Wesleyan portrait of Laverne  Melón

Laverne Melón

Assistant Professor of Biology

Assistant Professor, Neuroscience and Behavior

Assistant Professor, Integrative Sciences

Assistant Professor, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

lmelon@wesleyan.edu

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BA Middlebury College
MS SUNY at Binghamton University
PHD Purdue University W Lafyte

Laverne Melón

The overarching goal of the Melón lab is to discover neurobiological mechanisms that drive sex differences in the development of disorders associated with alcohol exposure. We take an interdisciplinary and systems neuroscience approach to achieving this goal, exploring the interplay of hormones, genes, and circuits in the maturation of inhibitory signaling in the brain. As fidelity of this inhibitory connectome is integral for a variety of behaviors and biological processes (including emotional regulation, social behavior and fertility), the system is dynamic, responding to changes in endogenous cues like hormones, as well as environmental factors like alcohol. We combine novel tools in genetics, pharmacology and neurophysiology with foundational behavioral neuroscience approaches to understand how these endogenous and environmental factors interact to induce plasticity in this inhibitory connectome to result in sex specific outcomes.

 

Academic Affiliations

Office Hours

Fridays 1:15 to 3:15p in Shanklin 316

Courses

Spring 2024
BIOL 244 - 01
Neuropharmacology

BIOL 244 - AU01
Neuropharmacology

BIOL 510 - 01
Neurosciences Journal Club II