Katherine M. Nautiyal, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Dartmouth College
Curriculum Vitae
Education
2011
2008
2004
2004
Columbia University, PhD (Behavioral Neuroscience)
Columbia University, MA (Behavioral Neuroscience)
University of Pennslyvania, BA (Psychology)
University of Pennsyvania, BS (Cognitive and Computer Science Engineering)
Research
Assistant Professor
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Dartmouth College
2018-current
The Nautiyal Lab is working on a number of projects towards the goal of understanding the neural basis of self-control. Our focus is on the serotonergic modulation of the the neural circuits underlying impulsive and aggressive behavior. We manipulate serotonin signaling using genetic and viral approaches in rodent models, and use a number of paradigms to assess behavior. The lab also uses microendoscopy for in vivo calcium imaging in freely-moving mice.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurobiology (in Psychiatry)
Mentor: Rene Hen
Psychiatry, Columbia University
2015-2018
Research funded by a K99, focused on delineating the neural circuits which contribute to impulsive behavior. First, by manipulating expression of the 5-HT1B receptor, Kate studied the mechanisms through which serotonin affects impulsivity. Next, using a factor analysis correlations between different measures of impulsivity were characterized, and covariates identified. Lastly, the K99 award supported her training in in vivo calcium imaging which can be used to image nodes in the neural circuits and identify cellular mechanisms for serotonergic effects on impulsivity.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Advisor: Rene Hen
Integrative Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute
2012 - 2015
Kate's postdoctoral work, funded by an individual postdoctoral NRSA (F32) dissociated the neural systems involved in impulsive and aggressive behavior. Specifically, her studies focused on the serotonin 1B receptor (5-HT1BR). Using a novel tissue-specific and inducible transgenic mouse, her work showed that distinct populations of 5-HT1BRs modulate the two behaviors, with aggressive behavior impacted by receptors in CaMKII+ cells during development and impulsive behavior mediated in adulthood by receptors on GABAergic neurons.
Graduate Research Fellow
Advisor: Rae Silver
Psychology Department, Columbia University
2005 - 2011
Kate's work in graduate school concerned the role of an immune cell, the mast cell, found in the brain. It's population in the brain varies under various behavioral and physiological states, but their functional role was unknown. Funded by a predoctoral NRSA (F31), her work showed that an absence of mast cells resulted in increased anxiety-like behavior in mice. Subsequent analysis showed that mast cells contribute serotonin to the hippocampus, and hippocampal-dependent behavior and neurogenesis were altered in mice that lack mast cells.
Research Assistant
Advisor: Harvey Grill
Psychology Department, University of Pennsylvania
2003 - 2005
First as an undergraduate research assistant, and then as a research technician, Kate studied the neural basis of thermoregulatory control and feeding. Her research in the Grill Lab supported the idea that the caudal brainstem can regulate behavioral and physiological homeostatic responses independently of the hypothalamus. This included cold temperature and bacterial immune challanges. Except in the most extreme instances, the caudal brainstem was sufficient to coordinate normal responses.
Research Assistant
Advisor: Aravind Joshi and Lila Gleitman
Institute for Research in Cognitive Science, University of Pennsylvania
2001 - 2003
During her time spent at the Institute for Research in Cognitive Science, Kate first worked on developing computational representations of complex sentneces with the XTAG research group. She also worked on a psycholinguistics project studying how the accentuation of pronounds determines their interpretation in discourse context. For her undergraduate senior capstone project for the dual degree program in Artificial Intelligence, Kate brought together research in the two fields of computational linguistics and psycholinguistics. By collecting adult predictions of muted videos of parents talking to their kids, we were able to begin developing a bootstrapping model for how children learn language.
Teaching
Assistant Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Dartmouth College
2018-current
Courses
Behavioral Neuroscience
Neuroscience of Stress
SfN Annual Meeting Bucci Fellows Seminar Advanced Techniques in Neuroscience
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Lecturer
Department of Psychology, Columbia University
2011 - 2016
Courses
Mind, Brain and Behavior
Topics in Neurobiology and behavior
Teaching Assistant
Department of Psychology, Columbia University
2005 - 2011
Publications
Carazo Arias, C., Nguyen, P.T., Kass, M.D., Jee, H.J., Nautiyal, K.M., Magalong, V., Coie, L.A., Andreu, V.,
Gergues, M.M., Khalil, H., Akil,H., Arcego, D.M., Meany, M.J., Anacker, C., Samuels, B.A., Pintar, J.E.,
Morozova, I., Kalachikov, S., Hen, R. (2022) Contribution of the opioid system to the antidepressant
effects of fluoxetine. Biological Psychiatry. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.05.030
Li, L., Wyler, S., Leon-Mercado, L., Xu, B., Oh, Y., Chen, X., Wan, R., Arnold, A.G., Jia, L., Nautiyal, K.,
Hen, R., Sohn, J.-W., Liu, C. (2022) Delineating a serotonin receptor pathway for appetite suppression in
mice. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 219(8). PubMed PDF
Desrochers, S.S., Spring, M.G., Nautiyal, K.M. (2022) A role for serotonin in modulating opposing drive and
brake circuits of impulsivity. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 16:791749. PubMed PDF
Li, Y., Simmler, L.D., Zessen, R.V., Flakowski, J., Wan, J.-X., Deng, F., Li, Y.-L., Nautiyal, K.M., Pascoli, V., and Lüscher, C.
(2021) Synaptic mechanism underlying serotonin modulation of transition to cocaine addiction. Science 373,
Han, J., Andreu, V., Langreck, C., Pekarskaya, E.A., Grinnell, S.G., Magalong, V.M., Pintar, J., Kieffer, B.L., Harris, A.Z.,
Javitch, J.A., Hen, R., Nautiyal, K.M. (2021) Mu Opioid Receptors on Hippocampal GABAergic Interneurons are
Critical for the Antidepressant Effects of Tianeptine. Neuropsychopharmacology. 47(7):1387-1397. PubMed PDF
Desrochers, S.S., Lesko, E.M., Magalong, V.M., Balsam, P.D., Nautiyal, K.M. (2021) A role for reward valuation in the
serotonergic modulation of impulsivity. Psychopharmacology (Berl). Aug 14.
doi: 10.1007/s00213-021-05944-2. Epub ahead of print. PubMed PDF
Lee,J.H., Capan, S., Lacefield, C., Shea,Y.M., Nautiyal, K.M (2020) DIY-NAMIC Behavior: A High-Throughput Method
to Measure Complex Phenotypes in the Homecage. eNeuro 7(4). PubMed PDF
Nautiyal, K.M., Okuda, M., Hen, R., Blanco, C. (2017) Gambling Disorder: An integrative review of animal
and human studies. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1394(1):106-127. PubMed PDF
Zike, I.D., Chohan, M.O., Kopelman, J.M., Krasnow, E., Flicker, D., Nautiyal, K.M., Bubser, M.,
Kellendonk, C., Jones, C.K., Stanwood, G.D., Tanaka, K.F., Moore, H., Ahmari, S.E., Veenstra-
VanderWeele, J. (2017) OCD candidate gene SLC1A1/EAAT3 impacts basal ganglia-mediated activity
and stereotypic behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114(22):5719-5724. PubMed PDF
Samuels, B.A.*, Nautiyal, K.M.*, Kruegel, A. C., Levinstein, M.R., Magalong, V.M., Gassaway, M.M.,
Grinnell, S.G., Han, J., Ansonoff, M.A., Pintar, J.E., Javitch, J.A., Sames, D., Hen, R. (2017) The
behavioral effects of the antidepressant tianeptine require the mu-opioid receptor.
Neuropsychopharmacology 42(6):1182-1191. *co-first authors PubMed PDF
Nautiyal, K.M., Hen, R. (2017) Serotonin receptors in depression: From A to B. F1000 Faculty Reviews
Nautiyal, K.M., Wang, S., Wall, M.W., Ahmari, S.E., Balsam, P.D., Blanco, C., Hen, R. (2017) Genetic and
modelling approaches reveal distinct components of impulsive behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology
Nautiyal, K.M., Tritschler, L., Ahmari, S.E. David, D.J., Gardier, A.M., Hen, R.(2016) A lack of serotonin 1B
autoreceptors results in a decrease in anxiety and depression-related behaviours. Neuropsychopharmacology
Nautiyal, K.M., Tanaka, K.F., Barr, M.M., Tritschler, L., LeDantec, Y., David, D.J., Gardier, A.M., Blanco,
C., Hen, R., Ahmari, S.E. (2015) Distinct circuits underlie the effects of 5-HT1B receptors on aggression
and impulsivity. Neuron. 86(3):813-26. PubMed PDF
Knolhoff, A.M., Nautiyal, K.M., Nemes P., Kalachikov, S., Morozov, I., Silver, R., Sweedler, J.V.(2013)
Combining small-volume metabolomic and transcriptomic approaches for assessing brain chemistry.
Anal Chem. 85(6):3136-43. PubMed PDF
Donaldson, Z.R., Nautiyal, K.M., Ahmari, S.E., Hen, R. (2013) Genetic approaches for understanding the
role of serotonin receptors in mood and behavior. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 23: 1-8. PubMed PDF
Nautiyal, K.M., Dailey, C., Jahn, J.L., Rodriguez, E., Sweedler, J.V., Silver, R. (2012) Serotonin of mast cell origin
contributes to hippocampal function. Eur J Neurosci. 2012 Aug: 36(3): 2347-59. PubMed PDF
Nautiyal, K.M. Immune cells in the brain. (2012) In: Neuroscience in the 21st Century, Ed. Donald Pfaff,
Springer Link. PDF
Nautiyal, K.M., Liu, C., Dong, X., Silver, R. (2011) Blood-borne donor mast cell precursors migrate to mast
cell-rich brain regions in the adult mouse. J Neuroimmunol; 240-241:142-6. PubMed PDF
Nautiyal, K.M., McKellar, H., Silverman, A.J., Silver, R. (2009) Mast cell involvement in the hypothermic response to
sepsis. Am J Physiol 296(3):R595-602. PubMed PDF
Nautiyal, K.M., Ribeiro, A., Pfaff, D.W., Silver, R. (2008) Brain mast cells link the immune system to anxiety-like
behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A; 105(46): 18053-57. PubMed PDF
Nautiyal, K.M., Dailey, M., Brito, N., Brito, M.N., Harris, R.B, Bartness, T.J., Grill, H.J. (2008) Energetic responses to
cold temperatures in rats lacking forebrain-caudal brainstem connections. Am J Physiol 295(3): R789-98.