Behavioral Neuroscience RESEARCH BRANCH

Branch Sections

• Behavioral Neuroscience
Neurobiology of Relapse

Neurocircuitry of Motivation Section

Preclinical Pharmacology

Neuronal Ensembles in Drug Addiction

Branch Overview

Branch Chief: Yavin Shaham, Ph.D.

The mission of the Behavioral Neuroscience Branch is to characterize the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of drug reward and relapse to drug use, as assessed in animal models.

Behavioral Neuroscience Section

Section Chief: Roy Wise, Ph.D.

Projects include:

• Characterization of brain circuitry associated with drug reward and reward prediction. Current studies focus on the mesolimbic and nigrostriatal dopamine systems and their glutamatergic and cholinergic inputs.
• Neuroadaptations in reward circuitry resulting from drug experience and stress. Current interest is in changes in CRF and glutamate signaling that is altered in cocaine-experienced rats.
• Comparative microdialysis studies of the acquisition, extinction, and reinstatement of cocaine-seeking, heroin-seeking and other drug-seeking habits.

Neurobiology of Relapse Section - click for larger version

Neurobiology of Relapse Section

Section Chief: Yavin Shaham, Ph.D.

Current projects of Shaham group:

• Incubation of drug craving
  
• Relapse to palatable food seeking during dieting in female and male rats
  
• Context-induced relapse to drug seeking
  
• Relapse to alcohol seeking
  

Current projects of Eugene Kiyatkin group (In-vivo electrophysiology unit):

• Physiological analysis of motivated behavior using single-unit recording, iontophoresis, EEG/EMG, brain thermorecording, and glutamate electrochemistry
  
• Neurophysiological and neurochemical mechanisms of action of drugs of abuse (cocaine, nicotine)
  
• Alterations in blood-brain barrier in normal brain functions and during drug intoxication

Neurobiology of Relapse Section - click for larger version

Neurocircuitry of Motivation Section

Section Chief: Satoshi Ikemoto, Ph.D.

Projects include:

• Optogenetic investigations of reward and approach-withdrawal motivation in rodents
  
• Brain reward circuitry investigated by self-administration and place conditioning induced by intracranial drug injections
  
• Forebrain-brainstem interaction detected by multi regional recordings of units and local field potentials in motivation and reward
  

Preclinical Pharmacology Section

Section Chief: Steven R. Goldberg, Ph.D.

Projects include:

• Involvement of endocannabinoid, dopaminergic and nicotinic acetylcholine systems in brain reward processes and drug abuse
  
• Reinforcing, neurotoxic, and abuse-related neuroadaptive effects of methamphetamine and other psychostimulants: biomarkers for drug abuse
  
• Effects of cannabinoids, endocannabinoid uptake and deactivation inhibitors, and peroxisome proliferator-activated nuclear receptor (PPAR) agonists and antagonists on learning and memory: new approaches to the treatment of drug dependence and neurodegenerative diseases
  
• Involvement of cannabinoid receptors, peroxisome proliferator-activated nuclear receptors (PPAR) and alpha-7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the abuse-related behavioral and neurochemical effects of nicotine: new targets for the treatment of tobacco dependence
  

Molecular Mechanisms of Behavior Section - click for larger version

Neuronal Ensembles in Drug Addiction

Section Chief: Bruce T. Hope, Ph.D.

Coming soon.