Michael E. Cahill, Ph.D

Biography

I received my PhD in 2011 from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Penzes. For my graduate thesis project, I assessed the impact of a gene implicated in schizophrenia by creating the first genetically modified mouse of this gene and determined the consequent effects on synaptic structure and function, and on specific disease-associated behavioral phenotypes. I then led efforts that identified novel synaptic complexes and signal transduction pathways that the associated protein product of this gene function in, and characterized the functional outcome of a rare coding mutation in this gene we subsequently identified in a schizophrenia subject.

Following graduate school, I joined the laboratory of Dr. Eric Nestler at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. My postdoctoral research focused on understanding the genomic and biochemical mechanisms that mediate the effects of exposure to drugs of abuse on synapse remodeling in brain reward regions. Further, using a combination of viral-mediated gene transfer, in vivo circuit mapping, and in vivo optogenetics, my work determined how alterations in the functional connectivity between different brain reward circuits contribute to the effects of drugs of abuse on synaptic alterations and on addiction-relevant behavioral responses.

I joined UW-Madison in 2017, and my independent research lab investigates the molecular and biochemical mechanisms that regulate synaptic structural and functional plasticity and assesses how aberrations in plasticity impact specific behavioral phenotypes, such as cognition, anxiety, sociability, and repetitive behaviors. Relevant experience includes over 15 years performing synaptic imaging and quantification, and over 10 years of experience conducting circuit mapping, viral-mediated gene transfer, and in vivo circuit manipulation studies.

Most of my free time is spent with my family and watching my three daughters pursue a variety of interests including competitive swimming, softball, soccer, and Irish dancing. My children also are enthusiastic about riding horses in the Wisconsin countryside during the summer months. I personally enjoy a variety of water sports, including water skiing, and most recently, I have added paddle boarding as a hobby that I can enjoy with my children.