Katarina is a rising senior majoring in neuroscience at UCLA and has been a member of the Portera-Cailliau lab since her sophomore year. Her research focuses on visual deficits in the Fmr1 Knockout (KO) mouse, a mouse model of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). FXS is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability and is strongly linked to autism spectrum disorders. A hallmark of FXS is atypical sensory processing, including altered sensory integration in the visual system. Using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging, the Portera-Cailliau lab has shown that visual deficits in Fmr1 KO mice are associated with reduced orientation selectivity of Pyramidal (Pyr) neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1), suggesting deficits in visual integration. To link circuit-level differences with behavioral deficits, Katarina works with postdoctoral fellow Dr. Irma Tello-García to assess visually guided behavior in Fmr1 KO mice using the Pole Descent Task, a behavioral assay that evaluates depth perception. Through the Amgen Scholars program, Katarina has also gained the unique opportunity to practice cranial window surgeries in preparation for miniaturized two-photon calcium imaging of V1 Pyr neurons during task performance. She will collect and analyze behavioral videos and calcium imaging data to establish a direct link between behavioral deficits in visual perception and circuit dysfunction in FXS. Katarina would like to thank her lab mentors Dr. Irma Tello-García and Dr. Carlos Portera-Cailliau for their continual support and guidance. She would also like to thank the Amgen Foundation for enabling her to pursue this project in depth.