our Research goals

Our research is guided by two overarching questions:

1. How does chronic stress impact neural substrates involved in shaping neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g.: anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, etc.)?
2. What are the neural substrates responsible for the comorbidity of affective disorders (e.g.: PTSD, anxiety, depression, etc.) and substance/alcohol use disorder?

Exposure to chronic stress, especially during adolescence, often results in increased anxiety and depression, and is associated with augmented risk of developing drug and alcohol addiction in adulthood. For example, patients diagnosed with anxiety or mood disorders are approximately twice as likely to develop substance/alcohol use disorder. Furthermore, individuals exposed to adverse events in childhood, such as childhood neglect and abuse, have a fourfold prevalence of developing maladaptive motivation and addictive behaviors in adulthood. Little is known about how exposure to early childhood stress causes changes in the brain to make these individuals more susceptible to developing substance/alcohol use disorder. It is therefore crucial to understand the neural substrates and mechanisms affected by stress, which then may lead to comorbid affective and addictive disorders.