The primary objective of our laboratory is to understand the behavior neurgenetics of drug abuse and psychiatric illnesses.  Our laboratory uses behavioral genetic strategies, behavioral pharmacology, and neuro-anatomical techniques to understand the brain-behavior relationship.  We utilize many preclinical models to investigate basic reward mechanisms (brain stimulation reward), response to chronic drug administration (iv self-administration, psychomotor stimulation), sensory motor processing (prepulse inhibition), and pain perception (analgesia, tolerance). 

Morphine is a mu-opiate receptor agonist that is known to be the most extremely useful analgesic drug.  However when used repitivitely, morphine can have devestating consequences, namely addiction.  Research in the area of opiate addiction has significantly improved our understanding of the effects of drugs on the neurobiology of the brain and how drugs of abuse affect behavior and cognitive processes.  However, a large breach remains in the understanding of why certain individuals that initiate drug use go on to drug dependence and addiction.  The goal of my thesis project is to utilize a behavior-genetics experimental strategy designed to identify target genes and novel neurobiological mechanisms involved in the chronic effects of opiate administration by microarray analysis and to verify the role of critical genes by in vivo RNA interference (RNAi) and pharmacological intervention.  The experimental strategy attempts to weed out irrelevant changes in gene expression through a genotype and behavioral filter by correlating gene expression with behavior across two inbred mouse strains that differ in many behavioral responses to opiates. We have used this strategy successfully in previous studies of gene-behavior associations and are in the process of applying this strategy to morphine tolerance.  Understanding these neurobiological processes will provide important insights into the mechanisms that reduce addiction liability, improve therapeutic drug design, and assist in recovery.