Muhammad is an avid reader and chess player. He is in the math club, competes on the chess team, and takes part in trivia quiz bowls. Muhammad would like to become an aeronautical engineer because "the mystery of flight has fascinated me."
When Muhammad received a package of food from a cousin in Australia, he noticed that the containers were marked "No MSG." He learned that MSG is added as a flavor enhancer, but that it is related to glutamate, which plays a role in the brain as a neurotransmitter. At times, glutamate can also act as a neurotoxin and has been implicated in some diseases. Muhammad hypothesized that a steady diet of MSG could impair the performance of mice in routine activities, apparently by causing the death of neurons in the animals.
Muhammad trained 12 mice—6 males and 6 females—to navigate a maze. Then he gave some of the animals MSG in their drinking water and others sugar water. Each mouse was then timed as it navigated the maze periodically over several days. Muhammad found that mice ingesting MSG took significantly longer to complete the maze than the others. He noted that this impairment affects both males and females.
