Allyson Friedman

• Postdoc. Fellow,  Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Ph.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University
• B.A., Barnard College, Columbia University

Our research explores the neural circuits and neuroadaptations that mediate social behaviors. Affective disorders are typified by social dysfunction and currently there is a limited mechanistic understanding of the neural adaptations that are responsible for aberrant social behaviors. Therefore, we focus on how diverse coping strategies, sex hormones and/or social support can induce changes in the underlying neural circuits guiding social behaviors with the goal of identifying beneficial/pathological neural adaptations. To study these circuits we utilize cutting-edge cell-type/circuit specific in vitro electrophysiological recordings, viral-mediated gene transfer and optogenetic manipulations; all in combination with animal models of mood and anxiety disorders. We examine the neural adaptations that occur from the level of the ion channel and relate these changes back to behavior. The goal of this research is to expand our neurophysiological understanding of mood and anxiety disorders in order to find targets for mechanistically driven therapeutics.

• Cai, M., Zhu, Y., Shanley, M. R., Morel, C., Ku, S. M., Zhang, H., Shen, Y., et al. (2023). HCN channel inhibitor induces ketamine-like rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in chronic social defeat stress model. Neurobiology of Stress, 26, 100565. 
• Morel, C., Montgomery, S. E., Li, L., Ku, S. M., Juarez, B., Flannigan, M. E., et al. (2023). Neural circuit from ventral tegmental area to amygdala mediates approach-avoidance behavior and its regulation by stress. Alcohol, 109, 89. 
• Shanley, M. R., Miura, Y., Guevara, C. A., Onoichenco, A., Kore, R., Ustundag, E., et al. (2023). Estrous cycle mediates midbrain neuron excitability altering social behavior upon stress. Journal of Neuroscience, 43(5), 736-748. 
• Miura, Y., Shanley, M. R., Urbaez, A., Friedman, A. K. (2023). Electrophysiologically distinct bed nucleus of the stria terminalis projections to the ventral tegmental area in mice. Frontiers in Neural Circuits, 16, 1081099. 
• Fulton, S. L., Wenderski, W., Lepack, A. E., Eagle, A. L., Fanutza, T., Bastle, R. M., et al. (2022). Rescue of deficits by Brwd1 copy number restoration in the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome. Nature Communications, 13(1), 6384. 
• Morel, C., Montgomery, S. E., Li, L., Durand-de Cuttoli, R., Teichman, E. M., et al. (2022). Midbrain projection to the basolateral amygdala encodes anxiety-like but not depression-like behaviors. Nature Communications, 13(1), 1532. 
• Morel, C., Montgomery, S. E., Li, L., Ku, S. M., Juarez, B., Durand-de Cuttoli, R., et al. (2021). Midbrain projection to basolateral amygdala encodes anxiety behaviors. Biological Psychiatry, 89(9), S76. 
• Shanley, M. R., Miura, Y., Friedman, A. (2020). Estrogen modulation of midbrain neural output drives shifts in social motivation. Neuropsychopharmacology, 45(Suppl 1), 94-94. 
• Heshmati, M., Christoffel, D. J., LeClair, K., Cathomas, F., Golden, S. A., et al. (2020). Depression and social defeat stress are associated with inhibitory synaptic changes in the nucleus accumbens. Journal of Neuroscience, 40(32), 6228-6233. 
• Tan, A., Costi, S., Morris, L. S., Van Dam, N. T., Kautz, M., Whitton, A. E., et al. (2020). Effects of the KCNQ channel opener ezogabine on functional connectivity of the ventral striatum and clinical symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 25(6), 1323-1333. 
• Koo, J. W., Labonté, B., Engmann, O., Calipari, E. S., Juarez, B., Lorsch, Z., et al. (2016). Essential role of mesolimbic brain-derived neurotrophic factor in chronic social stress–induced depressive behaviors. Biological Psychiatry, 80(6), 469-478. 
• Friedman, A. K., Juarez, B., Ku, S. M., Zhang, H., Calizo, R. C., Walsh, J. J., et al. (2016). KCNQ channel openers reverse depressive symptoms via an active resilience mechanism. Nature Communications, 7(1), 11671. 
• Friedman, A. K., Walsh, J. J., Juarez, B., Ku, S. M., Chaudhury, D., Wang, J., Li, X., et al. (2014). Enhancing depression mechanisms in midbrain dopamine neurons achieves homeostatic resilience. Science, 344(6181), 313-319.