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William Falls |
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Associate Professor of Psychology
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General/Experimental Program
Biobehavioral/Neuroscience Cluster
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| Ph.D. Yale University, 1993 |
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Chairmanships
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Chair, Psychology Department
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Areas
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Research in the Falls laboratory examines the behaviors, neurotransmitters and neural circuits that are involved in both the elicitation and reduction of fear and anxiety. We accomplish this by combining procedures of animal learning with the techniques of behavioral neuroscience and behavioral genetics. Specific questions include:
- What are the neural systems underlying the interaction of fear and anxiety?
- What are the neural correlates of the anxiolytic effects of voluntary exercise?
- How does voluntary exercise increase memory and is this related to the anxiolytic effect of exercise?
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Accepting Students Fall 2010
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Professor Falls is especially interested in accepting students who enter the program in the Fall of 2010.
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Room 410 John Dewey Hall
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Research in the Falls laboratory examines the neural circuits that are involved in both the elicitation and reduction of conditioned fear and anxiety.
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Representative Publications
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- Salam, J.S., Fox, J.H., DeTroy, E.M., Guignon, M.E., Whol, D.F. & Falls, W.A. (in press). Voluntary exercise in C57 mice is anxiolytic across several measures of anxiety. Behavioural Brain Research.
- Fox, J.H. Hammack, S.E. & Falls, W.A. (2008). Exercise is associated with reduction in the anxiogenic effect of mCPP on acoustic startle. Behavioral Neuroscience. 122, 943-948.
- Pistel, P.J. & Falls, W.A. (2008). Extended fear conditioning reveals a role for both N-methyl-d-aspartic acid and non-N-methyl-d-aspartic acid receptors in the amygdala in the acquisition of conditioned fear. Neuroscience. 155, 1011-1020.
- Waddell, J., Bouton, M.E. & Falls, W.A. (2008). Central CRF Receptor Antagonist a-Helical CRF9-41 Blocks Reinstatement of Extinguished Fear: The Role of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis. Behavioral Neuroscience. 122, 1061-1069.
- Di Bennedetto, B., Kallnik, M., Vogt Weisenhorn, D.M., Falls, W.A., Wurst, W & Holter, S.M. (2008). Activation of ERK/MAPK in the lateral amygdala of the mouse is required for acquisition of fear-potentiated startle. Neuropsychopharmacology. doi:10.1038/npp.2008.
- Bursztajn, S. Friedman, M. & Falls, W.A. (2007). Cell Proliferation in the Brains of NMDAR NR1 Transgenic Mice. Brain Research. 1172, 10-20.
- Jaworski DM., Soloway P., Caterina J. & Falls WA. (2006). Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2(TIMP-2)-deficient mice display motor deficits. Journal of Neurobiology. 66(1), 82-94.
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