Stress-related mental illnesses like PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder are twice as common in women, but relevant pre-clinical research on the mechanisms of stress and fear has primarily been conducted in male animals. Our work explores the relationships between neural structure and function when both males and females experience aversive events, using behavioral and neuroanatomical techniques to identify sex-specific mechanisms of stress-induced plasticity.
Current projects
Neural circuits in sex-dependent fear responding. Conditioned fear is traditionally measured by freezing behavior, but females will also engage a conditioned escape response, darting. This project uses DREADDs, fluorescent microscopy, and computational tools to define the neural circuitry and behavioral patterns that underlie this novel display of learning.
Endocannabinoid effects on learning. Through traditional pharmacological studies, we have found intriguing sex differences in how the endocannabinoid system can alter memory in standard fear conditioning experiments. This project dives deeper into the potential synaptic mechanisms that mediate these effects, with a focus on novel endocannabinoid actions at the TRPV1 receptor.
Dopaminergic mechanisms of estrous-dependent extinction learning. Female rats maintain extinction memories better when they are at a high-estrogen stage of their estrous cycle. This project investigates the role of the ventral tegmental area in mediating this effect.
