Mariana Pereira

Mariana Pereira is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of behavioral neuroscience, neuroendocrinology, and mental health. She is affiliated with the Neuroscience & Behavior Graduate Program, the Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, and the Center for Research on Families.

Education:

• PhD, 2006, University of the Republic, Uruguay

Her research investigates the cognitive, motivational, and affective mechanisms underlying parenting, focusing on neural circuitry such as the limbic-cortical-striatal network and the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system. She employs animal models to study maternal behavior under both healthy conditions and in the context of neuropsychiatric disorders like depression and substance addiction.

Dr. Pereira teaches advanced courses including Neuroscience of Love, Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Neurobiology of Parenting, and Neuropsychopharmacology, reflecting her deep expertise in emotional and social brain systems.

Her scientific contributions center on understanding how neurochemical and molecular changes influence complex social behaviors, particularly during motherhood, and how these processes are disrupted in psychiatric illness. This integrative approach bridges molecular neuroscience with ethologically relevant behavior.

Scientific Affiliations:

• Center for Neuroendocrine Studies
• Center for Research on Families
• Neuroscience & Behavior Graduate Program

She advises graduate students through the Neuroscience & Behavior program and contributes to research training and mentorship within her lab. Although specific grants are not listed, her work likely involves external funding given the nature of her experimental research. Her laboratory explores future directions in targeting neurobiological pathways to improve maternal mental health and offspring outcomes.