University of South Carolina-Columbia · PharmacologyMott Lab
David D Mott · Columbia, South Carolina
Research Focus
Dr. David D Mott's lab focuses on understanding how the brain regulates emotions, particularly through a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. The lab investigates the amygdala, a brain region critical for fear and anxiety, and how it communicates with another area, the prefrontal cortex. By exploring these connections at the cellular level, the research aims to uncover mechanisms that could lead to better treatments for anxiety and related disorders.
acetylcholineamygdalaemotional memoryanxiety disorderstheta oscillationselectrophysiologyneurobiologycholinergic signalingfear behaviorneural circuits
Research Aims
3AIM 01Determine how acetylcholine modulates amygdalar microcircuits to influence fear behaviors.
AIM 02Examine the role of acetylcholine in synchronizing activity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex.
AIM 03Investigate the mechanisms by which cholinergic signaling affects emotional memory and learning.
Skills the Lab Values
electrophysiologyintracranial EEG recordingoptogeneticsbehavioral testingimmunohistochemistrymouse modelsdata analysis in neurosciencesynchronization analysiscircuit mappingcellular signaling
Output against the department
Publications61bottom 10% of dept.414th of 462
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations3.3kbottom 25% of dept.345th of 462
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.