Assistant Professor
Ph.D., The University of Virginia, 1999
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory

Email: christa.mcintyre@utdallas.edu
Phone: 972-883-2235
Office: JO 4.202

Research Interests

Information acquired during daily encounters is not readily encoded into memory, but requires some effort or rehearsal to be preserved. In contrast, experiences that are either arousing or emotionally meaningful in content appear to be permanently stored into memory without conscious effort. My research is aimed at understanding the effect of emotional arousal on memory storage. Research findings to date indicate that events that are sufficiently arousing to be remembered for the long-term lead to activation of the amygdala. This amygdala activation may, in turn, initiate long-term memory storage by influencing synaptic strength in other areas of the brain, such as the hippocampus and cortex. I am currently using in vivo microdialysis, western blots, immunohistochemstry and in situ hybridization to better understand how emotion-induced amygdala activity may modulate the expression of synaptic proteins in areas that underlie memory storage.

This research is aimed at gaining information regarding the neuronal signals that determine whether a memory will be stored for the long term and may shed some light on the precise mechanisms involved in the synaptic changes that underlie memory. Such knowledge may ultimately be used to benefit individuals suffering from various memory disorders including Alzheimer’s disease and post traumatic stress disorder.