Faculty

Colleen A McClung, PhD

Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Science

Contact Details

450 Technology Drive
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15219
Phone 412-624-5547
Email
Website
The McClung Lab

Education & Training

PhD
University of Virginia, College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Biology
University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterNeuroscience

Professional Affiliations

Fellow, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Member, Society for Neuroscience
Member, Society for Research on Biological Rhythms
Member, Molecular Psychiatry Association

Selected Honors & Awards

NARSAD Independent Investigator Award, Brain & Behavioral Research Foundation
Rising Star Award, International Mental Health Research Organization
Neuroscience of Brain Disorders Award, McKnight Foundation

Research Interests

Circadian rhythms; Mood disorders; Drug addiction
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Parekh, P.K., Becker-Krail, D., Sundaravelu, P., Ishigaki, S., Okado, H., Sobue, G., Huang, Y., and McClung, C.A. (2017) Altered GluA1 function and accumbal synaptic plasticity in the Clockdelta19 model of bipolar mania. Biological Psychiatry, in press
  2. Chen, C.Y., Logan, R.W., Tianzhou, M., Lewis, D.A., Tseng, G.C., Sibille, E., and McClung, C.A. (2016) The effects of aging on circadian patterns of gene expression in the human prefrontal cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA, 113:206-11.
  3. Sidor, M.M., Spencer, S., Dzirasa, K., Parekh, P.K., Tye, K.M., Warden, M.R., Arey, R.N., Enwright III, J.F., Jacobsen, J.P.R., Kumar, S., Remillard, E.M., Caron, M.G., Deisseroth, K., and McClung, C.A. (2015) Daytime spikes in dopaminergic activity underlie rapid mood-cycling. Molecular Psychiatry, 20:1479-80.
  4. Ozburn, A.R., Falcon, E., Twaddle, A., Nugent, A.L., Gillman, A.G., Spencer, S.M., Arey, R.N., Mukherjee, S., Lyons-Weiler, J., Self, D.W., and McClung, C.A. (2014) Direct regulation of diurnal Drd3 expression and cocaine reward by NPAS2. Biological Psychiatry 77:425-33. *Selected as a priority communication.
  5. Arey, R., Enwright III, J.F., Spencer, S., Falcon, E., Ozburn, A.R., and McClung, C.A. (2013) An important role for Cholecystokinin, a CLOCK target gene, in the development and treatment of manic-like behaviors. Molecular Psychiatry, 19: 342-350.

Clinical Interests

Psychiatric disorders

Education Interests

Training graduate students; Training undergraduate students

Now in The Journal of Neuroscience: Circadian Protein NPAS2 Expression in the Nucleus Accumbens and Cocaine Reward

McClung and Colleagues Journal of Neuroscience 2019

Disruptions of the circadian clock can contribute to or exacerbate vulnerability to substance use disorder in some populations. The laboratory of Dr. Colleen McClung (Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Science) investigates the mechanisms by which circadian genes that regulate mood and impulsivity are involved in the risk for substance abuse. In a recent study published in the Journal of...

The Department of Psychiatry’s 19th Annual Research Day: A Day to Teach, Learn and Be Inspired

2019 Pitt Psychiatry Research Day

The 19th annual Department of Psychiatry Research Day on June 13, 2019 was our biggest yet! For the 505 faculty, postdoctoral students, residents, graduate students and staff who attended, the morning poster session and afternoon program offered a stimulating day of research and career development that was equal parts enlightenment, inspiration, fun and, at times, surprise. The morning session featured 140 posters...

Department Faculty Highlight the Role of Adolescent Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Disruptions in Risk of Substance Use Disorders 

Logan et al Biological Psychiatry 2018

Sleep and circadian rhythms, the 24-hour cycles of the body’s physiological processes, are important components of health. Likewise, disruptions in these systems are linked to a number of health conditions, including substance abuse. The developmental changes in sleep and circadian rhythms that occur during adolescence leave teenagers particularly vulnerable to addiction. A review recently published in the journal...

Translational Neuroscience Program Faculty Show Circadian Rhythms Regulate Reward through Metabolic Signaling in the Brain

Circadian rhythms are near 24-hour oscillations controlling many aspects of physiology and behavior. The coordination and orchestration of these rhythms maintain homeostasis throughout the body. Evidence from humans suggests disruptions to circadian rhythms and sleep are linked to several psychiatric disorders, including substance use and abuse disorders. Indeed, several human and animal studies have demonstrated...