Daniel Castro, PhD
Understanding the biological and psychological mechanisms of endogenous opioids in affect, motivation, and metabolism.
- Email: castro.d@nospam.wustl.edu
Assistant Professor
Radiology
Keywords
Opioids, Motivation, Affect, Neuroscience, Metabolism
Research:
The overall interest of the Castro Lab is to identify what substrates generate, modulate and coordinate motivation and affect in the brain, or metablism in the periphery. Biologically, my laboratory focuses on the role of endogenous opioids in mediating affective or motivated attribution. Technologically, we use an integrative approach that combines pharmacology, genetics knockdown/knockin models, complex molecular profiling and mapping, opto- and chemogenetics, CRISPR-Cas9, wireless optical and optofluidic tool development, in vivo fiber photometry and in vivo 1-photon endoscopic imaging to pinpoint which and how anatomical, molecular, and neural circuit mechanisms contribute to opioid mediated production of affect, motivation, and metabolism.