Villegas, Francisco
Associate Professor
Behavioral Sciences
Phone: 718-262-2674
Office Location: AC-3F05
Email: fvillegas@york.cuny.edu
My research interest is based on using rodent models of Alzheimer’s disease and the recovery of cognitive functions. The rat Alzheimer’s model is produced by chronic infusion of neurotoxins. I am interested in the effects of intracranial self-stimulation and deep brain stimulation in an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease and its effects on attention/learning/memory and neurogenesis. My lab uses various behavioral assessments including the Social Discrimination test, Morris water maze for testing learning/memory, and a ‘serial reaction time task’ for the testing of attention. Currently, I am looking at the behavioral and cognitive deficits, as well as sleep-wake measures in streptozotocin-induced [neurotoxin] rats. The goal of this study is to identify the biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease and measure changes in sleep/wake patterns in rodents.
Office Hours
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Education
Degree | Institution | Field | Dates |
---|---|---|---|
PhD | City University of New York | Experimental Cognition | 1997 |
BA | City College, City University of New York | Psychology | 1979 |
Areas of Expertise
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Central mechanisms of reward and Sleep