Nikki Crowley
Director, Neuroscience Institute – University Park; Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology & Neural Engineering; Assistant Professor of Biology and Biomedical Engineering; Associate Director for Postdoctoral Training and Leadership, Center for Neural Engineering
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326 Mueller Lab
University Park, PA - nzc27@psu.edu
Research Summary
Investigation of peptidergic transmission throughout the brain, using cell-specific and pathway-specific manipulations to understand how peptides alter neuronal signaling and behavior, particularly in the context of stress and drug use.
Huck Graduate Students
Huck Affiliations
- Center for Molecular Investigation of Neurological Disorders
- Neuroscience
- Neuroscience Institute
- Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences
- Integrative and Biomedical Physiology
- Center for Neurotechnology in Mental Health Research
- Center for Neural Engineering
- Center for Reproductive Biology and Health
- Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition
Links
Most Recent Publications
Voluntary adolescent alcohol exposure does not robustly increase adulthood consumption of alcohol in multiple mouse and rat models
Avery R. Sicher, Andrea Liss, Valentina Vozella, Paige Marsland, Laurel R. Seemiller, Matthew Springer, William D. Starnes, Keith R. Griffith, Grace C. Smith, Amy Astefanous, Terrence Deak, Marisa Roberto, Florence P. Varodayan, Nicole A. Crowley, 2024, Addiction Neuroscience
Emerging pharmacological targets for alcohol use disorder.
D Brockway, Nicole Crowley, 2024, Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.) on p. 103-114
Alcohol and stress exposure across the lifespan are key risk factors for Alzheimer's Disease and cognitive decline
Laurel R. Seemiller, Julio Flores-Cuadra, Keith R. Griffith, Grace C. Smith, Nicole A. Crowley, 2024, Neurobiology of Stress
Binge drinking is a growing public health crisis − a neurobiologist explains how research on alcohol use disorder has shifted
Nicole Crowley, 2024, The conversation
Somatostatin peptide signaling dampens cortical circuits and promotes exploratory behavior
D Brockway, K Griffith, C Aloimonos, T Clarity, J Moyer, G Smith, N Dao, M Hossain, Patrick Drew, J Gordon, D Kupferschmidt, Nicole A. Crowley, 2023, Cell Reports on p. 112976
Adolescent binge drinking leads to long-lasting changes in cortical microcircuits in mice
Avery R. Sicher, William D. Starnes, Keith R. Griffith, Nigel C. Dao, Grace C. Smith, Dakota F. Brockway, Nicole A. Crowley, 2023, Neuropharmacology
Predictive link between systemic metabolism and cytokine signatures in the brain of apolipoprotein E ε4 mice
Rebecca Fleeman, A Snyder, M Kuhn, D Chan, G Smith, Nicole Crowley, Amy Arnold, Elizabeth Proctor, 2022, Neurobiology of Aging on p. 154-169
An innovative approach to examining the role of neurotransmitters in fear circuitry
Keith R. Griffith, Nicole A. Crowley, 2022, Neuropsychopharmacology on p. 2175-2176
Somatostatin neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis play a sex-dependent role in binge Drinking
Malini Suresh Nair, Nigel C. Dao, Daniela Lopez Melean, Keith R. Griffith, W. David Starnes, J. Brody Moyer, Avery R. Sicher, Dakota F. Brockway, Kathleen D. Meeks, Nicole A. Crowley, 2022, Journal of Electrophysiological Techniques on p. 38-46
Targeted and transient opening of the blood brain barrier in discrete neurocircuits and brain regions
Nikki Crowley*, Nicole A. Crowley, Scott Medina*, 2022, Neuropsychopharmacology on p. 253-254
Most-Cited Papers
A New DREADD Facilitates the Multiplexed Chemogenetic Interrogation of Behavior
Eyal Vardy, J. Elliott Robinson, Chia Li, Reid H.J. Olsen, Jeffrey F. DiBerto, Patrick M. Giguere, Flori M. Sassano, Xi Ping Huang, Hu Zhu, Daniel J. Urban, Kate L. White, Joseph E. Rittiner, Nicole A. Crowley, Kristen E. Pleil, Christopher M. Mazzone, Philip D. Mosier, Juan Song, Thomas L. Kash, C. J. Malanga, Michael J. Krashes, Bryan L. Roth, 2015, Neuron on p. 936-946
Distinct Subpopulations of Nucleus Accumbens Dynorphin Neurons Drive Aversion and Reward
Ream Al-Hasani, Jordan G. McCall, Gunchul Shin, Adrian M. Gomez, Gavin P. Schmitz, Julio M. Bernardi, Chang O. Pyo, Sung Il Park, Catherine M. Marcinkiewcz, Nicole A. Crowley, Michael J. Krashes, Bradford B. Lowell, Thomas L. Kash, John A. Rogers, Michael R. Bruchas, 2015, Neuron on p. 1063-1077
LRRK2 regulates synaptogenesis and dopamine receptor activation through modulation of PKA activity
Loukia Parisiadou, Jia Yu, Carmelo Sgobio, Chengsong Xie, Guoxiang Liu, Lixin Sun, Xing Long Gu, Xian Lin, Nicole A. Crowley, David M. Lovinger, Huaibin Cai, 2014, Nature Neuroscience on p. 367-376
Effects of chronic ethanol exposure on neuronal function in the prefrontal cortex and extended amygdala
Kristen E. Pleil, Emily G. Lowery-Gionta, Nicole A. Crowley, Chia Li, Catherine A. Marcinkiewcz, Jamie H. Rose, Nora M. McCall, Antoniette M. Maldonado-Devincci, A. Leslie Morrow, Sara R. Jones, Thomas L. Kash, 2015, Neuropharmacology on p. 735-749
Dynorphin Controls the Gain of an Amygdalar Anxiety Circuit
Nicole A. Crowley, Daniel W. Bloodgood, J. Andrew Hardaway, Alexis M. Kendra, Jordan G. McCall, Ream Al-Hasani, Nora M. McCall, Waylin Yu, Zachary L. Schools, Michael J. Krashes, Bradford B. Lowell, Jennifer L. Whistler, Michael R. Bruchas, Thomas L. Kash, 2016, Cell Reports on p. 2774-2783
Kappa opioid receptor signaling in the brain: Circuitry and implications for treatment
Nicole A. Crowley, Thomas L. Kash, 2015, Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry on p. 51-60
Neuropeptide regulation of signaling and behavior in the BNST
Thomas L. Kash, Kristen E. Pleil, Catherine A. Marcinkiewcz, Emily G. Lowery-Gionta, Nicole Crowley, Christopher Mazzone, Jonathan Sugam, J. Andrew Hardaway, Zoe A. McElligott, 2015, Molecules and Cells on p. 1-13
Manipulations of central amygdala neurotensin neurons alter the consumption of ethanol and sweet fluids in mice
María Luisa Torruella-Suárez, Jessica R. Vandenberg, Elizabeth S. Cogan, Gregory J. Tipton, Adonay Teklezghi, Kedar Dange, Gunjan K. Patel, Jenna A. McHenry, J. Andrew Hardaway, Pranish A. Kantak, Nicole A. Crowley, Jeffrey F. DiBerto, Sara P. Faccidomo, Clyde W. Hodge, Garret D. Stuber, Zoé A. McElligott, 2020, Journal of Neuroscience on p. 632-647
Glutamatergic mechanisms associated with stress-induced amygdala excitability and anxiety-related behavior
Sophie Masneuf, Emily Lowery-Gionta, Giovanni Colacicco, Kristen E. Pleil, Chia Li, Nicole Crowley, Shaun Flynn, Andrew Holmes, Thomas Kash, 2014, Neuropharmacology on p. 190-197
Chronic stress dysregulates amygdalar output to the prefrontal cortex
Emily G. Lowery-Gionta, Nicole A. Crowley, Olena Bukalo, Shana Silverstein, Andrew Holmes, Thomas Louis Kash, 2018, Neuropharmacology on p. 68-75
News Articles Featuring Nikki Crowley
May 17, 2024
How Binge Drinking Shifted Research On Alcohol Use Disorders
Roughly 1 in 5 U.S. adults report binge drinking at least once a week.
Full Article
May 13, 2024
Nikki Crowley named director of Neuroscience Institute at University Park
Nikki Crowley, assistant professor of biology and of biomedical engineering and Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering, has been named director of the Penn State Neuroscience Institute at University Park.
Full Article
May 13, 2024
Binge drinking is a growing public health crisis − a neurobiologist explains how research on alcohol use disorder has shifted
With the new Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black” in U.S. theaters as of May 17, 2024, the late singer’s relationship with alcohol and drugs is under scrutiny again. In July 2011, Winehouse was found dead in her flat in north London from “death by misadventure” at the age of 27. That’s the official British term used for accidental death caused by a voluntary risk.
Full Article
Apr 26, 2024
Neuroscientists Warn of 'Cascading' Alzheimer's Risk From These Two Habits
Two common habits could be putting you at an increased risk of Alzheimer's and related dementias, neuroscientists have warned.
Full Article
Mar 12, 2024
Biology postdoc awarded National Institutes of Health fellowship
Laurel Seemiller, a postdoctoral scholar in biology at Penn State, has been awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Full Article
Feb 13, 2024
Heard on campus: Nikki Crowley on 30 years of neuroscience advances
Nikki Crowley recently spoke at the Ashtekar Frontiers of Science, an annual public lecture series held by the Eberly College of Science, on 30 years of advances in cell signaling and neuroscience
Full Article
Oct 06, 2023
Nikki Crowley honored with Women in STEAM Award by the Whitaker Center
Nikki Crowley, Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering and assistant professor of biology and of biomedical engineering, has been named among Women to Watch: Class of 2023 as part of the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts’ Women in STEAM Awards.
Full Article
Aug 17, 2023
Uncovering the role of somatostatin signaling in the brain
New research in mice demonstrates how the signaling molecule somatostatin acts to dampen neural circuits in the prefrontal cortex and stimulate exploratory behavior.
Full Article
Jun 08, 2023
Mouse models of adolescent binge drinking reveal key long-lasting brain changes
Heavy alcohol consumption may cause permanent dysregulation of neurons, or brain cells, in adolescents, according to a new study in mice.
Full Article
Feb 20, 2023
New Student Spotlight video highlights neuroscience's Avery Sicher
The latest entry in the Student Spotlight series from the Huck Institutes covers Avery Sicher, a graduate student in the Neuroscience Program, and her research on the effects of alcohol consumption on brain development.
Full Article
Jan 17, 2023
Crowley receives Huck Early Career Chair appointment
Nikki Crowley, assistant professor of biology and biomedical engineering, has been named the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
Full Article
Nov 10, 2022
New research on effects of binge drinking earns biologist early career award
Nikki Crowley, assistant professor of biology and biomedical engineering at Penn State, is the 2022 recipient of the Neuropsychopharmacology Editor’s Early Career Award.
Full Article
Jul 11, 2022
Penn State biologist receives NIH grant to help unlock biology of binge drinking
Nikki Crowley, assistant professor of biology and of biomedical engineering at Penn State, has been awarded a five-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health, to study the neurobiology of binge alcohol drinking.
Full Article
Jun 23, 2022
Neuroscience grad student awarded grant to study adolescent binge drinking
Avery Sicher, a graduate student in the neuroscience program at Penn State's Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, has received a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support her continued research. Sicher is one of few Huck students to receive this recognition.
Full Article
Apr 06, 2022
First round of funded projects announced from the Benkovic Research Initiative
Four projects have been announced as recipients of funding from the Patricia and Stephen Benkovic Research Initiative, which supports risky, highly innovative investigation at the interface of chemistry and the life sciences.
Full Article