Rene Carter
PhD Candidate in Neurobiology at Duke University
For my undergraduate studies I first attended Loyola Marymount University, where I researched guanine derivatives to investigate how the G quadruplex structure decreases telomerase activity as a potential agent in anti-cancer therapies. I then transferred to the University of Colorado Boulder, where I received my bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. I studied the neural mechanisms underlying sex differences in stress resilience. After graduating, I worked as a technician in the Mooney lab at Duke University, where I pioneered a methodology for neonatal cochlear AAV injection of DREADDs to explore auditory encoding in constitutively deaf mice.
For my PhD studies in the Tadross Lab at Duke, I am interested in using cell-type-specific pharmacology to unravel the complicated mechanistic disfunction of neuropsychiatric disorders. I’m particularly interested in the role of dopamine in cognitive flexibility and perceptual distortions. I am additionally very interested in psychedelic drugs and how they might provide mechanistic clues into serotonin-dopamine interactions.
Outside of lab I enjoy running, making art, and spending quality time with my two cats and crested gecko.
Contact Information
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Email Address: rene.carter@duke.edu
Education
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B.A. in Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2021