Zurina Hassan

Hello I’m Zurina, Senior Lecturer at Centre for Drug Research (CDR), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. I am graduated from University of Manchester, UK with B.Sc. (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences (1999) and completed her M.Sc. (Pharmacy) (2005) and Ph.D. in Physiology at School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2012. In 2013, I was attached to Prof Hans C. Dringenberg at Department of Psychology and Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queens University, Canada in electrophysiology field especially recording brain activity (EEG) and in vivo synaptic plasticity. Recently, I was appointed as Visiting Scientist at National Neuroscience Institute (NNI), Singapore. In CDR, I am leading a team which emphasizes on behaviour neuroscience and striving to be a reference center for those who are planning to participate in behaviour neuroscience in their research. I work as electrophysiologist and behavioural neuroscientists. My research has always been concerned with understanding neural mechanisms of motivation, learning and memory especially in drug addiction and neurodegenerative disease. For the past few years, I have been working very hard to obtain important data with regards to the abuse potential and adverse cognitive effects of mitragynine (Kratom). I have published work in high impact factor journals and presented at various international conferences.