Assistant Professor of Neurosciences,
Department of Biological Sciences
Year arrived at BSU: 2024
Email: LaurenFaget@boisestate.edu
Office: Science Building, Room 102B
Lab: Science Building, Room 241
Zoom Phone: (208)426-6355
Mailing Address:
Department of Biological Sciences
Boise State University
1910 University Dr.
Boise, ID 83725-1515
Research Interests
My research goals are to dissect brain circuits that control motivated behaviors and to investigate the adaptation and dysregulation occurring in these circuits when reward processes get altered (e.g., avolition, anhedonia, negative affective state, compulsive behavior), hallmark symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders such as drug addiction, schizophrenia or depression. Towards this goal my lab deploys a wide range of assays, techniques and tools, including mouse behavioral assays, viral-mediated gene transfer, genetically-modified mice, optogenetics for in vivo neuronal manipulation, fiber photometry for in vivo calcium imaging, MATLAB and Python coding for big data analysis, histology, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry and microscopy.
Teaching
- Undergraduate / Graduate courses at Boise State University:
Biology 497/597 Advanced Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience
Academic Degrees
- Doctor of Philosophy, Neurosciences, 2010
University of Strasbourg, France
Advisors: Brigitte L. Kieffer and Dominique Massotte - Master of Science, Psychopharmacology, 2007
University of Bordeaux, France - Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, 2005
University of Bordeaux, France
Positions
- 2024-present: Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Idaho
- 2022-2024: Research Health Scientist, VA Medical Center ‐ Research Department, San Diego, California
- 2017-2024: Project Scientist, department of Neurosciences, UC San Diego, California
- 2013-2017: Postdoctoral Fellow, Hnasko Lab, department of Neurosciences, UC San Diego, California
- 2010-2012: Postdoctoral Fellow, Kieffer lab, IGBMC, Strasbourg, France
Honors and Awards
- 2021-22: UCSD Health Sciences Academic Senate research award
- 2016: Attias Family Foundation Investigator
- 2015-17: 2014 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior research foundation
- 2010: Travel Award, FENS Forum, European Society for Neuroscience
- 2007-10: IGBMC international Ph.D. program fellowship, “Paul Mandel” promotion
- 2007-10: Region Alsace Ph.D. fellowship
Publications
Complete List of Published Works at NCBI link: FagetBibliography
Faget L, Oriol L, Lee WC, Zell V, Sargent C, Flores A, Hollon NG, Ramanathan D, Hnasko TS. Ventral pallidum GABA and glutamate neurons drive approach and avoidance through distinct modulation of VTA cell types. Nat Commun. 2024 May 18;15(1):4233. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-48340-y. PubMed PMID: 38762463; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11102457
Conrad WS, Oriol L, Faget L, Hnasko TS. Proportion and distribution of neurotransmitter-defined cell types in the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra pars compacta. bioRxiv. 2024 Feb 28;. doi: 10.1101/2024.02.28.582356. PubMed PMID: 38464250; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10925288.
Warlow SM, Singhal SM, Hollon NG, Faget L, Dowlat DS, Zell V, Hunker AC, Zweifel LS, Hnasko TS. Mesoaccumbal glutamate neurons drive reward via glutamate release but aversion via dopamine co-release. Neuron. 2024 Feb 7;112(3):488-499.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.11.002. Epub 2023 Dec 11. PubMed PMID: 38086374; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10922836.
Farrell MR, Esteban JSD, Faget L, Floresco SB, Hnasko TS, Mahler SV. Ventral Pallidum GABA Neurons Mediate Motivation Underlying Risky Choice. J Neurosci. 2021 May 19;41(20):4500-4513. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2039-20.2021. Epub 2021 Apr 9. PubMed PMID: 33837052; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8152612.
Zell V, Steinkellner T, Hollon NG, Warlow SM, Souter E, Faget L, Hunker AC, Jin X, Zweifel LS, Hnasko TS. VTA Glutamate Neuron Activity Drives Positive Reinforcement Absent Dopamine Co-release. Neuron. 2020 Sep 9;107(5):864-873.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.06.011. Epub 2020 Jun 30. PubMed PMID: 32610039; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7780844.
Farrell MR, Ruiz CM, Castillo E, Faget L, Khanbijian C, Liu S, Schoch H, Rojas G, Huerta MY, Hnasko TS, Mahler SV. Ventral pallidum is essential for cocaine relapse after voluntary abstinence in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2019 Dec;44(13):2174-2185. doi: 10.1038/s41386-019-0507-4. Epub 2019 Sep 2. PubMed PMID: 31476762; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6898676.
Faget L, Zell V, Souter E, McPherson A, Ressler R, Gutierrez-Reed N, Yoo JH, Dulcis D, Hnasko TS. Opponent control of behavioral reinforcement by inhibitory and excitatory projections from the ventral pallidum. Nat Commun. 2018 Feb 27;9(1):849. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03125-y. PubMed PMID: 29487284; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5829073.
Yoo JH, Zell V, Gutierrez-Reed N, Wu J, Ressler R, Shenasa MA, Johnson AB, Fife KH, Faget L, Hnasko TS. Ventral tegmental area glutamate neurons co-release GABA and promote positive reinforcement. Nat Commun. 2016 Dec 15;7:13697. doi: 10.1038/ncomms13697. PubMed PMID: 27976722; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5171775.
Faget L, Osakada F, Duan J, Ressler R, Johnson AB, Proudfoot JA, Yoo JH, Callaway EM, Hnasko TS. Afferent Inputs to Neurotransmitter-Defined Cell Types in the Ventral Tegmental Area. Cell Rep. 2016 Jun 21;15(12):2796-808. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.05.057. Epub 2016 Jun 9. PubMed PMID: 27292633; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4917450.
Faget L, Erbs E, Le Merrer J, Scherrer G, Matifas A, Benturquia N, Noble F, Decossas M, Koch M, Kessler P, Vonesch JL, Schwab Y, Kieffer BL, Massotte D. In vivo visualization of delta opioid receptors upon physiological activation uncovers a distinct internalization profile. J Neurosci. 2012 May 23;32(21):7301-10. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0185-12.2012. PubMed PMID: 22623675; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3371401.
Join the Lab
Prospective undergraduate and graduate students interested in better understanding reward and motivation neuronal pathways are welcome to reach out! The Faget Lab is also looking for a part-time or full time technician to help with lab supply ordering / mouse colony management / histology / viral-mediated gene transfer and more depending on interest.