Jennifer Donegan
- Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
- Neuroscience
- Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Programs
Accepting graduate students 25-26 academic year
Contact Information
Biography
Dr. Donegan graduated magna cum laude from Texas Christian University with a B.S. in psychology. She obtained her Ph.D. in neuroscience from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Prior to joining Dell Med, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Pharmacology at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Donegan has received numerous awards for her work, including a Travel Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and a BRAIN Initiative Pathway to Independence Award.
Research
The Donegan lab aims to understand how stress across the lifetime affects the anatomy and function of neural circuits associated with psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. We use multiple techniques, including neural tracing, in vivo electrophysiology, opto- and chemo-genetics, and behavioral testing to determine if manipulation of specific neural circuits can alleviate specific symptom domains. Our ultimate goal is identify more targeted and effective treatment strategies for schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.
Fields of Interest
- Molecular Biology, Genetics & Genomics
- Electrophys, Optogenetics & Chemogenetics
- Behavior
- Cellular/Molecular/Structure
- Cognition/Sensory Systems
- Neurological Disease/Addiction
Publications
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
A full list of Jennifer Donegan’s publications can be found here.
Developmental alterations in the transcriptome of three distinct rodent models of schizophrenia
Donegan, J.J., Boley, A.M., Carless, M.A., Lodge, D.J. PLoS One, 2020, 15(6):e0232200.Stem cells for improving the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders
Donegan, J.J. and Lodge, D.J. Stem Cells in Development, 2020, 29(17):1118.Modulation of extrasynaptic GABA A alpha 5 receptors in the ventral hippocampus normalizes physiological and behavioral deficits in a circuit specific manner
Donegan, J.J., Boley, A.M., Yamaguchi, Y., Toney, G.M., and Lodge, D.J. Nature Communications, 2019, 10(1): 2819.Modulation of extrasynaptic GABA A alpha 5 receptors in the ventral hippocampus normalizes physiological and behavioral deficits in a circuit specific manner
Donegan, J.J., Boley, A.M., Yamaguchi, Y., Toney, G.M., and Lodge, D.J. Nature Communications, 2019, 10(1): 2819.Modulation of extrasynaptic GABA A alpha 5 receptors in the ventral hippocampus normalizes physiological and behavioral deficits in a circuit specific manner
Donegan, J.J., Boley, A.M., Yamaguchi, Y., Toney, G.M., and Lodge, D.J. Nature Communications, 2019, 10(1): 2819.