Lab Members | Flores Lab

Flores Lab Members

Giovanni Hernandez

Project Manager/Senior Research Associate Ph.D. Psychology – Concordia University, 2010

MSc Organizational Psychology – Universidad Simon Bolivar, 2003 MSc Psychology Behavioral Analysis – Universidad Central de Venezuela, 2002

Giovanni’s main interests lie in the elucidation of the neurobiological circuit underlying decision-making.

He graduated from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (Caracas, Venezuela) with a B.S in Psychology in 1997 and then did two master’s degrees, one in Organizational Psychology and another in Behavior Analysis. He received his Ph.D. from Concordia University under the direction of Prof. Peter Shizgal; his graduate research focused on the role of dopamine in decision-making. During his postdoctoral studies at the University of Maryland under the advice of Joseph Cheer, he studied how modulation of the dopaminergic system by the endocannabinoid system alters goal-directed behavior. At the Université de Montreal, under the advice of Pierre-Paul Rompré and Daniel Levesque, Giovanni identified an NMDA receptor (GluN2C) responsible for the relay of the reward signal in the ventral tegmental area. He is now studying the development of dopamine neurons during adolescence and the effect of early-life exposure to cannabinoids. He has extensive experience using in-vivo techniques (Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, electrophysiology, microdialysis, fiber photometry, optogenetics) to correlate behavioral outputs with brain circuitry.

Dominique Nouel - Feb 11, 2022

Lab and Project Coordinator

Ph.D Neuroscience, Université de Rouen, France
M.Sc. Biologie et Physiologie, Université de Rouen, France B.Sc. Biochimie, Université de Rouen, France
Dominique.Nouel@douglas.mcgill.ca

In memory of

Jose Maria Restrepo

PhD Student (Co-supervised by

Dr. Patricia Pelufo Silveira)

B.A. Honours in Psychology [Distinction],

Concordia University, 2016

One of my research interests focuses on understanding whether and how exposure to different drugs during adolescence affect ongoing brain development. During the first years of my graduate studies, I investigated the effects of different doses of amphetamine during adolescence, and how this exposure impacts: (1) behaviors that depend on proper prefrontal cortex functioning, and (2) the expression of genes that coordinate adolescent neurodevelopment and synaptic plasticity.

After I fast-tracked into the PhD program, we started a collaboration with Dr. Patricia Pelufo Silveira to translate our studies in rodent models to humans, trying to bring together perspectives from developmental neurobiology and systems genetics. I use a wide range of bioinformatics methods to study the relationship between variations in expression of gene networks and mesocorticolimbic dopamine development.

jose.restrepo2@mail.mcgill.ca

Alice Morgunova

PhD Candidate

McGill IPN Rotation Student, 2017–2018

Postbaccalaureate – National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2017

B.A. – Molecular, Cellular, and Behavioral Neuroscience; Hampshire College, 2016

I am interested in dissecting the differences between healthy and pathological brains across the lifetime. My current project is examining how adolescent vulnerability to psychopathology is influenced by the expression of a particular microRNA in the medial prefrontal cortex. MicroRNAs have been shown to be promising markers for certain conditions and the goal of my research is to identify a biomarker signature for major depressive disorder and schizophrenia.

In addition, I am collaborating with Dr. Patricia Sliveira’s lab to investigate polygenetic expression of netrin-1 family genes and their networks in healthy human development.

Ashraf Mahmud

Ph.D. Student

MA in Psychology (Research and Clinical Option), Concordia University

B.Sc. Specialization in Psychology [Distinction], Concordia University

Depression is a chronic disabling disorder, often precipitated by stress. Altered expression of the Netrin-1/DCC pathway in the prefrontal cortex is tightly linked to major depressive disorder in humans and to susceptibility to stress-induced behavioral abnormalities in mice. My research goal is to identify how the Netrin-1/DCC pathway in the prefrontal cortex modulates vulnerability/resilience to stress and to decipher the precise neural circuitries involved. I use the chronic social defeat stress model in male and female mice and combine anatomical methods and genetic strategies. In my spare time I write poetry.

Email: ashraf.mahmud@mail.mcgill.ca

Maxime Teixeira

Ph.D. Student

M.Sc. Neuroscience, Université de Bordeaux, France (2021)

B.Sc. Pharmacology, Université Clermont Auvergne, France (2019)

B. Tech. Applied Science Université Clermont Auvergne, France (2018)

Since the beginning of my studies in higher education, I have been interested in pharmacology and addiction, as well as the long-term effects of childhood trauma. These interests led me to Dr. Cecilia Flores' lab. Here, I investigate miR-218 as a potential biomarker but also as a therapeutic target in mice, with the ultimate goal of improving the management of patients suffering from amphetamine addiction. More specifically, I investigate if the level of miR-218 found in blood, as well as other biomarkers, can predict the long-term effects of amphetamine use during adolescence.

maxime.teixeira@mail.mcgill.ca

Chi Zhang

Research Assistant

BSc. - Honors Cognitive Science,

McGill University, 2023

I am interested in the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of reinforcement learning and behaviours, at both the circuitry and cellular levels. Substance abuse and stress are excellent models for studying the maladaptations of such mechanisms. I am currently working on a project investigating the sex-specific effects of social defeat in adolescence, particularly dopaminergic axon growth and behavioural inhibition. My continued interest in research leads me to the pursuit of a graduate program in neuroscience in the near future.

Email: chi.zhang8@mail.mcgill.ca

Samuel Richer

M.Sc. Student

McGill IPN, 2020-2022

B.Sc. – Physiology; McGill University, 2017-2020

After birth, the brain is a much more dynamic and vulnerable organ than many make it seem. Long distance dopaminergic axonal migration to the prefrontal cortex is still occurring in the adolescent brain. I want to understand how experiences in adolescence, particularly stress or exposure to drugs of abuse, impact dopamine axonal growth and adult cognitive and reward processing. My research project is focused on the role of axonal guidance cues and their cognate receptors and involves the combination of behavioral testing and calcium imaging methods in male and female mice.

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Tanya Capolicchio

M.Sc. Student

B.Sc. Honours Psychology with a

specialization in Behavioural Neuroscience

[Distinction]

The focus of my current research is to expand on our current knowledge of cannabis-induced psychosis. Specifically, the aim of this research is to investigate the impact of THC exposure during adolescence and how that impacts neuroinflammatory processes in mice and

in interaction with genetic biomarkers. More precisely, investigating if and how THC affects brain development andcognitive function via microRNA regulation of gene expression. If I am not in thelab I’m cooking and eating, or on a mountain (also eating).

Sehar Gul

Research Assistant

B.A. Psychology [Distinction], Concordia University (2020)

B.Sc. Anthropology, University of Toronto (2016)

After graduating from the University of Toronto Mississauga with an Honours BSc in Anthropology, I became increasingly interested in mental health, which led me to pursue a BA in Psychology from Concordia University. Currently, I am interested in the neurobiological mechanism underlying stress and how that can result in increasing vulnerability to develop psychiatric disorders.

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Monica (Aoran) Song

Research Assistant

B.A.Sc. Cognitive Sciences, McGill University (2019-2023)

I am currently responsible for colony management-related and other supporting work for lab members’ projects. I am involved in projects such as structural changes in adult mesocorticolimbic dopamine dynamics due to adolescent amphetamine exposure and social defeat.

My interest lies in cognitive neuroscience, especially in adolescent brain development, later depressive conditions and progressive brain diseases. I am continuously getting more impressed and amazed by projects and research approaches as I learn more in this lab. My plan for the remaining year is to do an Honours Research Project and then continue my education into grad school in neuroscience and psychiatry.

Email: aoran.song@mail.mcgill.ca

Radu Gabriel Avramescu

Postdoctoral Fellow

MD CM, McGill University, 2022

BSc Honours in Physiology [First Class Honours], 2013

I am interested in adolescent mental illness, which includes bullying and stress, as well as substance use disorders and the impact of adolescent substance use on functioning in adult life. Due to my background in both biochemistry and medicine, my research is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning stress and substance use, with the intention of improving clinical treatment.

Steve (Zhipeng) Niu

Research Assistant

B.Sc. Major Anatomy and Cell Biology, Minor Psychology, McGill University (2018-2022)

I am interested in the neurobiology of psychiatric disorders, specifically the cellular/molecular mechanisms underlying psychopathology. Currently, I am assisting a project on dynamic Netrin-1 expression throughout adolescence and its implication in the psychostimulant effects of amphetamines. I am eager to be involved in molecular techniques and neuroanatomy analysis. After this year of employment, I am planning to remain in academia via graduate programs such as an MSc related to neuroscience research in the U.S. and presumably, pursue my dream goal of getting into medicine.

Email: zhipeng.niu@mail.mcgill.ca

Members Lab Pictures