Lauren Faget Hotchkiss, Ph.D.

Research Interests

My research goals are to dissect brain circuits that control motivated behaviors and to investigate the adaptation and dysregulation occurring in these circuits when reward processes get altered (e.g., avolition, anhedonia, negative affective state, compulsive behavior), hallmark symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders such as drug addiction, schizophrenia or depression. Towards this goal my lab deploys a wide range of assays, techniques and tools, including mouse behavioral assays, viral-mediated gene transfer, genetically-modified mice, optogenetics for in vivo neuronal manipulation, fiber photometry for in vivo calcium imaging, MATLAB and Python coding for big data analysis, histology, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry and microscopy

Publications

Complete List of Published Works at NCBI link: FagetBibliography

Faget L, Oriol L, Lee WC, Zell V, Sargent C, Flores A, Hollon NG, Ramanathan D, Hnasko TS. Ventral pallidum GABA and glutamate neurons drive approach and avoidance through distinct modulation of VTA cell types. Nat Commun. 2024 May 18;15(1):4233. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-48340-y. PubMed PMID: 38762463; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11102457

Conrad WS, Oriol L, Faget L, Hnasko TS. Proportion and distribution of neurotransmitter-defined cell types in the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra pars compacta. bioRxiv. 2024 Feb 28;. doi: 10.1101/2024.02.28.582356. PubMed PMID: 38464250; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10925288.

Warlow SM, Singhal SM, Hollon NG, Faget L, Dowlat DS, Zell V, Hunker AC, Zweifel LS, Hnasko TS. Mesoaccumbal glutamate neurons drive reward via glutamate release but aversion via dopamine co-release. Neuron. 2024 Feb 7;112(3):488-499.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.11.002. Epub 2023 Dec 11. PubMed PMID: 38086374; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10922836.

Farrell MR, Esteban JSD, Faget L, Floresco SB, Hnasko TS, Mahler SV. Ventral Pallidum GABA Neurons Mediate Motivation Underlying Risky Choice. J Neurosci. 2021 May 19;41(20):4500-4513. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2039-20.2021. Epub 2021 Apr 9. PubMed PMID: 33837052; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8152612.

Zell V, Steinkellner T, Hollon NG, Warlow SM, Souter E, Faget L, Hunker AC, Jin X, Zweifel LS, Hnasko TS. VTA Glutamate Neuron Activity Drives Positive Reinforcement Absent Dopamine Co-release. Neuron. 2020 Sep 9;107(5):864-873.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.06.011. Epub 2020 Jun 30. PubMed PMID: 32610039; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7780844.

Farrell MR, Ruiz CM, Castillo E, Faget L, Khanbijian C, Liu S, Schoch H, Rojas G, Huerta MY, Hnasko TS, Mahler SV. Ventral pallidum is essential for cocaine relapse after voluntary abstinence in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2019 Dec;44(13):2174-2185. doi: 10.1038/s41386-019-0507-4. Epub 2019 Sep 2. PubMed PMID: 31476762; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6898676.

Faget L, Zell V, Souter E, McPherson A, Ressler R, Gutierrez-Reed N, Yoo JH, Dulcis D, Hnasko TS. Opponent control of behavioral reinforcement by inhibitory and excitatory projections from the ventral pallidum. Nat Commun. 2018 Feb 27;9(1):849. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03125-y. PubMed PMID: 29487284; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5829073.

Yoo JH, Zell V, Gutierrez-Reed N, Wu J, Ressler R, Shenasa MA, Johnson AB, Fife KH, Faget L, Hnasko TS. Ventral tegmental area glutamate neurons co-release GABA and promote positive reinforcement. Nat Commun. 2016 Dec 15;7:13697. doi: 10.1038/ncomms13697. PubMed PMID: 27976722; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5171775.

Faget L, Osakada F, Duan J, Ressler R, Johnson AB, Proudfoot JA, Yoo JH, Callaway EM, Hnasko TS. Afferent Inputs to Neurotransmitter-Defined Cell Types in the Ventral Tegmental Area. Cell Rep. 2016 Jun 21;15(12):2796-808. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.05.057. Epub 2016 Jun 9. PubMed PMID: 27292633; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4917450.

Faget L, Erbs E, Le Merrer J, Scherrer G, Matifas A, Benturquia N, Noble F, Decossas M, Koch M, Kessler P, Vonesch JL, Schwab Y, Kieffer BL, Massotte D. In vivo visualization of delta opioid receptors upon physiological activation uncovers a distinct internalization profile. J Neurosci. 2012 May 23;32(21):7301-10. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0185-12.2012. PubMed PMID: 22623675; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3371401.

Recent Activities

Join the Lab

Prospective undergraduate and graduate students interested in better understanding reward and motivation neuronal pathways are welcome to reach out!

Dakota Green

Research Technician / Lab Manager 

B.S. in Biology, Minor in Environmental Studies

Boise State University

Audrey Wells

Biomolecular Sciences PhD candidate

B.S. in Biology

Southern Utah University

Natalia Allen

Undergraduate student

Major: Biology / Minor: Applied Data Science

Boise State University

Owen Board

Undergraduate student

Major: Biochemistry / Minor: Neuroscience

Boise State University

Savannah Budlong

Undergraduate student

Major: Biology/Neuroscience

Boise State University

Dellaney Lintner

Undergraduate student

Major: Psychology / Minor: Chemistry & Neuroscience

Boise State University