Dr. Stephen Lippi

Dr. Stephen Lippi is an assistant professor of psychology and contributes to the neuroscience major through teaching and research. His training is in behavioral neuroscience, and he uses animal models (mice) to study the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and lifestyle factors (e.g., diet, exercise, stress, and sleep) on the brain and behavior. Dr. Lippi is the principal investigator of the B.E.A.D.S. (Behavior/Brain, Environment/Enrichment, Aging/Alzheimer’s, Diet, Stress/Sleep) lab and teaches courses in research methods and statistics and biological psychology. Apart from animal studies, Dr. Lippi also pursues research related to the mental health and behavior of sexual and gender minority populations through the use of large secondary datasets. He invites any interested students to reach out and become involved in research.

Education

• Ph.D., Psychology, Concentration in Cognitive and Behavioral Neursocience, George Mason University
• M.A., Psychology, Concentration in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, George Mason University
• B.S., Psychology, George Mason University

Specialty

Behavioral neuroscience and animal models of behavior

Professional Interests

Dr. Lippi’s research uses animal models to study how lifestyle factors can affect the brain and behavior. These are truly important because we don’t need a prescription to make changes to them. He uses both standard/typical mice and those modeling Alzheimer’s disease (transgenic mice). As a behavioral neuroscientist, Dr. Lippi uses different behavior tests/paradigms to study how changes in lifestyle factors can influence learning and memory in rodents. These include: open field test, elevated-zero maze, Morris water maze, novel object recognition (NOR), sucrose preference, and burrowing and nesting assays. Results from these behavioral tests can allow researchers to hypothesize about mechanisms in the brain that contribute to these changes in behavior and memory. Aside from his research with animal models, Dr. Lippi also uses large secondary datasets to explore more human-related psychology topics, including mental health and substance use in non-heterosexual populations.

Other Interests

Dr. Lippi enjoys training for half-marathons and has completed the Walt Disney World Dopey Challenge (5k Thursday, 10k Friday, half-marathon Saturday, full marathon Sunday) three times. Apart from physical exercise (running and rock climbing), Dr. Lippi enjoys cooking, playing video games, and drinking way too much boba tea.

Recent Publications

• Lippi, S. L. P., Barkey, R. E., & Rodriguez, M. N. (2023). High-fat diet negatively affects brain markers, cognitive behaviors, and noncognitive behaviors in the rTg4510 tau mouse model. Physiology & Behavior, 271, 114316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114316
• Rodriguez, M. N., & Lippi, S. L. P. (2022). Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) Exerts Anxiolytic Effects in the rTg4510 Tau Mouse Model. Behavioral Sciences, 12(7), 235. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12070235
• Lippi, S. L. P., Neely, C. L. C., & Amaya, A. L. (2022). Trace concentrations, heavy implications: Influences of biometals on major brain pathologies of Alzheimer’s disease. The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, 143, 106136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocel.2021.106136
• Dimopoulos, T. T., Lippi, S. L. P., Davila, J. F., Barkey, R. E., Doherty, E. N., & Flinn, J. M. (2022). White Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) Supplementation Ameliorates Spatial Memory Deficits and Plaque Formation in an Amyloid Precursor Protein Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease. Brain Sciences, 12(10), 1364. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12101364
• Lippi, S. L. P. (2021). Chronic Mild Unpredictable Stress and High-Fat Diet Given during Adolescence Impact Both Cognitive and Noncognitive Behaviors in Young Adult Mice. Brain Sciences, 11(2), 260. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11020260
• Lippi, S. L. P., Kakalec, P. A., Smith, M. L., & Flinn, J. M. (2020). Wheel-Running Behavior Is Negatively Impacted by Zinc Administration in a Novel Dual Transgenic Mouse Model of AD. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 14, 854. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.00854

Contact Dr. Stephen Lippi

(478) 301-2920
lippi_s@mercer.edu
Office: Willet Science Center, Room 135