Ana João Rodrigues
Assistant Professor
Life and Health Sciences Research Institute
University of Minho
Portugal
Biography
Ana João Rodrigues is a researcher at ICVS/3B´s Associate Laboratory, and is an Assistant Professor at the School of Health Sciences, University of Minho. My research is focused in understanding what drives motivated behaviors and how the brain processes positive (and negative) stimuli, and the impact of stress in the underlying neuronal networks. I use a combination of behavioral, neuroanatomical, electrophysiology, molecular and optogenetic tools to dissect the neurobiological basis of reward and motivation. How do circuits encode and process positive and negative stimuli (reward/aversion)? What drives motivated behaviors? Can early life stress/glucocorticoids program these circuits? How?
Research Interest
Dopamine, nucleus accumbens, D2 receptor, mesolimbic circuit, glucocorticoids, prenatal stress, optogenetics, electrophysiology and epigenetics.
Publications
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Soares-Cunha C, Coimbra B, Sousa N, Rodrigues AJ. (2016) Reappraising striatal D1-and D2-neurons in reward and aversion. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews; 68 : 370-386.
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Vyas S, Rodrigues AJ, Silva JM, Tronche F, Sousa N, et al. (2015) Glucocorticoids and neurodegeneration. Adrenal glands: from pathophysiology to clinical evidence; 307-332.
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Rodrigues AJ, Leão P, Pêgo JM, Cardona D, Carvalho MM, et al. (2012) Mechanisms of initiation and reversal of drug-seeking behavior induced by prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids. Molecular psychiatry; 17 : 1295.
