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Marina Picciotto, PhD

Charles B. G. Murphy Professor of Psychiatry and Professor in the Child Study Center, of Neuroscience and of Pharmacology
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Additional Titles

Director Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Psychiatry

Deputy Chair for Basic Science Research, Dept. of Psychiatry

Director, Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program

Contact Info

Psychiatry

34 Park Street, 3rd floor research

New Haven, CT 06508

United States

About

Titles

Charles B. G. Murphy Professor of Psychiatry and Professor in the Child Study Center, of Neuroscience and of Pharmacology

Director Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Psychiatry; Deputy Chair for Basic Science Research, Dept. of Psychiatry; Director, Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program

Biography

Dr. Picciotto joined the Yale faculty in 1995, after completing a postdoctoral fellowship with Jean-Pierre Changeux in the Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. She earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Neurobiology at The Rockefeller University in New York City in 1992, where she worked in the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience under Paul Greengard. She received a B.S. degree in biological sciences from Stanford University, Stanford, California, in 1985.

Dr. Picciotto was Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Neuroscience until January 2023 and is a member of the ACNP Scientific Council. She is 2023-2024 President of the Society for Neuroscience. She served on the Scientific Council of the National Institute on Drug Abuse from 2010-2014, was Treasurer of the Society for Neuroscience from 2014-2015, and President of the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco from 2018-2019. She has been a Handling Editor for the Journal of Neuroscience, the Journal of Nicotine and Tobacco Research, the Journal of Neurochemistry and Neuroscience Letters. In 2000 she was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering by President Clinton and in 2012 she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and was Chair of the Neuroscience Section from 2018-2019. Dr. Picciotto has been awarded the Human Frontiers 10th Anniversary Award, the Jacob P. Waletzky Award for addiction research and the Bernice Grafstein Mentorship award from the Society for Neuroscience, the Marion Spencer Fay Award from Drexel University, the Langley Award from SRNT, the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award for Innovative Research and the Carnegie Prize in Mind and Brain Sciences. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2024. She is currently the president of the Society for Neuroscience.

Appointments

Education & Training

PhD
Rockefeller University (1992)
BS
Stanford University (1985)
ND
Hunter College High School (1981)

Research

Overview

Our goal is to understand the role of single molecules in both typical behaviors and those relevant to psychiatric illness. We use molecular genetic, pharmacological and in vivo imaging approaches to link the biochemical, cellular, and anatomical levels of investigation to behavior. A primary focus is the role of acetylcholine signaling in brain development and function.

We also use proteomic approaches to discover signaling molecules downstream of nicotinic receptors that may mediate long-term changes in behavior following receptor activation. Ultimately, integration of studies at the molecular, cellular, and systems levels will be necessary to understand the neurobiological basis for expression and plasticity of complex behaviors.

Current projects include:

  • Sex differences in molecules and circuits underlying behaviors relevant to alcohol or nicotine addiction
  • Long-range circuits involved in reward enhancement relevant to addiction
  • Intracellular signaling pathways involved in the transition to behaviors related to nicotine addiction
  • Cholinergic compounds as novel anxiolytics or antidepressants
  • Interactions between acetylcholine and GABA signaling in BLA involved in stress-induced alcohol intake: sex differences and role of microglial signaling
  • Effects of acetylcholine on brain-body interactions related to contextual tolerance to opiates

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Acetylcholine; Alcohol Drinking; Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms; Mental Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Neurobiology; Neurosciences; Nicotine; Opiate Alkaloids; Pharmacology; Stress, Psychological

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Marina Picciotto's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

2022

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    The Journal of Neuroscience

  • activity

    Society for Neuroscience

  • honor

    Elected Member

  • honor

    Carnegie Prize in Mind and Brain Sciences

  • honor

    Langley Award

Get In Touch

Contacts

Mailing Address

Psychiatry

34 Park Street, 3rd floor research

New Haven, CT 06508

United States