Nicole Calakos

Nicole Calakos is a Professor in Neurology, Cell Biology, and Neurobiology at Duke University, with affiliations to the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and Duke Initiative for Science & Society. She holds an MD (1996) and PhD (1995) from Stanford University, followed by neurology residency at the University of California San Francisco (1997-2000). Her research focuses on synaptic plasticity mechanisms in the striatum and basal ganglia, linking these to disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), parkinsonism, dystonia, and addictive behaviors.

Her lab has pioneered molecular and circuit-cracking methodologies to study medium spiny neurons in direct/indirect pathways, revealing critical roles for interneurons and group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors in OCD-like behaviors. Current work explores the integrated stress response (ISR) in dystonia and Parkinson's disease, including high-throughput screening for therapeutic candidates.

• Member, National Academy of Medicine (2022)
• Lincoln Financial Group Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology
• McKnight Endowment Award (2013)

Her publications span translational neuroscience, synaptic mechanisms, and clinical neuromodulation trials. Collaborative approaches and advanced electrophysiology, optical imaging, and molecular genetics underpin her lab's contributions to understanding and treating neurological circuit dysfunction.