Laboratory of motivated behavior and addiction
Neuroscience Research Center
Medical College of Wisconsin
Addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder that is strongly modulated by positive and negative environmental factors. Our lab focuses on how these environmental factors can influence drug intake and drug seeking using rat and mouse models of addiction.
We have three major projects to investigate environmental factors and addiction
Medical College of Wisconsin
Addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder that is strongly modulated by positive and negative environmental factors. Our lab focuses on how these environmental factors can influence drug intake and drug seeking using rat and mouse models of addiction.
We have three major projects to investigate environmental factors and addiction
- Environmental modulation of drug seeking ensembles.
- Transgenic approaches are used to identify and manipulate cells that are engaged during drug seeking following intravenous drug self-administration. We are studying the effects of positive and negative environmental factors on drug seeking and the activity of cells within drug seeking ensembles. Aspects of this work are done in collaboration with Drs. Qing-song Liu and Cheryl Stucky in the Departments of Pharmacology and Cell Biology at MCW.
- The impact of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) on addiction and mesocorticolimbic function.
- This work is done in collaboration with Drs. Brain Stemper and Matthew Budde in the Department of Neurosurgery at MCW. We are examining the effects of mTBI on drug self-administration, drug seeking, and mesocorticolimbic function using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional connectivity.
- The effects of sleep restriction on stress responses and opioid seeking.
- This work is done in collaboration with Drs. Carol Everson and Hershel Raff in the Department of Medicine at MCW. We are measuring the effects of sleep restriction on CNS stress responses, regulation of the HPA axis, and opioid seeking.
- This work is done in collaboration with Drs. Carol Everson and Hershel Raff in the Department of Medicine at MCW. We are measuring the effects of sleep restriction on CNS stress responses, regulation of the HPA axis, and opioid seeking.
