Stephan Anagnostaras

About

Stephan Anagnostaras is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at UC San Diego. His research laboratory aims to understand how the brain produces behavior and cognition by integrating molecular-genetic, systems, and cognitive-behavioral levels of analysis. Working primarily with mice, his research focuses on three main areas: memory consolidation and the substrates of permanent memory, particularly how hippocampus-dependent memory is transformed and stored over extended periods; fear and anxiety, including fear memory and the genetic contributions to these emotional responses; and memories governing addiction, specifically the role of 'memory genes' in stimulant sensitization. A related line of research investigates the role of genetics in exceptional memory and intelligence. His work seeks to elucidate the interplay of genes, neural systems, behavior, and cognition in the production of memory.

Research topics

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Computer Science
• Cell biology
• Pharmacology
• Acoustics
• Biochemistry
• Physics
• Psychiatry
• Biology

Selected publications

• Psychostimulants and Cognition: A Continuum of Behavioral and Cognitive Activation

  Pharmacological Reviews · 2013-12-17 · 257 citations

  reviewSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Animal model of methylphenidate's long-term memory-enhancing effects

  Learning & Memory · 2014-01-16 · 37 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Methylphenidate (MPH), introduced more than 60 years ago, accounts for two-thirds of current prescriptions for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although many studies have modeled MPH's effect on executive function, almost none have directly modeled its effect on long-term memory (LTM), even though improvement in LTM is a critical target of therapeutic intervention in ADHD. We examined the effects of a wide range of doses of MPH (0.01-10 mg/kg, i.p.) on Pavlovian fear learning, a…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Quantifying the Acoustic Startle Response in Mice Using Standard Digital Video

  Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · 2020 · 36 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  The startle response is an unconditional reflex, characterized by the rapid contraction of facial and skeletal muscles, to a sudden and intense startling stimulus. It is an especially useful tool in translational research for its consistency across species, simple neural circuitry, and sensitivity to a variety of experimental manipulations. The rodent acoustic startle response is commonly used to study fundamental properties of the central nervous system, including habituation, sensitization, cl…

  PublisherDOI

• MDMA and memory, addiction, and depression: dose-effect analysis

  Psychopharmacology · 2022 · 33 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  RATIONALE: ±3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a recreational drug that shows substantial promise as a psychotherapeutic agent. Still, there is some concern regarding its behavioral toxicity, and its dose-effect relationship is poorly understood. We previously explored the role of dose in the cognitive effects of MDMA in a systematic review of existing literature and found no evidence in animals that MDMA impairs memory at low doses (< 3 mg/kg) but mixed results at high doses (≥ 3 mg/kg…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Methylphenidate enhances acquisition and retention of spatial memory

  Neuroscience Letters · 2014-03-27 · 26 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01DA020041

  NIH · $1.5M · 2013

• NIH Grant R03DA016635

  NIH · $76k · 2005

• NIH Grant F32NS010932

  NIH · $111k

Frequent coauthors

• Seiya Miyamoto

  5198 shared

• Jennifer R Sage

  LVMH (France)

  4310 shared

• Stephanie A Carmack

  National Institute on Drug Abuse

  4295 shared

• Robert L. Balster

  3764 shared

• Richard J Beninger

  3760 shared

• Tomek J Banasikowski

  Providence Health Care

  3760 shared

• Sharon Walsh

  University of Cincinnati

  3724 shared

• Malcolm Lader

  3348 shared

Similar researchers at University of California, San Diego

• Sandra Brownh-100
• Adam Aronh-70
• David Barnerh-46