Nao J. Gamo – CV
Nao J. Gamo
Mailing address
Department of Neurobiology
Yale University School of Medicine
P.O. Box 208001
New Haven, CT 06520-8001
E-mail: nao.gamo@yale.edu
Cell: (617) 319-0394
Education
2006 – present
Yale University (New Haven, CT)
Ph.D. candidate in Neurobiology
M.Phil. in Neurobiology (December 2009)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Medical Research Scholar (2006 – 2008)
2001 – 2006
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
B.S. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences (2005)
B.S. in Music (2006)
Cumulative GPA: 4.7/5.0
Ph.D. Dissertation Title:
Role of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channels in stress-induced cognitive dysfunction:
Relevance to psychiatric disorders
Advisor: Dr. Amy F. T. Arnsten
Fellowships and Awards
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) for Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (2008-2011)
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Honorable Mention (2006)
Walle J. H. Nauta Award for Outstanding Research in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT (2005)
Paul E. Gray Award Fund for Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, MIT (2002)
Philip Loew Memorial Award for Creative Accomplishment in Music, MIT (2004)
Burchard Scholar for School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, MIT (2004)
Research Experience
2006 – present
Graduate student, Yale University
Advisor: Dr. Amy Arnsten, Neurobiology
Collaborators: Dr. Daeyeol Lee, Neurobiology; Dr. Arthur Simen, Psychiatry
Research areas: Molecular mechanisms of prefrontal cortical function; cognitive
dysfunction induced by stress and psychiatric disorders
Techniques: Non-human primate iontophoresis and single-unit recording; non-human
primate behavior; rodent behavior; pharmacology; immunohistochemistry; stereotaxic
surgery; data analysis using MATLAB, Stata, SPSS, Systat, Excel
Summer – Fall 2007
Graduate rotation student, Yale University
Advisor: Dr. Daeyeol Lee, Neurobiology
Research areas: Neural correlates of economic decision-making
Techniques: Non-human primate behavior and multi-electrode recording; data analysis
using MATLAB, Excel
Spring 2007
Graduate rotation student, Yale University
Advisor: Dr. Angelique Bordey, Neurosurgery, Physiology
Research areas: Adult neurogenesis
Techniques: Patch-clamp electrophysiology in rodent brain slices
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Nao J. Gamo – CV
2003 – 2006
Undergraduate student, MIT
Advisor: Dr. Nancy Kanwisher, McGovern Institute, Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Research areas: Visual face perception
Techniques: Human behavior; fMRI; fMRI data analysis using FreeSurfer, SPM
Thesis: Similar face inversion effect for own-race and other-race faces - in collaboration
with Dr. Galit Yovel (Tel Aviv University, Israel) and Dr. Jia Liu (Beijing Normal
University, China)
2002, 2005 – 2006
Undergraduate student, MIT
Advisor: Dr. Susumu Tonegawa, Picower Institute, Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Research areas: Molecular mechanisms of fear learning and memory
Techniques: Stereotaxic surgery in rodents; immunohistochemistry; gel electrophoresis;
RNA in situ hybridization; cell culture
Summer 2005
Undergraduate student, MIT
Advisor: Dr. Michael Fee, McGovern Institute, Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Research areas: Neural mechanisms of sequence learning and generation in songbird
Techniques: Documented breeding patterns and ages of zebra finches
Fall 2004 – Spring 2005
Undergraduate student, MIT
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Moore, McGovern Institute, Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Research areas: Somatosensory perception of rodent vibrissae
Techniques: Rodent behavior
2004
Undergraduate student, MIT
Advisor: Dr. Mark Tramo, Research Laboratory for Electronics, Massachusetts General
Hospital
Research areas: Music perception
Techniques: Behavioral testing of normal subjects and temporal lobectomy patients
Spring 2003
Undergraduate student, MIT
Advisor: Dr. Pawan Sinha, Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Research areas: Visual face perception
Techniques: Analyzed luminance patterns in face stimuli using MATLAB
Teaching Experience
Brain and Thought: Introduction to the Human Brain (Fall 2007) – Teaching Fellow, Yale College
Structure and Function of the Human Brain (Spring 2009, 2010) – Teaching Fellow, Yale School of Medicine
Fundamentals of Teaching: Science Sections (Fall 2007) – participant, Graduate Teaching Center at Yale University
Teach at Yale Day (Fall 2007) – participant, Graduate Teaching Center at Yale University
Let’s Get Ready! College Preparatory Program (Spring 2002) – volunteer SAT Math teacher, MIT
Educational Studies Program (Fall 2001, 2002) – volunteer teacher during Splash weekend, MIT
Mentoring Experience
Undergraduate students in Kanwisher Laboratory, MIT:
Shyamli Sinha (January 2004)
Arielle Tambini (January 2004)
Undergraduate students in Arnsten Laboratory, Yale University:
Faith Lin (Spring 2008)
Kathy Peng (2008 – 2009)
Lucas Bermudez (2008 – 2009)
Afua Annor (2008 – 2009)
Kenoma Anighoro (2008 – 2009)
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Nao J. Gamo – CV
Anna Kata (2008 – present)
Alexia Cesar (Spring 2009)
Lindsay Boven (Summer 2009, 2010)
Chacey Bryan (2009 – 2010)
Tiffany Lo (2009 – 2010)
Jenny Mei (2009 – 2010)
Anusha Raja (2010 – present)
Erika Mansson (2010 – present)
Lisette Roman (Summer 2010)
Graduate rotation students in Arnsten Laboratory, Yale University:
Seth Taylor (Summer 2009)
Lu Jin (Spring 2010)
Publications
N. J. Gamo, M. Wang, A. F. T. Arnsten (2010). Methylphenidate and atomoxetine enhance prefrontal function
through α2-adrenergic and dopamine D1 receptors. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry, 49(10): 1011-1023.
Comment by F. X. Castellanos & C. Kelly (2010). Catecholamine modulators: lessons from nonhuman
primates. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(10): 977-979.
A. F. T. Arnsten, C. D. Paspalas, N. J. Gamo, M. Wang (2010). Dynamic network connectivity: Molecular
vulnerabilities in cognitive disorders. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(8): 365-375.
A. F. T. Arnsten, S. Vijayraghavan, M. Wang, N. J. Gamo, C. D. Paspalas (2009). Dopamine’s influence on
prefrontal cortical cognition: Actions and circuits in behaving primates. In L. Iverson, S. Iverson, S. Dunnett, A.
Bjorklund (Eds.), Dopamine Handbook (1st edition, pp. 230-248). USA: Oxford University Press.
Conference and Seminar Presentations
N. J. Gamo, C. D. Paspalas, A. Kata, L. Boven, C. Bryan, T. Lo, K. Anighoro, L. Bermudez, K. Peng, A. Annor, S.
Taylor, K. Patel, A. Duque, A. A. Simen, A. F. T. Arnsten (November 2010). Knock-down of Disrupted in
Schizophrenia 1 (Disc1) in the rat prefrontal cortex lowers the threshold for stress-induced cognitive
dysfunction. Poster to be presented at Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
N. J. Gamo, C. D. Paspalas, A. Kata, L. Boven, C. Bryan, T. Lo, K. Anighoro, L. Bermudez, K. Peng, A. Annor, S.
Taylor, K. Patel, A. Duque, A. A. Simen, A. F. T. Arnsten (September 2010). Possible role of DISC1 and
cyclic AMP-HCN channel signaling in protecting prefrontal cortical function from stress-induced
dysfunction. Poster to be presented at DISC1 2010 meeting, Edinburgh, Scotland.
N. J. Gamo, Y. Yang, A. F. T. Arnsten, M. Wang (October 2009). Methylphenidate and Atomoxetine exert
beneficial effects on spatial working memory via stimulation of alpha-2 adrenoceptors and dopamine D1
receptors in the prefrontal cortex. Poster presented at Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Chicago,
IL.
M. Wang, N. J. Gamo, A. F. T. Arnsten (November 2007). Molecular mechanisms underlying dopamine D1
receptor modulation of working memory activity in primate prefrontal cortex. Poster presented at Society
for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
N. J. Gamo (October 2010). Cellular mechanisms of the ADHD treatments, methylphenidate and atomoxetine, in
monkey prefrontal cortex. Yale Center for Clinical Investigation Research in Progress Series, Yale
University.
N. J. Gamo (May 2010). Role of HCN and KCNQ channels in stress-induced prefrontal cognitive dysfunction:
Relevance to psychiatric disorders. Department of Neurobiology Seminar, Yale University.
N. J. Gamo (February 2010). Role of Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) in stress-induced prefrontal cognitive
dysfunction: Part II. Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program Student Research Talk, Yale University.
N. J. Gamo (May 2009). Role of DISC1 in stress-induced prefrontal cognitive dysfunction. Interdepartmental
Neuroscience Program Student Research Talk, Yale University.
N. J. Gamo (April 2008). Role of HCN Channels in the Prefrontal Cognitive Dysfunction Induced by a
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Nao J. Gamo – CV
Pharmacological Stressor. Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program Student Research Talk, Yale
University.
N. J. Gamo (June 2007). Role of HCN channels in stress-induced prefrontal dysfunction. Interdepartmental
Neuroscience Program Student Research Talk, Yale University.
N. J. Gamo, G. Yovel, N. Kanwisher (April 2005). Holistic processing of own and other-race faces in Caucasian
and Chinese subjects. Brain and Cognitive Sciences Society Undergraduate Poster Session, MIT.
N. J. Gamo, G. Yovel, N. Kanwisher (April 2004). Configuration and part processing of faces and objects. Brain
and Cognitive Sciences Society Undergraduate Poster Session, MIT.
Society Memberships
Sigma Xi – Associate Member
Society for Neuroscience – Student Member
Molecular and Cellular Cognition Society
New York Academy of Sciences
National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Kappa Alpha Theta fraternity, Zeta Mu chapter
Leadership and Other Activities
Student organizer for Neurobiology departmental seminars, Yale University (2009-present)
Student organizer for 1st Annual HHMI Med-Into-Grad Translational Research Symposium, Yale University (June
2008)
Student organizer for Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program Student/Faculty Lunches, Yale University (20072008)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Medical Research Scholars Program (2006 – 2008)
Finance Advisor for Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity, Epsilon Tau Chapter (2007-2008)
Recruitment Counselor for Panhellenic Recruitment, MIT (January 2004)
Treasurer for MIT BrainTrust (2002-2003)
Participant in IDEAS Competition, MIT – Conscious Alarm Clock (Spring 2003)
Brain and Cognitive Sciences representative for Campus Preview Weekend Academic Fair, MIT (April 2003)
Assistant Coordinator and Music Counselor for Freshman Arts Program, MIT (Fall 2002)
Participant in IDEAS Competition, MIT – Internet Tutorial for Patients with Neurological Conditions (Spring 2002)
Class Representative for Kappa Alpha Theta Member Development Committee, MIT (Spring 2002)
Competition Judge for TTT Mentoring Program Projects Day (April 2002)
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