Research Keywords:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Posttraumatic stress disorder
- Molecular neuroscience
- Behavioral neuroscience
- Psychopharmacology
Research Highlights:
My lab focuses on unraveling the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying affective disorders such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite the global health crisis these disorders cause, the last significant breakthrough in antidepressant development occurred over 50 years ago. This is mainly due to the complexity of the neuronal networks and cell types involved in these disorders. To address this challenge, we apply cell-type-specific approaches to investigate the role of neuronal subpopulations in the pathophysiology of these disorders. We employ advanced techniques to achieve data in a cell-type resolution, including tagged ribosome purification assays, spatial transcriptomics, immunohistochemistry, and slice electrophysiology.
The therapeutic potential of the targets we identify is validated through pharmacological and genetic models and an array of behavioral assays in mice. Additionally, we aim to develop and study novel murine models of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, along with models of innate anxiolytic and protective responses. Through this research, we aspire to uncover new molecular mechanisms contributing to these disorders and potentially pave the way for future therapeutic interventions.