Meaghan Creed facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Meaghan Creed
Born	Chatham, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater	University of Toronto
Known for	Using Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) to modulate neural circuitry
Awards	2019 Rita Allen Foundation Scholar Award in Pain, NARSAD Young Investigator Grant, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2017 Science AAAS-PINS Inaugural Prize In Neuromodulation, 2016 Prix Pfizer de le Recherche / Pfizer Research Prize for Outstanding Translational
Scientific career
Fields	Neuroscience
Institutions	Washington University in St. Louis

Meaghan Creed is a scientist from Canada. She studies the brain and nervous system. She is a professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Creed studies something called deep brain stimulation (DBS). This treatment helps people with brain problems. She wants to make DBS work even better. Her work has been recognized by many important groups. These include Pfizer and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Early Life and Learning

Meaghan Creed grew up in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. She became interested in biology very early. In second grade, a scientist visited her class. This scientist talked about how corn could be changed using science.

Meaghan went to Chatham-Kent Secondary School. Her science teachers helped her want to study biology more. In 2004, she moved to Toronto for college. She studied at the University of Toronto. She earned her science degree in 2008.

She stayed at the University of Toronto for her advanced studies. She worked with Professor Jose N. Nobrega. Her research focused on deep brain stimulation (DBS). She studied how DBS could help people with movement problems. She earned her PhD in 2012.

After her PhD, Dr. Creed worked in Switzerland. She learned new ways to study brain cells. These included techniques like optogenetics and electrophysiology.

What is Deep Brain Stimulation?

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a special treatment. It involves placing tiny wires into specific parts of the brain. These wires send small electrical signals. These signals can help control brain activity.

Dr. Creed studied how DBS could help with a problem called tardive dyskinesia (TD). This problem can cause uncontrolled movements. She found that DBS could reduce these movements in mice. This showed that DBS might help people with similar issues.

Her research also looked at how DBS changes the brain. She found that DBS affects how brain cells communicate. It can change activity in different brain areas. This helps scientists understand how DBS works.

Dr. Creed also explored if DBS could help with addiction. She found that DBS could reverse some brain changes linked to addiction. This was an exciting discovery. It showed that DBS might be used for many different brain conditions.

Her Career and Research

After her work in Switzerland, Dr. Creed came back to North America. In 2016, she became a professor. She worked at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Her lab there studied how the brain controls certain behaviors. These included seeking rewards, taking risks, and acting on impulse. She wanted to find ways to help people with problems in these areas.

In 2018, Dr. Creed moved to Washington University School of Medicine. She is now a professor there. She leads her own lab at the Washington University Pain Center.

Her lab works on new ways to treat brain disorders. These include depression, long-lasting pain, and addiction. They focus on treatments that change brain activity. This includes deep brain stimulation and targeted drug delivery.

Dr. Creed's lab has made important discoveries. They studied specific brain cells in an area called the ventral pallidum (VP). They found that these cells play a role in seeking rewards. They also found that some VP cells might be involved in avoiding bad things.

Her lab also supports "Open Science." This means sharing their research tools and methods with other scientists. For example, they created an open-source device. It helps scientists study how mice drink liquids. They share the instructions and code for free. This helps other labs do similar research more easily.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Meaghan Creed has received many awards for her work:

• 2019 Rita Allen Foundation Scholar Award in Pain
• Daniel X. Freedman Prize, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation
• 2017 Science AAAS-PINS Inaugural Prize In Neuromodulation
• 2016 Prix Pfizer de le Recherch / Pfizer Research Prize for Outstanding Translational Research

Select Publications

• Vachez YM*, Tooley JR*, Abiraman K, Matikainen-Ankney BA, Casey E, Earnest T, Ramos LM, Silberberg H, Godynyuk E, Uddin O, Marconi L, Le Pichon CE, Creed MC. Ventral arkypallidal neurons inhibit accumbal firing to promote reward consumption. Nat Neurosci. 2021 24:379–390.
• Fobbs WC, Bariselli S, Licholai JA, Miyazaki NL, Matikainen-Ankney BA, Creed MC, Kravitz AV. Continuous representations of speed by striatal medium spiny neurons. J Neurosci. 2020 Feb 19;40(8):1679-1688.
• Godynyuk E, Bluitt MN, Tooley JR, Kravitz AV, Creed MC. An open-source, automated, home-cage sipper device for monitoring liquid ingestive behavior in rodents. eNeuro. 2019. 10;6(5).
• Tooley J, Marconi L, Alipio JB, Matikainen-Ankney B, Georgiou P, Kravitz AV, Creed M. Glutamatergic ventral pallidal neurons modulate activity of the habenula - tegmental circuitry and constrain reward seeking. Biological Psychiatry. 2018.
• Creed MC. Current and emerging neuromodulation therapies for addiction: insight from pre-clinical studies. Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 2018.
• Creed M, Pascoli VP, Lüscher C. Refining deep brain stimulation to emulate optogenetic treatment of synaptic pathology. Science. 2015. 347(6222):659-64.
• Lee D*, Creed M*, Jung K*, Wendler DJ, Oh WC, Mignocchi NL, Lüscher C, and Kwon HB. Temporally precise labeling and control of neuromodulatory circuits in the mammalian brain. Nature Methods. 2017. 14(5):495-503.
• Creed MC, Hamani C, Nobrega JN. Effects of repeated deep brain stimulation on depressive- and anxiety-like behavior in rats: comparing entopeduncular and subthalamic nuclei. Brain Stimulation. 2012. 6(4):506-14.
• Creed MC, Hamani C, Bridgeman A, Fletcher PJ, Nobrega JN. Contribution of decreased serotonin release to the antidyskinetic effects of deep brain stimulation in a rodent model of tardive dyskinesia: comparison of the subthalamic and entopeduncular nuclei. Journal of Neuroscience. 2012. 32(28)9874-81.
• Creed MC, Hamani C, Nobrega JN. Early gene mapping after deep brain stimulation in a rat model of tardive dyskinesia: comparison with transient local inactivation. European Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011. 22(7):506-517.