Home Department: Biology
Mentor: Liqun Luo (Biology)

“Elucidating the Functional Heterogeneity of the Serotonin System in Social Behaviors”

Brain serotonin modulates wide-ranging behaviors including social interaction, and it is the top therapeutic target for treating neuropsychiatric disorders. However, due to its anatomical complexity, little is known about the system’s functional organization, namely which serotonin subtypes affect which behaviors. Using optogenetic techniques, Vibiana will activate anatomically-distinct serotonin subpopulations in mice. She will (1) test the hypothesis that the activity of different serotonin subtypes affects social behaviors differently, and (2) isolate serotonin subpopulations that are sufficient to positively or negatively affect social engagement. Results from this project will elucidate the functional heterogeneity of serotonin in social behaviors, which may help develop better targeted pharmacological treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders.