Estelle Barbier

Estelle Barbier is an Associate Professor and Docent at Linköping University's Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), affiliated with the Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience (CSAN). She leads the Barbier Lab, which investigates the neurobiological mechanisms underlying alcohol use disorders and anxiety disorders, focusing on shared pathways and molecular drivers. Her work integrates behavioral analysis, transcriptomics, and animal models to explore fear memory consolidation, epigenetic regulation, and neural circuits.

Key research highlights include identifying biological mechanisms linking anxiety and alcohol dependence, discovering an enzyme deficiency in alcohol-dependent individuals, and analyzing fear memory storage. Barbier collaborates with institutions like CSAN and has supervised PhD student Leon Höglund. Her lab employs advanced techniques like DeepLabCut for behavioral analysis and transgenic rat models to study PKCdelta neurons.

Publications span topics from transcriptomic changes in alcohol dependence to mitochondrial dysfunction in air pollution exposure. Her research bridges basic neuroscience with translational applications, aiming to develop therapies for addiction and anxiety.