Research
The substances that we consume can affect behavior and cognition by ultimately altering the ways in which brain cells communicate with one another. The work in our laboratory analyzes the impact that addictive drugs, such as prescription opioid painkillers and alcohol, have on synaptic plasticity in two different brain regions. We study the dorsal striatum, a brain region involved in the control of our actions, as well as the insular cortex, a brain region involved in self-awareness. We use cutting-edge tools such as optogenetics, mutant mice, electrophysiology, and mouse models of drug abuse. We hope that by understanding how these substances alter normal neuronal communication, that we can lay the groundwork for future discoveries to identify new therapeutics for treating drug abuse.
Project 1: The Impact of Binge Alcohol Drinking on the Brain
Binge alcohol drinking is a common, risky form of alcohol consumption that rapidly elevates blood alcohol content. Binge alcohol drinking carries an immense socioeconomic burden in the United States. Those who engage in binge alcohol drinking are over 10 time as likely to develop alcohol use disorder than their peers. Our laboratory is working to understand how binge alcohol drinking changes the brain over time. Our goal is to identify pharmacological, genetic, or technological means whereby the harms produced in the brain by binge alcohol drinking may be undone to eliminate the harms this drinking produces in people’s lives. Recent work from our laboratory discovered a novel brain pathway that controls binge alcohol drinking: a connection between the anterior insular cortex and the dorsolateral striatum. The anterior insular cortex is a brain region that is responsible for monitoring internal states (i.e. self-awareness). The dorsolateral striatum is a brain region that controls the development of habitual behaviors. We have found that activating this pathway reduces binge alcohol drinking in individuals that have been engaging in this type of drinking for extensive time periods and have increased the amount of drinking over time. It has no effect in individuals that have not been drinking for so long. Current research is working towards understanding the molecular changes that occur at this brain connection and the anatomical and functional organization of this connection that may also be changed as an individual drinks more and more alcohol.
Project 2: The Impact of Prenatal Opioid Exposure on the Brain
As opioid use disorder has increased, including in pregnant women, so has the number of babies being born that were exposed to opioids in utero. Prenatal opioid exposure often leads to opioid withdrawal upon birth in these infants. While this withdrawal has treatments that limit its severity and reduce the length of hospital stays, there are still developmental problems in these children that were exposed to opioids during their gestation. Our laboratory is exploring how prenatal opioid exposure alters the function of the brain. We are specifically exploring how prenatal opioid exposure predisposes for future misuse of alcohol and the brain mechanisms that control this enhanced predisposition. We are also investigating the brain mechanisms whereby prenatal opioid exposure leads to increased attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We are also especially interested in how prenatal opioid exposure produces different outcomes in males and females.