The Canetta Laboratory
We are a diverse team of researchers led by Dr. Sarah Canetta who love studying the brain. We value teamwork and working respectfully with one another as we pursue our scientific, professional and educational goals. We also enjoy having fun, both inside and outside of the lab! Scroll down to see a short description of all our team members.
Our Team
Sarah Canetta
Principle Investigator
Sarah Canetta received her PhD from Columbia University in 2010 where she studied molecular mechanisms regulating response to noxious stimuli in peripheral sensory neurons, and how risk factors associated with psychiatric disorders may alter these mechanisms and nociception. She then completed her postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Christoph Kellendonk at Columbia University studying how early life factors, such as maternal infection and immune response, influence brain development and cognitive function later in life. In 2020 she started her own laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University. Her group studies neural circuitry underlying cognitive and affective behaviors with a particular focus on how experiences and exposures during early life impact the development of brain circuits to influence adult behavior.
Emily Cambre
Pre-doctoral candidate
Emily is a graduate student in the department of Pharmacology. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry and minor in psychology at Louisiana State University. There she conducted 2 lines of research; one in the development of novel therapeutic targets for bacterial infection, and the other in the investigation of antipsychotic treatment on behavioral and metabolic differences in adolescent mice. She has combined her interests in the Canetta lab, where she now investigates impacts of early life exposures to antidepressants on reward processing behavior, and alternative therapeutic strategies. When not in the lab, Emily enjoys cooking for friends, exploring museums and botanical gardens in New York, and visiting family back home in New Orleans.
Amanda Anqueira
Pre-doctoral candidate
Amanda Anqueira-Gonzalez, born and raised in Puerto Rico, is a PhD student in the Neurobiology and Behavior program at Columbia University. She did her undergraduate in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras where she studied the impact of alcohol consumption in the developing brain genetics using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. Now, in the Canetta Lab, she aims to understand the role of developmental serotonin in prefrontal circuitry maturation and PFC-dependent behavior. When not in lab, she likes to listen to music and work on arts and crafts.
Misbah Sheik
Undergraduate volunteer and senior thesis participant
Misbah is senior at Barnard College studying neuroscience on the pre-medical track. Her work in the Canetta lab investigates reward processing behavior in post-natal fluoxetine mice. Outside of lab, Misbah leads a student organization that focuses on women’s reproductive health. She also enjoys going on walks, hiking, and trying new gluten-free foods.
Jessy Mei
Undergraduate volunteer and senior thesis participant
Jessy Mei is a senior at Barnard College majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior on the premedical track, and is currently working on her Senior Thesis at the Canetta Lab. Since she is interested in pursuing medicine, she is interested in the translational and pharmacological effects of drugs on animal models, to better study and develop treatments for human patients. In her free time, she enjoys trying new recipes, learning new choreography, and trying new restaurants around the city!
Chloe Do
Undergraduate volunteer
Chloe is a junior studying Neuroscience and Behavior at Barnard College. She is currently helping Amanda investigate the timing of the sensitive period for exposure to SSRIs to influence reward seeking later in life. During her free time, she enjoys journaling, watching K-dramas, and visiting museums around the city.
Vittorio Montresoro
High school volunteer
Vittorio is a high school senior at Hopkins School in New Haven, CT. He is currently helping with a project studying how endogenous opioids modulate the perception of pleasure elicited by food in the brain. In his free time, he likes to compete in professional Magic the Gathering tournaments, play squash, and spend time with his younger siblings.
Lab Alumni
Gabriella Sahyoun
Former research assistant, current MD-PhD student at UNC
Trang Do
Former undergraduate volunteer and senior thesis participant
Elena Christenfeld
Former undergraduate volunteer and senior thesis participant