The Picciotto lab focuses on understanding the role of acetylcholine and its receptors in natural behaviors and those relevant to understanding psychiatric illness and addiction.
We use molecular genetic, biochemical, pharmacological, neuroanatomical, circuit-level and behavioral techniques to manipulate and characterize neurons and circuits important for cholinergic signaling.
We also collaborate extensively with our colleagues doing human subjects and clinical research to translate this work so that it is relevant for patients.