Dr. Walters received her B.A. degree from Mt. Holyoke College and her Ph.D. from Yale University, where she studied the pharmacology and neurophysiology of the dopamine system in the basal ganglia. After postdoctoral work at Yale, she joined the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and then moved to the Experimental Therapeutics Branch in NINDS, and later served as the Chief of the Neurophysiological Pharmacology Section where her laboratory explored the role of dopamine in basal ganglia-thalamocortical function. Dr. Walters became a Scientist Emerita in 2023.
Dr. Walter's research focused on uncovering the functions of specific neuronal systems involved in regulating information processing within the basal ganglia-thalamocortical networks. Her lab was particularly interested in the relationship between dopamine and the function—and dysfunction—of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical system, especially in the context of movement disorders. Efforts were directed toward identifying mechanisms that could be manipulated to prevent, correct, and/or compensate for dysfunction occurring in these systems in disorders such as Parkinson's disease, dyskinesia, Huntington's disease, Tourette's syndrome and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Neurophysiological approaches were utilized to investigate activity in basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits in normal and abnormal motor states and the potential for modulating basal ganglia- thalamocortical network function with drugs and other interventions, such as deep brain stimulation. The lab also had an interest in the role of dopamine receptor stimulation in modulation of synchronized and oscillatory neuronal activity in a range of frequencies in the context of basal ganglia-thalamocortical network function and dysfunction. Techniques included in vivo recordings in anesthetized and awake behaving rodent preparations in conjunction with selective lesion, stimulation or drug treatments, and biochemical, behavioral and anatomical measures.