Research
Research Areas
Humans and many other animals depend on social bonds to survive and thrive, and losing those bonds is one of the most painful experiences we face. Researchers in this area study the brain basis of attachment, parenting, social perception, and other natural behaviors, using approaches that range from pair-bonding prairie voles to studies of how people perceive and judge one another.
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Two prairie voles huddling side by side, a behavioral hallmark of the pair bond. Photo: Aubrey Kelly.
We spend about a third of our lives asleep, and nearly every system in the body runs on a daily clock. When sleep and circadian rhythms are disrupted by shift work, late-night screens, or disease, the effects ripple into mood, metabolism, learning, and long-term brain health. Researchers in this area study how the brain builds and protects these rhythms, from molecular clocks to human sleep studies.
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The brain was once thought to be walled off from the immune system, but we now know the two are in constant conversation. Inflammation and immune signaling shape pain, mood, memory, and the course of neurological disease. Researchers in this area study how immune cells such as microglia communicate with neurons, and how these signals might be targeted to treat chronic pain and brain disorders. Faculty:
Fluorescent image of the rodent hippocampus, a memory hub that is highly sensitive to inflammation. Image courtesy of the Donaldson Lab.
Substance abuse, including the ongoing opioid epidemic, remains a primary public health challenge. Researchers in this area use creative approaches in animals and humans to understand how drugs, alcohol, and cannabis reshape the brain’s reward circuits, and why some people are more vulnerable than others, with the goal of better prevention and treatment. Faculty:
Neural activity aligned to a behavioral event at time zero, shown trial by trial (top) and as the average response (bottom). Image courtesy of the Root Lab.
Every thought, memory, and movement depends on molecules and cells working with remarkable precision, and many neurological and psychiatric disorders begin with small changes in a single gene, protein, or synapse. Researchers in this area use genetics, imaging, and structural biology to reveal how neurons are built, how they communicate, and how these processes break down in disease.
As people live longer, diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are touching more families than ever, and few treatments can slow them down. Researchers in this area study how the brain changes as we age, why some brains stay resilient while others decline, and what goes wrong at the cellular level in neurodegenerative disease. Faculty:
Stress is part of every life, yet chronic or traumatic stress is a major risk factor for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and physical illness. Why do some people bounce back while others struggle? Researchers in this area study how stress reshapes the brain and body, and are uncovering the biology of resilience, from the power of having control over a stressor to the protective effects of exercise. Faculty:
Multicolor fluorescent labeling of cells in the brainstem, just below the cerebral aqueduct (dark area at top). Image courtesy of the Baratta Lab.
Attention, memory, decision-making, and language allow us to learn, plan, and make sense of the world, and difficulties with these abilities lie at the heart of many developmental and psychiatric conditions. Researchers in this area combine behavioral experiments, brain imaging, and computational models to understand how the human mind works and how it changes across the lifespan. Faculty: