Huda Akil
Gardner C Quarton Distinguished University Professor of Neurosciences
Gardner C Quarton Collegiate Professor of Neurosciences in the Molecular and Behavioral Neurosciences Institute
Professor of Psychiatry and Research Professor
Michigan Neuroscience Institute
Medical School
[email protected]

Available to mentor
Huda Akil
Research Professor
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  • Recent Publications
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    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      Eisenberg Family Depression Center
    Recent Publications See All Publications
    • Journal Article
      Short Report: A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Cortical Transcriptome in Animal Models
      Rhoads C, Hagenauer M, Xiong J, Hernandez E, Nguyen DM, Saffron A, Flandreau E, Watson Jr S, Akil H. bioRxiv, 2025 Apr 29; DOI:10.1101/2025.04.21.648791
    • Journal Article
      The Effects of Antidepressants on the Hippocampus: A Meta-Analysis of Public Transcriptional Profiling Data
      Geoghegan E, Hagenauer M, Hernandez E, Espinoza S, Flandreau E, Nguyen P, Bhuiyan M, Mensch S, Watson Jr S, Akil H, Hen R. bioRxiv, 2025 Apr 29; DOI:10.1101/2025.04.21.648805
    • Proceeding / Abstract / Poster
      A meta-analysis of the effects of early life stress on the prefrontal cortex transcriptome suggests long-term effects on myelin
      Duan TQ, Hagenauer M, Nguyen DM, Bader A, Flandreau EI, Maras PM, De Lima RMS, Meaney MJ, Watson Jr SJ, Akil H. 2024 Oct 5;
    • Journal Article
      Allele-specific transcription factor binding across human brain regions offers mechanistic insight into eQTLs
      Anderson AG, Moyers BA, Loupe JM, Rodriguez-Nunez I, Felker SA, Lawlor JMJ, Bunney WE, Bunney BG, Cartagena PM, Sequeira A, Watson SJ, Akil H, Mendenhall EM, Cooper GM, Myers RM. Genome Research, 2024 Aug 1; 34 (8): 1224 - 1234. DOI:10.1101/gr.278601.123
      PMID: 39152038
    • Journal Article
      Multiomic profiling of transcription factor binding and function in human brain
      Loupe JM, Anderson AG, Rizzardi LF, Rodriguez-Nunez I, Moyers B, Trausch-Lowther K, Jain R, Bunney WE, Bunney BG, Cartagena P, Sequeira A, Watson SJ, Akil H, Cooper GM, Myers RM. Nature Neuroscience, 2024 Jul 1; 27 (7): 1387 - 1399. DOI:10.1038/s41593-024-01658-8
      PMID: 38831039
    • Journal Article
      Adolescent environmental enrichment induces social resilience and alters neural gene expression in a selectively bred rodent model with anxious phenotype
      O'Connor AM, Hagenauer M, Cannon Thew Forrester L, Maras PM, Arakawa K, Hebda-Bauer EK, Khalil H, Richardson ER, Rob FI, Sannah Y, Watson Jr SJ, Akil H. Neurobiology of Stress, 2024 Feb 23;
    • Journal Article
      Resource: A Curated Database of Brain-Related Functional Gene Sets (Brain.GMT)
      Hagenauer M, Sannah Y, Hebda-Bauer EK, Rhoads C, O'Connor A, Flandreau E, Watson Jr S, Akil H. MethodsX, 2024 May 10;
    • Journal Article
      A revamped rat reference genome improves the discovery of genetic diversity in laboratory rats
      de Jong TV, Pan Y, Rastas P, Munro D, Tutaj M, Akil H, Benner C, Chen D, Chitre AS, Chow W, Colonna V, Dalgard CL, Demos WM, Doris PA, Garrison E, Geurts AM, Gunturkun HM, Guryev V, Hourlier T, Howe K, Huang J, Kalbfleisch T, Kim P, Li L, Mahaffey S, Martin FJ, Mohammadi P, Ozel AB, Polesskaya O, Pravenec M, Prins P, Sebat J, Smith JR, Solberg Woods LC, Tabakoff B, Tracey A, Uliano-Silva M, Villani F, Wang H, Sharp BM, Telese F, Jiang Z, Saba L, Wang X, Murphy TD, Palmer AA, Kwitek AE, Dwinell MR, Williams RW, Li JZ, Chen H. Cell Genomics, 2024 Apr 10; 4 (4): DOI:10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100527
    Featured News & Stories Illustration of person swinging from a tree on a swing made of DNA. A version of the same person is sitting at the base of the tree with their head down.
    Medicine at Michigan
    Searching for the biology of mental illness
    For half a century, Michigan Medicine researchers have been working to understand why we feel the way we feel. Their findings have offered hope to patients with mental health conditions from anxiety and depression to addiction and bipolar disorder.
         Lori L. Isom, Ph.D., Sally A. Camper, Ph.D., Karin Muraszko, M.D., Lori J. Pierce, M.D., Dee E. Fenner, M.D.
    Medical School News
    Communication, ‘rethinking our system’ are keys to future of biomedical science
    If biomedical science is to survive, researchers must communicate better about the discoveries and promise of science and medicine, as well as their complexities and limits, and the critical importance of both in serving the public good. Such communication is necessary in times of crisis, like now, according to Huda Akil, Ph.D., one of the Medical School’s top biomedical researchers, both in longevity (47 years at the U-M) and success (2023 recipient of the National Medal of Science). She delivered the keynote address at the third annual Celebration of Women in Academic Medicine and Science on Feb. 5.
         Sally A. Camper, Ph.D., and Lori J. Pierce, M.D.
    Medical School News
    Sally A. Camper, Ph.D., and Lori J. Pierce, M.D., to receive Muraszko Award
    Two Medical School leaders are being honored for their efforts to help women forge successful careers in academic medicine and science. Sally A. Camper, Ph.D., and Lori J. Pierce, M.D., will receive the Karin Muraszko, M.D., Advancing Women in Academic Medicine and Science Award on Feb. 5 at the third annual Celebration of Women in Academic Medicine and Science.