Wilbrecht Receives Presidential Early Career
Award
Source: UCSF press release
Date: September 26, 2011
Linda Wilbrecht, PhD, a neuroscientist at the Ernest
Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of
California, San Francisco (UCSF), is one of 94
researchers named today by President Obama as a
recipient of the Presidential Early Career Awards for
Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
Linda Wilbrecht, Ph.D.
Wilbrecht, UCSF assistant professor of neurology,
will receive the award in recognition of the promise
she has demonstrated as a scientist and her research
program on the effects of stimulants, such as cocaine,
on the development of neural circuits in the brains of
rodents. The research is supported by the National
Institute on Drug Abuse.
The overall goal of Wilbrecht’s research is to
uncover the effects of drug use and stress on the
development of neural circuits, and to develop
strategies to mitigate drug dependence.
PECASE is the highest honor given by the United
States government to science and engineering
professionals in the early stages of their independent
research careers. The winners, who will be presented
with their awards by the President at a White House
ceremony in October, receive research grants of up to
five years to further studies that support critical
government missions.
Sixteen Federal departments and agencies join
together annually to nominate candidates for the PECASE
award. Candidates are selected for their pursuit of
innovative research at the frontiers of science and
technology and their commitment to community service as
demonstrated through scientific leadership, public
education or community outreach.
“This honor bestowed on Dr. Wilbrecht reflects not
only the promise and importance of her research, but is
also recognition of the gravity of the issue she is
studying,” said Gallo Center Director Raymond L.
White, PhD. “Problems such as adolescent substance
abuse are at the heart of the Gallo Center's mission.
We are pleased to congratulate Dr. Wilbrecht on this
prestigious award.”
Neural circuits of the frontal cortex are known to
be refined and rewired during adolescence, suggesting
that adolescence may be a critical period for higher
brain functions such as learning, judgment and decision
making.
“It is clear that drugs can change the strength of
neural circuits,” said Wilbrecht, “and that
exposure to drugs during development may have a
particularly strong impact on the brain.” The
challenge now, she said, “is to sort out which
specific circuits are altered, so that we can harness
neural plasticity – the ability of the brain to
dynamically alter synaptic connections – to move the
brain back towards a pre-addiction state.”
Wilbrecht became interested in the concept of
developmental critical periods at age 15, while
studying with Harvey Sarles, PhD, at the University of
Minnesota. She then studied psychology and philosophy
at Oxford University, where she worked on animal models
of schizophrenia under Susan Iversen, PhD. Her doctoral
research focused on mechanisms underlying the sensitive
period for song learning in songbirds with Fernando
Nottebohm, PhD, at Rockefeller University. As a
postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Karel Svoboda at Cold
Spring Harbor Laboratory and Dr. Michael Merzenich at
UCSF, Wilbrecht focused on how changes in experience
affect synapses in the rodent brain.
In 2008, Wilbrecht was invited to establish her own
laboratory at the Gallo Center. Her research group
studies the impact of experience on the development of
the frontal cortex, executive function and decision
making.
“Most people would agree adolescence is a
formative moment in our lives,” Wilbrecht said.
“Our sense of self, our personality, our likes and
dislikes, our musical taste, all seem to take more
definitive shape during this time. However, if we start
out on the wrong foot early in life, it is also harder
to change as an adult. I'd like to know why this
happens at a biological level and use this information
to develop therapies for addiction and other conditions
associated with early life adversity.”
In 2009, Wilbrecht received the BioBehavioral
Research Award for Innovative New Investigators
(BRAINs) from the National Institute of Mental Health.
The UCSF-affiliated Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research
Center is one of the world’s preeminent academic
centers for the study of the biological basis of
alcohol and substance use disorders. Gallo Center
discoveries of potential molecular targets for the
development of therapeutic medications are extended
through preclinical and proof-of-concept clinical
studies.
UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting
health worldwide through advanced biomedical research,
graduate-level education in the life sciences and
health professions, and excellence in patient care.
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