Speaker: Joanna Spencer-Segal, MD, PhD

My laboratory focuses on the neural circuits that govern emotional behaviors innately and also in response to stress. As a neuroendocrinologist, I am particularly interested in the communication between neural circuits that govern emotional behavior and the stress response. Many of the brain regions and circuits that play a role in emotional behavior also influence the stress response. Stress hormones also act directly on brain regions that influence mood and related behaviors. In humans and rodents, our goals are to understand the neural circuits that govern avoidance or anxiety-like behavior, how the activity in these circuits changes in response to stress, and the role of the stress response and stress hormones in the circuit activity and resulting behaviors. By manipulating these circuits, we aim to shape behavior in the laboratory in ways that will inform brain- and endocrine-based treatments for patients suffering from stress-related disorders.

One particular area of research in my laboratory involves the investigation of the neurobiologic sequelae of sepsis. Sepsis is an acute medical illness that often results in death, but survivors face an uphill battle that often includes significant mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and cognitive dysfunction. We have characterized a post-sepsis syndrome in mice using a naturalistic mouse model of sepsis, and we use this model to investigate the neural and molecular mechanisms. We hope our work will result in treatments to help the millions of sepsis survivors suffering from these challenges.