Bio
I am a neuroscientist with diverse interests in mechanisms of complex behavior, learning and memory, and neuronal physiology. My interdisciplinary approach allows for the investigation of addictive behavior and cognition by examining related mechanisms at the cellular and systems levels. My graduate and postbaccalaureate research training focused on neuropharmacological treatments targeting ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors that regulate working memory, goal-directed behavior, and associative learning in multiple animal models and behavioral tasks. As a postdoctoral fellow, I broadened my skill set to include analysis of ion channel function and synaptic plasticity using whole-cell patch-clamp and extracellular field slice recordings. I also gained expertise in measuring cellular activity In vivo during behavioral tasks as a recipient of an NIH K99 Pathway to Independence award aimed at identifying novel cellular targets that regulate alcohol consumption.
Research Interests
Current funded projects are focused on identifying key neurobiological substrates of addictive behavior, and how these substrates function to promote excessive use and relapse using preclinical models. I am particularly interested in cortical neuroadaptive changes that occur in specific neuronal cell types (e.g. interneurons, primary neurons, etc) following chronic alcohol exposure. Identifying molecular targets within distinct cell types may offer insights into the pathological course of addictive behavior and uncover new therapeutic options for alcohol and substance use disorders.
Techniques in the lab include: Site-directed delivery of viral vectors (stereotaxic surgery, In vivo fiber photometry, whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology, operant and Pavlovian conditioning, measures of consummatory behavior, immunoblotting and gel electrophoresis, histology
