Darlene A. Mitrano, PhD
Neuroscience Program - Department of Molecular Biology and Chemistry
Associate Professor
Forbes Hall 3008
(757) 594-8632
darlene.mitrano@cnu.edu
Education
- Ph D in Pharmacology, Emory University
- BS in Psychology, Washington and Lee University
Teaching
My teaching interests include cellular/molecular biology and neuroscience.
Research
My research focuses on the neuroanatomical correlates of psychological and neurological disorders, including drug addiction and Alzheimer's disease, by examining normal and then diseased brains in animal models.
Biography
I obtained my BS in Psychology from Washington & Lee University in 2002 where I was first exposed to neuroscience. I completed a senior research project and this is where my love of being at a small liberal arts school and being able to to do research began. I went to Emory University to obtain my PhD in Molecular & Systems Pharmacology. I focused on localizing a class of glutamate receptors in brain regions associated with reward and addiction. From 2008-2011, I was a postdoc in the FIRST (Fellowships in Research & Science Teaching) program, also at Emory. I worked on my teaching skills while continuing to stay in the area of drug abuse research, but now with a focus on dopamine and noradrenergic receptors. I was a lecturer for a year in the Neuroscience Institute at Georgia State University before I started at CNU in August of 2012.
Selected Accomplishments
-
Journal Article, Academic Journal
(2021). Olfactory Dysfunction in the 3xTg-AD Model of Alzheimer’s Disease. IBRO Neuroscience Reports. Volume, 10. Pages, 51-61. -
Case Study, Academic Journal or Book
(2019). Two Scientists Share Nobel Prize for the First Time! A Case Study Developed for Exploring the History of Neuroanatomy. The Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education. Volume, 17. Issue, 2. Pages, C1-C5. -
Journal Article, Academic Journal
(2019). Noradrenergic transmission at alpha1-adrenergic receptors in the ventral periaqueductal gray modulates arousal.. Biological Psychiatry. Volume, 85. Pages, 237-247. -
Journal Article, Academic Journal
(2018). α1b-Adrenergic Receptor Localization and Relationship to the D1-Dopamine Receptor in the Rat Nucleus Accumbens. Neuroscience. -
Conference Proceeding
(2016). Effects of methylene blue on the onset and progression of behavioral deficits in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer Disease. Virginia Academy of Science. Volume, 67. Issue, 1and2. Pages, 99. -
Conference Proceeding
(2016). Neuropathological effects of methylene blue on the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease in a transgenic mouse model. Virginia Academy of Science. Volume, 67. Issue, 1and2. Pages, 99 - 100.
- Shane Potters, Benjamin Goodman, Colleen Neff, Lily Kowalski, Abigail Bunting, Scott Burden, Nicholas Truver, Austin Thompson, Shania Smaw, Daniel Calvano, Jordan Sanchez, Darlene Mitrano, James Bogenpohl, Jessica Burket, Society for Neuroscience, "Examining behavioral and molecular effects after sub-chronic administration of an NMDA receptor partial agonist in a 22q11.2," Washington, DC. (2023)
- Zachary Luyo, Darlene Mitrano, Society for Neuroscience 2021, "Subcellular localization of alpha1-adrenergic receptors in the locus coeruleus.," Chicago, IL. (2021)
- Darlene Mitrano, Patrick Pearce, Samuel Houle, Blakely Lockhart, Isabel Contreras, Rachel Schendzielos, Ricardo Quintanilla, Lisa Webb, Society for Neuroscience 2019, "Examination of olfactory dysfunction in the 3xTg-AD model of Alzheimer's disease.," Chicago, IL. (2019)
- Samuel Houle, Benjamin Genovese, Ronald Quinlan, Lisa Webb, Darlene Mitrano, Society for Neuroscience 2018, "Determining the fatty acid/lipid profiles of 3xTg-AD mice in plasma and in red blood cell membranes.," San Diego, CA. (2018)
- Ronald Quinlan, Todd Gruber , Dmitry Liskin, Lisa Webb, Christopher Meighan, Darlene Mitrano, James Bogenpohl, "Shimadzu LCMS 9030 Acquisition," Sponsored by Shimadzu
- Darlene Mitrano, "Norepinephrine-dopamine interactions underlying arousal.," Sponsored by National Institutes of Health