Joshua Berke

Joshua Berke is a Professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Director of the Alcohol and Addiction Research Group. He is affiliated with the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences and holds the Rudi Schmid Distinguished Professorship in Neurology. His research focuses on brain mechanisms involved in learning, motivation, and decision-making, particularly how these processes are disrupted in disorders like drug addiction, Parkinson's Disease, and Huntington's Disease.

• Key Research Areas: Dopamine signaling, Basal Ganglia, Addiction, Neurodegenerative disorders, Reinforcement learning, Neural circuit dynamics

Recent Publications highlight his work on dopamine transients, striatal microcircuits, and cholinergic-dopaminergic interactions. He utilizes advanced techniques such as optogenetics, electrophysiology, and computational modeling to investigate these systems.

Scientific Awards:

• Rudi Schmid Distinguished Professorship in Neurology

Funding includes multiple NIH grants (R01, R21, U01) and CHDI Foundation support for studies on striatal function and neurodegenerative diseases.