Neurophysiology of Psychiatric Diseases
The goal of the Pleil Lab at Weill Cornell is to identify and characterize the neural mechanisms of addiction and comorbid anxiety and affective neuropsychiatric disorders. Given the high degree of comorbidity between addiction and anxiety/mood disorders in women but the dearth of fundamental knowledge about the underpinnings of these neuropsychiatric diseases, we are particularly interested in the circuit and synaptic mechanisms of drug use and stress responsivity, as well as the plasticity that contributes to the development of disease states. Specifically, we focus on the role of sex hormones in 1) the organization of behaviorally-relevant limbic circuits, 2) the activity of cell type- and projection-defined neuronal populations within these circuits, and 3) the receptor-specific signaling of neuropeptides and neurotransmitters at critical synaptic nodes. Using a number of complementary molecular, physiological, and behavioral techniques, including neuronal tracing, in situ hybridization, slice electrophysiology, and in vivo and ex vivo optogenetics, chemogenetics, and biosensor imaging, we analyze neural mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disease states at the anatomical, molecular, cellular, synaptic, circuit, and behavioral levels.
Weill Cornell Medicine WCM Pharmacology Department WCM Pharmacology Graduate Program WCM Neuroscience Graduate Program
We are recruiting motivated postdocs with experience/interest using slice electrophysiology, in vivo calcium imaging/fiber photometry, and single cell approaches to study alcohol/drug abuse and other neuropsychiatric diseases. Let us know about yourself!