Bridge Award 2022: Justin Yates

Institution: Northern Kentucky University

Department: Psychological Science

Rank: Assistant Professor

Project Title: Contribution of NMDA NR2B subunit to risky choice and economic demand for cocaine

About the project: The goal of my research is to develop a new way of measuring risky decision making in rodents. This is important because current measures of risky decision making are confounded by other factors such as sensitivity to pain or satiation that make data interpretation difficult. 

Intended outcomes: My hope is that this new approach will better allow researchers to study the neuromechanisms that control risky decision making, as well as how risky decision making predicts maldaptive behaviors like substance use. 

How KY INBRE will help accomplish these goals: The Bridge Award will allow me to purchase the animals and equipment necessary for completing the proposed project. I will also be able to hire an undergraduate research assistant to perform the research. 

Outside of the classroom/lab: When I am not teaching or working on research projects, I spend my time with my wife, two boys, and our sheltie/lab mix. I enjoy playing video games, with my favorite game being Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Probably the weirdest fact about myself is that I coincidentally have two half-brothers named Shane.