New York University · NeuroscienceDopamine and Learning Dynamics Lab
Christine M Constantinople · New York, New York
Research Focus
Dr. Christine Constantinople's lab at NYU focuses on understanding how specific brain circuits, especially those involving dopamine and acetylcholine, influence learning and decision-making in changing environments. By studying rats, her research explores dynamic learning processes and how different neuromodulators can dictate whether the brain focuses on learning or movement. The lab employs advanced techniques like optogenetics and electrophysiology to manipulate and observe neural activity during learning tasks, aiming to uncover new therapeutic targets for neuropsychiatric disorders.
dopamineacetylcholinelearningneuropsychiatric disordersneural circuitsoptogeneticselectrophysiologybehavioral paradigmsreinforcement learningplasticity
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate how orbitofrontal cortex projections to the ventral striatum dictate learning rates in rats.
AIM 02Examine the relationship between dopamine release and learning vs movement on single trials.
AIM 03Manipulate dopamine and acetylcholine to assess their role in decision-making during learning tasks.
Skills the Lab Values
optogeneticselectrophysiologybehavioral trainingneuroscience data analysisanimal handlingdata collectionhigh-throughput experimentationoptical methodsexperimental designsignal processing
Output against the department
Publications42bottom 8% of dept.616th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations1.7kbottom 10% of dept.604th of 671
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.