MarissaÌýEhringer

  • Professor
  • INSTITUTE FOR BEHAVIORAL GENETICS
  • INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
Address

Institute for Behavioral Genetics
University of Colorado Boulder
447 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0447

Dr. Ehringer is recruiting students for a fall 2027 start date.

Applications are typically due mid November; for exact dates please check theÌýDepartment of Integrative Physiology website, if you intend to work with Dr. Ehringer. Additional information is available on IBG's Prospective Students page.

Research Interests:

  • Identification of genetic mechanisms that contribute to alcohol, tobacco, and substance use.
  • Application of genomics/bioinformatics resources to study behavior genetics

Active Grants:

  • NIDA U01 DA051937 (Ehringer, Bachtell, Saba). Identification of Genes and Genetic Networks Contributing to Opioid Use Disorder Traits in the Hybrid Rat Diversity Panel. Role: MPI
  • NIH R21 DA05781 (MPIs: Ehringer, Hoeffer, Stitzel) 9/15/2022 - 08/31/2027 Role of glial expression in nicotine behaviors for genes identified through human GWAS. Role: Contact PI
  • RIO Seed Grant (Bachtell, Allen) 07/01/2026 - 06/30/2027, Unraveling the gene transcriptional basis of sex differences in oxycodone use. Role: CoI

Additional Resources:

Watch Dr. Ehringer speak

Dr. Ehringer speaks on the Genetics of Substance Abuse:Ìý

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Ehringer Current lab

Ehringer Former Trainees

Sonya Belimezova

Doctoral student 2012-2017

Winona Booher

Doctoral student 2016-2021

Logan Bunch

Masters student 2019-2021

Todd Darlington

Doctoral student 2008-2012

Amber Flora

Postdoctoral trainee 2010-2012

Xavier Gallegos

Postdoctoral trainee 2010-2014

Lucy Hall

Masters student 2019-2021

Nicole Hoft

Postdoctoral trainee 2006-2009

Helen Kamens

Postdoctoral trainee 2009-2013

Riley McCarthy

Masters student 2012-2014

Erika Mehrhoff

Doctoral student 2020-2026

Whitney Melroy

Doctoral student 2010-2015

Jakob Morawiec

Masters student 2018-2020

Matthew Powers

Postdoctoral trainee 2014-2020

Kristin Rasmus

Doctoral student 2013-2016

Isabel Schlaepfer

Doctoral student 2005-2008

Sarah Holly Stephens

Postdoctoral trainee 2008-2011

Aimee Thomas

Masters student 2018-2020

Publications

Ehringer Lab News

Ehringer Highlighted Publications

This collaborative project with Drs. Hoeffer and Stitzel demonstrated a key role of AKT2 in modulating astrocytic responses to nicotine and nicotine behaviors. This is a gene that emerged from human GWAS for smoking behaviors, so we are excited to gain a deeper understanding of biological mechanisms.

(Glia, 2025)

This review article describes the complex interactions between genetic factors and the gut microbiome in the context of opioid use behaviors.

(Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2024)

We tested the inbred High and Low Activity strains of mice, selected for differences in open field activity, using a series of anxiety-like defensive behaviors following injections of diazepam, a drug used to treat anxiety disorders in humans. Complex results were observed, which reveal that the phenotypic differences between these two strains may include components of innate fear alongside anxiety-related responses.

(Physiology & Behavior, 2023)

Hippocampal RNA-sequencing of the High and Low Activity mice identified nearly 4000 differentially expressed protein-coding genes, some of which showed sex-dependent effects. In particular, 39/46 genes relating to oxidative phosphorylation were upregulated in the female high anxiety, Low Activity mice. Furthermore, subsequent integrative genomics analyses highlighted one gene/protein in complex 1 of the mitochondria, Nduf13, as a top candidate across multiple studies.

(Genes, Brain and Behavior, 2022)

This study confirmed and expanded the behavioral testing of the High and Low Activity inbred strains of mice, which show dramatic differences in open field activity, but had not been studied for ~20 years. We retested them using more modern equipment and behavioral tests to more fully characterize the behavior.
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(Genes, Brain and Behavior, 2022)
We conducted whole-genome sequencing of four inbred mouse strains initially selected for high (H1, H2) or low (L1, L2) open-field activity, a measure commonly used to model anxiety-like behaviors. These data were used to examine strain distribution patterns for their original parental strains (BALB/cJ and C57BL/6J) and to narrow genomic intervals (QTL) containing genes contributing to this trait. Finally, we performed a bioinformatics analysis using GeneWeaver to identify overlapping genes from multiple studies, thereby leading to a reduced prioritized gene list for future study.
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(Behavior Genetics, 2021)
Previous studies in our lab demonstrated that female mice of the C57Bl/6J strain voluntarily consume less alcohol when provided access to a running wheel, while males do not. This follow-up study demonstrated there are both sex and genetic differences in two other strains (129/SvEvTac and C3H/Ibg). These results highlight the complexity of both voluntary alcohol consumption and voluntary wheel running, as well as the interaction between these behaviors.
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(Alcohol, 2019)