Anna Kruyer , PHD

​Dr. Anna Kruyer received her BS with honors from Fordham University in 2008 and her PhD from the Rockefeller University in 2015. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she was promoted to Assistant Professor in 2022. She joined the faculty at the University of Cincinnati in 2023 where she is now Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

PhD: The Rockefeller University New York, NY, 2015 (Neurobiology and Genetics)

BS: Fordham University New York, NY, 2008 (Natural Sciences)

Most research to date has focused on transcriptional, epigenetic, electrophysiological and morphological adaptations within neurons to understand drug addiction and relapse. Instead, Dr. Kruyer and her lab use single cell approaches to characterize astroglial subpopulations within the basal ganglia, the collection of brain nuclei that orchestrate motivated behaviors, including drug seeking. The principal findings of this work demonstrate a dynamic role for astrocytes in suppression of relapse-like behavior through regulation of synaptic activity in multiple basal ganglia nuclei. The ultimate goal of this research is to identify druggable targets that can be targeted to restore synaptic homeostasis and reduce relapse rates in patients with substance use disorder and in other vulnerable populations.

Grant: #K01Da054339 Investigators:Anna Kruyer 08-01-2022 -07-31-2027 National Institute on Drug Abuse Circuit-Selective Astroglial Plasticity During Opioid Relapse Role:Principal Investigator 964,010.00 Active Type:Grant Level:National

Grant: #K01DA054339 Investigators:Kruyer, Anna 08-01-2023 -07-31-2024 National Institute on Drug Abuse Circuit-Selective Astroglial Plasticity During Opioid Relapse Role:PI 179096.00 Awarded Level:Federal

Peer Reviewed Publications

Kruyer A, Kalivas PW, Scofield MD. (2023. ) Astrocyte regulation of synaptic signaling in psychiatric disorders.Neuropsychopharmacology, , 48 (1 ) ,21-36 More Information

Huang Y, Kruyer A, Syed S, Kayasandik CB, Papadakis M, Labate D. (2022. ) Automated detection of GFAP-labeled astrocytes in micrographs using YOLOv5.Scientific Reports, , 12 (1 ) , More Information

Kruyer A. (2022. ) Astrocyte heterogeneity in regulation of synaptic activity.Cells, , 11 (19 ) ,3135 More Information

Fu X, Bian C, Kruyer A, Zhou Z, Luo Z, Haque A, Wagner A, Lang R, Fitting S, Robinson C, McRae-Clark A, Amato D, Jiang W. (2022. ) Cocaine administration protects gut mucosa barrier and reduces plasma level of TNF-a.Current Psychopharmacology, , 11 (2 ) ,1 More Information

Kruyer A, Angelis A, Garcia-Keller C, Li H, Kalivas PW. (2022. ) Plasticity in astrocyte subpopulations regulates heroin relapse.Science Advances, , 3 (32 ) , More Information

Hodebourg R, Kalivas PW, Kruyer A. (2022. ) Extrasynaptic therapeutic targets in substance use and stress disorders.Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, , 43 (1 ) ,56-68 More Information

Kruyer A, Dixon D, Angelis A, Amato D, Kalivas PW. (2021. ) Astrocytes in the ventral pallidum extinguish heroin seeking through GAT-3 upregulation and morphological plasticity at D1-MSN terminals.Molecular Psychiatry, , More Information

Kruyer A*, Parilla-Carerro J*, Powell C, Brandt L, Gutwinski S, Angelis A, Chalhoub R, Amato D. (2021. ) Accumbens D2-MSN hyperactivity drives antipsychotic-induced behavioral supersensitivity.Molecular Psychiatry, , More Information

Garcia-Keller C, Carter JS, Kruyer A, Kearns AM, Hopkins JL, Hodebourg R, Kalivas PW, Reichel CM. (2021. ) Behavioral and accumbens synaptic plasticity induced by cues associated with restraint stress.Neuropsychopharmacology, , 46 (10 ) ,1848-56 More Information

Chioma VC, Kruyer A, Bobadilla AC, Angelis A, Ellison Z, Hodebourg R, Scofield MD, Kalivas PW. (2021. ) Heroin seeking and extinction from seeking activate matrix metalloproteinases at synapses on distinct populations of accumbens cells.Biological Psychiatry, , 89 (10 ) ,947-58 More Information

Kruyer A and Kalivas PW. (2020. ) Astrocytes as cellular mediators of cue reactivity in addiction.Current Opinion in Pharmacology, , 56 ,1-6 More Information

Kruyer A*, Chioma V*, Kalivas PW. (2020. ) The opioid-addicted tetrapartite synapse.Biological Psychiatry, , 87 (1 ) ,34-43 More Information

Kruyer A, Scofield MD, Wood D, Reissner KJ, Kalivas PW. (2019. ) Heroin cue-evoked astrocytic structural plasticity at nucleus accumbens synapses inhibits heroin seeking.Biological Psychiatry, , 86 (11 ) ,811-819 More Information

Cortes-Canteli M, Kruyer A, Fernandez-Nueda I, Marcos-Diaz A, Richards AT, Jno-Charles OC, Rodriguez I, Callejas S, Norris EH, Sanchez-Gonzalez J, Ruiz-Cabello J, Ibanez B, Strickland S, Fuster V. (2019. ) Long-term anticoagulation with dabigatran delays Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis in the TgCRND8 mouse model.Journal of the American College of Cardiology, , 74 (15 ) ,1910-23 More Information

Kruyer A, Ball LE, Townsend DM, Kalivas PW, Uys JD. (2019. ) Post-translational S-glutathionylation of cofilin increases actin cycling during cocaine seeking.PLoS One, , 14 (9 ) , More Information

Amato D, Kruyer A, Samaha AN, Heinz, A. (2019. ) Hypofunctional dopamine uptake and antipsychotic treatment-resistant schizophrenia.Frontiers in Psychiatry, , 10 , More Information

Chung YC, Kruyer A, Yao Y, Feierman E, Richards A, Strickland S, Norris EH. (2016. ) Hyperhomocysteinemia exacerbates Alzheimer’s disease pathology by way of the Aβ-fibrinogen interaction.Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, , 14 (7 ) ,1442-52 More Information

Kruyer A, Soplop N, Strickland S, Norris EH. (2015. ) Chronic hypertension leads to neurodegeneration in the TgSwDI mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.Hypertension, , 66 (1 ) ,175-82 More Information

Chen ZL, Yao Y, Norris EH, Kruyer A, Jno-Charles O, Akhmerov A, Strickland S. (2013. ) Ablation of astrocytic laminin impairs vascular smooth muscle cell function and leads to hemorrhagic stroke.Journal of Cell Biology, , 202 (2 ) ,381-95 More Information

Lowry ER, Kruyer A, Norris EH, Cederroth CR, Strickland S. (2013. ) The GluK4 kainate receptor subunit regulates memory, mood, and excitotoxic neurodegeneration.Neuroscience, , 235 ,215-25 More Information

Zhou Y, Kruyer A, Ho A, Kreek MJ. (2012. ) Cocaine place conditioning increases pro-opiomelanocortin gene expression in rat hypothalamus.Neuroscience Letters, , 530 (1 ) ,59-63 More Information

Morris JZ, Bergman L, Kruyer A, Gertsberg M, Guigova A, Arias R, Pogorzelska M. (2008. ) Mutations in the Drosophila mitochondrial tRNA amidotransferase, bene/gatA, cause growth defects in mitotic and endoreplicating tissues.Genetics, , 178 (2 ) ,979-87 More Information

Other Publications

Parrilla-Carrero J*, Kruyer A*, Chalhoub RM, Powell C, Resendez S, Amato D. (2021. ) Neuronal signature of an antipsychotic response .Preprint,

Book Chapter

Kruyer A, Scofield MD. (2021 ) Astrocytes in addictive disorders Astrocytes in Psychiatric Disorders .(pp. 231-254).Springer Publishing

2023 Dean's High Impact Publication Award, Medical University of South Carolina

2022 Travel Award, Winter Conference on Brain Research

2019 Travel Award, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Neuroscience of Addiction Course

2018 19th Annual Frontiers in Neuroscience Poster Competition, First Prize

2018 -2019 NIDA F32 Postdoctoral Fellowship

2004 -2008 Clare Boothe Luce Scholar

2004 -2008 Fordham Presidential Scholar

2008 Fordham College at Lincoln Center Chemistry Prize

2008 Fordham College at Lincoln Center Physics Prize

2006 -2007 Campion Summer Research Fellow

2007 Ireland-U.S. Council Fellow

addiction, antipsychotics, astrocytes, astroglia, behavior, cocaine, computation, dopamine, extinction learning, ezrin, glutamate, glutamate transporter, heroin, machine learning, microscopy, morphology, nucleus accumbens, opioids, psychostimulants, reinstatement, relapse, reward, substance use disorder, synapse, synaptic plasticity, ventral pallidum