Professor Dr. Marina Picciotto

Biography

Marina Picciotto joined the Yale faculty in 1995 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Jean-Pierre Changeux Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. She earned her PhD in Molecular Neurobiology from Rockefeller University in 1992 and worked in the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience with Paul Greengard. Dr. Picciotto has played numerous key roles within the academic community, including serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neuroscience and presiding over several scientific councils and organizations related to neuroscience. Her research focuses on the role of acetylcholine signaling in brain development and function, utilizing molecular genetic, pharmacological, and in vivo imaging approaches. Dr. Picciotto has been recognized for her contributions with numerous awards, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering, and she is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her current projects investigate sex differences in the circuits underlying behaviors related to addiction, the role of intracellular signaling pathways in addiction, and potential therapeutic avenues for anxiolytics and antidepressants.

Research Interests