Read our newest paper in Psychopharm, lead by graduate student Maricela Martinez! We found sex-dependent changes, and lack thereof, in cognition and dopamine systems after adolescent THC in rats. Martinez, M.X., Alizo Vera, V., Ruiz, C.M., Floresco, S.B., and Mahler, S.V. Adolescent THC impacts on mPFC dopamine-mediated cognitive processes in male and female rats. Psychopharmacology. Read More…
News
New paper on sex differences in reward circuits after early life adversity!
Check out our newest paper lead by recent Mahler/Baram Ph.D. alumna Sophia Levis, focused on altered reward and stress circuitry in male rats after early life adversity. We find opposite effects from our previous studies in female rats, read this other half of the story in Translational Psychiatry! Levis, S.C., Birnie, M.T., Bolton, J.L. et al. Enduring Read More…
Our latest paper shows a bidirectional role of the Ventral Pallidum in opioid relapse
Our latest paper in Addiction Neuroscience lead by Mitch Farrell highlights the bidirectional control of VP GABA neurons in opioid relapse following voluntary abstinence or extinction. Mitchell R. Farrell, Qiying Ye, Yiyan Xie, Jeanine Sandra D. Esteban, Stephen V. Mahler,Ventral pallidum GABA neurons bidirectionally control opioid relapse across rat behavioral models,Addiction Neuroscience,Volume 3, 2022, 100026, Read More…
New paper on rat ultrasonic vocalizations!
Check out our new paper in Brain Sciences from Kate Lawson, and rotating UCI PhD students Aby Flores and Rachael Hokenson! We show that inhibiting nucleus accumbens neurons with DREADDs suppresses the number, but not the quality of amphetamine-induced ultrasonic vocalizations.
Our first rat THC vaping paper is published!
Christina Ruiz, Alexa Torrens, and Valeria Lallai lead our new paper characterizing THC aerosol (vapor) dosing in male and female adolescent rats. Check it out!
New Paper by Mitch Farrell on Ventral Pallidum in Risky Decision Making
Here is our new paper in Journal of Neuroscience, showing that GABA neurons in the VP are essential for highly motivated behavior, and decisions about whether to take a risk to get a reward. Mitch is a DSPAN F99/K00 Awardee, and is currently looking for a postdoctoral position in the US!
New Papers from Sophia Levis on Early-Life Adversity and Addiction
Check out these new papers from our collaboration with Dr. Tallie Z Baram, led by MD/PhD student Sophia Levis! Levis et al EJN 2021 Levis et al Frontiers 2021
Effects of THC in adolescent rats of both sexes
We have new paper in Neuropsychopharmacology, led by Christina Ruiz and Alexa Torrens (of the Piomelli Lab here at UCI), describes major sex differences in THC metabolism, behavioral effects, and effects on brain neural network activity (in collaboration with Vivek Swarup, also of UCI). Check it out!
Research Highlight of Intriguing New Work on Heroin Addiction
Morgan James (Rutgers University) and I wrote a summary of an exciting new paper in Neuropsychopharmacology from the lab of Susan Ferguson (U Washington). Check it out!
Two New Papers
Its been a good 2019. Mitch Farrell got an F31 NRSA from NIDA. We published numerous papers from our lab and in collaboration with others. Closing out the year, check out the new ones led by Mitch Farrell and Christina Ruiz, with Erik Castillo (and the Hnasko Lab), and Sophie Levis, with Christina Perrone (and Read More…