Peter J Vollbrecht, PhD

Peter J Vollbrecht, PhD
Peter J Vollbrecht, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences

Contact Information

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Biosketch

Peter Vollbrecht, PhD, received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a biochemistry emphasis from Hope College. He then went on to complete his PhD in Neuroscience at Vanderbilt University and a postdoctoral fellowship as a Biology of Drug Abuse fellow at the University of Michigan. He then taught as an Assistant Professor at Hope College where he taught Human Physiology. Dr. Vollbrecht maintains an active research program that explores the relationship between obesity and neurological conditions such as cognitive deficits and anxiety. He has mentored over 15 students in his lab during the last three years. Dr. Vollbrecht served as a Councilor for the Michigan Society for Neuroscience from 2016-2018 and continues to be very interested in community outreach that makes science accessible to individuals with little or no exposure to neuroscience.

  • Education and Training
    • Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 2015, Pharmacology, University of Michigan
    • PhD 2014, Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University
    • BS 2007, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Hope College

  • Research
    • Obesity
    • Neuroscience
    • Biochemistry

  • Publications

    • Porter-Stransky K.A., Yang W., Vollbrecht P.J. Examining the relationship between attitudes toward science and socioeconomic status among middle-class, midwestern middle school students Frontiers in Education. 2024;9

    • Restini C.B.A., Weiler T., Porter-Stransky K.A., Vollbrecht P.J., Wisco J.J. Frontiers in Public Health. 2024;12

    • Vollbrecht P.J., Nesbitt K.M., Addis V.M., Boulnemour K.M., Micheli D.A., Smith K.B., Sandoval D., Kennedy R.T., Ferrario C.R. Journal of Neurochemistry. 2023;164:499-511.

    • Porter-Stransky K.A., Vollbrecht P.J., Riddle D.R. A Case-Based Neuroanatomy Laboratory on the Neurobiology of Psychiatric Conditions for Second-Year Medical Students Medical Science Educator. 2021;31:15-16.

    • Gall A.J., Vollbrecht P.J., Tobias T. European Journal of Neuroscience. 2020;52:3499-3506.

    • Vollbrecht P.J., Porter-Stransky K.A., Lackey-Cornelison W.L. Advances in Physiology Education. 2020;44:722-725.

    • Alonso-Caraballo Y., Hodgson K.J., Morgan S.A., Ferrario C.R., Vollbrecht P.J. Behavioural Brain Research. 2019;360:81-93.

    • Vollbrecht P.J., Nesbitt K.M., Mabrouk O.S., Chadderdon A.M., Jutkiewicz E.M., Kennedy R.T., Ferrario C.R. Behavioural Brain Research. 2018;346:137-143.

    • Vollbrecht P.J., Mabrouk O.S., Nelson A.D., Kennedy R.T., Ferrario C.R. Obesity. 2016;24(3):670-677.

    • Vollbrecht P.J., Nobile C.W., Chadderdon A.M., Jutkiewicz E.M., Ferrario C.R. Physiology and Behavior. 2015;152:151-160.

    • Kraemer B.R., Snow J., Vollbrecht P., Pathak A., Valentine W.M., Deutch A.Y., Carter B.D. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2014;289(31):21205-21216.

    • Vollbrecht P.J., Simmler L.D., Blakely R.D., Deutch A.Y. Journal of Neurochemistry. 2014;130(1):109-114.

    • Rice C., Cooke M., Treloar N., Vollbrecht P., Stukey J., Mcdonough V. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 2010;403:293-297.

  • Presentations
    • Community-Level Intervention to Drive Interest in STEM: An Active Learning Somatosensation Lesson Developed by Medical Students for Rural Middle Schoolers. Magoline JA, Vollbrecht PJ, Porter-Stransky KA, 41st Annual Kalamazoo Community Medical & Health Sciences Research Day, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 05/2023
    • Motivation or Regulation: Comparison of Alterations in Glutamate Signaling between Nucleus Accumbens and Prefrontal Cortex in Obesity-Prone Rats. Addis V, Boulnemour K, Vollbrecht P, 40th Annual Kalamazoo Community Medical and Health Sciences Research Day, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 04/2022
    • When Life Gives You Glucose: Differences in Glucose Uptake and Utilization Suggest Altered Astrocyte Function in Obesity Models. Boulnemour K, Smith K, Micheli D, Vollbrecht P, 38th Annual Kalamazoo Community Medical and Health Sciences Virtual Research Day, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 04/2021
    • Brain Explorers: A Neuroscience-Based Outreach for Middle School Students. Shehadeh A, Wurster A, VanRiper K, Beck P, Porter-Stransky K, Vollbrecht P, 38th Annual Kalamazoo Community Medical and Health Sciences Virtual Research Day, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 04/2021