Shalini Dogra is the Highlighted Trainee Author for the May 2022 issue of Molecular Pharmacology. She is a postdoctoral researcher in the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery at Vanderbilt University under the mentorship of Dr. P. Jeffrey Conn. The Molecular Pharmacology article that earned her the honor of being selected as the Highlighted Trainee Author is entitled “Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors as Emerging Targets for the Treatment of Schizophrenia” and is available at https://doi.org/10.1124/molpharm.121.000460.
The goal of Dr. Dogra’s research is to develop a detailed understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in regulating signaling through the brain circuits that are impacted in psychiatric disorders. She is particularly interested in unraveling the role of metabotropic glutamate receptors 2 and 3 (mGlu2/3) in the central nervous system. Using receptor selective modulators and approaches such as electrophysiology, fiber photometry, and optogenetics, Dr. Dogra is able to investigate the role of individual receptor subtypes in regulating neuronal communication at specific synapses. Additionally, she evaluates the therapeutic potential of these receptors in preclinical behavioral tests. She hopes that her research will provide important insights for the development of novel therapeutic targets for psychiatric disorders.
When not working in the lab, Shalini enjoys meditation and spending time with her family and friends. She also enjoys hiking and traveling.