THE CENTANNI LAB TEAM

Samuel W Centanni, PhD

Education

  • 2015
    • Ph.D., Biomedical Neuroscience- Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston, SC)
  • 2010
    • B.S., Biological Sciences- University at Albany (Albany, NY)

Research Experience

  • 2015-2020
    • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)
    • Research Focus: Determine the role of the insular cortex-bed nucleus of the stria terminalis neural circuit in stress and alcohol withdrawal
    • Advisor: Danny Winder, PhD
  • 2010-2015
    • Graduate Research Fellow, Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston, SC)
    • Research Focus: The effect of adolescent alcohol on dopaminergic and GABAergic neurotransmission in the adult prefrontal cortex
    • Advisor/Co-Advisor: L. Judson Chandler, PhD and Heather Trantham-Davidson, PhD
  • 2008-2010
    • Undergraduate Research Assistant, University at Albany (Albany, NY)
    • Research Focus: Examine the role of Par1b protein in salivary gland morphogenesis
    • Advisor: Melinda Larsen, PhD

Professional Experience

  • 2021-present
    • Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine (Winston-Salem, NC)
  • 2020-2021
    • Research Instructor, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (Nashville, TN)

Fellowship & Grant Funding

Current:

  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01AA031477-01A1): Insula-BNST Circuit Regulation of AUD
  • Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Institute Translational Research Pilot Award: Cardiac Autonomic Function and Mid-Insula Circuit Dysregulation in Traumatic Stress
  • Whitehall Foundation Research Grant (2023-12-071): “Defining a unique BLA-Insula-BNST circuit in stress valence”

Completed:

  • Errett Fisher Foundation: Daryl and Marguerite Errett Discovery Award in Biomedical Research: Elucidating the Role of Insula Stress Circuitry in Negative Emotional States
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00AA027774)
  • Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: NARSAD Young Investigator Award (27172)
  • National Institute of Mental Health: Postdoctoral Training in CNS Drug Discovery Research Training Grant (T32MH093366)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award Fellowship (F31AA022843)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: Predoctoral Training in Alcohol Research Training Grant (T32AA007474)

Academic & Professional Honors

  • 2025
    • Clinical & Translational Science Institute Research Pilot Award, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
    • PhD Mentor of the Year Award- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Wake Forest University
    • Ignition Funds Pilot Award- WFU School of Medicine Clinical & Translational Science Institute
    • Research Excellence Award- Wake Forest University School of Medicine
  • 2024               
    • Early Career Investigator Showcase Award, NIDA-NIAAA Frontiers in Addiction Convention
    • Ignition Funds Pilot Award- WFU School of Medicine Clinical & Translational Science Institute
    • Research Excellence Award- Wake Forest University School of Medicine
    • Whitehall Foundation Research Grant
    • Errett Fisher Foundation: Daryl and Marguerite Errett Discovery Award in Biomedical Research
  • 2023
    • Mentor of the Year Award- Neuroscience Graduate Program Wake Forest University
    • Research Excellence Award- Wake Forest University School of Medicine
  • 2022
    • Brain & Behavior Research Foundation NARSAD Young Investigator Award
  • 2021               
    • Travel Award, Winter Conference on Brain Research
  • 2020
    • Neuropsychopharmacology Editor’s Award for a Transformative Original Report (NEATOR)
    • Vanderbilt University Postdoc of the Year Award- Honorable Mention
    • K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (NIAAA K99/R00)
    • Poster Award Winner, Alcohol and the Nervous System GRC
    • Poster Abstract Selected for Oral Presentation, Alcohol and the Nervous System GRC
    • Travel Award, NIAAA Volterra Stress and Alcohol Conference
  • 2019
    • Warren Alpert Distinguished Scholars Fellowship, LSO VU-VUMC Institutional Nominee
    • Junior Investigator Award, Research Society on Alcoholism
  • 2018
    • Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Award
    • Poster Award Winner, Alcohol and the Nervous System GRS
    • Junior Investigator Award, Research Society on Alcoholism
  • 2017
    • Travel Award, NIAAA Volterra Stress and Alcohol Conference
  • 2016
    • Travel Award Winner, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center
  • 2015
    • Institutional Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (Postdoctoral NIMH T32)
  • 2014
    • Poster Award Winner, Frontiers in Neuroscience MUSC Research Day
    • Student Merit Travel Award, Research Society on Alcoholism
    • Poster Award Winner, Alcohol and the Nervous System GRC
  • 2013               
    • Individual Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (Predoctoral NIAAA F31)
  • 2011              
    • Institutional Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (Predoctoral NIAAA T32)
  • 2010
    • Presidential Award for Undergraduate Research, University at Albany
    • Undergraduate Research Endowed Fellowship, University at Albany

Professional Service & Membership

  • 2026
    • ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche): AAPG 2026 CE16- Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience- Developmental Neurobiology
  • 2025
    • Study Section Member- ZMH1 ERB-Z (02) Instrumentation Program S10 and Competing Revision R01
  • 2025-Present
    • ASPET Member
  • 2024, 2026
    • Ad hoc Study Section Member- Neurobiology of Motivated Behavior
  • 2024
    • Director Cellular/Molecular, Board of Directors Winter Conference on Brain Research
  • 2023
    • Research Society for Alcohol Strategic Planning Committee
  • 2023
    • Ad hoc Study Section Member- NIAAA Neuroscience Special Emphasis Panel
  • 2023-Present
    • Neuroscience Student Evaluation and Advisory Committee, Wake Forest University
  • 2023-Present
    • Neuroscience Graduate School Admissions Committee, Wake Forest University
  • 2022
    • Ad hoc Study Section Member- AA4 Neuroscience and Behavior
  • 2022-Present
    • Wake Forest University School of Medicine Institutional Biosafety Committee
  • 2022
    • Ad hoc Study Section Member- ZAA1- GG-(32) NRSA Individual Fellowships
  • 2022-Present
    • Program Planning Committee- Winter Conference on Brain Research
  • 2020-2021
    • Vanderbilt School of Medicine Dean’s Advisory Council for Mental Health and Wellness
  • 2020-2021
    • Vanderbilt Postdoc Association- Board Member
  • 2020-2021
    • Vanderbilt Postdoc Association- Annual Symposium planning committee
  • 2015-2020
    • Vanderbilt Brain Blast organizer
  • 2015-2021
    • Founder/Director of VCAR Addiction Journal Club and VCAR Work in Progress series
  • 2011-Present
    • Research Society on Alcohol member
  • 2011-present
    • Society for Neuroscience member
  • Ad hoc Reviewer
    • Biological Psychiatry (2024)
    • Alcohol (2024)
    • Neuropsychopharmacology (2024)
    • Nature Communications (2022)
    • Addiction Neuroscience (2022)
    • Journal of Neuroscience (2022)
    • iScience (2022)
    • Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience (2022)
    • International Brain Research Organization (2022)
    • Science Advances (2021)
    • Alcohol Research: Current Reviews (2021)
    • Behavioral and Brain Functions (2021)
    • Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research (2021)
    • European Neuropsychopharmacology (2020)
    • Hormones and Behavior (2020)
    • Neuropharmacology (2016)

Invited Scientific Talks

  1. “The distinct roles of the S1-insula circuit in alcohol drinking and negative affect in abstinence”. (Chair of Panel “Insular dynamics in stress and alcohol use: a cross-species perspective on craving, compulsion, and abstinence”). Alcoholism and Stress: A Framework for Future Treatment Strategies. Volterra, Italy. May 2026.
  2. “The Insula Remembers: Linking Stress Reactivity and Negative Affect in Abstinence” Gordon Research Conference: Alcohol and the Nervous System. Ventura, CA. February 2026.
  3. “Cortical Integration of Somatosensory and Interoceptive Processing in Alcohol-Related Behavior”. Winter Conference on Brain Research. (Chair of Panel “Avalanches of Emotion: Making Sense of Insular Cortex Circuits for Negative Affect”). Big Sky, MT. January 2026.
  4. “Wired for Emotion: Insular Circuits in Affective and Motivated States” Wake Forest University Department of Translational Neuroscience Seminar Series. Winston-Salem, NC. November 2025.
  5. “Scientifica Webinar: Transitioning to Independent Research”. Scientifica Virtual Webinar Series. East Sussex, United Kingdom (Virtual). May 2025.
  6. “Traversing High-Stress Terrain: Functional Mapping of Insula Stress Ensemble Circuitry” Winter Conference on Brain Research. Tahoe, CA. January 2025.
  7. “Insula-BNST Circuit Regulation of Stress-Induced Susceptibility to Negative Affect in Ethanol Abstinence” 2024 NIDA-NIAAA Mini-Convention: Frontiers in Addiction Research. Chicago, IL. October 2024.
  8. “Primary Somatosensory Cortex to Insula Circuit Regulation of Binge Ethanol Drinking and Abstinence-Induced Negative Affect” Research Society on Alcohol Annual Meeting. Minneapolis, MN. June 2024.
  9. “A Canary in the Coal Mine? Insula-BNST Activity as a Predictive Marker of Alcohol-Induced Negative Affect” Winter Conference on Brain Research. Breckenridge, CO. January 2024. (Chair of Panel “A Bed of Nails: The Challenge of Disentangling the Circuits and Functions of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis”).
  10. “An Insula-Centric View of the Interaction Between Stress and Alcohol Drinking” NIDA-NIAAA Neuroscience Workgroup: Webinars by Early Career Investigators in Addiction Neuroscience (WECAN). Virtual. July 2023.
  11. “Insula-BNST Circuit Regulation of Stress-Induced Susceptibility to Negative Affect in Ethanol Abstinence” Research Society on Alcohol Annual Meeting. Bellevue, WA. June 2023.
  12. “The Insula: A Key Contributor at the Intersection of Alcohol and Stress Responses”. Alcoholism and Stress: A Framework for Future Treatment Strategies. Volterra, Italy. May 2023.
  13. “Delineating the Insula-Centric Negative Affective Circuitry Engaged by Stress and Alcohol Abstinence” University of Illinois Chicago Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience Seminar Series. Chicago, IL. March 2023.
  14. “The Struggle is Real: The Role of Insular Cortex Circuitry in Stress Response and Alcohol Abstinence” Duke Center on Addiction and Behavior Center Seminar Series. Durham, NC. February 2023.
  15. “Avoiding the Emotional Avalanche: The Role of the Insula in Stress- and Alcohol-induced Affective Dysfunction” Winter Conference on Brain Research. Snowbird, UT. January 2023. (Chair of Panel “Insula: An Integral Hub for Motivation, Reward, and Affect”).
  16. “An Insula-Centric View of Negative Affect in Stress and Alcohol Abstinence” SUNY Buffalo Integrative Behavioral Neuroscience Seminar Series. Buffalo, NY. November 2022.
  17. “Delineating the Insula-Centric Negative Affective Circuitry Engaged by Stress and Alcohol Exposure.” International Drug Abuse Research Society. Nice, France. September 2022.
  18. “The Lasting Effects of Pharmacologically Enhancing Endocannabinoid Levels During a Critical Period of Alcohol Withdrawal.” Research Society on Alcoholism Annual Meeting. Orlando, FL. June 2022.
  19. “Delineation of an Insula-BNST Circuit Engaged by Stress”. Winter Conference on Brain Research. Snowmass, CO. January, 2022. (Chair of Panel “Insular Cortex: The Island of Mis-regulated Motivational and Affective States”)
  20. “The Use of Whole Brain Imaging and Circuit Mapping to Identify Upstream Control Networks for the Stress Sensitive Insula-BNST Pathway”. Winter Conference on Brain Research. Snowmass, CO. January, 2022.
  21. “The Impact of Exercise on Mouse Alcohol Drinking and Abstinence-Associated Affective Behavior and Physiology”. National Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center July Conference Call. July 2021.
  22. “Delineation of an Insula-BNST Circuit Engaged by Stress and Alcohol Abstinence”. Research Society on Alcoholism Annual Meeting. June 2021.
  23. “An Insular-BNST Circuit Regulates Negative Affect Associated with Stress and Alcohol Abstinence”. ADACE Postdoctoral Seminar Series at LSU Health Sciences Center- New Orleans. New Orleans, LA (Virtual). April 2021.
  24. “An Insular-BNST Circuit Regulates Stress Coping Behavior”. Vanderbilt Brain Institute Annual Retreat. October 2020.
  25. “An Insular-BNST Circuit Regulates Negative Affect Associated with Stress and Alcohol Abstinence”. Staying Connected: Neuroscience of Mental Health and Addiction Postdoctoral Virtual Seminar Series. July 2020..
  26. “An Insular-BNST Circuit Regulates Negative Affect Associated with Stress and Alcohol Abstinence”. Gordon Research Conference: Alcohol and the Nervous System. Galveston, TX. March 2020.
  27. “An Endocannabinoid-Sensitive Insular Cortex-BNST Circuit Regulates Negative Affect Associated with Stress and Alcohol Withdrawal”. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Neuroscience Postdoc Seminar Series. New York City, NY, October 2019.
  28. “BNST Neural Circuitry and Negative Affect in Alcohol Abstinence”. Winter Conference on Brain Research. Snowmass, CO. January, 2019. (Chair of Panel: “The Use of In Vivo Imaging Techniques to Link Neural Activity and Behavior”)
  29. “Adolescent Alcohol and GABAergic Neurotransmission in the PFC”. Neuropalooza Itinerary, Charleston, SC: Neuropalooza, 2014.
  30. “Adolescent Alcohol Exposure Decrease d-GABAA Receptor Mediated Currents in the Adult Medial Prefrontal Cortex”. Society for Neuroscience Itinerary, San Diego, CA, 2013.
Winston Salem

samuel.centanni@wfusm.edu