Dr. Gano’s research examines how encountering alcohol at critical junctures (prenatally, during adolescence, across aging) across the lifespan can alter the way the brain responds to important and ubiquitous human experiences such as stress, illness, and re-exposure to alcohol. The overarching goals of her research are to understand how alcohol can change the trajectory of development during these vulnerable junctions, how individual factors such as sex or previous personal history can affect this trajectory, and what mechanisms can become the focus of pharmacological or behavioral interventions that serve to alleviate adverse health outcomes. Working closely with DEARC investigators, Dr. Gano uses rodent models and a balanced blend of classic behavioral and advanced molecular techniques (e.g. RT-PCR, RNAseq, immunofluorescence) to probe how these lifespan experiences accumulate and shape health outcomes. Though the main focus of Dr. Gano’s work is on neuroimmune mechanisms, her approach is to contextualize brain function within a broader physiological framework, allowing for more nuanced analysis of how full-body events may influence the central nervous system.
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