Northwestern University · PhysiologyDopamine and Habit Formation Lab
Talia Newcombe Lerner · Evanston, Illinois
Research Focus
Dr. Talia Newcombe Lerner's lab at Northwestern University investigates how dopamine circuits in the brain contribute to habit formation and motor skill acquisition. The lab aims to understand the neural mechanisms behind the transition from deliberate actions to automated habits, especially in the context of neuropsychiatric disorders like OCD and addiction. By studying the impact of early life stress on dopamine circuit development, the research seeks to uncover lasting effects on behavior and potential interventions for psychiatric disorders.
dopamine circuitshabit formationmotor skillsearly life stressneuropsychiatric disordersOCDaddictionsynaptic plasticity
Research Aims
4AIM 01Characterize neural circuits regulating dopamine input to the dorsolateral striatum.
AIM 02Identify synaptic plasticity mechanisms in dopamine circuits associated with habit formation.
AIM 03Examine the structural impact of early life stress on dopamine circuit development.
AIM 04Investigate how changes in dopamine release patterns affect decision-making later in life.
Skills the Lab Values
electrophysiologyoptogeneticsfiber photometryspatial transcriptomicsmouse modelsneural circuit tracingdata analysisbehavioral assays
Output against the department
Publications53bottom 8% of dept.262nd of 286
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations3.9kbottom 31% of dept.197th of 286
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.