Elizabeth Eckenwiler

Entering Class - 2019

PhD: 2025

PhD Thesis:

Corticotropin-releasing factor in the ventral striatopallidal system: cellular mechanisms underlying reward-guided behaviors.

Undergraduate Institution and Major:

Colgate University, B.A. in Neuroscience, 2016

Graduate Advisor:

Julia Lemos, Ph.D., Department of Neuroscience

Graduate Publications:

  • Scott A, Paulson A, Prill C, Kermoade K, Newell B, Eckenwiler EA, Lemos JC, Richard JM. Ventral pallidal GABAergic neurons drive consumption in male, but not female rats. eNeuro. 2025 Jan 14:ENEURO.0245-24.2025.
  • Eckenwiler EA, Ingebretson AE, Stolley JJ, Fusaro MA, Romportl AM, Ross JM, Petersen CL, Kale EM, Clark MS, Schattauer SS, Zweifel LS, Lemos JC. Corticotropin-releasing factor release from a unique subpopulation of accumbal neurons constrains action-outcome acquisition in reward learning. Biol Psychiatry. 2024;22:S-0006-323(24)01534-8.

Graduate Honors:

  • NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 2023-2025
  • 2023 WCBR Travel Fellow Winter Conference on Brain Research 2023
  • Morris Smithberg Memorial Prize, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, 2020

Prior Publications:

  • *Souter EA, Chen YC, Zell V, Lallai V, Steinkellner T, Conrad WS, Wisden W, Harris KD, Fowler CD, Hnasko TS. Disruption of VGLUT1 in cholinergic medial habenula projections increases nicotine self-administration. eNeuro, 2022;9(1). PMC8751853
  • Zell V, Steinkellner T, Hollon NG, Warlow SM, *Souter E, Faget L, Hunker AC, Jin X, Zweifel LS, Hnasko TS. VTA glutamate neuron activity drives positive reinforcement absent dopamine co-release. Neuron, 2020;107(5), 864-873.
  • Faget L, Zell V, Souter E, McPherson A, Ressler R, Gutierrez-Reed N, Yoo JH, Dulcis D, Hnasko T. Opponent control of behavioral reinforcement by inhibitory and excitatory projections from the ventral pallidum. Nat Commun. 2018 Feb 27;9(1):849.
Elizabeth Eckenwiler