Neural Plasticity and Behavior Lab

Derek Hamilton, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
University of New Mexico
dahamilt@unm.edu
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"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice – in practice there is."
– Yogi Berra

About the Lab

Our lab investigates the neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory, with a focus on synaptic and structural plasticity. We study long-term potentiation (LTP) in vivo and explore how LTP is affected by drugs, neurodegenerative disorders, and other experiential factors. Using both rodent and human models, we also investigate spatial navigation and behavioral flexibility (in the spatial domain) in relation to the behavioral and cognitive functions of the hippocampus and frontal cortex.

Lab Members

Mônica Gonçalves-Garcia, Ph.D. – Alcohol exposure, learning, and synaptic plasticity
Audrey Camacho – Cannabinoids, learning/memory, and synaptic plasticity
Max Segal – Computational models of spatial learning and memory
Anh Tang – Dementia, synaptic plasticity, and structural plasticity

Selected Publications

Gonçalves-Garcia, M., Segal, M.G., Sneider, J.T., Silveri, M.M., & Hamilton, D.A. (2026). Preference for directional responding in a virtual Morris water task is associated with increased precuneus activation in adolescent humans. Behavioural Brain Research, 497, 115885.
Candelaria-Cook, F.T., & Hamilton, D.A. (2025). Cannabinoid agonist, WIN 55,212-2, increases in vivo paired-pulse facilitation, long-term potentiation, and Arc expression in the dentate gyrus. .Brain Research, 1866, 149937.
Gonçalves-Garcia, M., Davies, D., Savage, D. D. & Hamilton, D. A. (2024). The histamine H3 receptor inverse agonist SAR-152954 reverses deficits in long-term potentiation associated with moderate prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcohol, 118, 45-55.
Gonçalves-Garcia, M., Barto, D., Reyna, N., Clark, B. J. & Hamilton, D. A. (2024). The prominence of action sequences and behavioral similarity in the Morris water task. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 47, 449-470.
Howell, B.A., & Hamilton, D.A. (2022). Baseline heart rate variability and behavioral flexibility. Physiology & Behavior 243, 113647.
Rodriguez, C.I., Vergara, V.M., Davies, S., Calhoun, V.D., Savage, D.D., & Hamilton, D.A. (2021). Detection of prenatal alcohol exposure using machine learning. Alcohol, 93, 25-34.
Hamilton, D.A., Silasi, G., Magcalas, C.M., Pellis, S.M., & Kolb, B.E. (2020). Social and olfactory experiences modify neuronal morphology of orbital frontal cortex. Behavioral Neuroscience, 134, 59-68.
Hamilton, D.A., & Brigman, J.L. (2015). Behavioral flexibility in rats and mice. Genes, Brain, and Behavior, 14, 4-20.
Knierim, J.J., & Hamilton, D.A. (2011). Framing spatial cognition. Physiological Reviews, 91, 1245-1279.

Software

Coming soon: tools for behavioral tracking, spatial navigation analysis, and experimental control software.