John Neumaier, MD, PhD, just received a five-year, $2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the direct and indirect output pathways from a small but critical region in the brain underlying functional adaptations in cocaine addiction. His application received a perfect score and according to the reviewers, “there was enthusiastic support for this highly significant project by an outstanding investigator.” One reviewer went on to say, “Neumaier is a rare physician scientist who has made major, clinically-relevant contributions to the field.” Sunila Nair, PhD, is a co-investigator on the study.

Cocaine addiction is a devastating, progressive brain disorder that involves adaptations in the cellular structure and molecular signaling in neurons after repeated exposure to cocaine. “Mechanisms of pathway-specific plasticity in the incubation of craving” intends to reveal a new level of detailed information about the molecular and cellular adaptations affecting neuronal signaling involved in drug seeking with the purpose of identifying novel strategies to reduce compulsive cocaine use and seeking. The study focuses on a very important biological question in a pathway that is not understood and will advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying relapse to drug seeking which could lead to novel treatment strategies. There are currently no FDA-approved pharmacological therapies for cocaine addiction.