Research Overview —
The Smith Lab focuses on the neurobiology of attachment and social loss using the prairie vole (microtus orchogaster) as an animal model. My current projects investigate the effects of acute heroin withdrawal on pair bond formation in the prairie vole, as well as the possible role of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in modulating the stress associated with recovery from social loss. In the future, I am hoping to work on projects that examine the effects of social loss on drug relapse, or the developmental effects of disruptions in parental attachment on pair bonding.
Publications —
Vitale, E. M., Tbaba, A. H., Tam, K., Gossman, K. R., & Smith, A. S. (2024). Opposite-sex pairing alters social interaction-induced GCaMP and dopamine activity in the insular cortex of male prairie voles. bioRxiv: the preprint server for biology, 2024.11.21.624717. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.11.21.624717
Vitale, E. M., Tbaba, A. H., Sanchez, S., Hale, L., Kenkel, W. M., Johnson, M. A., & Smith, A. S. (2024). Pair bond quality influences social conditioned place preference expression, passive coping behavior, and central oxytocin receptor expression following partner loss in male prairie voles. Social neuroscience, 19(4), 273–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/17470919.2024.2428598
Presentations —
Vitale, E. M., Tbaba, A. H., Tam, K., & Smith, A.S. (2024). Examining dopamine mRNA expression in the insular cortex in peer vs. partner relationships in male prairie voles. University of Kansas-Haskell Indian Nations University Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 12th, 2024.
Awards and Honors —
University Graduate Fellowship, First-Year Fellowship – University of Kansas, 2024-25 – $36,000
NIMH Diversity Training Supplement – National Institutes of Health, 2024 – $138,000 (Awarded but not accepted)
NIH Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program – University of Kansas, 2023-24 ~ $60,000