Alexxai Kravitz, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry
- Phone: 314-273-7956
- Fax: 314-362-0321
- Email: alexxai@wustl.edu
Research Interest
Obesity, Reward, Basal ganglia
Category(ies) of Research
Basic
Descriptor of Research
The Kravitz lab is interested in the study of basal ganglia circuits and how their function changes in disease states such as obesity and drug addiction. Under normal conditions, the basal ganglia contributes to the selection of adaptive behavioral outcomes. In pathological conditions, the basal ganglia can facilitate inappropriate actions, or cause an individual to not select any actions at all. Using behavioral testing, optogenetics, and in vivo electrophysiology and optical measurements, the Kravitz lab characterizes how the basal ganglia contribute to action selection and movement.