K. Matthew Lattal, Ph.D.
Position
Associate Professor
Contact
lattalm@ohsu.edu; Phone: 503 418-2215; Lab Phone: 503 418-2216; Fax: 503 494-6877; Office: MRB 704 Mail Code: L470
Research Interests
Learning, Memory, Behavior, Mouse, Hippocampus, Neuroscience, Molecular Mechanisms
Preceptor Rotation & Mentorship Availability
Dr. Lattal might be available for rotations and/or mentorship for upcoming academic terms. Please contact him directly to inquire.
Summary of Current Research
My research examines behavioral and molecular processes that underlie learning and memory. I am particularly interested in some of the differences between initial memory formation (when, for example, an organism learns that an outcome, such as food or shock, is delivered in a particular context) and extinction (when the organism learns that the outcome no longer occurs in that context). A key property of extinction is that even though the organism learns that the context no longer predicts the outcome, the original context-outcome memory remains intact. This is true across different outcomes, including food, shock, and drugs of abuse. The challenge for interventions that use extinction as a treatment for psychiatric disorders (such as post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse) is to make the effects of extinction persistent, causing long-lasting suppression of the original memory. Current research projects in my laboratory are examining ways to arrange extinction behaviorally to cause persistent changes in memory. At the neural systems level, we are examining the role of the hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, and amygdala in the development and persistence of extinction. At the molecular level, we are examining the role of epigenetic mechanisms in extinction.
Selected Recent Publications
Stafford, J.M., Raybuck, J.D., Ryabinin, A., & Lattal, K.M. (2012). Increasing histone acetylation in the hippocampus-infralimbic network enhances fear extinction. Biological Psychiatry, in press.
Abraham, A.D., Cunningham, C.L., & Lattal, K.M. (2012). Methylphenidate enhances extinction of contextual fear. Learning & Memory, 19, 67-72.
Lattal, K. M. (2012). Pavlovian conditioning. To appear in G.J. Madden's (ed.), APA Handbook of Behavior Analysis. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Press. In press.
Raybuck, J.D., & Lattal, K.M. (2011). Double dissociation in the contributions of amygdala and hippocampus to trace and delay fear conditioning. PLoS ONE 6(1):e15982. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015982.
Stafford, J.M., & Lattal, K.M. (2011). Is an epigenetic switch the key to persistent extinction? Neurobiology of Learning & Memory, 96, 35-40.
Bernardi, R.E., & Lattal, K.M. (2010). A role of α1-adrenergic receptors in extinction of conditioned fear and cocaine conditioned preference. Behavioral Neuroscience, 124, 204-210.
Malvaez, M., Sanchis-Segura, C., Vo, D., Lattal, K.M., Wood, M.A. (2010). Modulation of chromatin modification facilitates extinction of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference. Biological Psychiatry, 67, 36-43.
Bernardi, R.E., Ryabinin, A., Berger, S.P., & Lattal, K.M. (2009). Post-retrieval disruption of a cocaine conditioned place preference by systemic and intra-basolateral amygdala β2 and α1-adrenergic antagonists. Learning & Memory, 16, 777-789.
Stafford, J.M., & Lattal, K.M. (2009). Direct comparisons of the size and persistence of anisomycin-induced consolidation and reconsolidation deficits. Learning & Memory, 16, 494-503. learnmem.cshlp.org/content/16/8/494.full.pdf+html
Bernardi, R.E., Lewis, J.R., Lattal, K.M., & Berger, S.P. (2009). Modafinil reinstates a cocaine conditioned place preference following extinction in rats. Behavioural Brain Research, 204, 250-253.
Groblewski, P.A., Lattal, K.M., & Cunningham, C.L. (2009). Effects of D-Cycloserine on extinction and reconditioning of ethanol-seeking behavior in mice. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 33, 772-782. www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/122245025/PDFSTART
Lattal, K. M. & Stafford, J.M. (2008). What does it take to demonstrate memory erasure? Theoretical comment on Norrholm et al (2008). Behavioral Neuroscience, 122, 1186-1190. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2559954/pdf/nihms59351.pdf
Lattal, K. M. (2007a). Extinction and the erasure of memories. Psychological Science Agenda, 21 (11), 3-4, 16-18. http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2007/12/lattal.aspx
Lattal, K. M. (2007b). Effects of ethanol on the encoding, consolidation, and expression of extinction following contextual fear conditioning. Behavioral Neuroscience, 121, 1280-1292.
Lattal, K. M., & Bernardi, R. E. (2007). Cellular learning theory: Theoretical comment on Cole & McNally (2007). Behavioral Neuroscience, 121, 1140-1143.
Lattal, K. M., Barrett, R., & Wood, M. A. (2007). Systemic or intrahippocampal delivery of histone deacetylase inhibitors facilitates fear extinction. Behavioral Neuroscience, 121, 1125-1131.
Education
1994-1998 Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania (Advisor: Robert A. Rescorla)
1989-1993 B.A., Psychology with Honors, University of California, San Diego
Previous Positions
2005-2010 Assistant Professor, Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU
1998-2004 Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania (Advisor: Ted Abel)
