Echoes of Understanding: Exploring Schizophrenia's Ripple Effect on Relationships: A Literature Review

Jordan Pernice, Verrazzano Class of 2025, completed major in Psychology 

My research area was inspired by a deep interest in understanding the correlation between mental health and human relationships. As a psychology major, I’ve always been fascinated by how mental health disorders affect interpersonal connections. Schizophrenia stood out as particularly misunderstood, profoundly impacting to those who have it. My motivation stemmed from a desire to bridge the gap between clinical understanding and human empathy.

Initially, I thought the capstone would be a straightforward academic exercise. In reality, it was much more. It became a journey of discovery, pushing me to question stereotypes, connect with the emotional narratives behind the data, and explore the societal implications of stigma. It was intellectually challenging, but also deeply personal. By the end, I felt like I had not just written a literature review, but had also contributed to promoting understanding and compassion for those impacted by schizophrenia.

I found that confronting the depth of stigma and misinformation surrounding schizophrenia to be deeply challenging. Sifting through dense research articles was tough, but even harder was digesting the emotional toll the disorder takes on individuals and their relationships. At times, the statistics and stories felt overwhelming. However, what came naturally was my passion for the topic. I never doubted my commitment to shedding light on this important issue.

What surprised me the most was how interconnected everything was. This project proved that addressing mental health is not just about discussing treatment, but also about promoting societal change.

This research is only the beginning. I’d love to explore interventions that improve relationship dynamics for individuals with schizophrenia, particularly focusing on romantic relationships, which are often overlooked. Expanding the study to include personal narratives and interviews with individuals and their families could provide richer, more human perspectives. Additionally, exploring cross-cultural differences in how schizophrenia is perceived and managed could highlight areas for global improvement in mental health care and societal support systems.

This experience has been incredibly personal for me. My stepfather’s struggle with schizophrenia was my first glimpse into how this disorder affects not only the individual but also their loved ones. Witnessing his journey, the challenges he faced in maintaining relationships, and the misconceptions he has endured gave me a unique perspective and a deep empathy for those living with mental illness.

Through this research, I’ve come to appreciate the resilience of individuals like my stepfather and their families. I’m walking away with a renewed sense of purpose to advocate for mental health awareness and a commitment to fostering understanding in both my personal and professional life as I continue my journey in psychology.

The Realities of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Kelliann D’Ambrosio, Verrazzano Class of 2025, completed major in English Literature and Writing, and minor in Italian

My capstone was broken into two parts. One of these parts was a collection of poems centered around my experience with OCD, dissociation, and anxiety. This includes, but is not limited to, my day-to-day struggles with intrusive thoughts and verbal tics. My research portion was centered around the argument that there needs to be a shift in the way OCD is viewed within society and within the way it is treated, as there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding surrounding what OCD actually entails.

In order to support this, I looked for research on different treatments, the symptoms associated with OCD, the likelihood of those with OCD to develop a different mental illness, and the experiences of family members for individuals who have OCD.

I identified these areas for my research and poetry because I suffer from OCD myself. I wanted to provide a creative exploration of my personal experience while also including a research component that explored experiences with OCD at large.

I expected this capstone to be difficult and, in that aspect,, I was correct. However, I was unaware how much I was going to learn from this capstone. When writing my poems, I had this idea in mind that I knew exactly what I was going to write and how I was going to write it. Instead, I ended up surprising myself by expressing my experiences with mental illness in ways I had never considered before, whether that be through my language or through the forms I employed.

Regarding my research component, I was surprised that I was truly able to learn about OCD outside the confines of my own experiences. For instance, I was able to find research that supports the effectiveness of family-inclusive therapy. I was also able to learn that those who have OCD can be highly likely to also develop some other type of mental illness, such as depression and anxiety.

If I were to further to expand on this topic within my poetry, I would like to become more experimental and allow myself to further explore forms that I have not worked with before. To further expand on my research component, I would be interested in exploring different methods of OCD treatment. Overall, this research experience has left me with a sounder confidence in my abilities as a poet as well as a desire to explore OCD from a more research-based perspective.

Researching the Advancements of Women in the Workplace from the Early 2000’s – 2024

Allura Surat, Verrazzano Class of 2025, completed major in History and minor in Psychology

When thinking about my capstone, I looked back at two different papers I had written in classes I enjoyed which lead me to my research topic. The first paper was about the gender pay gap in the sports industry and the second paper was with an interview with my mother, and dealt with the impacts of being a nurse during COVID-19.

My mother is my motivation. When thinking about working and what I want to do with my life I always look back at what she had to go through to get to the position she is in now. This heavily influenced my research as I wanted to find out more about not only women in the workplace but nursing specifically.

When I first started my capstone, I was nervous about everything that I was going to have to get done and it felt overwhelming at first. I did not have an idea where I really wanted to start and all of the aspects that I wanted to include. I felt like I had so much information that was not specific enough so I needed to figure out a way in which I could narrow my research but still make it relevant to the broadness of the topic.

Working throughout the process I understood the importance of time management, and I became proud of the work I was doing. All of the hard work I put in was worth it in the end when everything came together.  

I was quite surprised about some new information I was researching, especially in Staten Island since I grew up here. There is so much nursing history in Staten Island that I never really paid too much attention to until I had started doing this research.

I would really like to explore this topic more in the future by not only focusing on Staten Island but other areas or maybe even countries. I could also focus on hospitals in Staten Island and see how things are currently, since there have been new units added, different nursing staff, and improvements on technology.

I was able to obtain a lot of new and useful information when doing this research. It was really an eye opener to see the ways that nursing and women in the work field have made improvements despite there still being many challenges to this day. I was able to look at a profession other than my own and see how others may be impacted compared to myself. I recognized how hard nurses have always worked despite any conditions that they were put in to help their patients to the best of their ability. All in all, this research was an enjoyable learning experience.

The Role of Serotonin 1A Receptors in Neurogenesis in Neonatal Mouse Hippocampus via PKCε Mediated Signaling

Deena Mohsen, Verrazzano Class of 2025, completed major in Psychology and minors in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry

One of my earliest memories from this research project was being in the lab, standing over a plate of tiny wells, trying to find the brain sections at the bottom. They were so thin and delicate I couldn't even tell if anything was there. We were starting the staining process, which meant gently washing the tissue with different solutions, carefully pipetting the liquid out, and repeating that multiple times. I remember being so nervous that I would accidentally suction up the section. Everything had to be done slowly and precisely. That was my first glimpse into how careful this research would have to be.

My project focused on how serotonin 1A receptors influence neurogenesis, the process of generating new neurons in the brain. I studied the dentate gyrus (DG), a region in the hippocampus involved in memory and emotion. In neonatal mice, the DG is still actively producing new neurons. I wanted to understand whether serotonin 1A receptor signaling plays a role in this process, and whether it's connected to a protein called protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε), which supports early brain development.

We used fluorescent staining to label specific cell types. Hoechst stained all nuclei blue, Ki67 labeled dividing cells in red, and DCX highlighted immature neurons in green. Using a confocal microscope, I scanned through the depth of the tissue from top to bottom to capture z-stacks, which allowed us to build 3D images of the DG. The goal was to visualize patterns of neurogenesis and determine how these molecular signals might be involved.

While I could recognize the DG in the tissue fairly quickly, interpreting the imaging was much harder. The microscope produced detailed images full of blue, red, and green-stained cells, but figuring out what those meant, whether cells were dividing, immature, or overlapping, took a lot of trial and error. It wasn't just about getting a picture. It was about understanding what I was looking at and what it revealed about neurogenesis in the brain.

At first, the idea of doing a capstone like this was intimidating. I didn't know how I was going to manage something with so many unfamiliar steps like staining, imaging, and data analysis. But once I started and focused on one step at a time, it became easier. The repetition helped me build confidence, and every small success made the next part less scary. I learned to troubleshoot, stay patient, and adapt when things didn't go as planned.

What I appreciated most about this project was how it brought together all the areas I've studied. I've always been interested in how brain development relates to behavior. This project gave me the chance to explore that connection from a molecular perspective while gaining real lab experience that challenged me in ways I wasn't expecting.

One of the most rewarding parts was seeing a clean, focused image of the DG with clearly stained cells in blue, red, and green, each one representing a piece of the story. After all the hours spent preparing, staining, imaging, and redoing steps, those moments felt like a payoff.

I'm especially grateful to Josie, who worked closely with me in the lab and taught me every step of the process, helping me feel more confident over time. And thank you to my mentor, Dr. Banerjee, for the opportunity to work on this research and for supporting the project throughout the year.

This capstone reminded me that growth doesn't happen all at once. It happens through small steps, constant problem-solving, and showing up even when you're unsure. It taught me how to stay focused, work carefully, and recognize how much I was growing along the way. It's an experience I'll always carry with me.

Investigating c-Fos as a Marker of Neural Activity in Planarians

Matthew Dodge, Verrazzano Class of 2025, completed major in Biology (7-12) and minor in ASL

My research investigated a common model organism known as planaria, a freshwater flatworm known for its regenerative ability and unique structure. It is similar to vertebrates, or organisms with backbones, which is evident through the conserved neurotransmitters, like serotonin and dopamine that is found in humans and planaria. This makes it a viable model organism for researchers to use in their laboratories.

However, little research has been done on the expression of a specific protein in planaria, known as c-Fos. It is produced by an Immediate Early Gene (IEG), meaning it has a rapid and transient production. In science, it is a known neural marker, meaning once the neuron is activated, the c-Fos protein is expressed and is visible under a confocal microscope for specific period of time. This information could be useful for a variety of reasons, including learning and memory research, mental health research, biomedicine, and specifically epilepsy, where neurons are activated and firing uncontrollably. By verifying the presence of c-Fos in planaria, we open the door for laboratories to expand epilepsy research and overcome financial burdens that come with vertebrate research.

Our research began by causing seizures in 20 worms using kainic acid, which activates neurons and causes synchronous, high-frequency firing. At 0 minutes, we killed 5 worms, then fixed them on a microscope slide. At 30, 120, and 240 minutes we repeated these steps. Once all the worms were fixed, we then observed the worms under a confocal microscope. It works similar to an MRI. It takes photos on individual planes of axis to create a high-resolution image that is unblurred by light coming from other angles. For instance, instead of taking a photo of an uncut cucumber, the confocal microscope would cut a thin slice out from the middle, then lay the slice flat and take a photo of it. The microscope will not only show us a 3D visual of the entire Planaria inside out, it will show us the fluorescence of the c-Fos protein. It shows up bright red in photos when present, and darker where it is not as present.

Each photo was analyzed on a software called ImageJ, which allowed me to calculate the amount of fluorescence specifically in the head and body of the flatworm. Once this data was collected, I created two line graphs to visualize the data over the course of 240 minutes. The data showed a temporal expression similar to that of vertebrates in the head. While not perfect, the repetition of this procedure with guidelines and protocols for confocal imaging will help us in the future. However, our data is promising and provides a foundation for the potential use of planaria as a model organism in neuroscience.

I expected this research to be trickier than it was, due to the first attempt being a little less than pleasant. We ran this experiment before measuring c-Fos expression using a Western Blot. This did not turn out as nicely as intended, leading to insufficient data to support our hypothesis. Having repeated the experiment again using a different approach, I am satisfied with the results, and happy with the work I put in.

This research can definitely be improved and implemented to build a strong foundation for the use of planaria as a model organism for neuroscience research. The validation of the presence of c-Fos would eliminate financial burdens caused by vertebrate research and allow for more accessible data. Further research can be done to evaluate the nervous system of planaria and map the areas of the brain firing under different stressors including seizures, chemical exposures, memorization, etc.

Our hypothesis was supported by the presence of a c-Fos-like temporal expression over the course of 240 minutes, specifically peaking at 30 minutes in the head of the planaria. While more research can be done to validate the presence of c-Fos, this lays the groundwork for further neuroscience research using a cheaper, small, and easier to handle model organism. Further research can be done to validate the presence of c-Fos and produce a nicer temporal expression.

This research experience granted me one of a kind access to equipment many students are unable to access. My favorite experience was using the confocal microscope, a one of a kind piece of equipment that takes beautiful images of planaria samples. Working in these settings invigorated my passion for learning. What also motivated me was the history of our school grounds and the Willowbrook State School. As a future New York City school teacher, being aware of the different learning disabilities that may impact your students and responding appropriately is necessary to maintain a safe and positive learning environment.