Psychiatry Neuroscientists and Lab Links
Focus: Setting up gene methodologies (viral vectors) in animals as a neuroscience tool and potential gene therapy for rare childhood neurological disorders; interested in animal models of chronic pain
Focus: Investigating the development, function, and dysfunction of ascending touch and pain pathways
Key Publication: Choi S, et al. Parallel ascending spinal pathways for affective touch and pain. Nature. 2020;587(7833):258-63.
Most Recent Publication: Zhang D, Turecek J, Choi S, et al. C-LTMRs evoke wet dog shakes via the spinoparabrachial pathway. Science. 2024;386(6722):686-92.
Focus: Combining tools from cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry & developmental psychology to elucidate the brain circuits and mechanisms supporting language & cognition in humans
Key Publication: Wang B, LeBel A, D'Mello AM. Ignoring the cerebellum is hindering progress in neuroscience. Trends Cogn Sci. 2025;29(4):318-30.
Most Recent Publication: Casto C, Poliak M, Tuckute G, Small H, Sherlock P, Wolna A, Lipkin B, D'Mello AM, et al. The cerebellar components of the human language network. bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2025.04.14.645351.
Focus: Researching blood-based biomarkers in individuals with Autism, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease and experimenting with blood-based biomarkers for diagnostic tests in clinical care; also investigating the effects of exercise in lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and the role of the exposome in causing Alzheimer’s disease
Key Publication: Hewitson L, Mathews JA, Devlin M, Schutte C, Lee J, German DC. Blood biomarker discovery for autism spectrum disorder: A proteomic analysis. PLoS One. 2024;19(12):e0302951.
Most Recent Publication: Petersen ME, Flores-Aguilar L, Head E, Montoliu-Gaya L, Strydom A, Pape SE, Fortea J, Ashton NJ, Udeh-Momoh C, O'Bryant SE, German D, et al. Blood biomarkers in Down syndrome: Facilitating Alzheimer's disease detection and monitoring. Alzheimers Dement. 2025;21(1):e14364.
Focus: Studying how epigenetic pathways and gene expression regulate brain plasticity in the context of social behavior and aging by working with a unique ant species
Key Publication: Gospocic J, et al. The Neuropeptide Corazonin Controls Social Behavior and Caste Identity in Ants. Cell. 2017;170(4):748-759.e12.
Most Recent Publication: Ju L, Glastad KM, Sheng L, Gospocic J, et al. Hormonal gatekeeping via the blood-brain barrier governs caste-specific behavior in ants. Cell. 2023;186(20):4289-4309.e23.
Focus: Functioning of the hippocampus in learning and memory, studying the role of the entorhinal cortex and its circuits in modifying hippocampal function and temporal memory
Key Publication: Kitamura T, Ogawa SK, et al. Engrams and circuits crucial for systems consolidation of a memory. Science. 2017;356(6333):73-8.
Most Recent Publication: Terranova JI, Yokose J, Osanai H, Ogawa SK, Kitamura T. Systems consolidation induces multiple memory engrams for a flexible recall strategy in observational fear memory in male mice. Nat Commun. 2023;14(1):3976.
Focus: Exploring cellular and synaptic memories encoded by experience-induced gene programs, under-standing their roles in behaviors and perturbations in neurodevelop-mental and psychiatric disorders
Key Publication: Sun X, Bernstein MJ, Meng M, Rao S, Sørensen AT, Yao L, Zhang X, Anikeeva PO, Lin Y. Functionally Distinct Neuronal Ensembles within the Memory Engram. Cell. 2020;181(2):410-423.e17.
Most Recent Publication: Xue J, Brawner AT, Thompson JR, Yelhekar TD, Newmaster KT, Qiu Q, Cooper YA, Yu CR, Ahmed-Braima YH, Kim Y, Lin Y. Spatiotemporal Mapping and Molecular Basis of Whole-brain Circuit Maturation. bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2024.01.03.572456.
Focus: Studying the role of double stranded DNA breaks in chromatin dynamics and how this regulates gene expression involved in learning, memory, and neuropsychiatric disease (e.g., addiction)
Psychiatry Imaging Facility
Focus: Neuronal circuit connectivity and supporting investigators to perform imaging and tissue dissection
Key Publication: Ogawa SK, et al. Organization of monosynaptic inputs to the serotonin and dopamine neuromodulatory systems. Cell Rep. 2014;8(4):1105-18.
Most Recent Publication: Arai M, Osanai H, Snell CC, Gawf KE, Kitamura T, Ogawa SK. Combinative Protein Expression of Immediate Early Genes c-Fos, Arc, and Npas4 Along Aversive and Appetitive Experience-Related Neural Networks. Hippocampus. 2025;35(5):e70030.
Focus: Investigating the neural mechanisms of reward and punishment and their links to mental illnesses, such as depression and addiction
Key Publication: Shabel SJ, et al. GABA/glutamate co-release controls habenula output and is modified by antidepressant treatment. Science. 2014;345(6203):1494-8.
Most Recent Publication: Shabel SJ, et al. Stress transforms lateral habenula reward responses into punishment signals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019;116(25):12488-93.
Focus: Biomarkers of psychotic illness from individuals with psychosis and animal models and psychosis across the life-span and analyzing biomarker databases
Focus: Neural dynamics for successful memory access and retrieval during episodic working memory tasks to elucidate the neural circuit mechanism in the hippocampal-cortical network
Key Publication: Yamamoto J, et al. Successful execution of working memory linked to synchronized high-frequency gamma oscillations. Cell. 2014;157(4):845-57.
Most Recent Publication: Scott DS, Subramanian M, Yamamoto J, Tamminga CA. Schizophrenia pathology reverse-translated into mouse shows hippocampal hyperactivity, psychosis behaviors and hyper-synchronous events. Mol Psychiatry. 2025;30(5):1746-57.