Rate My Professor Allyson Friedman

Allyson Friedman is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Hunter College. She earned a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University, a Ph.D. from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University, and completed postdoctoral fellowship training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her specialization is cellular neurophysiology.

Friedman’s research focuses on cellular neurophysiology and behavior, exploring the neural circuits and neuroadaptations that mediate social behaviors. Her laboratory investigates how coping strategies, sex hormones, and social support influence neural circuits underlying social behaviors, with applications to mood and anxiety disorders. The work employs cell-type and circuit-specific in vitro electrophysiological recordings, viral-mediated gene transfer, and optogenetic manipulations in animal models. Key publications include “KCNQ channel openers reverse depressive symptoms via an active resilience mechanism” (Nature Communications, 2016), “Enhancing depression mechanisms in midbrain dopamine neurons achieves homeostatic resilience” (Science, 2014), and several 2023 papers in Neurobiology of Stress, Alcohol, and Journal of Neuroscience examining HCN channels, midbrain-amygdala circuits, and estrous cycle effects on neuron excitability and social behavior.