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Gregory J. Quirk PhD
Affiliation:
University of Puerto Rico
Dept. of Psychiatry
"Neurological Disorders and Mental Health"
Title: Professor
Rank: Full Professor
Address:
Dept pf Psychiatry P.O. Box 365067
San Juan, PR 00936-5067
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 787-999-3058
Narrative
My research focuses on the neural circuits of fear regulation, using rodent and human models of fear
conditioning, extinction, and active avoidance. My lab uses a variety of experimental techniques
including multichannel unit recording, optogenetics, immunocytochemistry, electrical stimulation,
and computational modeling. We focus on how the prefrontal cortex influences fear-related activity
in the amygdala, thalamus and striatum. This work is applicable to PTSD and OCD, and is funded by
the National Institute of Mental Health. My lab has been in Puerto Rico for 18 years and consists of
approximately 14 students, post-docs, and technicians, from the U.S., Puerto Rico, and other parts of
Latin America. My long-term goal is to promote neuroscience research and training in Latin America.
Other Positions
Title
Adjunct Professor
Institution
Univ PR School of Medicine
Department Dept. of Anatomy & Neurobiology
Division
Awards and Honors
1992 1993 CIES - Fulbright Award
1999 1999 Clinton White Hourse - Presidental Early Career Award (PECASE)
2012 2012 AAAS - AAAS Fellow
2014 2014 Thompson-Reuters - Highly Cited Researcher (top 1%)
2014 2016 NIMH - MERIT Award
Publications
1.
Rodriguez-Romaguera J, Greenberg BD, Haber SN, Quirk GJ. A Cross Species PubMed
Approach to Understanding DBS Modulation of Fear. Brain Stimul. 2015 Sep-Oct;
8(5):986-8.
2.
Quiñones-Laracuente K, Hernández-Rodríguez MY, Bravo-Rivera C, Melendez RI, PubMed
Quirk GJ. The effect of repeated exposure to ethanol on pre-existing fear memories
in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2015 Oct; 232(19):3615-22.
3.
Bravo-Rivera C, Roman-Ortiz C, Montesinos-Cartagena M, Quirk GJ. Persistent active PubMed
avoidance correlates with activity in prelimbic cortex and ventral striatum. Front
Behav Neurosci. 2015; 9:184.
4.
Do-Monte FH, Manzano-Nieves G, Quiñones-Laracuente K, Ramos-Medina L, Quirk PubMed
GJ. Revisiting the role of infralimbic cortex in fear extinction with optogenetics. J
Neurosci. 2015 Feb 25; 35(8):3607-15.
5.
Rodriguez-Romaguera J, Do-Monte FH, Tanimura Y, Quirk GJ, Haber SN. PubMed
Enhancement of fear extinction with deep brain stimulation: evidence for medial
orbitofrontal involvement. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2015 Jun; 40(7):1726-33.
6.
Do-Monte FH, Quiñones-Laracuente K, Quirk GJ. A temporal shift in the circuits PubMed
mediating retrieval of fear memory. Nature. 2015 Mar 26; 519(7544):460-3.
7.
Aguilar-Rivera MI, Casanova JP, Gatica RI, Quirk GJ, Fuentealba JA. Amphetamine PubMed
sensitization is accompanied by an increase in prelimbic cortex activity.
Neuroscience. 2015 Mar 12; 288:1-9.
8.
Martínez KG, Franco-Chaves JA, Milad MR, Quirk GJ. Ethnic differences in PubMed
physiological responses to fear conditioned stimuli. PLoS One. 2014; 9(12):e114977.
9.
Bravo-Rivera C, Roman-Ortiz C, Brignoni-Perez E, Sotres-Bayon F, Quirk GJ. Neural PubMed
structures mediating expression and extinction of platform-mediated avoidance. J
Neurosci. 2014 Jul 16; 34(29):9736-42.
10. Rosas-Vidal LE, Do-Monte FH, Sotres-Bayon F, Quirk GJ. Hippocampal--prefrontal PubMed
BDNF and memory for fear extinction. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2014 Aug;
39(9):2161-9.
11. Do-Monte FH, Rodriguez-Romaguera J, Rosas-Vidal LE, Quirk GJ. Deep brain PubMed
stimulation of the ventral striatum increases BDNF in the fear extinction circuit.
Front Behav Neurosci. 2013; 7:102.
12. Pendyam S, Bravo-Rivera C, Burgos-Robles A, Sotres-Bayon F, Quirk GJ, Nair SS. Fear PubMed
signaling in the prelimbic-amygdala circuit: a computational modeling and
recording study. J Neurophysiol. 2013 Aug; 110(4):844-61.
13. Burgos-Robles A, Bravo-Rivera H, Quirk GJ. Prelimbic and infralimbic neurons signal PubMed
distinct aspects of appetitive instrumental behavior. PLoS One. 2013; 8(2):e57575.
14. Felmingham KL, Dobson-Stone C, Schofield PR, Quirk GJ, Bryant RA. The brain- PubMed
derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism predicts response to exposure
therapy in posttraumatic stress disorder. Biol Psychiatry. 2013 Jun 1; 73(11):105963.
15. Sotres-Bayon F, Sierra-Mercado D, Pardilla-Delgado E, Quirk GJ. Gating of fear in PubMed
prelimbic cortex by hippocampal and amygdala inputs. Neuron. 2012 Nov 21;
76(4):804-12.
16. Martínez KG, Castro-Couch M, Franco-Chaves JA, Ojeda-Arce B, Segura G, Milad MR, PubMed
Quirk GJ. Correlations between psychological tests and physiological responses
during fear conditioning and renewal. Biol Mood Anxiety Disord. 2012; 2(1):16.
17. Rodriguez-Romaguera J, Do Monte FH, Quirk GJ. Deep brain stimulation of the PubMed
ventral striatum enhances extinction of conditioned fear. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
2012 May 29; 109(22):8764-9.
18. Linnman C, Zeidan MA, Furtak SC, Pitman RK, Quirk GJ, Milad MR. Resting amygdala PubMed
and medial prefrontal metabolism predicts functional activation of the fear
extinction circuit. Am J Psychiatry. 2012 Apr; 169(4):415-23.
19. Milad MR, Quirk GJ. Fear extinction as a model for translational neuroscience: ten PubMed
years of progress. Annu Rev Psychol. 2012; 63:129-51.
20. Padilla-Coreano N, Do-Monte FH, Quirk GJ. A time-dependent role of midline PubMed
thalamic nuclei in the retrieval of fear memory. Neuropharmacology. 2012 Jan;
62(1):457-63.
21. Mueller D, Bravo-Rivera C, Quirk GJ. Infralimbic D2 receptors are necessary for fear PubMed
extinction and extinction-related tone responses. Biol Psychiatry. 2010 Dec 1;
68(11):1055-60.
22. Quirk GJ, Paré D, Richardson R, Herry C, Monfils MH, Schiller D, Vicentic A. Erasing PubMed
fear memories with extinction training. J Neurosci. 2010 Nov 10; 30(45):14993-7.
23. Sierra-Mercado D, Padilla-Coreano N, Quirk GJ. Dissociable roles of prelimbic and PubMed
infralimbic cortices, ventral hippocampus, and basolateral amygdala in the
expression and extinction of conditioned fear. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011 Jan;
36(2):529-38.
24. Fontanez-Nuin DE, Santini E, Quirk GJ, Porter JT. Memory for fear extinction requires PubMed
mGluR5-mediated activation of infralimbic neurons. Cereb Cortex. 2011 Mar;
21(3):727-35.
25. Peters J, Dieppa-Perea LM, Melendez LM, Quirk GJ. Induction of fear extinction with PubMed
hippocampal-infralimbic BDNF. Science. 2010 Jun 4; 328(5983):1288-90.
26. Sotres-Bayon F, Quirk GJ. Prefrontal control of fear: more than just extinction. Curr PubMed
Opin Neurobiol. 2010 Apr; 20(2):231-5.
27. Quirk GJ, Milad MR. Neuroscience: Editing out fear. Nature. 2010 Jan 7; PubMed
463(7277):36-7.
28. Holmes A, Quirk GJ. Pharmacological facilitation of fear extinction and the search PubMed
for adjunct treatments for anxiety disorders--the case of yohimbine. Trends
Pharmacol Sci. 2010 Jan; 31(1):2-7.
29. Burgos-Robles A, Vidal-Gonzalez I, Quirk GJ. Sustained conditioned responses in PubMed
prelimbic prefrontal neurons are correlated with fear expression and extinction
failure. J Neurosci. 2009 Jul 1; 29(26):8474-82.
30. Peters J, Kalivas PW, Quirk GJ. Extinction circuits for fear and addiction overlap in PubMed
prefrontal cortex. Learn Mem. 2009 May; 16(5):279-88.
31. Martínez KG, Quirk GJ. Extending fear extinction beyond anxiety disorders. Biol PubMed
Psychiatry. 2009 Mar 15; 65(6):453-4.
32. Quirk GJ, Sotres-Bayon F. Signaling aversive events in the midbrain: worse than PubMed
expected. Neuron. 2009 Mar 12; 61(5):655-6.
33. Mueller D, Olivera-Figueroa LA, Pine DS, Quirk GJ. The effects of yohimbine and PubMed
amphetamine on fear expression and extinction in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl).
2009 Jul; 204(4):599-606.
34. Rodriguez-Romaguera J, Sotres-Bayon F, Mueller D, Quirk GJ. Systemic propranolol PubMed
acts centrally to reduce conditioned fear in rats without impairing extinction. Biol
Psychiatry. 2009 May 15; 65(10):887-92.
35. Li G, Nair SS, Quirk GJ. A biologically realistic network model of acquisition and PubMed
extinction of conditioned fear associations in lateral amygdala neurons. J
Neurophysiol. 2009 Mar; 101(3):1629-46.
36. Santini E, Quirk GJ, Porter JT. Fear conditioning and extinction differentially modify PubMed
the intrinsic excitability of infralimbic neurons. J Neurosci. 2008 Apr 9; 28(15):402836.
37. Mueller D, Porter JT, Quirk GJ. Noradrenergic signaling in infralimbic cortex PubMed
increases cell excitability and strengthens memory for fear extinction. J Neurosci.
2008 Jan 9; 28(2):369-75.
38. Quirk GJ, Martinez KG, Nazario Rodríguez LL. Translating findings from basic fear PubMed
research to clinical psychiatry in Puerto Rico. P R Health Sci J. 2007 Dec; 26(4):321-8.
39. Quirk GJ, Mueller D. Neural mechanisms of extinction learning and retrieval. PubMed
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2008 Jan; 33(1):56-72.
40. Milad MR, Quirk GJ, Pitman RK, Orr SP, Fischl B, Rauch SL. A role for the human PubMed
dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in fear expression. Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Nov 15;
62(10):1191-4.
41. Burgos-Robles A, Vidal-Gonzalez I, Santini E, Quirk GJ. Consolidation of fear PubMed
extinction requires NMDA receptor-dependent bursting in the ventromedial
prefrontal cortex. Neuron. 2007 Mar 15; 53(6):871-80.
42. Corcoran KA, Quirk GJ. Recalling safety: cooperative functions of the ventromedial PubMed
prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus in extinction. CNS Spectr. 2007 Mar;
12(3):200-6.
43. Corcoran KA, Quirk GJ. Activity in prelimbic cortex is necessary for the expression of PubMed
learned, but not innate, fears. J Neurosci. 2007 Jan 24; 27(4):840-4.
44. Milad MR, Wright CI, Orr SP, Pitman RK, Quirk GJ, Rauch SL. Recall of fear extinction PubMed
in humans activates the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in concert.
Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Sep 1; 62(5):446-54.
45. Quirk GJ, Beer JS. Prefrontal involvement in the regulation of emotion: convergence PubMed
of rat and human studies. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2006 Dec; 16(6):723-7.
46. Vidal-Gonzalez I, Vidal-Gonzalez B, Rauch SL, Quirk GJ. Microstimulation reveals PubMed
opposing influences of prelimbic and infralimbic cortex on the expression of
conditioned fear. Learn Mem. 2006 Nov-Dec; 13(6):728-33.
47. Quirk GJ, Vidal-Gonzalez I. Keeping the memories flowing. Nat Neurosci. 2006 Oct; PubMed
9(10):1199-200.
48. Sierra-Mercado D, Corcoran KA, Lebrón-Milad K, Quirk GJ. Inactivation of the PubMed
ventromedial prefrontal cortex reduces expression of conditioned fear and impairs
subsequent recall of extinction. Eur J Neurosci. 2006 Sep; 24(6):1751-8.
49. Quirk GJ. Extinction: new excitement for an old phenomenon. Biol Psychiatry. 2006 PubMed
Aug 15; 60(4):317-8.
50. Quirk GJ, Garcia R, González-Lima F. Prefrontal mechanisms in extinction of PubMed
conditioned fear. Biol Psychiatry. 2006 Aug 15; 60(4):337-43.
51. Milad MR, Rauch SL, Pitman RK, Quirk GJ. Fear extinction in rats: implications for PubMed
human brain imaging and anxiety disorders. Biol Psychol. 2006 Jul; 73(1):61-71.
52. Anglada-Figueroa D, Quirk GJ. Lesions of the basal amygdala block expression of PubMed
conditioned fear but not extinction. J Neurosci. 2005 Oct 19; 25(42):9680-5.
53. Quirk GJ, Peña de Ortiz S. Stuck in time without a nucleus: theoretical comment on PubMed
Sangha et Al. (2005). Behav Neurosci. 2005 Aug; 119(4):1155-7.
54. Maren S, Quirk GJ. Neuronal signalling of fear memory. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2004 Nov; PubMed
5(11):844-52.
55. Lebrón K, Milad MR, Quirk GJ. Delayed recall of fear extinction in rats with lesions of PubMed
ventral medial prefrontal cortex. Learn Mem. 2004 Sep-Oct; 11(5):544-8.
56. Paré D, Quirk GJ, Ledoux JE. New vistas on amygdala networks in conditioned fear. J PubMed
Neurophysiol. 2004 Jul; 92(1):1-9.
57. Santini E, Ge H, Ren K, Peña de Ortiz S, Quirk GJ. Consolidation of fear extinction PubMed
requires protein synthesis in the medial prefrontal cortex. J Neurosci. 2004 Jun 23;
24(25):5704-10.
58. Milad MR, Vidal-Gonzalez I, Quirk GJ. Electrical stimulation of medial prefrontal PubMed
cortex reduces conditioned fear in a temporally specific manner. Behav Neurosci.
2004 Apr; 118(2):389-94.
59. Quirk GJ. Learning not to fear, faster. Learn Mem. 2004 Mar-Apr; 11(2):125-6.
PubMed
60. Quirk GJ, Likhtik E, Pelletier JG, Paré D. Stimulation of medial prefrontal cortex PubMed
decreases the responsiveness of central amygdala output neurons. J Neurosci. 2003
Sep 24; 23(25):8800-7.
61. Quirk GJ, Gehlert DR. Inhibition of the amygdala: key to pathological states? Ann N Y PubMed
Acad Sci. 2003 Apr; 985:263-72.
62. Milad MR, Quirk GJ. Neurons in medial prefrontal cortex signal memory for fear PubMed
extinction. Nature. 2002 Nov 7; 420(6911):70-4.
63. Quirk GJ. Memory for extinction of conditioned fear is long-lasting and persists PubMed
following spontaneous recovery. Learn Mem. 2002 Nov-Dec; 9(6):402-7.
64. Santini E, Muller RU, Quirk GJ. Consolidation of extinction learning involves transfer PubMed
from NMDA-independent to NMDA-dependent memory. J Neurosci. 2001 Nov 15;
21(22):9009-17.
65. Quirk GJ, Russo GK, Barron JL, Lebron K. The role of ventromedial prefrontal cortex PubMed
in the recovery of extinguished fear. J Neurosci. 2000 Aug 15; 20(16):6225-31.
66. Quirk GJ. Neuroscience in developing countries: getting around the problems. Int J PubMed
Neurosci. 1999 Aug; 99(1-4):89-90.
67. Armony JL, Quirk GJ, LeDoux JE. Differential effects of amygdala lesions on early and PubMed
late plastic components of auditory cortex spike trains during fear conditioning. J
Neurosci. 1998 Apr 1; 18(7):2592-601.
68. Quirk GJ. Fear research: implications for anxiety disorders. Bol Asoc Med P R. 1998 PubMed
Jan-Mar; 90(1-3):27-9.
69. Hesse H, Rivera MF, de Díaz I, Quirk GJ. Central somatosensory conduction time in PubMed
severely growth-stunted children. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Jan; 67(1):93-6.
70. Quirk GJ, Armony JL, LeDoux JE. Fear conditioning enhances different temporal PubMed
components of tone-evoked spike trains in auditory cortex and lateral amygdala.
Neuron. 1997 Sep; 19(3):613-24.
71. Quirk GJ, Weisskopf MG. Science in developing countries: whose agenda? Am J PubMed
Physiol. 1997 Jun; 272(6 Pt 3):S50-1.
72. Quirk GJ, Armony JL, Repa JC, Li XF, LeDoux JE. Emotional memory: a search for sites PubMed
of plasticity. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1996; 61:247-57.
73. Quirk GJ. Starting a neuroscience research laboratory in a developing country: a PubMed
Fulbright experience in Honduras. Am J Physiol. 1995 Dec; 269(6 Pt 3):S61-7.
74. Quirk GJ, Repa C, LeDoux JE. Fear conditioning enhances short-latency auditory PubMed
responses of lateral amygdala neurons: parallel recordings in the freely behaving
rat. Neuron. 1995 Nov; 15(5):1029-39.
75. Quirk GJ, Mejia WR, Hesse H, Su H. Early malnutrition followed by nutritional PubMed
restoration lowers the conduction velocity and excitability of the corticospinal tract.
Brain Res. 1995 Jan 30; 670(2):277-82.
76. Quirk GJ, Casco L. Stress disorders of families of the disappeared: a controlled study PubMed
in Honduras. Soc Sci Med. 1994 Dec; 39(12):1675-9.
77. Quirk GJ, Muller RU, Kubie JL, Ranck JB. The positional firing properties of medial PubMed
entorhinal neurons: description and comparison with hippocampal place cells. J
Neurosci. 1992 May; 12(5):1945-63.
78. Stewart M, Quirk GJ, Barry M, Fox SE. Firing relations of medial entorhinal neurons PubMed
to the hippocampal theta rhythm in urethane anesthetized and walking rats. Exp
Brain Res. 1992; 90(1):21-8.
79. Amassian VE, Quirk GJ, Stewart M. A comparison of corticospinal activation by PubMed
magnetic coil and electrical stimulation of monkey motor cortex. Electroencephalogr
Clin Neurophysiol. 1990 Sep-Oct; 77(5):390-401.
80. Quirk GJ, Muller RU, Kubie JL. The firing of hippocampal place cells in the dark PubMed
depends on the rat's recent experience. J Neurosci. 1990 Jun; 10(6):2008-17.
81. Stewart M, Quirk GJ, Amassian VE. Corticospinal responses to electrical stimulation PubMed
of motor cortex in the rat. Brain Res. 1990 Feb 5; 508(2):341-4.
82. Collier TJ, Quirk GJ, Routtenberg A. Separable roles of hippocampal granule cells in PubMed
forgetting and pyramidal cells in remembering spatial information. Brain Res. 1987
Apr 21; 409(2):316-28.
83. Amassian VE, Stewart M, Quirk GJ, Rosenthal JL. Physiological basis of motor effects PubMed
of a transient stimulus to cerebral cortex. Neurosurgery. 1987 Jan; 20(1):74-93.
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