Sreyas Yennampelli is 
a neuroscientist and a philosopher. At Emory University, he researched the biological basis of various phenomena, from aggression to fatherhood. His background in philosophy reminds him of the implications of his everyday research and the need to combat the stigmatization of patients. During the current academic year, Sreyas has joined one of the few research labs focusing on eating disorders worldwide at Masaryk University’s Faculty of Medicine in Brno. With his colleagues, Sreyas tries to identify the brain regions involved in the development of eating disorders and monitors the results of their treatment. After his Fulbright experience, Sreyas plans to enroll in medical school, and upon earning his medical degree, he hopes to “post about healthy eating habits on social media and counter harmful diets endorsed by influencers. [He also wants] to develop an annual virtual research conference to create a platform for eating disorder researchers worldwide to exchange findings..."
This interview is the 44th part of our Fulbright series to celebrate 30 years of the Fulbright Program in the Czech Republic. Interviews are conducted in cooperation with Ladislav Loukota from the Vědátor platform. Video recordings of all the live interviews are published on our Facebook page on the first Wednesday of every month and are available on our YouTube channel. On Fridays, we offer a written interview version on our blog.
How has your neuroscience and political philosophy background influenced your perspective on health topics?
My science background taught me how neuroscience (and biology more broadly) can contextualize conditions previously written off as just social anomalies. My degree in political philosophy taught me how to think more critically about the stigmatization of health topics and exposed me to policymaking’s role in improving healthcare access to treat the disorders I was learning about in my neuroscience coursework.
Could you elaborate on your research into the neurobiological underpinnings of eating disorders and the specific aspects you're examining during your Fulbright grant at Masaryk University?
My research focuses on two different but interconnected aspects of eating disorders. First, we are looking into whether eating disorder treatment—typically a blend of psychotherapy, medication, and nutrition instruction—improves one’s brain connectivity, cognition, and biochemistry after hospital discharge, as we hope. The second part of my research is involved in determining which brain regions are involved in the body image and emotional distortions that are central to eating disorders. In other words, we are trying to find the neuroscientific causes of eating disorders, and this is significant because the little eating disorder research that currently exists focuses on anthropological and sociological explanations.
What are some challenges you've encountered in your research field, and how have you addressed them?
Being among the first few researchers to explore something is undoubtedly exciting, but this also means that existing protocols and best practices may sometimes be vague or inconsistent. This approach may sound cliche, but I learned that the best way to address this is to truly understand why you are doing something the way you are. For example, understanding the implications of a patient keeping their eyes open or closed during an MRI scan can help alleviate any confusion when there may not be a paved path of steps to follow. Additionally, as someone without a robust background in computer programming, some neuroimaging techniques can be challenging to implement or interpret. However, auditing classes offered at Masaryk University equipped me with the necessary skills to make this more manageable.
What inspired you to apply for a Fulbright grant, and why did you pick the Czech Republic?
Eating disorders are heavily under-researched worldwide, and one of the few labs studying them is in the Czech Republic. Also, as a relatively newer democratic country, the Czech Republic is an opportunity to study the prevalence of eating disorders at an earlier stage since we have seen the rise in the number of eating disorder patients correlate with the recent uptick in Western media and advertising, notably by the fashion industry, in the Czech Republic. Moreover, I was excited to potentially travel throughout Central Europe, and I had heard great things about the connectivity of the buses and trains in the Czech Republic. I knew I would be supported by the American and Czech governments while abroad as a Fulbrighter, so I decided to apply for the grant.
What were the hurdles you encountered when moving to the Czech Republic? What do you wish you knew before the stay?
The biggest hurdle I faced after moving to the Czech Republic was reckoning with the fact that I was so far away from my family and friends. Especially with a time difference of 6+ hours, it became quite challenging to call or message loved ones while navigating our work schedules. However, I wish I knew that I would be able to establish a tight-knit community abroad. I am lucky to stay in a lively city with so many young people from various walks of life. Some of my closest friends here are also international students, and there is no shortage of things to partake in here, from trivia nights to escape rooms. The incredibly low temperatures and winds here were also quite jarring, but I am glad to have at least some experience living in the cold back home in Boston.
What insights have you gained from conducting research in the Czech Republic, and how do they compare to your experiences in the United States?
My biggest takeaways from researching in the Czech Republic center around the importance of support and mentorship. My lab’s PI (principal investigator) created a supportive and welcoming atmosphere that inspires everyone to tackle even daunting research challenges. Moreover, I am forever grateful for the Central European Institute of Technology, or CEITEC, which is located a few buildings away from the clinic where I work—their guidance in helping resolve technical issues and accelerating data processing made it even clearer to me that science is not conducted in a vacuum. Collaboration is integral to science in the Czech Republic, which mirrors my experiences in the United States.
Looking ahead, what are your long-term objectives in neuroscience, and how do you plan to continue contributing to the scientific community?
In the future, I plan to enroll in medical school to become a physician and use the neuroscientific results from this year when developing care plans for eating disorder patients. After earning my medical degree, I strive to post about healthy eating habits on social media and counter harmful diets endorsed by influencers. I also want to develop an annual virtual research conference to create a platform for eating disorder researchers worldwide to exchange findings with each other and with clinicians caring for eating disorder patients.
Our traditional last question: What is the one thing you think everyone on Earth should know about the science you're doing?
Significantly more research is needed in the domain of eating disorders. The continued stigmatization of mental health, paired with the global rise in the number of eating disorder patients, is a call to action. Food is necessary nutrition, and more must be done to ensure it is not perceived as frightening.
