Anne Lillian Collins

Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Neuroscience

University of Minnesota

Education

2012-2018  University of California, Los Angeles

PhD program in Behavioral Neuroscience

2006-2010  University of Washington

B.A. in Psychology, magna cum laude with honors in psychology

 

Previous Research Experience

2012-2018       Kate Wassum Lab, Psychology Dept., University of California, Los Angeles.

Graduate Student: Investigated the interaction between acetylcholine and dopamine in the nucleus accumbens core in mediating cue-motivated reward seeking.

2010-2012       Paul Phillips Lab, Psychiatry Dept., University of Washington.

Research Technician: Investigated the dynamics of dopamine signaling within the striatum during associative learning and how shifts in dopamine signaling relate to the consolidation of learned associations.

2008-2010      Ilene Bernstein Lab, Psychology Dept., University of Washington

Research Technician: investigated the influence of adolescent alcohol use on risk preference and how shifts in phasic dopamine signaling in the ventral striatum correlate with risky choices using a rodent model.

Talks

2020                Dopamine Society

2020               University of Washington, NAPE Center

2020                Winter Conference on Brain Research

2018               Society for Neuroscience, Minisymposium

2018                MMiN, Oxford- symposium chair and presenter

2017                GRC Catecholamines- awarded young investigator talk

2017                GRS Catecholamines

2017                UCI Center for Addictions Neuroscience Symposium

2016                UCLA Integrative Center for Addictions Symposium

2016                UCLA Undergraduate Lecture: Fundamentals of learning and behavior

2016                UCLA Translational Neuroscience of Drug Abuse Seminar Series

2015                UCLA Integrative Center for Addictions Seminar

2015                UCLA Translational Neuroscience of Drug Abuse Seminar Series,

2012- 2017      UCLA Behavioral Neuroscience Journal Club

2012- 2017      UCLA Learning and Behavior Journal Club

2008-2011       UW Learning and Memory Journal Club

Honors and Awards

2020            Best Talk Award, UMN Medical School Post-Doc Retreat 

2020            Gengerelli Distinguished Dissertation Award, UCLA

2019              NIH NIDA T-32 Training Grant

2018              Young Investigator Travel Award. MMiN, Oxford.

2017               Pavlovian Society Poster Award

2017               Awarded Young Investigator talk at Gordon Conference Catecholamines

2017                Dissertation Year Fellowship Award

2017                Eva Mary Kavan Price of Excellence in Research on the Brain

2016                Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience honorable mention poster award

2016                Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience Travel Award

2015                Translation Neuroscience of Drug Abuse T-32 Training Grant

2015                Graduate Research Summer Award

2014-2015      Graduate Research Mentorship Program Award

2014                Translational Neuroscience of Drug Abuse T-32 Training Grant Award

2013-2015       UCLA Brain Research Institute – SfN Travel Award

2012-2013      NSF Honorable Mention for National Research Fellowship Program

2012-2013       Distinguished University Fellowship

2010               Guthrie Prize Nominee –awarded for excellence in scientific writing

2009                Mary Gates Scholar –excellence in undergraduate research

2009-2011      Phi Beta Kappa National Honors Society

2008-2010      Psychology Honors Program

2006-2010      Dean’s List

Poster Presentations

Collins, AL., Saunders, BT. (2020) Hierarchical cue control of cocaine seeking in the face of costs. Society of Neuroscience Conference. Winter Conference of Brain Research. Big Sky, MT.

Collins, AL., Saunders, BT. (2019) Hierarchical cue control of cocaine seeking in the face of costs. Society of Neuroscience Conference. Chicago, IL.

Collins, AL., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM. (2018) Nucleus Accumbens Core Cholinergic Interneurons Modulate Cue-Motivated Behavior. Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience. Oxford, UK.

Collins, AL., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM. (2017) Nucleus Accumbens Core Cholinergic Interneurons Modulate Cue-Motivated Behavior. Pavlovian Society. Philadelphia, PA.

Collins, AL., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM. (2017) Nucleus Accumbens Core Cholinergic Interneurons Modulate Cue-Motivated Behavior. Catecholamines Gordon Research Conference. Newry, ME.

Collins, AL., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM. (2017) Nucleus Accumbens Core Cholinergic Interneurons Modulate Cue-Motivated Behavior. Catecholamines Gordon Research Seminar. Newry, ME

Collins, AL., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM. (2017) Nucleus Accumbens Core Cholinergic Interneurons Modulate Cue-Motivated Behavior. Winter Conference of Brain Research. Big Sky, MT.

Collins, AL., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM. (2016) Nucleus Accumbens Core Cholinergic Interneurons Modulate Cue-Motivated Behavior. Society of Neuroscience Conference. San Diego, CA.

Collins, AL., Aitken, TJ., Greenfield, V., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM. (2016) Differential regulation of cue-induced incentive motivation by muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors within the nucleus accumbens core. Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience. Gothenberg, Sweden.

Collins, AL., Aitken, TJ., Greenfield, V., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM. (2015) Differential regulation of cue-induced incentive motivation by muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors within the nucleus accumbens core. Society of Neuroscience Conference. Chicago, IL.

Collins, AL., Aitken, TJ., Greenfield, V., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM. (2015) Differential regulation of cue-induced incentive motivation by muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors within the nucleus accumbens core. Catecholamines Gordon Research Seminar. Newry, ME.

Collins, AL., Aitken, TJ., Greenfield, V., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM.  (2015) Differential regulation of cue-induced incentive motivation by muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors within the nucleus accumbens core. Catecholamines Gordon Research Conference. Newry, ME.

Collins, AL., Xu, I., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM. (2015) Differential regulation of cue-induced incentive motivation by muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors within the nucleus accumbens core. Translation Nicotine Research Groups Symposium, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.

Collins, AL., Xu, I., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM. (2015) Differential regulation of cue-induced incentive motivation by muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors within the nucleus accumbens core. Neuroscience Integrative Center for Addictions UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.

Collins, AL., Greenfield, V., Wassum, KM. (2014) Phasic mesolimbic dopamine during sequence learning and expectation violation. Monitoring Molecules Conference. UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.

Collins, AL., Xu, I., Ostlund, SB., Wassum, KM. (2014) Differential regulation of cue-induced incentive motivation by muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors within the nucleus accumbens core. Society of Neuroscience Conference. Washington D.C.

Collins, AL., Laughlin, R., Greenfield, V., Wassum, K. (2013) The role of meso-limbic phasic dopamine signaling in value-based decision-making. Society of Neuroscience Conference. San Diego, CA.

Clark, JJ., Collins, AL., Akers, CA., Phillips, PEM. (2011)  Dynamics of phasic dopamine signaling in the nucleus accumbens during acquisition and maintenance of conditioned approach behavior. Society of Neuroscience Conference. Washington D.C.

Collins, AL., Nasrallah, NA., Hart, AS., Bernstein, IL., Phillips, PEM., Clark, JJ. (2011) Driven to Risk: The Contribution of Reinforcement Learning to Risk Preference in Rats with a History of Adolescent Alcohol Use. Society for Neuroscience Conference. Washington D.C.

Collins, AL., Nasrallah, NA., Bernstein, IL. (2010) The effect of adolescent alcohol exposure of the potentiating of habit formation. Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Washington.

Collins, AL., Nasrallah, NA., Bernstein, IL. (2010) The effect of adolescent alcohol exposure of the potentiating of habit formation. Psychology Honors Colloquium. University of Washington.

Nasrallah, NA., Clark, JJ., Collins, AL., Bernstein, IL., Phillips, PEM. (2010) Alcohol Use during Adolescent Alters Future Reinforcement Learning: Behavioral Evidence for the Aberrant learning theory of Addiction. 43rd Winter Conference on Brain Research. Breckenridge, Colorado.

Service and Outreach

2019       GRS Catecholamines Chair

2018                MMiN Symposium Chair

2017-2018       ‘Skype with a scientist’ outreach

2015                UCLA BNS program recruitment weekend-graduate organizer

2015                Panelist to inform Princeton Masters of Education students about the latest neuroscience findings on learning and performance

2015                “Drugs and Your Brain” presentations to Fairfax High School students

2015                Panelist to discuss navigating a career in neuroscience as a female scientist with UCLA undergrads

2014                UCLA BNS program recruitment weekend-graduate organizer

2014                “Drugs and the Brain” presentations to middle school students

2013                “Sexual Assault Prevention” presentation to UCLA Sororities

2012- 2015     UCLA’s Psych in Action- disseminating scientific findings to the public

2010                Women in Science (UW chapter)

2009-2010     United Tribes of All Indians

-Led healing circles and seminars on addiction to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault