OUR STUDENTS

Angela Bruno
PhD Student
Flexible ensemble structure is an inherent feature of many neural circuits, and we speculate that aberrations of ensemble dynamics may contribute to pathology in neurological and psychiatric disease.  To better understand flexible ensemble structure, I investigate the moment to moment changes in neural network organization that occur during both normal behavior and learning in a simple model preparation.

Andrew Scheyer
PhD Student
My research focuses on the electrophysiological consequences of cocaine withdrawal in
the nucleus accumbens.  Currently, I am investigating the changes associated with
the homeostatic regulation of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors in medium-spiny neurons,
and the implications this may have on glutamatergic transmission in drug-reward circuitry

. 

Craig Werner
PhD Student
I am interested in investigating the role of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) in the regulation of glutamate receptor transmission following exposure to drugs of abuse.  My work focuses primarily on the nucleaus accumbens, an area known to be important in addiction, with the use of molecular and biochemical techniques. 

Stanley Bazarek
MD/PhD Student
The focus of my research is to identify and recruit endogenous stem/progenitor cells from non-neurogenic regions of the brain
parenchyma and direct their differentiation to a neuronal fate using viral gene delivery of various growth and
transcription factors for the purpose of regeneration and repair. 




Anthony Purgianto
MD/PhD Student
My research interest is in the neurobiology of drug addiction.  Drugs of abuse cause a great burden to society, and we still do not have a complete understanding how they are causing an addicted state.  I will be using behavioral, molecular, and electrophysiological methods in order to explore neuronal pathways in the brain underlying addiction.  A specific aim of my study is to assess whether the main glutamate pathways into the nucleus accumbens are more or less efficacious in activating nucleus accumbens neurons after cocaine self-administration.

Interdepartmental PhD Program Graduates

May, 1998      Christy Stine
June, 1998     Yong Li
Sept, 1998      Lisa Monteggia
May, 1999       Lara Friel
May, 1999       Elizabeth Bundock
Jan, 2000        Timothy Koetzlow
Apr, 2000         Donald Cooper
Aug, 2001        Steven Chao
Jan, 2002        Jayms Peterson
Feb, 2002        Yan Dong
Apr, 2002        Gregory Hotsenpiller
May, 2003       Kyriaki Sidiropoulou
Nov, 2004       Tara Teppen
Apr, 2005         Eleanora Maries
May, 2005       Anna Hallbergson
June, 2005      Rosanne Thomas
June, 2007      Amy Boudreau
Aug, 2007        Tamuna Chadashvili
Apr, 2008         Kelly Conrad
May, 2008       Amanda Rostkowski
May, 2009       Kristina Hoque
July, 2009       Diana Park
June, 2010     Jeremy Reimers
June, 2010     Alexander Dec
June, 2010     Giovanna Bernal
May, 2011       Randy Leitermann
June, 2011     Shreaya Chakroborty
Nov., 2011      Dina Simkin
Dec., 2011      Jeffrey Huang
Dec., 2011      Laura Shin
May, 2012       Daniel Hafez
May, 2012      Xuan (Anna) Li
June, 2012     Xiaoting Wang