Skip to Main Content
Yale Institute for Global Health
Yale Home

INFORMATION FOR

    Amy Arnsten, PhD

    Albert E. Kent Professor of Neuroscience and Professor of Psychology
    DownloadHi-Res Photo

    Additional Titles

    Member, Kavli Institute of Neuroscience at Yale University

    About

    Titles

    Albert E. Kent Professor of Neuroscience and Professor of Psychology

    Member, Kavli Institute of Neuroscience at Yale University

    Biography

    Dr. Arnsten is an international expert on the molecular regulation of higher cortical circuits, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. She received her B.A. in Neuroscience from Brown University in 1976 (where she created the Neuroscience major), and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCSD in 1981. She did post-doctoral research with Dr. Susan Iversen at Cambridge University in the UK, and with Dr. Patricia Goldman-Rakic at Yale. Dr. Arnsten's research examines the neural basis of higher cognition. Her work has revealed that the newly evolved cortical circuits that underlie higher cognition are uniquely regulated at the molecular level, conferring vulnerability in mental illness and age-related cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease. Arnsten's research has led to new treatments for cognitive disorders in humans, including the successful translation of guanfacine (IntunivTM) for the treatment of ADHD and related prefrontal cortical disorders.

    Appointments

    Other Departments & Organizations

    • Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC)
    • Arnsten Lab
    • Center for Brain & Mind Health
    • Child Study Center
    • Department of Psychology
    • Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program
    • Kavli Institute for Neuroscience
    • Neural Disorders
    • Neuroscience
    • Neuroscience Research Training Program (NRTP)
    • Neuroscience Track
    • Psychiatry
    • WHRY Pilot Project Program Investigators
    • Women's Health Research at Yale
    • Wu Tsai Institute
    • Yale Center for Research on Aging (Y-Age)
    • Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
    • Yale Stress Center
    • Yale Ventures

    Education & Training

    PhD
    University of California, San Diego (1981)

    Research

    Overview

    The Arnsten Lab studies molecular influences on the higher cognitive functions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), with the overarching goal of developing rational treatments for cognitive disorders and mental illness. The lab uses a multi-disciplinary approach to understand mechanisms influencing working memory at the cellular and behavioral levels. Research has focused on how the arousal pathways rapidly alter PFC network strength through intracellular signaling mechanisms, a process termed Dynamic Network Connectivity. Our data explain how exposure to stress and/or inflammation causes the rapid loss of PFC cognitive abilities, and how genetic mutations in molecules that regulate these pathways can lead to symptoms of mental illness. Dysregulation of these pathways with advancing age leads to loss of neuronal firing, cognitive impairments,and increased vulnerability for degeneration including tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease. Understanding these mechanisms has led to successful new treatments for patients with PFC dysfunction, including medications for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, long-COVID and delirium.

    Medical Research Interests

    Aging; Alzheimer Disease; Behavioral Sciences; Cognitive Science; Mental Health; Neurobiology; Neurosciences; Prefrontal Cortex; Psychology, Child; Schizophrenia; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

    Public Health Interests

    Mental Health; Child/Adolescent Health; Aging

    Research at a Glance

    Yale Co-Authors

    Frequent collaborators of Amy Arnsten's published research.

    Publications

    2024

    See All Publications

    Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

    • honor

      Member, National Academy of Medicine

      National Award
    • honor

      Goldman-Rakic Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Cognitive Neuroscience

      National Award

    Get In Touch

    Contacts

    Email
    Academic Office Number
    Mailing Address

    Neuroscience

    PO Box 208001, 333 Cedar Street

    New Haven, CT 06520-8001

    United States