Lavin Laboratory

Dr. Lavin’s research laboratory explores the synaptic and cellular mechanisms that underlie functioning of the prefrontal cortex and seeks to understand the changes occurring in these mechanisms under pathological conditions, such as neurodevelopmental disorders and drug addiction. The lab utilizes different experimental approaches to gain a better understanding about the underlying regulation, or dysregulation, of healthy brain function, and take an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to address these important topics for human mental health.

One of our ongoing projects focuses on investigating the mechanisms underlying hypofrontality, a common biological marker of neuropsychiatric disorders that correlates with cognitive and executive function deficits, and it is often defined as a pathological state of frontal cortex produced, at least in part, by disruption of the normal balance of local excitatory and inhibitory (E-I) synaptic transmission. We use a powerful combination of state-of-the-art techniques such as whole-cell clamp electrophysiology, behavioral assessments and molecular biology to investigate how methamphetamine abuse affects the excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in the prefrontal cortex of rats.

In a separate but related project, we are investigating the role of immediate early genes (IEG), specifically NPAS4, in the excitatory and inhibitory changes elicited by methamphetamine abuse in the prefrontal cortex of rats.

Another of the lab interest center in the role of perineuronal nets. Perineuronal nets (PNN) are composed of extracellular matrix glycoproteins and have emerged as important regulators of synaptic plasticity in the developing and mature brain. PNN formation around parvalbumin-positive fast spiking interneurons (PV+FSI) tends to increase PV+FSI activity, which enhances GABAergic inhibition in neuronal networks and suggests the potential involvement of PNN in hypofrontality. We are investigating how methamphetamine abuse affects the PNNs, resulting in change sin inhibitory activity in the prefrontal cortex

Research:
The Lavin Lab explores prefrontal cortex synaptic and cellular mechanisms that underlie neuropsychiatric disorders, such drug addiction, and neurodevelopmental disorders. The lab utilizes a broad array of experimental approaches to gain a better understanding about the underlying regulation, or dysregulation, of typical brain function, and they take an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to address these important topics for human mental health.

Drug Addiction
The lab employs a range of ex vivo electrophysiological, genetic and behavioral techniques to understand how abused substances affect cognitive process in prefrontal cortex resulting in addiction-related behaviors. Through identification of the cellular and synaptic changes that occur in the prefrontal cortex after repeated exposed to drugs of abuse, we ultimately seek reinstate normal cortical function and cognitive performance. Ongoing studies seek to identify the synaptic and cellular mechanisms by which drugs of abuse affect cognitive process in the prefrontal cortex resulting in inability to stop using drugs and /or cycles of abstinence and relapse.


Team:
Antonieta Lavin, PhD
Associate Professor
Biography: Dr. Lavin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr.Lavin earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the Universidad Veracruzana in Veracruz, Mexico (CT) and her Ph.D. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She completed her postdoctoral training at University of Pittsburgh in the area of Neuroscience.


Lavin Laboratory Recent Publications (2020-current)
Published, In Press or Accepted Original Research Papers
Anderson EM, Tsvetkov E, Galante A, DeVries E, Wood D, Barry S, Berto S, Lavin A, Taniguchi M, Cowan CW (2023) Epigenetic function during heroin self-administration controls future relapse-associated behavior in a cell type-specific manner. PNAS in Press.

Armenta-Resendiz M, Assali A, Tsvetkov E, Cowan CW, Lavin A (2022) Repeated methamphetamine administration produces cognitive deficits through augmentation of GABAergic synaptic transmission in the prefrontal cortex Neuropsychopharmacology 47(10):1816-1825. doi: 10.1038/s41386-022-01371-9. Epub 2022 Jul 4.