University of California-Los Angeles · PsychologyStress and Decision Making Laboratory
Kate M Wassum · Los Angeles, California
Research Focus
Kate Wassum's lab focuses on understanding how chronic stress influences habits and decision-making processes in the brain. By investigating the pathways in the amygdala and their connections to other areas of the brain, the lab aims to uncover the mechanisms behind goal-directed learning and how these mechanisms can be disrupted in various mental health conditions. This research has the potential to inform treatment strategies for substance use disorders and other psychiatric diseases.
chronic stresshabit formationdecision makingcue-reward learningamygdalamental healthsubstance use disorderneurocircuitrybehavioral neurosciencecognitive mapping
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how chronic stress alters amygdala-striatal pathways to promote habit formation.
AIM 02Uncover the roles of specific amygdala output pathways in decision making and learning.
AIM 03Identify neuronal circuitry that links chronic stress with maladaptive behaviors.
AIM 04Explore the effects of stress on flexible vs. habitual decision-making processes.
AIM 05Develop insights that can inform treatment for mental health disorders influenced by stress.
Skills the Lab Values
optogeneticscalcium imagingbehavioral experimentscell cultureanimal modelsPavlovian conditioningdata analysisneuromodulation techniqueselectrophysiologyneuroscience techniques
Output against the department
Publications107bottom 29% of dept.207th of 296
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations4.6kbottom 42% of dept.172nd of 296
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.