Colloquia Series

Speaker: Ebere Adimora

Location: DV3130 - Davis Building

Speaker: Dr. Erin Calipari

Title: Estradiol potentiates dopamine release through estrogen-receptor-independent actions on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Abstract:  

The mesolimbic dopamine system is one of the most well-studied circuits within the brain. While work has focused on sex differences in relative dopamine levels and the anatomy of this system, an important characteristic of dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is that it is rapidly modulated through nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) located directly on dopamine axons. Cholinergic modulation of dopamine release at distal axons has been a major hypothesis driving experimentation in neuroscience - critically, we find that this effect is not present in adult intact females. In defining the mechanism underlying these sex differences, we identified an estradiol binding site on α4β2* nAChRs that overlaps with binding sites for other known nAChR agonists. In males and ovariectomized females, estradiol increases dopamine release through potentiation of α4β2*-nAChRs. These receptors desensitization when potentiated, and, indeed, both estradiol actions and the regulation of dopamine release through this mechanism are absent in intact females. We link this sex difference in this receptor function to motivated behavior that differ between males and females. Overall, we show that estradiol has rapid, non-estrogen receptor-mediated, effects through α4β2*-nAChRs that alter the relationship between dopamine and acetylcholine in males and females.

Speaker: Dr. Stefanie Hutka

Title: Becoming a User Experience Researcher

Abstract:  

Stefanie Hutka (UofT Psychology PhD, 2015) will share her career journey, transitioning from a psychology PhD focused on auditory cognitive neuroscience, to a user experience researcher (UXR) leader focused on emerging technologies (e.g., spatial computing, artificial intelligence). She will describe key learnings from each stage of her career journey, from her initial move from academia to research scientist at an augmented reality start-up, to discovering UXR on the job, and going on to lead UXR for product launches at Fortune 500 companies. At the end of this talk, you’ll be equipped with a clear picture about what a UXR does, how UXR differs from an industry research scientist role, and actionable takeaways on how to translate your academic skills to industry.