Laura Denardo

Laura Denardo, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA. She holds a dual BA in Molecular and Cell Biology and Art Practice from UC Berkeley (2007) and a PhD in Neurosciences from UC San Diego (2013). Her postdoctoral work at Stanford University with Dr. Liqun Luo focused on cortical microcircuits and the development of the TRAP2 tool for activity-dependent genetic labeling. Her research investigates medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) circuit organization and function in health and psychiatric disorders.

Research Interests: The DeNardo lab studies how mPFC circuits mediate adaptive behaviors like fear memory and avoidance. They explore developmental mechanisms of mPFC circuits and their vulnerability to disorders like anxiety and autism. Techniques include viral-genetic tools, transgenic mice, and whole-brain imaging.

Recent Article Trends: Recent work highlights mPFC circuit dynamics in threat avoidance, hypothalamic aggression circuits, and microglial roles in synaptic development. Her 2025 studies reveal developmental changes in fear memory networks and top-down circuit architectures.

Awards:

• 2024 Vallee Scholar Award
• 2021 Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship
• 2019 BBRF Young Investigator Award
• 2017 McKnight Endowment Fellowship

Lab & Grants: The DeNardo lab opened at UCLA in 2019. Current grants include NIH awards (NIMH, NINDS) and foundation support. They collaborate on projects linking mPFC dysfunction to psychiatric diseases.