معرفی
Michelle Mazei-Robison is a Professor in the Department of Physiology at Michigan State University and faculty member in the Neuroscience Program, with an additional appointment as Associate Professor in the BioMolecular Science Gateway. Her research laboratory, located at 5017 766 Service Road, Room 5017, focuses on molecular mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders including depression and addiction, utilizing the chronic social defeat mouse model to investigate the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system.
Her primary research interests center on neuroadaptations in ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons induced by stress and drugs of abuse. She investigates structural and functional changes in VTA neurons, signaling pathways altered by morphine/cocaine exposure, and subtype-specific responses within dopaminergic circuits. Her lab employs cutting-edge methodologies including optogenetics, viral-mediated gene transfer, 3D neuronal reconstruction, and behavioral assays to unravel mechanisms of depression and addiction.
Analysis of her 2020-2025 publications reveals consistent focus on VTA neuronal subpopulations (particularly neuromedin S and GLP-1 expressing neurons), SGK1 kinase signaling in drug reward, and sex-specific stress responses. Her work demonstrates how molecular adaptations in dopamine neurons mediate morphine/cocaine behaviors while exploring hippocampal contributions to stress resilience through ΔFosB regulation.
Scientific Awards: No awards were documented in the provided sources.
Advising and Grants: The available materials list no specific students, grant awards, or mentoring activities. Her laboratory operations and publication record indicate active research funding, though exact mechanisms remain unspecified in the source texts.
Labs and Teams: Dr. Mazei-Robison co-directs the Robison and Mazei-Robison Labs, which integrate mouse models, genetic engineering, electrophysiology, and advanced microscopy to study comorbid conditions like opiate abuse with PTSD. The lab bridges molecular mechanisms (gene expression, protein function) across multiple neural systems to explain behavioral outcomes in addiction and depression.
