Mary Kay Lobo (born 1975) is an American psychiatric neuroscientist who is a Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Her research considers the molecular mechanisms that underpin drug addiction and depression. She was named a finalist in the 2011 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists.
In 2011 Lobo was appointed to the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.[2] She has continued to make use of genetic analysis to understand how neuronal circuits are involved with drug addiction and depression.[1] In such scenarios, the circuits become dysfunctional, influencing downstream brain region.[1] By combining genetic analysis with optogenetic, Lobo has identified divergent roles in nucleus accumbens projection neurons in the brain's reward centre.[1] She showed that the molecular regulator of mitochondrial fission is amplified in the brain reward regions of individuals dependent on cocaine, and that blocking this fission process can reduce cocaine-seeking behaviour.[2]
Lobo investigated effective medications and molecular targets for major depressive disorders.[3] To achieve this, she uses mouse models of depression. She showed that chronic stress decreases the number of dendrites and size of nerve cells in mice, which limits the number of connections with nearby nerve cells.[3][4] She proposed that the small transforming protein RhoA, which is involved the maintenance of dendrite shape and size, and its molecular target rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK), offer hope for the restoration of brain function in people with major depressive disorders.[3] The use of RhoA inhibitors can result in antidepressant like responses to stress.[3]
