2022
June: The Sparta Lab opens its doors in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
August: The Sparta Lab is awarded a R01 from NIAAA to examine extended amygdala CRF drive to the VTA in binge alcohol drinking.
October: Ika Yunus joins the lab as a research coordinator. Welcome Ika!
December: Sean Schrank joins the lab as a postdoctoral fellow. Welcome Sean!
2023
January: Katy Vetter joins the lab as a research specialist. Welcome Katy!
Dr. Sparta presented his research on “Binge ethanol drinking associated with sex-dependent plasticity of neurons in the insula that project to the BNST” during a symposium at the Winter Conference on Brain Research at Snowbird, Utah.
April: Dr. Schrank is awarded a postdoctoral slot on the Alcohol Research Training in Epigenetics and Pathophysiology (ARTEP) T32 grant. Congrats Sean!
May: Oscar Aguilar joins the lab as a GANAS Research Fellow. Welcome Oscar!
Josh Sevigny rotates in the lab as a student of the Graduate Program in Neuroscience (GPN)!
June: Dr. Sparta and Dr. Schrank attended the 46th Annual Scientific Research Society for Neuroscience meeting in Bellevue, Washington.
July: Josh Sevigny joins the lab as a graduate student. Welcome Josh!
August: Josh Sevigny is awarded a predoctoral slot on the Alcohol Research Training in Epigenetics and Pathophysiology (ARTEP) T32 grant. Congrats Josh!
December: Dr. Schrank presented his research on “Minocycline attenuates binge ethanol consumption” at the Junior Scholar Seminar Series held at the School of Public Health UIC.
Miki Valchinova joins the lab as a research associate. Welcome Miki!
2024
February: Dr. Sparta and Katy Vetter was invited to Dr. Mary Kay Lobo’s lab at University of Maryland School of Medicine to learn the social defeat paradigm.
March: Dr. Sparta presented his research on “Dissecting extended amygdala circuits in aberrant motivated behavior” at UTSA in their Neuroscience Seminar series in San Antonio, Texas.
April: Oscar Aguilar presented his research at the Chicagoland Undergraduate Research Symposium and UIC Undergraduate Research Symposium on “The role of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) projection to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in reward related behavior.
May: Dr. Schrank and Josh Sevigny received a travel award from Research Society on Alcohol. Congrats!
Josh Sevigny presented his research on “Diverging sex differences of environmental enrichment on binge ethanol consumption in adolescent and adult C57BL/6 mice” at the Junior Scholar Seminar Series held at the School of Public Health UIC.
June: 4 members of the Sparta Lab attended the 47th Annual Research Society on Alcohol meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Schrank presented his poster on “Binge ethanol consumption enhances central amygdala neuroinflammation and can be attenuated by minocycline”. Josh Sevigny presented his poster on “Environmental enrichment evokes sex specific effects on isolated binge ethanol consumption and anxiety-like behavior during early adolescence in C57BL/6 mice”
July: Dr. Schrank and Josh Sevigny presented their posters at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior in Chicago, Illinois!
August: Oscar Aguilar graduates and joins the lab as a research technician!
Josh Sevigny passes his qualification exam. Congrats Josh!
September: Dr. Sparta and Josh Sevigny attended the ISBRA-APSAAR World Congress on Alcohol and Addictions in Melbourne, Australia. Josh presented his poster on “Adolescent environment predicts isolated ethanol consumption & alters developing vBNST CRF signaling”.
October: All members attended the 2024 Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois and presented their posters!
The lab published their paper on “binge ethanol consumption enhances central amygdala neuroinflammation and can be attenuated by minocycline” in the Journal of Neuropharmacology.
Josh Sevigny attended the Imaging and Genetics workshop by the Center in Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain and Emotion at University of Washington.
November: Josh Sevigny presented his research on “Adolescent environment alters developing vBNST CRF neuronal activity and predicts isolated ethanol consumption” at the Annual UIC Neuroscience Graduate Research Symposium.