Research

The goal of our research is to better understand the molecular mechanisms of addiction and depression. We use animal models of these disorders to identify the ways in which long-term exposure to drugs of abuse or stress changes the brain to lead to addiction- or depression-like syndromes. A major focus of our work is on drug- and stress-induced changes in gene expression and chromatin structure within the brain’s reward circuitry, and the mechanisms by which those lasting adaptations alter neuronal and circuit function to produce behavioral abnormalities.