Michael Baratta

Mike's postdoctoral research in the lab focused on understanding how stress affects behavior and emotion, in terms of the underlying circuit mechanisms, using newly developed optogenetic tools to manipulate neuronal activity with precise temporal and spatial resolution. Earlier, he completed a Ph.D. in the University of Colorado Department of Psychology, working on prefrontal cortical regulation of the behavioral responses to aversive events. He then went on to a research position at the University of Colorado.

Publications

Stress Enables Reinforcement-Elicited Serotonergic Consolidation of Fear Memory

Biological Psychiatry | 2015

Baratta MV, Kodandaramaiah SB, Monahan PE, Yao J, Weber MD, Lin PA, Gisabella B, Petrossian N, Amat J, Kim K, Yang A, Forest CR, Boyden ES, Goosens KA (2015) Stress Enables Reinforcement-Elicited Serotonergic Consolidation of Fear Memory, Biological Psychiatry 79(10):814-22.

Optogenetic mimicry of the transient activation of dopamine neurons by natural reward is sufficient for operant reinforcement

PLoS One | 2012

Kim K.M., Baratta M.V., Yang A., Lee D., Boyden E.S.*, Fiorillo C.D.* (2012) Optogenetic mimicry of the transient activation of dopamine neurons by natural reward is sufficient for operant reinforcement, PLoS One 7(4):e33612. (* co-corresponding authors)

A high-light sensitivity optical neural silencer: development, and application to optogenetic control of nonhuman primate cortex

Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience | 2011

Han, X.*, Chow, B. Y.*, Zhou, H., Klapoetke, N. C., Chuong, A., Rajimehr, R., Yang, A., Baratta, M. V., Winkle, J., Desimone, R., Boyden, E. S. (2011) A high-light sensitivity optical neural silencer: development and application to optogenetic control of non-human primate cortex, Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience 5:18. (* co-first authors)