Synapses and circuits as targets of stress

Research in the Polter lab is focused on synapses controlling monoaminergic circuits and their regulation by stressful experiences or disease states. We use slice electrophysiology, coupled viral-mediated optogenetics, and fiber photometry to identify and characterize circuit-specific alterations in synaptic plasticity and function following stress or in models of neurological disease. We then use tools such as chemogenetics, pharmacology, or viral expression of ion channels to correct synaptic and circuit level alterations and explore the effect on behavior.

Behavioral heterogeneity from the VTA microcircuit

Our lab has had a long term interest in understanding the organization and plasticity of the microcircuitry of the ventral tegmental area. We are focused on GABAergic, glutamatergic, and co-releasing neurons in this brain region and their dopamine-dependent and dopamine-independent effects on downstream circuitry and motivated behavior. We are particularly interested in the role that plasticity of these neurons plays in generating individual variability and heterogeneity of cognitive and reward-related behaviors in response to stress and in conditions such as Parkison’s disease

Early life experience and maturation of neuronal circuits

Early life stress is a significant contributor to disease burden in adulthood. Our work focuses on how early life adverse experiences contribute to behavioral alterations and systemic disease risk in adulthood. In our lab, we are investigating how altered maturation of serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe contributes to deficits in competitive behavior following early life stress. With collaborators, we are also engaged in projects examining how changes in the peripheral nervous system following early life stress contribute to vascular aging and to immune responses to cancer.