His interest in science almost led him to pre-med but his parents pointed out its impracticality, the length of time, the expense. So he studied biomedical engineering and his undergraduate research involved building biomaterials which provided the foundation for the basic sciences and how to make a hypothesis, collect, and analyze data.

“I really love the research process. I love the idea that you could basically think of something, a problem, and go test it in the lab. You have tools and resources. You bring this new knowledge to the world.”

Yassine graduated in 2020 in the middle of Covid when the job market was highly competitive. He saw this position in a neuroscience lab, reached out and the PI contacted him for an interview. During the interview, he realized he had done this kind of activity processing in biomedical engineering and was familiar with the techniques Dr. Rainbo Hultman was proposing. Three months into his post-bac in her lab, he knew what he wanted to do.

“I was like, I want to be in grad school. I want to get a PhD.”

A pioneer in this field, Dr. Hultman used unconventional techniques that also reinforced his decision to stay in neuroscience. Instead of purely using behaviorally driven animal models, Dr. Hultman’s lab uses a novel technique to record activity from different regions of the brain.

“When someone tells you that you’re one of very few people to do something, it kind of makes you want to stay. You're like, whoa, this is a really good opportunity. However long it was going to take, I was going to sit and learn the technique. And the rest is really history.”

His dissertation research focuses on identifying brain regions and neural circuits that contribute to photophobia, a hallmark symptom of migraine. Yassine has worked alongside his advisor to develop a preclinical behavioral testing paradigm that enables simultaneous multi-region brain activity recordings during exposure to bright light following administration of migraine-inducing proteins. These neural recordings are analyzed using machine learning approaches to identify brain regions and communication pathways that are most affected by both the proteins and light exposure. Through this work, Yassine aims to advance understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying migraine and inform the development of future therapeutic strategies.

What have you discovered about the brain that surprises you?

The brain has a negativity bias of 10 to 1, which means it is set up to survive and makes us fear driven. The brain’s main job is to help us survive so it is more likely to perceive something as negative. On the flip side is the brain’s neuroplasticity which means our brains have the ability to change throughout our lives. We are making new neurons, new connections every single day.

And how do we overcome the negative bias?

 By repeating the thing that makes us feel uncomfortable over and over, public speaking a prime example.

Yassine lives the science, overcoming his natural shyness by being involved in his many communities. Outside of the lab, his religion is an important component of his life and that includes being present at the mosque. And joining student organizations. He is the co-president of the Association of Multicultural Scientists, the president of the university Mixed Martial Arts Club and serves on the neuroscience program admissions committee.

In the lab, his research on migraines continues. “It’s like becoming the electricians of the brain. And really finding out where the circuitry is faulty. That’s the grander purpose of my dissertation.”