Valeria Acosta

Research Interests

Valeria graduated from Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and Psychology, and a minor in Chemistry. During her undergraduate career, she contributed to projects investigating the neurobiological mechanisms mediating the neural networks and behavioral sensitivities to the anxiolytic effects of alcohol, specifically understanding the role of neurosteroidogenesis in sex-specific expression of tolerance. Valeria joined the Koob lab in August 2022, and under her mentor, M. Adrienne McGinn, she is investigating how hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic glucocorticoid systems are involved in the negative affective states in alcohol use disorder.