We are currently facing a global public health crisis involving substance use disorders, which account for over 5% of the total global disease burden. While addiction has traditionally been viewed as a strictly "brain-based" disorder, our latest review, is revealing that the trillions of microbes living in your gut, collectively known as the microbiome, may play a leading role in how we respond to drugs. The Question: Can the Gut Control the Brain? We wanted to understand the

For decades, the common wisdom about nicotine has been simple: it’s an appetite suppressant. We’ve all seen the pattern where smokers tend to weigh less, while those who quit often face a struggle with weight gain. However, our latest study, a collaboration with researchers at Aix-Marseilles Université, suggests that this story is more complicated than we thought. It turns out that while nicotine causes weight loss in the long run, its immediate effect on the brain might actu

Cocaine addiction remains a critical public health crisis with no FDA-approved medication currently available. In our latest research, a collaboration between our team and the lab of Eric Kandel at Columbia University, we explored the potential of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) as a high-tech solution. While DBS has successfully treated movement disorders for decades, its role in addiction is more complex than we initially thought. The Question: Can We "Zap" Away Cocaine Use?