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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.

ses2119@cumc.columbia.edu

Link to CV

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.

ecc2184@cumc.columbia.edu

Katherine Najor

Research Assistant

Katherine is a recent graduate from the University of Michigan where she obtained her B.S. in Neuroscience in May 2024. During her undergraduate career, she completed an honors thesis in Dr. Kent Berridge's lab, where she investigated the role of the stress neurotransmitter corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and whether it generates incentive motivation in the central amygdala following extended access to cocaine in rats. Currently in the Canetta lab, she is exploring parvalbumin activity in the PFC and getting ready to apply to graduate school. In her free time, Katherine enjoys crocheting, visiting movie theaters in New York, and spending time with her cat, Chef.

katherine.najor@nyspi.columbia.edu

Adre Morrill

Undergraduate Student and Senior Thesis Participant

Adre is a senior at Barnard College majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior. She is on the pre-medical track and is interested in becoming a psychiatrist. She is working on her senior thesis, focusing on differences in cellular activation in motivational tasks following early life exposure to fluoxetine and subsequent administration to a mu-opioid receptor antagonist. When she's not studying, Adre enjoys learning how to play guitar and spending quality time with friends and family. She is an avid Yankees fan!

arm2300@barnard.edu

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 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.

aa4824@cumc.columbia.edu

Laura Manrique

Undergraduate Student and Senior Thesis Participant

Laura is a senior at Barnard College majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior with a minor in Science and Public Policy. Prior to joining the lab, she did research studying sleep behavior, fatigue, and cognitive abilities in older adults; currently, she volunteers with individuals with dementia. In the Canetta lab, Laura is working on her senior thesis, which is focused on validating a novel chemogenetic approach for understanding serotonin release in the PFC, which will allow the lab to research questions about specific circuits in the brain relevant to affective and cognitive behaviors. When not in the lab, Laura enjoys exploring New York's food scene, watching Broadway shows, and catching a film at an NYC art house theater.

lm3780@barnard.edu

Kamila Giermakowski Rios

Undergraduate Student

Kamila is a third-year undergraduate at Barnard College studying Neuroscience and Behavior from Albuquerque. She began her scientific research in 2022 with Dr. Syed at the University of New Mexico, studying type II neural stem cell expression in fruit flies. During her undergraduate career, she has been involved in Dr. Balsam's lab, where she researched different aspects of reinforcement learning in mice. She also completed a summer internship at the Hogeveen lab at UNM, working on an fMRI-based study of decision-making in adolescents. Currently in the Canetta lab, Kamila is assessing viral knockdown of mu-opioid receptors in the nucleus accumbens and its effects on motivational behavior. Outside of lab, she enjoys drawing, cooking, hiking, and skiing in her home state.

kg3033@barnard.edu