence on the structure of corticostriatal neurons that underly decision-making, and on cortical microglia, a class of immune cells that play a role in the refinement of neuronal synaptic connections. He also spent a summer developing a novel fiber photometry data analysis approach to investigate the mechanism responsible for the accumulation of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors in the nucleus accumbens core and thereby incubation of cue-induced cocaine craving, with mentorship from Dr. Amanda Wunsch and Dr. Marina Wolf. His preclinical research experience has developed into an interest in the use of neuroimaging, clinical assessment, and genomic data to advance biomarker-based stratified and precision psychiatry approaches for treating addiction. This brought him to CNIRC, where he will be performing studies that aim to improve the understanding of alcohol use disorder and the efficacy of its treatment using MRI, EEG, fNIRS, TMS, genomics, and other clinical modalities. After his fellowship at the NIH, Jacob plans to attend medical school to pursue his goal of becoming a physician-scientist specializing in addiction psychiatry.