It was recently demonstrated that electrical connectivity across multiple brain regions can be used to define brain states related to depression vulnerability. Further studies are underway in our lab to better understand electrical brain network activity related to chronic and emotional pain.  In particular, we are working to define the cellular and molecular contribution to such functional brain networks.

References: 

Hultman, R*, Ulrich, K*, Sachs, BD, Blount, C, Carlson, DE, Ndubuizu, N, Bagot, RC, Parise, E, MT, Wang, J, Silva, AJ, Deisseroth, K, Mague, S, Caron, MG, Nestler, E.J., Carin, L, Dzirasa, K Brain-wide spatiotemporal dynamics encode depression vulnerability. (2018) Cell. Mar 22;173(1):166-180.*These authors contributed equally to this work.

Hultman, R, Mague, S, Li, Q, Katz, B, Michel, N, Lin, L, Wang, J, David, LK, Blount, C, Chandy, R,  Carlson, D, Ulrich, K, Carin, L, Dunson, D, Kumar, S, Deisseroth, K, Moore, S.D., Dzirasa, K. Dysregulation of Prefrontal Cortex-Mediated Slow-Evolving Limbic Dynamics Drives Stress-Induced Emotional Pathology. (2016) Neuron, Jul 20;91(2):439-52.

Kumar S*, Hultman R*, Hughes, D, Michel, N, Katz, BM, Dzirasa K. Prefrontal cortex reactivity underlies trait vulnerability to chronic social defeat stress. (2014) Nat Commun. Jul 29;5:4537.*These authors contributed equally to this work.