Laura Anne DeNardo

Laura Anne DeNardo is an Associate Professor and Department Vice Chair in Physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine. She holds secondary appointments as an Associate Professor in Neurobiology and is actively engaged in research related to neuroscience, neurobiology, and physiological mechanisms underlying brain function.

• Primary Affiliation: Department of Physiology, UCLA School of Medicine
• Secondary Affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, UCLA School of Medicine

Her research focuses on the neurobiological basis of memory formation, threat avoidance learning, and circuit development in the brain. Key areas include prefrontal cortex function, synaptic regulation by microglia, and the role of neuromodulators like dopamine in behavioral adaptation. She employs advanced genetic tools and behavioral models to study these processes in both humans and animals.

Recent publications highlight her work on prefrontal ensemble transformations in threat avoidance, microglia-mediated synaptic development, and hypothalamic circuits for aggression. Her research spans topics like neural pathways in anxiety, time-dependent memory mechanisms, and neuroimmune interactions in brain function. Articles are distributed across neuroscience, neurology, biology, and cell biology disciplines.