Interrogating neural circuits associated with psychiatric illness
Nearly 60 million people in the United States are living with a mental illness, yet the available treatments remain inadequate. In the Donegan Lab, our goal is to understand how neural circuits are altered in psychiatric disease so that we can find new and more effective therapeutic strategies. Toward this end, we use rodent models to examine molecules, neural circuits, and ultimately behavior, to determine how various risk factors can lead to mental illness.
Characterizing hippocampal circuits that drive complex behaviors
In healthy animals, how does hippocampal circuit structure underlie its functional role in behavior?
Chronic stress and risk for anxiety disorders
How does chronic stress rewire hippocampal circuits to drive the fear and anxiety-related behaviors seen in PTSD?
Developmental contributions to schizophrenia risk
How does immune activation during pregnancy reshape the developing prefrontal cortex and set the stage for schizophrenia-relevant behavior later in life?
Our Approach
We employ modern systems neuroscience techniques, such as opto- and chemogenetics, calcium imaging and fiber photometry, in vivo electrophysiology, circuit tracing, transcriptomics, and machine learning to link molecular changes to circuit function to behavior.
Our Values
Teamwork. We believe that working together allows us to combine our knowledge and resources to do better science. We collaborate both within and outside of the lab to improve our efficiency and promote new discoveries.
Curiosity. We believe that seeking out new knowledge and challenging previously held beliefs drives discovery. We aim to understand the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie complex behaviors associated with psychiatric disease.
Innovation. We believe that innovation is required to move science forward. In our lab, we use novel techniques and develop new ideas to change our understanding and approach to mental illness.
Importantly, we believe that incorporating a variety of perspectives is key to solving difficult research problems. Our lab welcomes and supports people from all backgrounds.