Constanza Garcia Keller, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology

Locations

Pharmacology and Toxicology
Office: BSB6235; Lab: BSB6355

Contact Information

Education

Postdoctoral Training, Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, 2014-2019
PhD, Pharmacology, National University of Cordoba, Argentina, 2014
BS, Major: Chemical Sciences; Minor: Biochemistry, School of Chemical Sciences, National University of Cordoba, Argentina, 2007

Biography

Dr. Garcia Keller joined the 皇家华人 as assistant professor in July of 2022. Prior to her arrival at MCW, she joined the Kalivas laboratory at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she completed her post-doctoral training and then held the position of research assistant professor. Dr. Garcia Keller graduated from National University of Cordoba, Argentina in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. She continued her studies there, and later earned her PhD in Chemical Sciences, with specialization in neuropharmacology under the mentorship of Dr. Liliana Cancela at Institute of Experimental Pharmacology Cordoba (IFEC-CONICET). For her doctoral studies, she was awarded first place in Best Argentinian Neuroscience Thesis 2014. Dr. Garcia Keller’s research program focuses on the neurobiology of stress, motivated behaviour and addiction.

Honors and Awards

2022 - URM Travel Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)
2019 - Travel Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)
2017 - Travel Award to attend the course in Cellular Biology of Addiction, Cold Spring Harbor
2014 - Best Doctoral Thesis in Neuroscience from the Argentinian Neuroscience Society
2013 - Fellowship from International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN), Category 1A; support for training in the laboratory of Dr. Kalivas at the Medical University of South Carolina
2013 - Fellowship from International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN); support for attendance at the XIIth Advanced School on Neurochemistry in Chichen Itza, Mexico
2008-2012 - Doctoral Fellowship, National Research Council (CONICET), Cordoba, Argentina

Research Interests

Trauma and Stress-Related Disorder/Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Addiction/Substance Use Disorder (Cocaine, Heroin, Nicotine, Cannabinoids)
Extracellular Matrix (ECM)
Synaptic Plasticity/Pentapartite Synapsis (pre and postsynaptic neurons, astrocyte, microglia, ECM)
NeuroImmunoEndocrinology
Neuropharmacology
System Neuroscience

The long-term goal of the Garcia Keller laboratory is to identify the neurological mechanisms underlying stress-induced vulnerability in the development of substance use disorders (SUDs), and in doing so, rationally design pharmacotherapeutic treatments. Converging epidemiological studies indicate that a history of acute life threatening events increases the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a diagnosis for PTSD carries 30-50% comorbidity with SUDs. Such comorbidity results in greater drug use and poorer treatment outcomes. The lab uses a preclinical rodent model to understand how an acute stressful event can lead to addiction, not only facilitating drug self-administration but also precipitating relapse.

Current ongoing projects aimed to 1) understand the neurocircuitry and cell-type specificity involved in stress and addiction, 2) study the role of the pentapartite synapse in stress and addiction, and 3) study novel therapeutic treatments for PSTD and SUD using an oligonucleotide technology to target key gene of interest.

(Garcia-Keller C, Hohmeister M, Seidling K, Beloate L, Chioma V, Spencer S, Kalivas P, Neuhofer D.) Addict Biol. 2023 Aug;28(8):e13286 PMID: 37500492 PMCID: PMC10924663 07/28/2023
(Kruyer A, Angelis A, Garcia-Keller C, Li H, Kalivas PW.) Sci Adv. 2022 Aug 12;8(32):eabo7044 PMID: 35947652 PMCID: PMC9365285 08/11/2022
(Hodebourg R, Meyerink ME, Crow AD, Reichel CM, Kalivas PW, Garcia-Keller C.) Neuropsychopharmacology. 2022 Apr;47(5):1037-1045 PMID: 35145212 PMCID: PMC8938410 02/12/2022
(Vivinetto AL, Castañares C, Garcia-Keller C, Moyano AL, Falcon C, Palandri A, Rozés-Salvador V, Rojas JI, Patrucco L, Monferran C, Cancela L, Cristiano E, Schnaar RL, Lopez PHH.) Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2022 Apr 01;1868(4):166324 PMID: 34954343 12/27/2021
(Nall RW, Beloate LN, Meyerink ME, Penaloza T, Doolittle J, Froeliger B, Kalivas PW, Garcia-Keller C.) Addict Biol. 2022 Mar;27(2):e13151 PMID: 35229943 PMCID: PMC10777539 03/02/2022
(Avalos MP, Guzman AS, Rigoni D, Gorostiza EA, Sanchez MA, Mongi-Bragato B, Garcia-Keller C, Perassi EM, Virgolini MB, Peralta Ramos JM, Iribarren P, Calfa GD, Bollati FA, Cancela LM.) Brain Behav Immun. 2022 Mar;101:359-376 PMID: 35065197 01/23/2022
(Avalos MP, Guzman AS, Garcia-Keller C, Mongi-Bragato B, Esparza MA, Rigoni D, Sanchez MA, Calfa GD, Bollati FA, Cancela LM.) Front Physiol. 2022;13:896268 PMID: 36091376 PMCID: PMC9462460 09/13/2022
(Rigoni D, Avalos MP, Boezio MJ, Guzmán AS, Calfa GD, Perassi EM, Pierotti SM, Bisbal M, Garcia-Keller C, Cancela LM, Bollati F.) Neurobiol Stress. 2021 Nov;15:100349 PMID: 34169122 PMCID: PMC8209265 06/26/2021
(Smiley CE, Saleh HK, Nimchuk KE, Garcia-Keller C, Gass JT.) Behav Brain Res. 2021 Oct 11;415:113517 PMID: 34389427 PMCID: PMC8404161 08/15/2021
(Garcia-Keller C, Carter JS, Kruyer A, Kearns AM, Hopkins JL, Hodebourg R, Kalivas PW, Reichel CM.) Neuropsychopharmacology. 2021 Sep;46(10):1848-1856 PMID: 34226657 PMCID: PMC8357931 07/07/2021
(Mongi-Bragato B, Avalos MP, Guzmán AS, García-Keller C, Bollati FA, Cancela LM.) Eur J Neurosci. 2021 Mar;53(5):1441-1449 PMID: 33159343 11/08/2020
(Garcia-Keller C, Scofield MD, Neuhofer D, Varanasi S, Reeves MT, Hughes B, Anderson E, Richie CT, Mejias-Aponte C, Pickel J, Hope BT, Harvey BK, Cowan CW, Kalivas PW.) J Neurosci. 2020 Oct 28;40(44):8463-8477 PMID: 33051346 PMCID: PMC7605418 10/15/2020

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