Mengwen Zhu

Program: Neurosciences

Current advisor: Adam Kepecs, PhD

Undergraduate university: University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2022

Enrollment year: 2023

Research summary
Neuroimmune circuits that mediate fatigue in endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting approximately 10% of reproductive-age women worldwide. Beyond pain and infertility, many patients experience disabling fatigue, yet the biological mechanisms underlying this symptom remain poorly understood. Our work investigates how endometriotic lesions communicate with the brain to reshape motivational state, with the goal of defining fatigue as a specific neuroimmune consequence of disease rather than a nonspecific byproduct of pain or general sickness. To map this lesion-to-brain pathway, we use integrated behavioral, molecular, imaging, and circuit-mapping approaches to identify how peripheral inflammation is translated into altered motivation. This work aims to reveal mechanistic entry points for treating fatigue as one of the core clinical features of endometriosis.

Graduate publications