The Lab of NODD
(Neurobiology of Dual Disorders)
The Khokhar Lab
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry
University of Western Ontario
What we do?
We reverse translate findings from clinical studies into rodent models to uncover the causal underpinnings of co-occurring substance use and serious mental illness. We combine pre-clinical neuroimaging with cutting-edge neuroscience tools to achieve this objective.
Who we are?
We are a translational neuropharmacology lab focused on the intersection of addiction and serious mental illness. Fundamental science excites us and drives us forward.
Where are we going?
The goal of this line of research is to establish safer and more efficacious treatments for use in patients with co-occurring substance use and serious mental illness.
Come join us!
We are always searching for individuals excited about this research to join the team. Find us on social media or Contact Us through this website.
" Converging lines of evidence support a shared vulnerability for substance use in patients with (and in those at risk for developing) schizophrenia. Genetic risk or an early environmental insult may lead to a dysfunctional mesocorticolimbic brain reward circuit. Such a dysfunctional circuit may lead pre-psychotic adolescents to use substances at greater rates than other adolescents, and the substance use itself may both trigger the onset of schizophrenia and lead to continued substance use. "