Zweifel Lab
Principal Investigator: Larry S Zweifel
Institution: University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
Primary Subfield: Neuroscience
Recruitment Status: ✅ Hiring Postdocs
Research Focus
Project Summary The neurotransmitter dopamine provides an important modulatory signal that facilitates a myriad of brain functions. The heterogeneity of neurons in the VTA has long been appreciated, but therapeutic strategies targeting the system are still based on a monolithic perspective. Recent advances in genetics-based methods have provided new approaches to resolving the molecular pathways that regulate the intrinsic properties of these cells that underlie their distinct functions and likely confer unique pharmacological sensitivities. Using single nuclear RNA sequencing, we defined unique genetic signatures within specific cell types that we hypothesize contributes to their functionality. Specifically, we identified ion channel subunits that are differentially expressed in dopamine subpopulations that confer unique electrophysiological properties to essential voltage-gated potassium channels that we hypothesize contributes to differences in the intrinsic excitability of these cells. We have also defined the unique circuit connectivity of these cells. We will utilize a combination of genetic and pharmacological approaches to understand how the regulation of ion channels and c…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R01DA044315-09: Isolation of brain reward circuits using peptidergic systems (2026)
- 5R01MH104450-12: Phasic dopamine and symptom domains of mental illness (2026)
- 5R01MH135538-03: Appetitive and aversive state interactions in the central amygdala during learning and memory (2026)
- 5P30DA048736-08: Molecular Genetics Resource Core (2026)
- 5R01MH135538-02: Appetitive and aversive state interactions in the central amygdala during learning and memory (2025)
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