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Dr. Don "Tig" Rainnie
Associate Professor
Emory University
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science
Center for Behavioral Neuroscience
Yerkes National Primate Research Center
Neuroscience Building, Rm 5220
954 Gatewood Road
Atlanta, GA 30329

Tel 404-712-9714
Fax 404-712-9645
Email drainni@emory.edu
 


The Rainnie Head
Don Rainnie

Research in the Rainnie lab, based at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, has been driven by my long-time interest in understanding the cellular processes that contribute to the perception of emotion. Emotion is often regarded as a psychological response rather than a physiological process, and yet, it exists simply because of an interaction between complex molecular, biochemical, and biophysical processes. Consequently, research in the Rainnie lab has focused on an investigation of the cellular and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying emotional aspects of cognition, with emphasis on the role of the extended amygdala in fear conditioning and extinction as well as anxiety-like behavior.

Multiple techniques ranging from molecular biology, through in vitro whole-cell patch clamp recording from visually identified neurons, to in vivo multiunit recording from freely moving animals are employed to examine the functional and neurochemical connectivity of the extended amygdala in an attempt to create a functional map of the intrinsic circuitry, and to determine how sensory information gains affective weight within this structure. By understanding how sensory information is processed in the extended amygdala our ultimate objective is to shed light on the cellular processes that may contribute to the development of mood disorders such as depression, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder.


Emory Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Emory University Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology

Copyright © 2006 Dr. Don Rainnie | Site design by: Academic Web Pages