Women in Science and Engineering at Yale (2020 Edition)

Amy Arnsten, Ph.D.

Albert E. Kent Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology

Secondary appointments in Psychiatry and the Yale Child Study Center

Amy Arnsten and her colleagues have discovered the unique molecular mechanisms that govern the newly evolved brain circuits that generate higher cognitive functioning. This work has revealed why we can lose higher cognitive abilities with stress or advanced age, and has led to new treatments (e.g. Intuniv™) that have successfully translated from lab to clinical use. She is the recipient of the Goldman-Rakic Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Cognitive Neuroscience, and is a member of the National Institute of Medicine.

Photo of early stage tau pathology in layer III pyramidal cells of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Photo credit: Amy Arnsten