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Currently seeking Ph.D. students
David A Morilak, Ph.D.
Professor, Dept of Pharmacology
Director, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience
Quincy and Estine Lee Endowed Chair
We study the negative impact of stress, and mechanisms for better treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders. Our research addresses a) regulation and integration of the acute behavioral, cognitive and endocrine responses to stress; b) adaptive and maladaptive responses to chronic stress; and c) regulatory mechanisms of action of psychotherapeutic drugs and other types of therapeutic interventions, including behavioral therapies, and d) cognitive impairment after cancer therapy and its treatment. One focus of our research over the years has been on norepinephrine (NE), an important neuromodulatory transmitter that plays a critical role in the acute response to stress by enhancing arousal and sensorimotor response capabilities, and by integrating autonomic and endocrine responses with behavior. We study the modulation of behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to acute stress, and strategies to enhance higher-order cognitive processes mediated in the prefrontal cortex related to cognitive flexibility and coping behavior. Our techniques span the range from molecular, cellular and neural circuit to whole animal behavior and cognition. We study structural, functional and regulatory changes in prefrontal circuits that underly neuronal plasticity, the basis of both stress-induced pathology and therapeutic efficacy. Our work is relevant to understanding stress-related pathology underlying illnesses such as depression, PTSD or anxiety disorders, and the beneficial effects of antidepressant and anxiolytic therapies. Experimental approaches include behavioral tests of cognition, arousal, anxiety and defensive responses; intracerebral drug microinjections; DiOlistic labeling with morphometric analysis of dendrites and spines; in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry and receptor autoradiography; radioimmunoassay for plasma hormone measures; electrophysiology to assess plasticity in ascending and descending corticolimbic circuits; viral-based chemo- and optogenetics, western blots, IP assays and other measures of protein regulation and signal transduction; and the application of chronic metabolic and psychogenic stressors.
Research Area/Field of Study: Neuroscience
Sub-Field of Study: Stress neurobiology, cognitive function, neural circuits, antidepressants, animal models, cognitive impairment after cancer treatment, novel therapeutics, prefrontal cortex
Associated Diseases: Depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders, age-related cognitive impairment, cancer chemobrain
Techniques Used: Molecular biology (rt pcr, IP), biochemistry (western blots, ELISA, RIA), chemogenetics, optogenetics, electrophysiology, neuropharmacology, in situ hybridization, DiOlistic labeling, neuroanatomy, behavioral pharmacology, cognitive testing
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Professional Background
Education
- 1994 - Postdoctoral Research Associate - Molecular Neurobiology - Dept of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University
- 1990 - Postdoctoral Fellowship - Autonomic Neuroscience - Flinders University Medical Centre, Australia
- 1986 - PhD - Neuroscience/Psychology - Princeton University
- 1984 - MA - Neuroscience/Psychology - Princeton University
- 1982 - BA - Psychology (with Honors, with Distinction, summa cum laude) - Muskingum College
Highlights
2002 Elected Member, American College of NeuroPsychopharmacology (ACNP)
2006 Dean’s Award for Exceptional Graduate Teaching, UTHSCSA
2008 Elected Councilor, Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs (ANDP)
2012 Faculty Leadership Award, UTHSCSA Faculty Senate
2012 Promoted to Fellow, American College of NeuroPsychopharmacology (ACNP)
2013 President's Council Faculty Scholar, UTHSCSA
2017 Quincy and Estine Lee Endowed Chair
Appointments
- 2/2017 - Quincy and Estine Lee Endowed Chair - The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Pharmacology, San Antonio
- 2017 - Research Health Scientist - South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS)
- 2016 - Member - Mays Cancer Center
- 9/2009 - Director of Center for Biomedical Neuroscience - The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 4/2009 - Professor (Cross Appointment) - The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Psychiatry
- 9/2005 - Professor - The University of Texas Health Science Center, Pharmacology
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Instruction & Training
- 2002 - Present, Director, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, UT Health San Antonio
- 2020 - present, Ph.D. Student Dissertation Supervisor, Aleeza Stephens, UT Health San Antonio
- 01/2020 - Present, Ph.D. Student Dissertation Supervisor, Kathleen Tuite, UT Health San Antonio
- 01/2019 - Present, Ph.D. Student Dissertation Supervisor, Amber Asher, UT Health San Antonio
- 01/2017 - Present, Ph.D. Student Dissertation Supervisor, Denisse Paredes, UT Health San Antonio
- 01/2017 - Present, Ph.D. Student Dissertation Supervisor, Alexandra Vaiana, UT Health San Antonio
- 01/2016 - 06/2020, Ph.D. Student Dissertation Supervisor, Samantha Adler, UT Health San Antonio
- 01/2013 - 04/2017, Ph.D. Student Dissertation Supervisor, Elizabeth Fucich, UT Health San Antonio
- 01/2010 - 12/2015, Ph.D. Student Dissertation Supervisor, Julianne Jett, UT Health San Antonio
- 05/2009 - 04/2014, Ph.D. Student Dissertation Supervisor, Jennifer Donegan, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 01/2004 - 02/2009, Ph.D. Student Dissertation Supervisor, Corina Bondi, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 2020 - present, Junior Faculty Mentor, Flavia Carreno, Ph.D., UT Health San Antonio
- 06/1996 - 07/2001, Ph.D. Student Dissertation Supervisor, Habibeh Khoshbouei, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 08/2017 - Present, Junior Faculty Mentor, Jing Liu, Ph.D., UT Health San Antonio
- 06/2008 - Present, Junior Faculty Mentor, Milena Girotti, Ph.D., UT Health San Antonio
- 05/2015 - Present, Post-Doctoral Supervisor, Sarah Bulin, Ph.D., UT Health San Antonio
- 07/2010 - 06/2014, Post-Doctoral Supervisor, Brian Bingham, Ph.D., The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 04/2009 - 04/2012, Post-Doctoral Supervisor, Megan Roth, Ph.D., The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 05/2004 - 09/2009, Post-Doctoral Supervisor, Danet Lapiz, Ph.D., The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 4/2009 - Present, Post-Doctoral Student Supervision, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 06/2005 - 03/2008, Post-Doctoral Supervisor, Tania Bédard-Arana, Ph.D., The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 01/2004 - 06/2005, Post-Doctoral Supervisor, David Echevarria, Ph.D., The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 04/2002 - 09/2005, Post-Doctoral Supervisor, Shake Ma, M.D., Ph.D., The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 02/2000 - 02/2002, Post-Doctoral Supervisor, Marie-Christine Pardon, Ph.D., The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 09/1998 - 08/2001, Post-Doctoral Supervisor, Marco Cecchi, Ph.D., The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 10/1996 - 06/2000, Post-Doctoral Supervisor, Scott Sands, Ph.D., The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 1998 - present, Summer Undergraduate Research Student Supervisor, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 2010 - present, Voelcker Scholars High School Student Research Supervisor, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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Research & Grants
Stress Neurobiology, Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Psychopharmacology, Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Impairment after Cancer Therapy, Animal Models, Systems Neuroscience
Grants
- Integrated Graduate Training Program in Neuroscience, UTHSCSA
- Prefrontal cortex and stress reactivity
- Selective negative allosteric modulators of alpha 5-GABAA receptors: novel psychotherapeutic drugs
- Cognitive impairment associated with androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer
- Treating PTSD and depression: Mechanisms of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in rats
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Service
Institutional
2022, Member, Long School of Medicine, Strategic Planning Research Working Group
2021-2025, Member, Long School of Medicine Promotion, Tenure and Appointments Committee (PTAC)
2021-2023, Member, UTHSA Conflict of Interest Committee
2021-2022, Member, LSOM Search Committee for Established Investigator in Parkinson’s Disease
2020, Member, GSBS Search Committee for Program Director, Integrated Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. Program
2020, Member, LSOM Search Committee for Director of the Institute for Integration of Medicine and Science
2017-present, Member, Department of Laboratory Animal Resources Space Committee
Service to the Profession
2021, Member, Symptom Control and Quality of Life Committee, SWOG Cancer Research Network
2021-2022, National Cancer Inst, Clinical Trials Planning Meeting (CTPM) on Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment (CRCI), Working Group on Behavioral Interventions
2021-2022, International College of NeuroPsychopharmacology (CINP), Publications Committee
2018-2022, CINP Program Committee
2014-2016, CINP Membership Committee
2014-2017, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Ethics Committee
2021-present, NIH Director’s Pioneer Award review panel
National
NIH study section and special emphasis panel grant reviewer
Editorial Board, Brain Research
Editorial Board, International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, Preclinical Field Editor
Editorial Board, Neurobiology of Stress
Faculty of 1000
Society for Neuroscience (SfN)
International College of Neuropsychopharmacology (CINP)
Fellow, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)
ASPET
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Publications