معرفی
Rutsuko Ito is a Professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) and leads the LiMBiC Lab within the Department of Psychology. Her research focuses on the neural and neurochemical mechanisms underlying approach-avoidance decision-making, with particular emphasis on the cortico-limbic-striatal system and its interactions with midbrain dopaminergic pathways. She investigates how conditioned cues influence behavior in psychological disorders like drug addiction, schizophrenia, and depression using multidisciplinary methods including chemogenetics, optogenetics, and pharmacological models.
- Education: BA (University of Oxford), PhD (University of Cambridge)
Her lab integrates novel behavioral paradigms with cutting-edge techniques to map functional brain circuits, while collaborating with Dr. Andy Lee’s lab and the Clinical Psychology Department at UTSC to enhance translational relevance. She previously held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge and an independent research position at Oxford University before joining the University of Toronto in 2011.
- Scientific Awards: Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow
Rutsuko Ito's research spans neural circuitry mapping, translational human studies, and models of mental health disorders including alcohol abuse, drug addiction, schizophrenia, and anxiety. Her work has been featured in University of Toronto news and focuses on uncovering the functional roles of cortico-limbic-striatal loops through pharmacological and imaging approaches.
