Montserrat Navarro

Montserrat Navarro, Ph.D., serves as a Research Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, conducting pioneering work on the neurobiological mechanisms of alcohol use disorders. Her research centers on identifying brain circuitry changes following ethanol exposure and their role in transitioning from casual use to abuse, with particular emphasis on neuropeptide systems and aversive response pathways.

Her educational foundation includes:

• B.S. in Psychology from the University of Almería (Spain)
• M.S. in Neuroscience from the International University of Andalucía (Spain)
• M.S. in Psychology from the University of Almería (Spain)
• Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Almeria (Spain)

Navarro's laboratory employs an extensive methodological toolkit including drinking-in-the-dark procedures for binge drinking models, operant self-administration, immunohistochemistry, Cre-Flox technology, and site-specific viral vector infusions. Her primary research thrusts investigate how neuropeptides (particularly dynorphin and neuropeptide Y) modulate ethanol consumption, the role of noradrenergic pathways in binge drinking and taste aversion, and sex-specific neural mechanisms in alcohol response. Current work heavily focuses on brainstem and insular cortex circuitry using chemogenetic approaches.

Analysis of her 2020-2024 publications reveals consistent exploration of locus coeruleus-RMTg noradrenergic pathways, insular dynorphin/kappa opioid systems, and translational approaches bridging preclinical mouse models with human clinical studies. Key thematic trends include sex-dependent neural responses, neuropeptide-alcohol interactions, and circuit-specific modulation of drinking behaviors.

Scientific awards: No awards were documented in the provided materials.

Navarro maintains active leadership in major NIAAA-funded initiatives:

• Co-Principal Investigator (2023-2028) for Center Grant R01-AA025809 investigating norepinephrine's role in binge drinking and taste aversion
• Co-investigator (2023-2028) for MERIT Award R37-AA013573 studying Neuropeptide Y in ethanol intake
• Co-Principal Investigator (2022-2027) for Center Grant P60AA011605 leading Component 5 on insula circuitry in ethanol aversion

While no formal advisees are listed, her collaborative publications suggest mentorship of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. She operates within a neuroscience research laboratory at UNC Chapel Hill specializing in alcohol neurobiology, utilizing advanced circuit-dissection techniques to develop novel therapeutic targets for alcohol use disorders.