Audrey Seasholtz, PhD

Audrey Seasholtz obtained her BS in biochemistry from Juniata College in Pennsylvania. She performed her graduate studies in Biological Chemistry at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She then moved to Oregon for postdoctoral studies in molecular neurobiology at University of Oregon and OHSU with Dr. Edward Herbert and Dr. James Douglass. She returned to the University of Michigan 4 years later for a position as Assistant Research Scientist in the Mental Health Research Institute and Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Chemistry. She moved through the ranks to Professor of Biological Chemistry and Research Professor in the Michigan Neuroscience Institute. She trained many graduate students (PhD and MS) and undergraduate students in her laboratory through the Biological Chemistry Department, the Cell and Molecular Biology Training Program and the Neuroscience Graduate Program. She taught medical students for 35 years and served as Associate Director or Interim Director of the Neuroscience Graduate Program from 2014 to 2021. She continues to serve in multiple administrative roles in the Neuroscience Graduate Program, Michigan Neuroscience Institute, and Department of Biological Chemistry.

The Seasholtz laboratory studies the neural and endocrine control of the stress response. The mammalian stress response is mediated by Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH, also known as CRF), a 41 amino acid peptide. Hypothalamic CRH controls the release of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) from the pituitary, which then controls glucocorticoid release from the adrenal gland. At other sites in the brain, CRH acts as a neurotransmitter to control the behavioral, autonomic and immune responses to stress. Dysregulation of the CRH system has been linked to affective disorders, including major depression and anxiety disorders, and to addiction. Our laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular regulation of the CRH system including the two classes of CRH receptors and the CRH-binding protein, particularly in stress, depression and relapse to addiction. We study the mechanisms that regulate the CRH system in health and disease using: 1) transgenic and knockout mouse models for behavioral analyses; 2) in vivo stress and addiction studies; 3) cell culture analysis for biochemical signaling, trafficking and protein-protein interactions; and 4) molecular cloning for studies on the molecular evolution of CRH-binding protein (structure and function).