معرفی
Thomas J. Gould serves as the Jean Phillips Shibley Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Department Head within the Department of Biobehavioral Health at Pennsylvania State University's College of Health and Human Development. His research program investigates the neurobiological mechanisms of learning and memory disruption caused by addictive substances, with primary focus on nicotine's acute and chronic effects.
Dr. Gould earned his PhD in Neural Science and Psychology from Indiana University in 1993. His laboratory, the Neurobiological Investigation of Learning and Addiction (NILA), employs integrated genetic, pharmacological, behavioral, and molecular approaches to examine how nicotine exposure during adolescence alters neural development and long-term cognitive function.
Current research emphasizes cellular and molecular changes during the transition from initial nicotine use to addiction, particularly investigating synaptic plasticity modifications in learning circuits. The NILA lab actively explores connections between adolescent nicotine exposure and later-life mental health vulnerabilities through longitudinal behavioral assessments and neurobiological profiling.
Dr. Gould currently mentors graduate students and leads externally funded research projects examining nicotine's dose-dependent effects on memory consolidation. His team maintains collaborative partnerships across neuroscience and behavioral health disciplines to translate findings into potential therapeutic interventions for addiction-related cognitive deficits.
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