Education
B.A. California State University-Los Angeles, Psychology (2007)
M.A. California State University-Los Angeles, Psychology (2009)
Ph.D. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Neuroscience (2015)
Courses
- NSCI 201/BIOL 212/PSYC 212 (F) LEC Neuroscience
- PSYC 312/NSCI 322 (S) SEM From Order to Disorder(s): The Role of Genes & the Environment in Psychopathology
- PSYC 412 (F) SEM Feelings & Emotions: Shaping the Brain and Society
Publications
Selected Publications:
* Denotes equal contribution, ^ denotes student researcher
- Multiple-context extinction strengthens fear suppression
through hippocampal dopamine D2R-dependent memory
updating (2026). Hammerman E^, Penna SR *^, Gonzalez *^, Roebuck C^, Patel S^, Desmond C^, Fukunaga Y^, Lock E^, Maloy G^, Cazares VA. Neuropsychopharmacology. DOI: 10.1038/s41386-026-02577-x - No effect of partial reinforcement on fear extinction learning and memory in C57BL/6J mice (2025).
^* Su ACJ, ^*Fukunaga Y, ^Penna S, Cazares VA Learning & Memory. Feb 21;32(2). PMCID: PMC11852914 | DOI 10.1101/lm.054033.124 - A simple action reduces food intake and obesity in mice (2025).
Barrett MR, et al. Current Biology. PMID: 40541188 | DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.05.067 - Age-related deficits in neuronal physiology and cognitive function are recapitulated in young mice overexpressing the L-type calcium channel, CaV1.3 (2023).
Moore S, Cazares V, Jimenez S, Murphy GG. Aging Cell PMCID: PMC10014069 | DOI: 10.1111/acel.13781 - Turning strains into strengths for understanding psychiatric illness (2020).
Moore S, Murphy GG, Cazares VA
Molecular Psychiatry. PMID: 32404949 | DOI 10.1038/s41380-020-0772-y - Deficits across multiple behavioral domains align with susceptibility to stress in 129S1/SvImJ mice (2020)
Rodriguez G, Moore SJ, Neff RC, Glass ED, Stevenson TK, Stinnett GS, Seasholtz AF, Murphy GG, Cazares VA
Neurobiology of Stress. DOI 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100262 - Neural Plasticity of the Amygdala (2020)
Cazares VA, Murphy GG
Handbook of Behavioral Neuroscience. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815134-1.00005-2. - Environmental variables that ameliorate extinction learning in the 129S1/SvImJ mouse stain (2019)
Cazares VA, Rodriguez G, Parent R, Ouilette L, Glanowska K, Moore S, Murphy GG.
Genes, Brain and Behavior. PMCID: PMC6718342 | DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12575
Grants
| 2026-2027 | NARSAD Young Investigator Award, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (Total funding: $69,947) |
| 2024-2026 | Workforce Development Capital Grant (Total funding: $744,446), Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Co-investigators: Katie Keith, Noah Sandstrom, Stephen Freund |
| 2024 | Class of ‘45 World Fellowship (Total funding: $18,750), Williams College |
| 2022-2026 | Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15-MH129947, Total funding: $435,109), National Institutes of Mental Health |
Committees
- Committee on Admission and Financial Aid
More Information
Research
Every new experience is shaped by what we have learned before. The Cazares Lab (aka “vac lab”) studies how the brain integrates experiences across time, how our learning history shapes what we remember and how we behave, and why some memories are more difficult to change than others. By combining theories of learning with approaches that allow us to observe and manipulate brain activity, we investigate how memories interact and are updated to support behavioral flexibility. Ultimately, we hope to understand why these processes sometimes become inflexible and how this knowledge might inform treatments for psychiatric disorders.
Follow our work on Instagram: @neuro.vaclab