Jessica Childs, PhD
Assistant Professor
childsj@marshall.edu

My research interests center on the neurobiology of substance use disorders, with a focus on understanding how specific brain circuits and molecular mechanisms drive vulnerability to relapse. Currently, my lab studies the medial habenula (MHb), a small but powerful brain region involved in aversive learning, motivation, and behavioral control that plays an underappreciated role in addiction. By combining behavioral neuroscience with modern molecular and systems approaches, we aim to identify biological changes that contribute to relapse vulnerability.
My ongoing research topics include:

• Epigenetic regulation of relapse-related behaviors in the medial habenula, including changes in DNA methylation across neuronal subtypes
• GABAergic signaling and receptor function in MHb circuits involved in drug reinforcement, withdrawal, and relapse
• Multi-omic profiling of MHb cell populations using sequencing-based and spatial transcriptomics approaches
• Real-time monitoring of brain circuit activity during drug-seeking and relapse using fiber photometry

The Childs Lab welcomes undergraduate and graduate students as well as interdisciplinary collaborators interested in behavioral neuroscience, molecular approaches, and data-driven studies of brain function in addiction.