Sarah C. Simmons

This study identifies a novel population of CRF-expressing lateral habenula neurons in mice and characterizes their sex-specific behavioral and electrophysiological properties.

This study investigates how repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) affects corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) modulation of lateral habenula (LHb) excitability and motivated behavior in male and female mice, revealing sex-specific neurobehavioral effects.

This study investigates how repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) affects Kappa Opioid Receptor (KOR) neuromodulation of lateral habenula (LHb) synaptic function in male and female mice, revealing changes in excitatory/inhibitory balance.

This study shows that repetitive mTBI causes LHb neuronal dysfunction, leading to motivational deficits, and that inhibiting LHb activity can reverse these deficits.

This study investigates how blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury (mbTBI) affects corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neuronal activity in the mouse hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), finding increased firing in dorsal PVN CRF neurons and associated GABAergic synaptic dysfunction.

This study shows that early life stress increases glutamatergic synaptic activity in the lateral habenula, which persists into adulthood and reduces morphine intake and reward behavior in rats.

This study shows that early life stress alters kappa opioid receptor signaling in the lateral habenula, affecting neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission in rat models.