Talia received her B.Sc. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCSF. Her graduate work focused on understanding the molecular pathways that allow dopamine to regulate the strength of synaptic connections between neurons.
After completing her PhD thesis, Talia went on to do postdoctoral research at Stanford University, where she studied how different types of dopamine circuits control dopamine release in different brain areas. She used a combination of approaches to map the circuit architecture of the dopamine system and to probe its functionality both ex vivo and in vivo. Ultimately, she demonstrated that distinct information is transmitted by dopamine neurons projecting to different functional subregions of the striatum, the dorsomedial striatum (DMS; known for its role in goal-directed behavior) and the dorsolateral striatum (DLS; known for its role in habitual responding). Recognizing that dopamine neurons projecting to the DMS and DLS signal differently in vivo begs the question of how these different signals are generated and disseminated more generally, both across a wide range of behaviors and from individual to individual.
In her lab at Northwestern, Talia’s lab continues to dissect dopaminergic connectivity motifs and in vivo activity patterns to understand how dopamine signaling may underlie individual differences in motivation and learning. Her lab is interested in the effects of early life stress on dopamine system function and how dopamine can help you integrate what you’ve learned about the world with your internal feelings to make decisions.
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