Research Interests
For the past few years I have been focused on identifying the substrates of neurobiological responses to cocaine in the brain using predominantly in vitro imaging techniques.  Chronic cocaine exposure has been shown to lead to functional deficits and structural disruptions within the brains of cocaine addicts.  My studies to date have concentrated on the catecholamine system, in accordance with where many of these deficits have been found.  More recent work, however, has indicated a critical role for glutamate systems in mediating the effects of cocaine, especially the long term neuroplastic changes that accompany cocaine use and abstinence.  I am particularly interested in investigating how the glutamatergic system is dysregulated within the brain, particularly the striatum, prefrontal cortex and temporal lobe, following chronic cocaine self-administration and abstinence.  In addition, we also assess the effectiveness of current therapeutic medications in our animal models of cocaine abuse and determine which potential new candidate therapies may be useful for further development in the treatment of cocaine addiction.

Techniques
2-[¹⁴C]deoxyglucose (2DG) method of visualizing neuronal activity
Receptor autoradiography
Total protein isolation and membrane fractionation
Western blot analysis
Receptor and in situ autoradiography

Ongoing Grant Support
R01 DA09085 (PI: Linda J Porrino)
Neurobiological Correlates of Cocaine Abuse in Primates
Role: Co-Investigator                 07/01/95 – 06/30/11

Completed Research Support
P50 DA06634 (PD: Steven Childers)
Center for Neurobiological Investigation of Drug Abuse Pilot Grant
“Assessment of Changes in Homer Protein in Nonhuman Primate Striatum Following Chronic Cocaine Self-Administration in Abstinence”                     10/01/06 – 09/30/08