Nicole CalakosView profile
Professor
Nicole Calakos is a Professor in Neurology, Cell Biology, and Neurobiology at Duke University, with affiliations to the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and Duke Initiative for Science & Society. She holds an MD (1996) and PhD (1995) from Stanford University , followed by neurology residency at the University of California San Francisco (1997-2000). Her research focuses on synaptic plasticity mechanisms in the striatum and basal ganglia , linking these to disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) , parkinsonism , dystonia , and addictive behaviors . Her lab has pioneered molecular and circuit-cracking methodologies to study medium spiny neurons in direct/indirect pathways, revealing critical roles for interneurons and group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors in OCD-like behaviors. Current work explores the integrated stress response (ISR) in dystonia and Parkinson's disease, including high-throughput screening for therapeutic candidates . Member, National Academy of Medicine (2022) Lincoln Financial Group Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology McKnight Endowment Award (2013) Her publications span translational neuroscience , synaptic mechanisms , and clinical neuromodulation trials . Collaborative approaches and advanced electrophysiology, optical imaging , and molecular genetics underpin her lab's contributions to understanding and treating neurological circuit dysfunction .








