Alcohol addiction doesn't just affect the brain's reward system, it fundamentally alters how our bodies handle stress. We've known for years that the stress hormone system goes haywire during alcohol dependence, but finding safe, effective medications to target this system has remained elusive. In collaboration with the Vendruscolo and Mason labs, we set out to test whether a new class of drugs that modulate stress hormone receptors could reduce alcohol consumption. The Resea

When I study addiction, I often encounter a significant challenge: most research relies on genetically similar lab rats. This approach fails to capture the diversity present in human populations. It's akin to trying to understand a disease's impact by examining only one family. I realized we needed a more effective strategy. The Research Question My goal was to create comprehensive resources that would aid researchers in understanding why some individuals become addicted whil

We've all heard that addiction affects people differently. But why do some individuals spiral into severe addiction while others can take or leave drugs? We investigated this question using an innovative approach with genetically diverse rats, and what we found challenges some common assumptions about addiction. The Research Question We wanted to understand whether individual differences in addiction-like behaviors predict how much a rat will choose drugs over other rewarding

A key aspect of treating drug abuse is understanding similarities and differences of how drugs of abuse affect the brain. The George Lab published a new study investigating how the brain is altered during withdrawal from psychostimulants. Using single-cell whole-brain imaging in mice, we found that each drug produced a unique pattern of activity in the brain, but that brains in withdrawal from cocaine and methamphetamine shared similar features. Interestingly, we found the m

The George Lab published a new study investigating electronic cigarette use. The main goal of the study was to validate a new pre-clinical model of nicotine vapor self-administration with anatomical and behavioral characterization of dependence. We examined the effects of chronic nicotine vapor intake on key behaviors that are related to nicotine withdrawal in male and female rats, including hyperalgesia, somatic signs, and anxiety-like behavior. Our data showed that two wee

Our newest review, “Role of CRF in Alcohol and Nicotine Addiction” was recently published in a special collection on "The Role of...

Substance use disorders are complex. Genetics, environment, and exposure all play a role in drug use. Recently, there has been evidence...

This new paper provide the first brain map of alcohol dependence at single cell resolution in an animal model of Alcohol use disorder....

This paper provide preclinical evidence that targeting the D3 receptors may provide efficacy in the treatment of opioid use disorder....

This new paper identify a neuropeptide that is acting in a key brain region responsible for opioid dependence and demonstrates that it is...