Dr. Ralph Dileone

Biography

Ralph DiLeone is a Professor in the Psychiatry and Neuroscience departments at Yale School of Medicine. His research focuses on the molecular neural basis of behavior, specifically the neurocircuitry underlying responses to natural rewards such as food and drug abuse. DiLeone investigates the regulation and integration of these circuits with the long-term goal of understanding their relevance to diseases like obesity and eating disorders. His current work employs animal models to explore opioid use disorder and evaluate the efficacy of specific therapeutics. His laboratory utilizes viral transgenic techniques to monitor and manipulate neuronal function and behavior, leveraging tools like optogenetics and fiber photometry.

Research Interests