Wesley Schnapp

Dissertation

2024
Beyond Eating Behavior: Decoding the Role of Central Extended Amygdala PKC-delta Neurons in Energy Balance and Activity-Based Anorexia
Dissertation Advisor
Haijiang Cai
wschnapp@arizona.edu
Advisor
Haijiang Cai
Rotation Labs
Carol Barnes
Stephen Cowen
Haijiang Cai

Although originally from Oregon, I’ve bounced around from Upstate NY for undergrad at Cornell University to the Mid-Atlantic for a post-baccalaureate fellowship at the NIH. Now, I’m happy to be at the UofArizona and closer to my home roots. I have previous experience with neurobiology and behavior field research studying bats, as well as cellular-based neurobiology lab research working with zebrafish. Now in the Cai lab, I have been able to put my goal of developing the interconnection between cellular neuroscience and behavior/cognition into reality by manipulating activity in the brain at the neuronal level and then analyzing the effects and changes on behavior.

Publications

Sanchez MR, Wang Y, Cho TS, Schnapp WI, Schmit MB, Fang C, Cai H. “Dissecting a disynaptic central amygdala parasubthalamic nucleus neural circuit that mediates cholecystokinin-induced eating suppression.” Molecular Metabolism, vol. 58, 20 Jan 2022, p. 101443., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2022.101443

Degree(s)

  • B.A. Biological Sciences with a Neurobiology & Behavior concentration; minors in Psychology and Spanish - Cornell University 2016

Minor(s)

Science Communication

Research Interests

Neural circuits, emotion, neurological basis of psychiatric conditions, mental illness, eating behavior and appetite

Categories