Anatol Kreitzer’s lab is focused on understanding diseases of the basal ganglia, a brain region that controls motivation, action selection, and the automation of behavior. They are interested in how disruptions of specific cell types and circuits in the basal ganglia cause problems generating or maintaining normal motor behavior, as relevant to Parkinson’s disease, dyskinesia (involuntary movement), Tourette syndrome, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In particular, the team uses optogenetics—the application of genetic and optical techniques to remotely control and monitor brain cells in animals—to investigate the disordered physiological processes underlying these diseases.
Disease Areas
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Dyskinesia
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Parkinson’s Disease
Tourette Syndrome
Areas of Expertise
Electrophysiology
Imaging
Neuromodulation
Optogenetics
Lab Focus
Understanding the functional role of neural activity in direct and indirect pathway circuitry of the basal ganglia.
Investigating the role of dopamine and other neuromodulators in striatal microcircuit function and basal ganglia circuit function.
Discovering approaches to restore basal ganglia circuit function in disease through cell-type-specific neuromodulation.
Research Impact
Kreitzer's lab has made important advances in understanding the brain circuitry that goes awry in Parkinson’s disease and dyskinesia. Using optogenetics, the team established how activating specific types of cells in the basal ganglia could either mimic or reverse symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Kreitzer’s group further mapped how this circuitry can influence walking, through connections with a part of the brain called the mesencephalic locomotor region. Using high-resolution recording techniques, the lab also identified specific biochemical signaling pathways in these cells that are altered in mouse models of Parkinson’s disease and dyskinesia, and identified how changes in the structure and activity of these cells can lead to unwanted decreases or increases in movement.
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Professional Titles
Senior Investigator, Gladstone Institutes
Professor of Physiology and Neurology, UC San Francisco
Program Director, Neuroscience Graduate Program, UC San Francisco
Bio
Anatol Kreitzer, PhD, is a senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes. In addition, he is a professor of physiology and neurology at UC San Francisco.
Kreitzer earned a bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley, and a PhD in neurobiology at Harvard University. He conducted postdoctoral research in the Nancy Pritzker Laboratory at Stanford University with Robert Malenka until 2007, when he established his own lab at Gladstone. Kreitzer has directed the UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program since 2016. He is also on the scientific advisory board of Alvarado Therapeutics and Inscopix.
How Did You Get Your Start in Science?
“The brain has always fascinated me. Can we understand how a group of cells connects together to generate emotions, thoughts, and consciousness?”
Anatol Kreitzer, PhD
Honors and Awards
2011 IACM Award for Young Researchers, International Association for Cannabis as Medicine
2011 Young Investigator Award, Society for Neuroscience
2010 McKnight Scholar Award, McKnight Foundation
2008 Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences, The Pew Charitable Trusts
Publications
- Frontostriatal Projections Regulate Innate Avoidance Behavior. Loewke AC, Minerva AR, Nelson AB, Kreitzer AC, Gunaydin LA. J Neurosci. 2021 Jun 23; 41(25):5487-5501.
- An amygdala to brainstem circuit regulates defensive locomotion. Anatol Kreitzer. IBRO Reports. 2019 Sep 1; 6:s11.
- Thermal constraints on in vivo optogenetic manipulations. Owen SF, Liu MH, Kreitzer AC. Nat Neurosci. 2019 07; 22(7):1061-1065.
- An open-source control system for in vivo fluorescence measurements from deep-brain structures. Owen SF, Kreitzer AC. J Neurosci Methods. 2019 01 01; 311:170-177.
- Motor thalamus supports striatum-driven reinforcement. Lalive AL, Lien AD, Roseberry TK, Donahue CH, Kreitzer AC. Elife. 2018 10 08; 7.
- An open-source control system for in vivo fluorescence measurements from deep-brain structures. Scott F Owen, Anatol C Kreitzer. bioRxiv. 2018 Aug 23; 399329.
- Sequencing Diversity One Cell at a Time. Oldham MC, Kreitzer AC. Cell. 2018 08 09; 174(4):777-779.
- A Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Sensor Enables Rapid and Specific Detection of Dopamine in Flies, Fish, and Mice. Sun F, Zeng J, Jing M, Zhou J, Feng J, Owen SF, Luo Y, Li F, Wang H, Yamaguchi T, Yong Z, Gao Y, Peng W, Wang L, Zhang S, Du J, Lin D, Xu M, Kreitzer AC, Cui G, Li Y. Cell. 2018 07 12; 174(2):481-496.e19.
- A genetically-encoded fluorescent sensor enables rapid and specific detection of dopamine in flies, fish, and mice. Fangmiao Sun, Jianzhi Zeng, Miao Jing, Jingheng Zhou, Jiesi Feng, Scott F Owen, Yichen Luo, Funing Li, Takashi Yamaguchi, Zihao Yong, Yijing Gao, Wanling Peng, Lizhao Wang, Siyu Zhang, Jiulin Du, Dayu Lin, Min Xu, Anatol C Kreitzer, Guohong Cui, Yulong Li. bioRxiv. 2018 May 31; 332528.
- Fast-Spiking Interneurons Supply Feedforward Control of Bursting, Calcium, and Plasticity for Efficient Learning. Owen SF, Berke JD, Kreitzer AC. Cell. 2018 02 08; 172(4):683-695.e15.
- A Subpopulation of Striatal Neurons Mediates Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia. Girasole AE, Lum MY, Nathaniel D, Bair-Marshall CJ, Guenthner CJ, Luo L, Kreitzer AC, Nelson AB. Neuron. 2018 02 21; 97(4):787-795.e6.
- Editorial overview: Neurobiology of disease (2018). Bagni C, Kreitzer AC. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2018 02; 48:iv-vi.
- Illuminating Neural Circuits: From Molecules to MRI. Lee JH, Kreitzer AC, Singer AC, Schiff ND. J Neurosci. 2017 11 08; 37(45):10817-10825.
- 500 Fronto-Striatal Modulation of Anxiety-Like Behaviors. Lisa Gunaydin, Alexandra Nelson, Anatol Kreitzer. Biological Psychiatry. 2017 May 1; 81(10):s203.
- Neural circuitry for behavioural arrest. Roseberry T, Kreitzer A. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2017 Apr 19; 372(1718).
- Parkinsonism Driven by Antipsychotics Originates from Dopaminergic Control of Striatal Cholinergic Interneurons. Kharkwal G, Brami-Cherrier K, Lizardi-Ortiz JE, Nelson AB, Ramos M, Del Barrio D, Sulzer D, Kreitzer AC, Borrelli E. Neuron. 2016 07 06; 91(1):67-78.
- Activation of Direct and Indirect Pathway Medium Spiny Neurons Drives Distinct Brain-wide Responses. Lee HJ, Weitz AJ, Bernal-Casas D, Duffy BA, Choy M, Kravitz AV, Kreitzer AC, Lee JH. Neuron. 2016 07 20; 91(2):412-24.
- Cell-Type-Specific Control of Brainstem Locomotor Circuits by Basal Ganglia. Roseberry TK, Lee AM, Lalive AL, Wilbrecht L, Bonci A, Kreitzer AC. Cell. 2016 Jan 28; 164(3):526-37.
- Pathway-Specific Remodeling of Thalamostriatal Synapses in Parkinsonian Mice. Parker PR, Lalive AL, Kreitzer AC. Neuron. 2016 Feb 17; 89(4):734-40.
- Chapter 33 Investigating Basal Ganglia Function With Cell-Type-Specific Manipulations. A.V. Kravitz, K. Devarakonda, A.C. Kreitzer. Handbook of Basal Ganglia Structure and Function, Second Edition. 2016 Jan 1; 24:689-706.
- Cortico-Basal Ganglia Circuit Function in Psychiatric Disease. Gunaydin LA, Kreitzer AC. Annu Rev Physiol. 2016; 78:327-50.
- Striatal cholinergic neurotransmission requires VGLUT3. Nelson AB, Bussert TG, Kreitzer AC, Seal RP. J Neurosci. 2014 Jun 25; 34(26):8772-7.
- Striatal cholinergic interneurons Drive GABA release from dopamine terminals. Nelson AB, Hammack N, Yang CF, Shah NM, Seal RP, Kreitzer AC. Neuron. 2014 Apr 02; 82(1):63-70.
- Reassessing models of basal ganglia function and dysfunction. Nelson AB, Kreitzer AC. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2014; 37:117-35.
- Control of basal ganglia output by direct and indirect pathway projection neurons. Freeze BS, Kravitz AV, Hammack N, Berke JD, Kreitzer AC. J Neurosci. 2013 Nov 20; 33(47):18531-9.
- Differential innervation of direct- and indirect-pathway striatal projection neurons. Wall NR, De La Parra M, Callaway EM, Kreitzer AC. Neuron. 2013 Jul 24; 79(2):347-60.
- Physiologic brain activity causes DNA double-strand breaks in neurons, with exacerbation by amyloid-β. Suberbielle E, Sanchez PE, Kravitz AV, Wang X, Ho K, Eilertson K, Devidze N, Kreitzer AC, Mucke L. Nat Neurosci. 2013 May; 16(5):613-21.
- Optogenetic identification of striatal projection neuron subtypes during in vivo recordings. Kravitz AV, Owen SF, Kreitzer AC. Brain Res. 2013 May 20; 1511:21-32.
- Striatal microcircuitry and movement disorders. Gittis AH, Kreitzer AC. Trends Neurosci. 2012 Sep; 35(9):557-64.
- Hilar GABAergic interneuron activity controls spatial learning and memory retrieval. Andrews-Zwilling Y, Gillespie AK, Kravitz AV, Nelson AB, Devidze N, Lo I, Yoon SY, Bien-Ly N, Ring K, Zwilling D, Potter GB, Rubenstein JL, Kreitzer AC, Huang Y. PLoS One. 2012; 7(7):e40555.
- A comparison of striatal-dependent behaviors in wild-type and hemizygous Drd1a and Drd2 BAC transgenic mice. Nelson AB, Hang GB, Grueter BA, Pascoli V, Luscher C, Malenka RC, Kreitzer AC. J Neurosci. 2012 Jul 04; 32(27):9119-23.
- Hilar GABAergic interneuron activity controls spatial learning and memory retrieval. Yaisa Andrews-Zwilling, Anna Gillespie, Alexxai Kravitz, Alexandra Nelson, Nino Devidze, Iris Lo, Seo Yeon Yoon, Nga Bien-Ly, Karen Ring, Daniel Zwilling, Gregory Potter, John Rubenstein, Anatol Kreitzer, Yadong Huang. Alzheimer's & Dementia. 2012 Jul 1; 8(4):s747.
- Direct reprogramming of mouse and human fibroblasts into multipotent neural stem cells with a single factor. Ring KL, Tong LM, Balestra ME, Javier R, Andrews-Zwilling Y, Li G, Walker D, Zhang WR, Kreitzer AC, Huang Y. Cell Stem Cell. 2012 Jul 06; 11(1):100-9.
- Distinct roles for direct and indirect pathway striatal neurons in reinforcement. Kravitz AV, Tye LD, Kreitzer AC. Nat Neurosci. 2012 Jun; 15(6):816-8.
- Striatal mechanisms underlying movement, reinforcement, and punishment. Kravitz AV, Kreitzer AC. Physiology (Bethesda). 2012 Jun; 27(3):167-77.
- Inhibitory interneuron deficit links altered network activity and cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer model. Verret L, Mann EO, Hang GB, Barth AM, Cobos I, Ho K, Devidze N, Masliah E, Kreitzer AC, Mody I, Mucke L, Palop JJ. Cell. 2012 Apr 27; 149(3):708-21.
- Dendritic architecture: form and function. Javier RM, Kreitzer AC. Nat Neurosci. 2012 Mar 27; 15(4):503-5.
- Sonic hedgehog expression in corticofugal projection neurons directs cortical microcircuit formation. Harwell CC, Parker PR, Gee SM, Okada A, McConnell SK, Kreitzer AC, Kriegstein AR. Neuron. 2012 Mar 22; 73(6):1116-26.
- RGS4 is required for dopaminergic control of striatal LTD and susceptibility to parkinsonian motor deficits. Lerner TN, Kreitzer AC. Neuron. 2012 Jan 26; 73(2):347-59.
- Selective inhibition of striatal fast-spiking interneurons causes dyskinesias. Gittis AH, Leventhal DK, Fensterheim BA, Pettibone JR, Berke JD, Kreitzer AC. J Neurosci. 2011 Nov 02; 31(44):15727-31.
- Rapid target-specific remodeling of fast-spiking inhibitory circuits after loss of dopamine. Gittis AH, Hang GB, LaDow ES, Shoenfeld LR, Atallah BV, Finkbeiner S, Kreitzer AC. Neuron. 2011 Sep 08; 71(5):858-68.
- Investigating striatal function through cell-type-specific manipulations. Kreitzer AC, Berke JD. Neuroscience. 2011 Dec 15; 198:19-26.
- Cholinergic interneurons mediate fast VGluT3-dependent glutamatergic transmission in the striatum. Higley MJ, Gittis AH, Oldenburg IA, Balthasar N, Seal RP, Edwards RH, Lowell BB, Kreitzer AC, Sabatini BL. PLoS One. 2011 Apr 22; 6(4):e19155.
- Optogenetic manipulation of neural circuitry in vivo. Kravitz AV, Kreitzer AC. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2011 Jun; 21(3):433-9.
- Neuromodulatory control of striatal plasticity and behavior. Lerner TN, Kreitzer AC. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2011 Apr; 21(2):322-7.
- Regulation of parkinsonian motor behaviours by optogenetic control of basal ganglia circuitry. Kravitz AV, Freeze BS, Parker PR, Kay K, Thwin MT, Deisseroth K, Kreitzer AC. Nature. 2010 Jul 29; 466(7306):622-6.
- Distinct roles of GABAergic interneurons in the regulation of striatal output pathways. Gittis AH, Nelson AB, Thwin MT, Palop JJ, Kreitzer AC. J Neurosci. 2010 Feb 10; 30(6):2223-34.
- Endocannabinoid signaling mediates psychomotor activation by adenosine A2A antagonists. Lerner TN, Horne EA, Stella N, Kreitzer AC. J Neurosci. 2010 Feb 10; 30(6):2160-4.
- Physiology and pharmacology of striatal neurons. Kreitzer AC. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2009; 32:127-47.
- Synaptic Plasticity: Short-Term Mechanisms. J.S. Dittman, A.C. Kreitzer. Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. 2009 Jan 1; (Journal of Cell Biology1702005):773-778.
- Striatal plasticity and basal ganglia circuit function. Kreitzer AC, Malenka RC. Neuron. 2008 Nov 26; 60(4):543-54.
- Aberrant excitatory neuronal activity and compensatory remodeling of inhibitory hippocampal circuits in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Palop JJ, Chin J, Roberson ED, Wang J, Thwin MT, Bien-Ly N, Yoo J, Ho KO, Yu GQ, Kreitzer A, Finkbeiner S, Noebels JL, Mucke L. Neuron. 2007 Sep 06; 55(5):697-711.
- Mechanisms for synapse specificity during striatal long-term depression. Singla S, Kreitzer AC, Malenka RC. J Neurosci. 2007 May 09; 27(19):5260-4.
- Endocannabinoid-mediated rescue of striatal LTD and motor deficits in Parkinson's disease models. Kreitzer AC, Malenka RC. Nature. 2007 Feb 08; 445(7128):643-7.
- Dopamine modulation of state-dependent endocannabinoid release and long-term depression in the striatum. Kreitzer AC, Malenka RC. J Neurosci. 2005 Nov 09; 25(45):10537-45.
- Neurotransmission: emerging roles of endocannabinoids. Kreitzer AC. Curr Biol. 2005 Jul 26; 15(14):R549-51.
- Interaction of postsynaptic receptor saturation with presynaptic mechanisms produces a reliable synapse. Foster KA, Kreitzer AC, Regehr WG. Neuron. 2002 Dec 19; 36(6):1115-26.
- Retrograde signaling by endocannabinoids. Kreitzer AC, Regehr WG. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2002 Jun; 12(3):324-30.
- Inhibition of interneuron firing extends the spread of endocannabinoid signaling in the cerebellum. Kreitzer AC, Carter AG, Regehr WG. Neuron. 2002 May 30; 34(5):787-96.
- Cerebellar depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition is mediated by endogenous cannabinoids. Kreitzer AC, Regehr WG. J Neurosci. 2001 Oct 15; 21(20):RC174.
- Retrograde inhibition of presynaptic calcium influx by endogenous cannabinoids at excitatory synapses onto Purkinje cells. Kreitzer AC, Regehr WG. Neuron. 2001 Mar; 29(3):717-27.
- Monitoring presynaptic calcium dynamics in projection fibers by in vivo loading of a novel calcium indicator. Kreitzer AC, Gee KR, Archer EA, Regehr WG. Neuron. 2000 Jul; 27(1):25-32.
- Interplay between facilitation, depression, and residual calcium at three presynaptic terminals. Dittman JS, Kreitzer AC, Regehr WG. J Neurosci. 2000 Feb 15; 20(4):1374-85.
- Modulation of transmission during trains at a cerebellar synapse. Kreitzer AC, Regehr WG. J Neurosci. 2000 Feb 15; 20(4):1348-57.
- Multiple levels of schematization: A study in the conceptualization of space. ANATOL KREITZER. Cognitive Linguistics. 1997 Jan 1; 8(4):291-326.
Contact
Anatol Kreitzer
Email
415.734.2507
Erica Delin
Administrative Specialist
415.734.2516
Email
Lab Members
Kelly Kusche
Research Associate I
Tony Lien, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Didi Mamaligas, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Ben Margolin
Research Associate II
Rodrigo Paz, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Robyn St. Laurent, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar