Assistant Professor, PhD (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul)
My laboratory’s work examines how our unique experiences across development have profound impacts on our brains and behavior. Our primary research interest is to uncover biological mechanisms underlying neurobehavioral deficits induced by pre- and/or early postnatal adverse experiences, with a special focus on understanding the increased vulnerability to develop psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety.
The overarching goals for my research program focus on:
1) assessing short- and long-term effects of pre- and/or postnatal adverse environments on behavior, specifically as they relate to mental health outcomes;
2) understanding the mechanisms by which pre- and/or postnatal adverse environments “get under the skin” and alter neurodevelopmental trajectories; and
3) evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and therapeutic strategies for ameliorating adversity-related neurobehavioral deficits.
For a full list of publications, click here
List of select publications
Bodnar TS, Raineki C, Wertelecki W, Yevtushok L, Plotka L, Granovska I, Zymak-Zakutnya N, Pashtepa A, Wells A, Honerkamp-Smith G, Coles CD, Kable JA, Chambers CD, Weinberg J, the CIFASD (2020). Immune network dysregulation associated with child neurodevelopmental delay: Modulatory role of prenatal alcohol exposure. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 17: 39.
Raineki C*, Opendak M*, Sarro E, Showler A, Bui K, McEwen BS, Wilson DA, Sullivan RM (2019). During infant maltreatment, stress targets hippocampus but stress with mother present targets amygdala and social behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116: 22821-22832. *authors contributed equally
Raineki C, Morgan EJ, Ellis L, Weinberg J (2019). Glucocorticoid receptor expression in the stress-limbic circuitry is differentially affected by prenatal alcohol exposure and adolescent stress. Brain Research, 1718: 242-251.
Lam VYY, Raineki C, Wang LY, Chiu M, Lee G, Ellis L, Yu W, Weinberg J (2019). Role of corticosterone in anxiety- and depressive-like behavior and HPA regulation following prenatal alcohol exposure. Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 90: 1-15.
Sagae SC, Zanardini B, Ribeiro-Paz ED, Amaral AC, Bronczek GA, Lubaczeuski C, Grassiolli S, Koehler-Santos P, de Oliveira JR, Donadio MVF, Raineki C (2018). Metabolic dysfunction in a rat model of early-life scarcity-adversity: Modulatory role of cafeteria diet. Experimental Physiology, 103: 1481-1493.
Bodnar TS, Raineki C, Wertelecki W, Yevtushok L, Plotka L, Zymak-Zakutnya N, Honerkamp-Smith G, Wells A, Rolland M, Woodward TS, Coles CD, Kable JA, Chambers CD, Weinberg J, the CIFASD (2018). Altered maternal immune networks are associated with adverse child neurodevelopment: Impact of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 73: 205-215.
Lam VYY, Raineki C, Ellis L, Yu W, Weinberg J (2018). Interactive effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and chronic stress in adulthood on anxiety-like behavior and central stress-related receptor mRNA expression: Sex- and time-dependent effects. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 97: 8-19.
Lam VYY, Raineki C, Takeuchi LE, Ellis L, Woodward TS, Weinberg J (2018). Chronic stress alters behavior in the forced swim test and underlying neural activity in animals exposed to alcohol prenatally: Sex- and time-dependent effects. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 12: 42.
Raineki C, Ellis L, Weinberg J (2018). Impact of adolescent stress on the expression of stress-related receptors in the hippocampus of animals exposed to alcohol prenatally. Hippocampus, 28: 201-216.
Raineki C, Bodnar TS, Holman PJ, Baglot SL, Lan N, Weinberg J (2017). Effects of early-life adversity on immune function are mediated by prenatal environment: Role of prenatal alcohol exposure. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 66: 210-220.
Walker C-D, Bath KG, Joëls M, Korosi A, Larauche M, Lucassen PJ, Morris MJ, Raineki C, Roth TL, Sullivan RM, Taché Y, Baram TZ (2017). Chronic early life stress induced by limited bedding and nesting (LBN) material in rodents: Critical considerations of methodology, outcomes and translational potential. Stress, 20: 421-448.
Yan C-G, Rincón-Cortés M, Raineki C, Sarro E, Colcombe S, Guilfoyle DN, Yang Z, Gerum S, Biswal BB, Milham MP, Sullivan RM, Castellanos FX (2017). Aberrant development of intrinsic brain activity in a rat model of caregiver maltreatment of offspring. Translational Psychiatry, 7: e1005.
Sullivan RM, Sullivan-Wilson T, Raineki C (2017). Neurobiology of Infant attachment: Nurturing and abusive relationships. Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology, 1-10
