What as soon as confined Alex Petrucci now compels her as a fall 2022 College of Iowa graduate with a newly-minted Ph.D. in neuroscience with plans to proceed her epilepsy analysis as a postdoctoral pupil on the College of Utah. (Contributed photograph)

IOWA CITY — At age 12, on the cusp of changing into a teen with a cellphone and ambitions of an more and more unbiased existence stuffed with buddies, freedom and PG-13 films, Alex Petrucci one morning climbed into the again seat of her household automobile and located herself transported to a brand new actuality as an alternative of going to highschool.

“I awakened on the ground of the storage and paramedics had been taking me away,” Petrucci, a now 29-year-old College of Iowa doctoral pupil, instructed The Gazette in regards to the morning she had her first seizure whereas in center college in Austin, Texas.

“Think about how horrifying that’s to be on the cusp of feeling such as you’re an ‘grownup’ and you’ll deal with your self to instantly creating a power sickness that makes everyone hover,” she stated.

Assessments revealed Petrucci had developed rolandic epilepsy — a benign pediatric dysfunction she managed for years with medication earlier than finally outgrowing it. Not less than for some time, although, it hindered her.

“I couldn’t even use the toilet alone, academics would have one other pupil comply with me to the restroom,” she stated, recalling being afraid to get her driver’s license till age 18. “So I used to be later than everyone else as a result of I used to be fearful of what would occur.”

Quick ahead a decade, and what as soon as confined Petrucci now compels her as a fall 2022 UI graduate with a newly-minted Ph.D. in neuroscience with plans to proceed her epilepsy analysis as a postdoctoral pupil on the College of Utah.

She has “single-handedly superior using a number of highly effective strategies in our lab,” in keeping with her mentor, Gordon Buchanan, a UI epilepsy professor and affiliate professor of neurology. “She is properly on her solution to making analysis advances to positively have an effect on the lives of sufferers with epilepsy.”

Discovering her path

Petrucci’s ardour developed out of her pursuit six years in the past for connection in an unfamiliar state she’d by no means visited earlier than making use of to UI’s neuroscience program. As soon as in Iowa Metropolis, nonetheless uncertain of what particularly she would examine, Petrucci started volunteering with the native Epilepsy Basis chapter and located herself at a convention the place Buchanan was talking.

He was presenting on “sudden surprising dying in epilepsy” — a topic that each fascinated and frightened her — and the way UI researchers had been learning the situation utilizing animal fashions. As as Petrucci was, she wanted prodding to leap in his path and introduce herself that day.

“The director of the Iowa chapter of the Epilepsy Basis was standing with me and he or she was encouraging me to speak to Gordon,” Petrucci stated. However as she made her means towards him, he obtained as much as depart. “I spotted that was my second. I both needed to let it move or really discuss to him. So I ended him as he was attempting to depart and requested if I might do a rotation. And he stated sure.”

That was fall 2016, and he or she began in his lab weeks later in January 2017 — an area she’s referred to as her analysis and tutorial dwelling for the almost six years since.

Overcoming roadblocks

Exploring the subject that piqued her curiosity that day, Petrucci has spent years learning how, why and what to do to stop folks with epilepsy — who in any other case are wholesome — from dying with out different recognized causes, like an harm or drowning.

Thus far, she stated, care suppliers and scientists can’t predict if or when epilepsy-related sudden dying would possibly happen — that means they’ll’t stop its incidence — making ongoing analysis crucial.

“Over one-third of epilepsy sufferers will proceed to expertise seizures regardless of medical therapy,” Petrucci stated. “This affected person inhabitants is at biggest threat for SUDEP.”

In digging into the issue and threat elements, Petrucci has centered on the drop in mind exercise that happens after seizures, attempting to know why it occurs. Utilizing mouse fashions, she investigated methods to revive regular mind exercise post-seizure.

“It’s a great distance from going to people,” Petrucci stated. “However these are the primary steps we have to take to construct as much as medical utility.”

Among the many largest challenges Petrucci confronted in attempting to unlock these neurological mysteries got here in 2020 — when, like everybody else coping with the pandemic, she skilled an unparalleled interruption — which upended the mouse fashions she’d spent years creating.

“It was horrible for everyone, particularly these of us that work with animals,” she stated. “We actually take care of these animals, from bringing their mother and father collectively and caring for them after they’re infants to utilizing them as adults. So not with the ability to be with the animals for I do not know the way lengthy, it was six or seven months, after which coming again,” she stated, was robust.

However overcoming that impediment added to the problem-solving abilities she already was honing in answering extra conventional scientific questions.

“I feel probably the greatest issues that has occurred to me because of changing into a scientist is studying easy methods to overcome obstacles and troubleshoot roadblocks, settle for failures, use calmness and maintain the thoughts open,” she stated.

Petrucci was amongst greater than 1,800 UI undergraduate, graduate {and professional} college students who earned levels this fall — celebrating at a December graduation.

Vanessa Miller covers increased training for The Gazette.

Feedback: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com