Behavioral Neuroscience: Foundations of Compulsive Behaviors

Abel Bult-Ito serves as Professor of Neurobiology and Neurophysiology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he has established himself as a leading expert in behavioral neuroscience and animal models of psychiatric disorders. Originally from the Netherlands, he earned his doctorate in 1993 and has since published over 70 research articles focusing on neural regulation of compulsive behaviors. His groundbreaking work includes developing a mouse model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and studying how the brain regulates adaptive and non-adaptive behaviors. Through his research at UAF's Department of Biology and Wildlife, he has made significant contributions to understanding behavioral genetics and circadian rhythms, as evidenced by his influential work on scheduled feeding and circadian entrainment. His recent work includes developing innovative approaches to studying compulsivity through bidirectional behavioral selection in mice, contributing to pre-clinical research on psychiatric disorders. As a faculty member, he has developed comprehensive online courses in behavioral neuroscience, focusing on research methods for studying anxiety, depression, and compulsive behaviors in laboratory mice. His expertise spans multiple areas including animal behavior, neural regulation, and human anatomy, while maintaining active research programs that bridge basic science with potential clinical applications.