Max E Joffe, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Contact Details
3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
PA
15213
Email joffeme@upmc.edu
Website
Education & Training
PhD
Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University
Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University
Professional Affiliations
Member, Society for Neuroscience
Member, Research Society on Alcoholism
Selected Honors & Awards
Avenir Award for Chemistry and Pharmacology of Substance Use Disorders (DP1), National Institute on Drug Abuse
NARSAD Young Investigator Award, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
Hamilton Family Award for Basic Neuroscience Research in Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry
Research Interests
Prefrontal cortex; interneurons; Novel pharmacology; Alcohol and opioid use disorders
Selected Research Publications & Products- Fabian CB, Jordan ND, Cole RH, Carley LG, Thompson SM, Seney ML, Joffe ME. Parvalbumin interneuron mGlu5 receptors govern sex differences in prefrontal cortex physiology and binge drinking. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2024 May 21. doi: 10.1038/s41386-024-01889-0. PMID: 38773314.
- Thompson SM, Fabian CB, Ferranti AS, Joffe ME. Acute alcohol and chronic drinking bidirectionally regulate the excitability of prefrontal cortex vasoactive intestinal peptide interneurons. Neuropharmacology. 2023 Nov 1;238:109638. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109638. Epub 2023 Jul 22.
- Ferranti AS, Johnson KA, Winder DG, Conn PJ, Joffe ME. Prefrontal cortex parvalbumin interneurons exhibit decreased excitability and potentiated synaptic strength after ethanol reward learning. Alcohol. 2022 Feb 26; 101:17-26. doi: 10.1016.j.alcohol.2022.02.003
- Joffe ME, Maksymetz J, Luschinger JR, Dogra S, Ferranti AS, Luessen DJ, Gallinger IM, Xiang Z, Branthwaite H, Melugin PR, Williford KM, Centanni SW, Shields BC, Lindsley CW, Calipari ES, Siciliano CA, Niswender CM, Tadross MR, Winder DG, Conn PJ. Acute restraint stress redirects prefrontal cortex circuit function through mGlu5 receptor plasticity on somatostatin-expressing interneurons. Neuron. 2022 Jan 13:S0896-6273(21)01044-8. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.12.027.
- Joffe ME, Santiago CI, Oliver KH, Maksymetz J, Harris NA, Engers JL, Lindsley CW, Winder DG, Conn PJ. mGlu2 and mGlu3 negative allosteric modulators divergently potentiate thalamocortical transmission and exert rapid antidepressant-like effects. Neuron. 2020 Jan 8;105(1)46-59. pii: S0896-6273(19)30847-5. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.044. Epub 2019 Nov 14.
Education Interests
Research mentoring; Graduate & medical student education