Welcome to the lab of Dr. Abigail Polter at George Washington University. We are part of the George Washington Institute for Neuroscience and the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology. 

The goal of the lab is to understand the circuit and synaptic-level effects of stress and adversity.  We use electrophysiology, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and mouse behavioral assays to characterize the mechanisms of these changes, with a focus on synaptic regulation of monoaminergic circuits. Our hope is that these studies will provide insight into the pathophysiology of stress-linked illnesses like mood and substance use disorders. 

Find out more about us, the work we do, or opportunities in the lab.