Matt Howe, Ph.D.
“Changes to the brain systems that control reward processing and executive control underwrite the symptoms of the most common health conditions in the United States and across the world. The overarching goal of our research is to identify the neurobiological mechanisms that drive these changes, and guide the development of novel approaches to improving human health.”
Decoding dysregulation of the neural machinery
How do neuromodulator systems support adaptive brain function, and what changes to them seed the development of human diseases?
Dr. Howe's research focuses on the role of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine in reward-guided behaviors and cognition. The lab takes a translational approach to experimental neuroscience, combining in vitro and in vivo research in model organisms with real-time measurements of neurotransmitter release in conscious humans to better understand the mechanistic basis of dietary decisions, psychiatric disorders, age-related cognitive decline, and degenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease.
wmhowe@vtc.vt.edu
540-526-2315
R-1117, Riverside 2
- Associate Professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
- Associate Professor, School of Neuroscience, College of Science, Virginia Tech
Hartle, A.E. t, Kishida, K.T. t, Sands, L.P. t, Batten, S.R., Barbosa, L.S., Bang, D., Lohrenz, T., White, J.P., Sohrabi, A.K., Calafiore, R.L., DiFeliceantonio, A.G., Laxton, A.W., Tatter, S.B., Witcher, M.R., Montague, P.R.*, Howe, W.M*. (2025). Caudate serotonin signaling during social exchange distinguishes essential tremor and Parkinson's disease patients. Nature Communications. 16, 7958. * corresponding author
Caligiuri, S., Howe, W., Elayouby, K., Bali, P., Chen, Z., Liu, X., Lehmann, V., Smith, A., Ables, J., Williams, M., Johnson, P., DiFeliceantonio, A., Beaumont, K., Sebra, R., Ibanez-Tallon, I., Kenny, P. (2022) Hedgehog-interacting protein acts in the habenula to regulate nicotine seeking. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119, e2209870119
Howe, W.M., Kenny, P.J. (2018). Burst firing sets the stage for depression. Nature, 554, 304-305
Howe, W.M.*, Gritton, H.*, Lusk N., Berke J., Sarter M (2017). Phasic acetylcholine release in prefrontal cortex promotes gamma oscillations and theta-gamma coupling during cue detection. Journal of Neuroscience, 37, 3215-3230. * equal contribution
Virginia Tech
Assistant Professor, School of Neuroscience, College of Science
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Icahn School of MEdicine at Mount Sinai
- Visiting Scholar, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University
- Postdoctoral Fellow and Preclinical Biology Lead, Neuroscience and Pain Research, Pfizer
- Ph.D., Biopsychology, University of Michigan
- M.A., Experimental Psychology, College of William & Mary
- B.S., Psychology, Appalachian State University
- Virginia Tech School of Neuroscience Research Award, 2025
- Virginia Tech School of Neuroscience Service Award, 2023
- American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Hot Topics Presenter, 2018