Posts classified under: Research Areas (FARs)

Austin Coley, Ph.D.

Biography

The Coley laboratory investigates neural populations and dynamics associated with depressive-like behaviors. We apply integrative approaches such as in vivo 2-photon calcium imaging to measure neural activity and population dynamics, and ex vivo electrophysiology to record synaptic properties. We utilize optogenetics techniques to selectively activate neural circuits and assess the response within specific neurons. We also use computer-based tracking systems to monitor behavioral tasks and apply machine learning methods to uncover the relationship between neural activity and behavior. Additionally, we use computational models to further understand neuronal population function in higher-order processing regions.

Publications

Coley, A.A. +, Batra, K., Delahanty, J.M., Keyes, L.R., Pamintuan, R., Ramot, A., Hagemann, J., Lee, C.R., Liu, V., Adivikolanu, H., Cressy, J., Jia, C., Massa, F., LeDuke., D., Gabir, M., Durubeh, B., Linderhof, L., Patel, R., Wichmann, R., Li, H., Fischer, K.B., Pereira, T, Tye, K.M. (2024) BioRxiv. doi.org/10.1101/2024.12.18.629202

Li, H*, Namburi, P*, Olson, J.M.*, Borio, M, Lemieux, M.E., Beyeler, A, Calhoon, G.G., Hitora-Imamura, N, Coley, A.A., Libster, A, Bal, A, Jin, X, Wang, H, Jia, C, Choudhury, S.R., Shi, X, Felix-Ortiz, A.C., De la Fuente, V, Barth, V.P., King, H.O., Izadmehr, E.M., Revanna, J.S., Batra K., Fischer, K.B., Keyes, L.R., Padilla-Coreano, N, Siciliano, C.A., McCullough, K.M., Wichmann, R, Ressler, K.J., Fiete, I.R., Zhang, F, Li, Y, Tye, K.M (2022). Neurotensin orchestrates valence assignment in the amygdala. Nature. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04964-y

Coley, A.A.*, Padilla-Coreano, N*, Patel, R*, Tye, K.M (2021). Valence processing in the PFC: reconciling circuit-level and systems-level views. International Review of Neurobiology. doi.org/10.1016/bs.irn.2020.12.002

McEachern, E.P.*, Coley, A.A.*, Yang, S.S., Gao W.J. (2020). “PSD-95 alters GABAergic inhibition in the medial prefrontal cortex.” Neuropharmacology. doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108277

Coley, A. A. and W.-J. Gao (2019). “PSD-95 deficiency disrupts PFC-associated function and behavior during neurodevelopment.” Scientific Reports 9(1): 9486. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-45971-w; PMCID: PMC6602948

Hill, S.A.*, Blaeser A.*, Coley, A.A., Xie Y., Shepard K.A., Harwell C., Gao W.J., Garcia A.D.R (2019). Sonic hedgehog signaling in astrocytes mediates cell-type-specific synaptic organization. eLife 8: e45545. doi: 10.7554/eLife.45545; PMCID: PMC6629371

Coley, A. A. and W.-J. Gao (2018). “PSD-95: A synaptic protein implicated in schizophrenia or autism?” Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 82: 187-194. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.11.016; PMCID: PMC5801047

Yang, S.S., Li Y.C., Coley, A.A., Chamberlain L.A., Yu P., Gao W.J. (2018). Cell-type specific development of the hyperpolarization-activated current, Ih, in prefrontal cortical neurons. Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience 10(7): doi:10.3389/fnsyn.2018.00007; PMCID: PMC5958189

Monaco, S.A.*, Coley, A.A.*, Gao W.J (2016). The Convergence of Glutamate and GABA Dysregulation in Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Treatment: The New Facets. Ed. Yu-Chih Shen. Book Chapter: 1. PMCID not applicable.

Coley, A.A, Ruffin, V.A, Moss, F., Hopfer, U., Boron, W.F. (2013). Immunocytochemical identification of electroneutral Na+-coupled HCO3– transporters in freshly dissociated mouse medullary raphé neurons. Neuroscience. 246:451-67. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.02.064

Noa Pinter-Wollman, Ph.D.

Research in my lab asks how collective behavior emerges from variation among system components and environmental pressures. We combine field and lab studies with computer simulations, theoretical work, image analysis, and social network theory. Furthermore, we are interested in the interplay between conservation biology and animal behavior. Examining the behavior of animals can provide important assessment tools for conservation actions and insights on preserving biodiversity. At the same time, wildlife management actions can provide unique opportunities for studying basic science questions in animal behavior. For her PhD work, Dr. Pinter-Wollman studied the effects of translocation, a wildlife management tool, on the behavior and survival of African elephants. Current work in the lab uses different species of ants, including the invasive Argentine ant, which displaces native ant species in its introduced range. We study how variation among individual Argentine ant workers influences the collective behavior of the colony. To uncover the impacts of ecological and spatial constraints on social behavior we study the collective actions of harvester ants and the social structure of a critically endangered griffon vulture population. Our work on how space influences movement patterns and resulting social interactions provides information on the potential for disease transmission and information transfer about poisonous foods to local wildlife managers.

Stephanie Leal, Ph.D.

RESEARCH INTERESTS
My laboratory performs basic and translational research to understand how our memory system works, how this system goes awry in memory and mood disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and depression, and how we might be able to modify mood, memory, and underlying neural dysfunction in these disorders. We utilize
interdisciplinary approaches toward understanding memory and factors that impact memory, including high-resolution imaging techniques, PET imaging of amyloid and tau pathology, neuroendocrine and salivary approaches, and novel experimental paradigms to understand brain-behavior relationships.