The main goals of this proposal are twofold: 1) to develop and optimize a general behavioral and technical platform for studying the functional neurocircuitry underlying opioid use disorder, and 2) to determine if activity in LHb projections to the RMTg promotes cued reinstatement to fentanyl seeking through indirect inhibition of VTA dopamine neurons.
Opioid abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and is responsible for more than 40,000 overdose deaths each year. Avoidance of withdrawal and drug-associated cues are key deterrents to voluntary abstinence in humans. By studying the neural circuits responsible for motivating avoidance of physical and emotional pain, as well as those that process […]
We aim to determine the accuracy and specificity of Arterial spin labeling (ASL) — a non‐invasive perfusion technique used in MRI to track cerebral blood flow — in measuring vascular and glial‐dependent water transfer to establish whether it is a valuable clinical tool in Alzheimer’s disease. This simple and safe technique, already approved for use […]
The COBRA study seeks to identify the specific neural circuits that are altered in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our experiments test the strength of “divisive normalization”, a measure that describes how neurons in the brain suppress each other. Our hypothesis is that suppressive interactions are reduced in individuals with ASD. Because suppressive neural interactions are […]
The transition to adulthood is characterized by many changes in various domains of life (e.g., living situation, education, work, romantic relationships) and some transitions may be more impactful on health than others. Project Transitions is designed to understand not only major life changes (e.g., marriage, parenting), but also the many smaller life changes that occur […]
This study is conducting secondary analyses on data collected from an unprecedented, recent longitudinal study of young adult drinkers recruited from the community in WA State after adult marijuana use was legalized for recreational purposes, Project Transitions. Analyses will increase our knowledge of concurrent and simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana across months, specifically examining substitution […]
This project aims to deploy a mHealth assessment system in a national sample of individuals who experience persecutory ideation (PI). Specifically, we will (1) evaluate whether PI with need for clinical care is associated with differential phenomenology of PI – frequency, valence, conviction, appraisals, and behavioral responses, (2) examine relationships between baseline clinical, functional and […]
