Brief Description of Research Interest :

My research interests lie in understanding the biological pathology of neurological disorders to drive the discovery of new drug targets and the development of more effective treatments. In the adult brain, the neurotransmitter GABA produces multiple forms of inhibition that dampen and control neuronal activity to prevent anxiety, agitation, seizures, chronic pain, sleep disturbances, and more. Most fast-acting inhibition in the CNS is mediated by GABA type A neurotransmitter receptors (GABAARs), which are ligand-gated ion channels composed of 5 subunits (from up to 19 different subunits). I quickly became fascinated with the complexity of GABAAR subtypes produced from the differential expression patterns of each subunit across brain regions, cell types, and subcellular localization.

During my PhD research at Albany Medical College, I explored the functional and biophysical properties of ε and θ, two GABAAR subunits implicated in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. For my postdoctoral research at the University of Pittsburgh, I’m focused on understanding the regulatory mechanisms of α5 subunit-containing GABAARs (α5 GABAAR), a drug target actively being pursued for its therapeutic potential in psychiatric and cognitive disorders, and on investigating the effects of altered α5 GABAAR function. This project has ignited a long-term desire to study the complex mechanisms of regulatory interplay between inhibitory α5 GABAAR and excitatory NMDA receptor activity.