College of Medicine
Alviña Lab
Led by Karina A. Alvina · Neuroscience
What we study
The Alvina Lab studies how brain cells talk to each other to drive behavior, looking at how stress, diet, and exercise affect these signals and can lead to aging‑related memory problems and Alzheimer’s disease. They use animal experiments, record electrical activity of neurons (electrophysiology), and test drugs (pharmacology).
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Project
- 1
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Centrifugal regulation of olfactory function by melanin-concentrating hormone
Studies how melanin-concentrating hormone controls smell processing from the brain’s center.
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Cryptococcus neoformans invasion of the orbital compartment and periocular spaces following intracerebral infection in mice
2026 · iScience
Studied how a fungus spreads from the brain to the eyes in infected mice.
- Light cycle phase and sex shape swimming exercise responses and stereotyped behaviors in wild-type mice
2026 · Physiology & Behavior
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- Limosilactobacillus fermentum K73 synbiotic modulates gut microbiota function and behavior in gnotobiotic mice transplanted with microbiota from children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder
2026 · Journal of Functional Foods
Tested if a probiotic could change gut bacteria and behavior in mice with autism-like traits.
- Active Cryptococcus neoformans glucuronoxylomannan production prevents elimination of cryptococcal CNS infection in vivo
2025 · Journal of Neuroinflammation
Shows how a fungus capsule prevents immune cells from clearing it from the brain.
- Cryptococcus neoformans phospholipase B1 is critical for cryptococcoma formation in the mouse brain
2025 · Frontiers in Immunology
Tests whether a fungus protein helps it spread in the brain by studying its effects in mice.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
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