Faculty

Institution

Unit

Venue

Deena Walker

Assistant Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience

Oregon Health & Science University

Affiliations

Division Of Neuroscience

Oregon Health & Science University

Deena Walker is an Assistant Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at Oregon Health & Science University. Her research integrates behavioral neuroscience, neuropharmacology, and genetics to investigate the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction, depression, and stress susceptibility. Her recent work has identified central thyroid hormone receptor-beta as a novel regulator of alcohol drinking, demonstrated that adolescent social isolation sex-specifically disrupts medial amygdala and ventral tegmental area maturation, and revealed that histone H3 lysine 27 mono-methylation confers lifelong stress vulnerability. She has also mapped transcriptional signatures of heroin intake and relapse across brain reward circuitry and uncovered sex-specific roles for phosphodiesterase 1b in cocaine addiction. Her findings have appeared in Neuron, Science Advances, and the Journal of Neuroscience.

Honors

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Experiences

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Education

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Deena Walker

Oregon Health & Science University

Assistant Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience

You can click a keyword to filter the displayed items

neuroscience neurology pharmacology biological psychiatry genetics neuropharmacology endocrinology gene expression mammalian biology behavioral neuroscience addiction molecular neuroscience developmental neurobiology depression addiction biology molecular neurobiology neuropsychopharmacology affective neuroscience psychoneuroendocrinology neurotransmission molecular psychiatry clinical neuroscience epigenetic changes biomedical research developmental cognitive neuroscience medicinal research social isolation neurochemistry translational psychiatry molecular neurodegeneration reproductive biology protein science reward systems neural science transcription regulation brain science developmental endocrinology social stress substance addiction stress biomarkers biological psychology brain function stress phenotypes addictive behaviors animal physiology animal science early life exposures psychopharmacology cannabis use cellular neurobiology animal reproduction chromatin remodeling neuropsychiatry molecular regulation adolescent psychology cocaine reward reward circuitry sex-specific role post-weaning social isolation epigenetic basis cocaine action nucleus accumbens male rats transcriptional signatures drug addiction medial amygdala developmental immunology stress hormones psychoneuroimmunology dopamine brain imaging brain circuitry dopaminergic dynamics sex-specific cocaine reward social reward medial prefrontal cortex alcohol (drug) behavioral disorders differential psychology social sciences abnormal child psychology family medicine affective disorders sexual behavior psychological medicine experimental psychology psychological assessment behavioral sciences public health developmental psychology psychological methods substance use disorders psychological bulletin emotional selfregulation cognitive science harm reduction persistence (psychology) health sciences applied psychology clinical psychology psychopathology eating disorders health psychology adolescent health psychology attention disorders behavioral research substance use addiction medicine education psychiatry psychiatric epidemiology substance abuse behavioural genetics motivation mental health sex research psychiatric research behavioral experiments developmental psychopathology behavior change (public health)

Notable Scholarly Works

Notable Federal Grants

Collaborators

Adolescent Isolation Disrupts Medial Amygdala and Ventral Tegmental Area Maturation and Sex-Specifically Dysregulates Transcriptional Responses to Cocaine and Stress. Neuropharmacology (2025)

Central Thyroid Hormone Receptor-Beta: Sensitivity to Alcohol and a Role in Regulating Alcohol Drinking. Hormones and Behavior (2025)

alcohol drinkingendocrinologyalcohol (drug)alcohol abusealcohol misusepsychoneuroendocrinologyalcohol-related liver diseaseaddiction biology

Central Thyroid Hormone Receptor-Beta: Sensitivity to Alcohol and a Role in Regulating Alcohol Drinking in Male and Female Mice. SSRN Electronic Journal (2025)

endocrinologyalcohol (drug)alcohol abusefemale micepsychoneuroendocrinologyhormonal receptoralcohol dependenceregulating alcohol drinkingalcohol-related liver diseaseaddiction biology

Circuit-Wide Gene Network Analysis Reveals Sex-Specific Roles for Phosphodiesterase 1B in Cocaine Addiction. Journal of Neuroscience (2024)

Collin D. TeagueTamara MarkovicXianxiao ZhouFreddyson J. Martinez-RiveraAngelica Minier-ToribioAlexander ZinsmaierNathalia V. PulidoKyra H. SchmidtKelsey E. LucerneArthur GodinoYentl Y. van der ZeeAarthi RamakrishnanRita FutamuraCaleb J. BrowneLeanne M. HoltYun Young YimCorrine H. AzizianDeena M. WalkerLi ShenYan DongBin ZhangEric J. Nestler

systems neurosciencesubstance addictionclinical neuroscienceaffective neuroscienceprotein scienceneuroscienceneurogeneticsmolecular neurobiologyneuropsychopharmacologycognitive neuroscienceaddiction biologybrain scienceneurologygeneticsmolecular neurosciencecocaine addictioncomputational neurosciencebiological psychiatryneuroinformatics

Mono-Methylation of Lysine 27 at Histone 3 Confers Lifelong Susceptibility to Stress. Neuron (2024)

Angélica Torres-BerríoMolly EstillVishwendra PatelAarthi RamakrishnanHope KronmanAngélica Minier-ToribioOrna IsslerCaleb J. BrowneEric M. PariseYentl Y. van der ZeeDeena M. WalkerFreddyson J. Martínez-RiveraCasey K. LardnerRomain Durand-de CuttoliScott J. RussoLi ShenSimone SidoliEric J. Nestler

developmental neurobiologyaffective neuroscienceneuroscienceneurodevelopmental disordersreductive stressgene expressionstress (biology)chromatin remodelingmolecular neurodegenerationneurologyepigenetic changesmolecular neuroscienceneurotransmissionconfers lifelong susceptibilityneuroscience of agingneuronsstress biomarkersmolecular biologybiological psychiatry

Prolonged Partner Separation Erodes Nucleus Accumbens Transcriptional Signatures of Pair Bonding in Male Prairie Voles. eLife (2023)

Julie M SadinoXander G BradeenConor J KellyLiza E BrusmanDeena M WalkerZoe R Donaldson

prolonged partner separationneuroscienceneurotransmissionphysiologymale prairie volesneural circuits

Transcriptional Signatures of Heroin Intake and Relapse Throughout the Brain Reward Circuitry in Male Mice. Science Advances (2023)

Caleb J. BrowneRita FutamuraAngélica Minier-ToribioEmily M. HicksAarthi RamakrishnanFreddyson J. Martínez-RiveraMolly EstillArthur GodinoEric M. PariseAngélica Torres-BerríoAshley M. CunninghamPeter J. HamiltonDeena M. WalkerLaura M. HuckinsYasmin L. HurdLi ShenEric J. Nestler

systems neuroscienceneuropharmacologyneurosciencemale micepharmacologyaddictionneurologytranscriptional signaturesbrain reward circuitryaddiction biology

Transcriptional Signatures of Heroin Intake and Seeking Throughout the Brain Reward Circuit. bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (2023)

Caleb J BrowneRita FutamuraAngélica Minier-ToribioEmily M HicksAarthi RamakrishnanFreddyson Martínez-RiveraMolly EstillArthur GodinoEric M PariseAngélica Torres-BerríoAshley M CunninghamPeter J HamiltonDeena M WalkerLaura M. HuckinsYasmin L HurdLi ShenEric J Nestler

neuropharmacologyneurosciencebrain reward circuitpharmacologyaddictionbehavioral neuroscienceneurologytranscriptional signaturestoxicologyaddiction biology

Blood Mir-144-3P: A Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Tool for Depression. Molecular Psychiatry (2022)

Yentl Y. van der ZeeLars M. T. EijssenPhilipp MewsAarthi RamakrishnanKelvin AlvarezCasey K. LardnerHannah M. CatesDeena M. WalkerAngélica Torres-BerríoCaleb J. BrowneAshley CunninghamFlurin CathomasHope KronmanEric M. PariseLaurence de NijsLi ShenJames W. MurroughBart P. F. RuttenEric J. NestlerOrna Issler

molecular psychiatrypsychiatrydepressiontherapeutic tool

Crystallin Mu in Medial Amygdala Mediates the Effect of Social Experience on Cocaine Seeking in Males but Not in Females. Biological Psychiatry (2022)

Deena M. WalkerXianxiao ZhouAshley M. CunninghamAarthi RamakrishnanHannah M. CatesCasey K. LardnerCatherine J. PeñaRosemary C. BagotOrna IsslerYentl Van der ZeeAndrew P. LipschultzArthur GodinoCaleb J. BrowneGeorgia E. HodesEric M. PariseAngelica Torres-BerrioPamela J. KennedyLi ShenBin ZhangEric J. Nestler

psychiatryneuropharmacologyclinical neurosciencecrystallin muaffective neurosciencemedial amygdalaneurosciencebehavioral neuroscienceneurologybiological psychiatrybrain functionsocial experiencecognitive neuroscience

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Deena Walker

Assistant Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience

Oregon Health & Science University

Affiliations

Division Of Neuroscience

Oregon Health & Science University

Honors

Create free account to unlock more features

Experiences

Create free account to unlock more features

Education

Create free account to unlock more features

Deena Walker

Oregon Health & Science University

Assistant Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience

You can click a keyword to filter the displayed items

Notable Scholarly Works

Notable Federal Grants

Collaborators

Adolescent Isolation Disrupts Medial Amygdala and Ventral Tegmental Area Maturation and Sex-Specifically Dysregulates Transcriptional Responses to Cocaine and Stress. Neuropharmacology (2025)

Central Thyroid Hormone Receptor-Beta: Sensitivity to Alcohol and a Role in Regulating Alcohol Drinking. Hormones and Behavior (2025)

alcohol drinkingendocrinologyalcohol (drug)alcohol abusealcohol misusepsychoneuroendocrinologyalcohol-related liver diseaseaddiction biology

Central Thyroid Hormone Receptor-Beta: Sensitivity to Alcohol and a Role in Regulating Alcohol Drinking in Male and Female Mice. SSRN Electronic Journal (2025)

endocrinologyalcohol (drug)alcohol abusefemale micepsychoneuroendocrinologyhormonal receptoralcohol dependenceregulating alcohol drinkingalcohol-related liver diseaseaddiction biology

Circuit-Wide Gene Network Analysis Reveals Sex-Specific Roles for Phosphodiesterase 1B in Cocaine Addiction. Journal of Neuroscience (2024)

Mono-Methylation of Lysine 27 at Histone 3 Confers Lifelong Susceptibility to Stress. Neuron (2024)

Prolonged Partner Separation Erodes Nucleus Accumbens Transcriptional Signatures of Pair Bonding in Male Prairie Voles. eLife (2023)

Julie M SadinoXander G BradeenConor J KellyLiza E BrusmanDeena M WalkerZoe R Donaldson

prolonged partner separationneuroscienceneurotransmissionphysiologymale prairie volesneural circuits

Transcriptional Signatures of Heroin Intake and Relapse Throughout the Brain Reward Circuitry in Male Mice. Science Advances (2023)

systems neuroscienceneuropharmacologyneurosciencemale micepharmacologyaddictionneurologytranscriptional signaturesbrain reward circuitryaddiction biology

Transcriptional Signatures of Heroin Intake and Seeking Throughout the Brain Reward Circuit. bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (2023)

neuropharmacologyneurosciencebrain reward circuitpharmacologyaddictionbehavioral neuroscienceneurologytranscriptional signaturestoxicologyaddiction biology

Blood Mir-144-3P: A Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Tool for Depression. Molecular Psychiatry (2022)

molecular psychiatrypsychiatrydepressiontherapeutic tool

Crystallin Mu in Medial Amygdala Mediates the Effect of Social Experience on Cocaine Seeking in Males but Not in Females. Biological Psychiatry (2022)

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