Dr. Annegret Falkner

“Protecting mood and decision-making during hormonal shifts—paving the way for next-generation, targeted hormone treatments without the side effects.”

Mood disorders such as depression and anxiety often emerge or worsen during periods of rapid hormonal change—such as postpartum, throughout the menstrual cycle, during menopause in women, or during testosterone-to-estrogen fluctuations in men. Dr. Falkner’s research investigates how sudden drops in estrogen destabilize neural circuits involved in cognition, emotion, and decision-making, a process her lab measures using a novel biomarker called “neural state flipping.” Employing advanced brain recording techniques in animal models, her team will test whether enhancing estrogen receptor sensitivity in targeted cell types can prevent or slow this destabilization without the systemic side effects of traditional hormone therapy. The goal is to lay the groundwork for next-generation, precision hormone treatments that stabilize brain function during hormonal transitions and help prevent mood disorders in both women and men.

Annegret Falkner’s Bio

Annegret Falkner, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, where she leads research on how social experiences and hormonal changes shape brain circuits and behavior. Her lab studies the neural basis of social decision-making and hormone-dependent neuroplasticity, with a focus on how internal states—such as dominance, defeat, and hormonal fluctuations—affect perception, motivation, and behavioral choice. Using genetic tools, in vivo physiology, optical recording, and advanced circuit-mapping techniques in animal models, her work examines how regions including the hypothalamus, amygdala, and midbrain integrate social and sensory information. An Ohio native, Dr. Falkner earned her BA in biology and biochemistry from Oberlin College, her PhD in neuroscience from Columbia University, and completed postdoctoral training at New York University. Outside the lab, she enjoys biking, hiking, backpacking, and traveling by train with her two daughters.