News

Schmidt Lab attends SfN 2022

Schmidt Lab members Antonia Caffrey, Rae Herman, and Riley Merkel presented their research at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, California (Nov. 12 – 16).  In addition to displaying their original findings, the lab also … Read More

Transcriptomic analysis reveals cell type-specific patterns of gene expression associated with morphine intake

Opioid exposure is known to cause transcriptomic changes in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). However, no studies to date have investigated cell type-specific transcriptomic changes associated with volitional opioid taking. Here, we use single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNAseq) to comprehensively characterize … Read More

Summer Undergraduate Internship Program 2022

  The University of Pennsylvania Summer Undergraduate Internship Program (SUIP) is a 10-week intensive research opportunity for visiting undergraduate students. This summer, the Schmidt Lab was fortunate to welcome Camille Carthy, Lafayette College Class of 2023, as a SUIP intern.  … Read More

Seniors Graduate from the Schmidt Lab

Congratulations to Amanda Moreno (B.A.), Riley Merkel (B.A.), Kamryn Stecyk (B.S.), and Suditi Rahematpura (B.S.) (pictured left to right) on their recent graduation from the University of Pennsylvania and the Schmidt Lab as a part of the Undergraduate Class of … Read More

Rachel Carpenter Capstone Project

Congratulations to Rachel Carpenter on the successful completion of her senior capstone project in the Schmidt Lab! For Carpenter’s high school capstone project, she had the opportunity to observe and shadow Dr. Schmidt and other members of the Schmidt lab … Read More

A novel dual agonist of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors and neuropeptide Y2 receptors attenuates fentanyl taking and seeking in male rats

Schmidt Lab members Dr. Yanfang Zhang, Suditi Rahematpura, Kael Ragnini, Amanda Moreno, Kamryn Stecyk and Michelle Kahng, along with collaborators Dr. Brandon Milliken, Dr. Matthew Hayes, and Dr. Robert Doyle, recently published a paper in Neuropharmacology. Find the abstract below: … Read More

Dr. Heath Schmidt Appointed Killebrew-Censits Chair in Undergraduate Education

From the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing: Dr. Schmidt is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Health Science and holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine. His area of inquiry … Read More

GLP-1 receptor signaling in the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus attenuates cocaine seeking by activating GABAergic circuits that project to the VTA

Schmidt Lab members Dr. Nicole Hernandez, Kael Ragnini, Riley Merkel, Dr. Yafang Zhang and lab alumnae Vanessa Weir and Kyla Mace recently published a paper in Molecular Psychiatry. Find the abstract below: An emerging preclinical literature suggests that targeting central … Read More

Rae Herman Joins the Schmidt Laboratory

Rae Herman, a second year Ph.D. student in the Neuroscience Graduate Group, has officially joined the Schmidt Lab after her summer rotation. We are very excited to welcome Rae into the lab and support her on her thesis journey over … Read More

Recent Undergraduate Research Awards

Our undergraduate researchers have been recognized by the University for their success and dedication to research! Amanda Moreno ’21 has been named a University Scholar by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF). Riley Merkel ’21 has been awarded … Read More