Douglas Senna Engelke

I am an accomplished neuroscientist with over 15 years of experience investigating the neural circuits and mechanisms underlying emotion, memory, and behavior. My academic journey began at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where I contributed to groundbreaking studies on endocannabinoid signaling in aversive learning and explored the role of inflammation in neural processes. This early work laid the foundation for a career dedicated to understanding the intricate connections between the immune system and brain function. My doctoral research at the Federal University of São Paulo focused on the mechanisms of reward memory and addiction, particularly how time and memory generalization influence the expression of drug-associated behaviors. This work was the first to demonstrate the impact of memory generalization on amphetamine-induced locomotor sensitization. During my postdoctoral training at McGovern Medical School, UTHealth, I developed innovative semi-naturalistic conflict tasks to study the interplay between fear- and reward-associated memories and introduced a novel research line on the role of the prefrontal cortex in opioid addiction.Currently, as a Staff Scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health, I am integrating my diverse expertise in inflammation, fear, reward, and addiction to develop innovative projects at the intersection of neuroscience and immunology. My research lines explore how brain circuits modulate habitual avoidance and how inflammation drives sickness behaviors, such as reduced activity and increased cold avoidance. By bridging these fields, I aim to uncover critical links between immune responses and mental health, offering novel therapeutic insights into conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression. My work has been widely published in high-impact journals, reflecting my commitment to advancing the field of neuroscience. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)