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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

neurophysiological substrates, cocaine addiction, drug addiction, behavioral strategies

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to characterize the role of GABA neurons in the ventral tegmental area in cocaine addiction. Research in my lab is dedicated to the elucidation of brain substrates underlying drug addiction. Elder Boyd K. Packer has stated, “It is my conviction, and my constant prayer, that there will come through research, through inspiration to scientists if need be, the power to conquer narcotic addiction through the same means which cause it.”(Packer 1989). This plea from Elder Packer is emblazoned on a poster at the entrance to my laboratory to remind us of the seriousness of addiction research and the stranglehold that addiction has on the lives of many of God’s children. We study critical brain circuits involved in natural rewarding behaviors and drug addiction. I proposed a mentored project in my laboratory to characterize the neurophysiological substrates of cocaine addiction. We have made significant progress on this project thanks to this funding and the students under my purview. Indeed, we published an original, peer-reviewed article in The European Journal of Neuroscience in 2008 on cocaine effects on VTA GABA neurons. Here is the citation for that work.

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