University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus · PharmacologyThe Neuropeptide Nexus
Edwin S Levitan · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Edwin S. Levitan's lab at the University of Pittsburgh focuses on understanding how neuropeptides, which are small protein-like molecules, help regulate important behaviors such as sleep and circadian rhythms. The lab uses advanced imaging techniques to study how these neuropeptides are released in the brain and how their release is influenced by different signals. This research is critical for revealing how neuropeptides contribute to the functioning of the nervous system, especially during behavioral changes and plasticity.
neuropeptidescircadian rhythmsDrosophilaimaging techniquessynaptic releasekiss-and-run exocytosisG-protein coupled receptorsneurobiologybehavioral regulation
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate how IP3 signaling in clock neurons triggers neuropeptide release.
AIM 02Examine the role of multi-compartmental release mechanisms in neuropeptide secretion.
AIM 03Explore the regulation of neuropeptide transport and storage in neurons undergoing morphological changes.
Skills the Lab Values
fluorescence imagingDrosophila geneticsoptical methodssynaptic analysisneuropeptide manipulationdata analysis in neurobiologybehavioral assayscell culture techniquesmulticompartmental release studies
Output against the department
Publications145bottom 41% of dept.273rd of 462
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations7.8ktop 47% of dept.215th 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.