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overview
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Dr. Davidson's research is focused on understanding the effects of adolescent alcohol exposure on development of the prefrontal cortex and how these changes impact cognitive function in adulthood. Recent work from her group has shown that exposure to alcohol during adolescence results in cognitive impairments that persist well into adulthood. Her current studies involve examining the effects of adolescent binge-like exposure to alcohol on prefrontal projections to specific subcortical structures. Early studies have shown an overall loss of D1 receptor modulation of prefrontal activity but dopamine may exert pathway specific effects on cortical circuits and current studies are aimed at elucidating the cellular pathways that are affected by adolescent exposure to alcohol and relating these changes to deficits in cognitive function that would impact decison making and risky behavior.
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