- PhD, University of North Carolina (2017)
Education & Training
Understanding the neural circuits involved in executive function that convey vulnerability or resilience to substance use and mental health disorders
Our research focuses on understanding neuronal circuits affected by external factors, particularly stress and substance use. We aim to identify markers of vulnerability and resilience, with a special emphasis on developmental periods like adolescence. During critical growth phases like adolescence, exposure to stress and drugs can significantly influence neurotransmitter systems and circuit maturation. Our work investigates how these changes occur under normal conditions and how they are altered by stressors. We explore how prior neurobiological or genetic differences may predispose individuals to developing multiple. Our research employs a range of techniques, including fiber photometry, optogenetics, and electrophysiology, to measure and manipulate neuronal activity during behavior. We investigate cellular-level changes in neurotransmission, neuromodulation, and receptor expression, as well as alterations in intracellular machinery.
Through this comprehensive approach, we hope to contribute to a deeper understanding of how environmental factors interact with neural development, potentially informing future interventions and treatments for neuropsychological disorders.
Link to full publication list: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=I2uLa5gAAAAJ&hl
Stringfield, S.J., Torregrossa, M.M. Intravenous self-administration of delta-9-THC in adolescent rats produces long-lasting alterations in behavior and receptor protein expression. Psychopharmacology 238, 305–319 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-020-05684-9
Sierra J Stringfield, Bryson E Sanders, Jude A Suppo, Alan F Sved, Mary M Torregrossa, Nicotine Enhances Intravenous Self-administration of Cannabinoids in Adult Rats, Nicotine & Tobacco Research. 25 (5), 1022–1029, (2023). https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntac267
Bender, B. N., Stringfield, S. J., Torregrossa, M.M. Changes in dorsomedial striatum activity during expression of goal-directed vs. habit-like cue-induced cocaine seeking. Addiction Neuroscience, 11, 100149 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addicn.2024.100149.
Stringfield, S.J., Madayag, A.C., Boettiger, C.A. et al. Sex differences in nicotine-enhanced Pavlovian conditioned approach in rats. Biol Sex Differ 10, 37 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293-019-0244-8\
S.J. Stringfield, S.J., Higginbotham, J.A., Wang, R., Berger, A.L., McLaughlin, R.J., Fuchs, R.A. Role of glucocorticoid receptor-mediated mechanisms in cocaine memory enhancement. Neuropharmacology, 123, 349-358, (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.05.022
