Yash Deo

The American Psychological Association defines depression as a deep-seated illness marked by sadness and loss of interest in activities.  Its impact was deeply felt by Yash Deo when his grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.  Yash then played a significant role in his grandfather’s care, taking on daily responsibilities such as bathing him, changing his clothes, and cooking for him.  This experience piqued Yash’s interest in the psyche/neuro side of science, prompting him to take a psychology course in high school.  There, he was introduced to concepts like neuroplasticity, which reshaped his understanding of the brain’s adaptability quotient.  Motivated by these insights, he pursued a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and worked in Dr. Matthew Cooper’s behavioral neuroscience lab.  His studies and lab work deepened his knowledge of the neurobiological mechanisms behind disorders like depression.  Outside of the classroom, Yash was active in the neuroscience community at the University of Tennessee, serving as a neuroscience ambassador and holding leadership roles in several university neuroscience organizations.  He developed key organizational and team-building skills and launched the Neuro-Tools Series, providing practical neuroscience-based tools on topics such as sleep, focus, and motivation.  These experiences have led Yash to aspire to a career in interventional psychiatry, where he aims to use specialized neuromodulatory techniques like transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to alleviate the burdens of mental and neurological disorders.  His goal is to enable individuals to engage meaningfully with their communities without the constraints of their symptoms; the focus is particularly on treating depressive and anxiety disorders to restore normalcy and joy to their lives.

In his Fulbright-Nehru project, Yash is collaborating with Dr. Rohit Verma at AIIMS New Delhi to evaluate the effectiveness of tDCS versus traditional psychopharmacology in treating anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders.  The research, divided into three phases of preparation, treatment, and analysis, is utilizing advanced techniques like fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy), EEG (electroencephalography), and cognitive testing.  Yash’s extensive lab experience and Dr. Verma’s expertise aim to enhance treatment strategies for severe urban mental health crises.