The Che Lab @ Yale Psychiatry
We aim to understand how early life experiences, such as sensory inputs, social bonding, stress and substance exposure, impact brain circuit assembly and mature function in models of psychiatric illness.
Our Research
We use a multi-dimensional approach, from transcriptomics to circuits to behavior, to study four areas of early-life experience.
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How touch and oxytocin signaling shape the circuits underlying early social behavior, using mouse genetics, slice electrophysiology, and in vivo 2-photon imaging.
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How GABAergic circuits in the prefrontal cortex support fear extinction, with an emphasis on development, using cell type-specific genetic tools and 2-photon imaging through implanted microprisms.
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How prenatal and perinatal cannabinoid exposure alters circuit and behavior maturation, using longitudinal 2-photon imaging in developing mice.
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How stress during development reshapes molecular and network function, combining transcriptomic analyses with functional approaches to link early changes to later social behavior.
Funding sources
NIDA R01
NINDS R01
NINDS K99/R00
Swebilius Foundation Grant
VA National Center for PTSD
Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC)
BBRF Young Investigator Award
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University
Connecticut Mental Health Center
34 Park St, New Haven, CT 06519
@AliciaYChe